Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Amid tragedy, tranquility behind wheel
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
Austin McCarty (Brian Goodaker and Rocky Ragusa photos)
Kankakee County Speedway’s championship history is dotted with the McCarty name, including reigning Crate Late Model champ Austin McCarty of nearby Bourbonnais, Ill.
Austin’s father Steve, now his crew chief, was a four-time champion in the street stock division. Austin’s uncle’s Dave (sportsman) and Don (street stock) were also champions and Austin’s older brother Matt captured a sport compact title. And way back in the track’s archives is Wayne McCarty, a 1961 sportsman champion at the Kankakee oval that’s been in operation since the 1940s.
In recent years, 89-year-old Wayne McCarty returned to the track as a spectator, sporting an Austin McCarty T-shirt and sitting on the top row among like-dressed fans to watch his grandson compete — and often win in the Crate Late Model division.
"He would always joke, ‘Well, when can I drive the car?' I'm like you can drive it whenever, and he just starts laughing,” said 27-year-old Austin McCarty, whose modern-day race car is kept in the garage of the transmission shop founded by his grandfather.
McCarty’s racing connections to his grandfather made it all the harder five weeks ago when the family was devastated by the news of a double-murder-suicide at the home of his grandparents in Bradley, Ill. According to police and media reports, 61-year-old Michael McCarty, Austin’s uncle, shot and killed his parents, Wayne and Pat McCarty, then shot and killed himself.
Austin and his grief-stricken family reeled in the days following, but as racing families tend to do, they found themselves back at the Kankakee oval for the next event.
“That Friday, it was hard for all of us,” McCarty recalled. “We needed to get to the track and just kinda have a sense of normalcy. During the race, I was definitely occupied thinking about how cool it would be to get a victory for him, because he was there the week prior when I got another victory.”
Just five days after his grandfather’s death, McCarty was able to capture another checkered flag despite a rear suspension issue, grabbing one of five victories this season at Kankakee, where he leads division points.
"It was a relief to cross the finish line. And then come to find out the car, one of the rear bars was hanging off. I kind of felt it in the car, but I was just so focused on just finishing the race,” he said. “So we say that my grandpa and my grandma were there watching and keeping the car together so I could finish.”
An emotional victory lane celebration ensued.
“There's no better way to write that, how it happened. Like the car breaking, holding together, still being able to finish the race,” McCarty said. "I was kind of choked up getting interviewed. I don't remember much of it, but I know my mom came up and she hugged me and we all started to cry.
“There was a lot of support from the track and other racers coming up, giving me hugs and condolences. So it was a little overwhelming, but it was nice that the community was supporting us.”
Climbing behind the wheel of his race car gave McCarty a degree of tranquility amid the death of his grandparents, who were married for 69 years.
“For me, you put your helmet on, get in the car, you're still thinking about a lot of stuff and the moment the green flag drops, everything just disappears. There's no thoughts,” he said. “And for me as a driver, that helps eliminate what's happening on the outside. And I'm sure from the outside perspective from my dad, it helps just being there and crew-chiefing and watching. So from two different perspectives, being out there at the racetrack, it definitely helps eliminate stuff.”
In a phone interview, McCarty framed his family’s loss as a reminder of the importance of mental health.
"I guess this is a good thing because it'll help spread awareness for mental health issues. Unfortunately one of my uncles was dealing with a lot of mental health issues,” McCarty said. “It's unfortunate, but there's definitely a lot of awareness around mental health and getting the right help and saying you need help. I've dealt with my own issues over the years and racing is a good way to kinda eliminate those problems. Because when you're in the car, nothing else seems to matter.”
McCarty, aiming for his second straight title at Kankakee, first began racing in the four-cylinder division as a high school freshman and moved into Crate Late Models a few years later. Winless for a few seasons, when he upgraded to a 2017 Rocket Chassis in 2021, McCarty captured his first victory and became a contender. Now he owns more than a dozen victories at Kankakee, has a runner-up finish at Spoon River Speedway in Banner, Ill., and was twice a third-place finisher against a rugged field at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway’s FALS Frenzy last fall.
The driver who lives a half-hour north of Kankakee has enjoyed the most of his success over the past two seasons, partly because of assistance from standout Illinois driver Frank Heckenast Jr. of Frankfort, and his former crew member Axle Wicker who now assists McCarty.
McCarty said the improvement has come in “just trying to get myself better physically, mentally. The car, we've adjusted the car. Frank Heckenast Jr., he's been a big help with the whole shock package and getting the car where it needs to be and Axle Wicker, between both of them, I kind of joke and say I'm just a driver, but And they've they've helped me get the car where we where we need it to be.”
With his family-owned team primarily funded by his parents Steve and Julie, McCarty is likely to remain in the Crate Late Model division, but he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to step up to Super Late Models. The financial and time commitments would be challenging.
"I think everyone wants to travel and move up to the Supers because that's like the thing to do,” McCarty said. “ I don't know about traveling much, but it would be nice if I could go up to Supers and race at Fairbury or something like that or travel a little bit more, a little more locally.”
For now, McCarty is relishing one of his best seasons, including the Fourth of July victory he dedicated to his grandfather.
“He was just here the week before and being able to get a last win for him,” McCarty said. “There's just no words to describe what happened. It’s very humbling, and racing is also very humbling.”
Weekly highlights
• Joey Tanner of Portland, Ore., earned $4,200 in purse money in July 26’s Virgil Hanson Loggers Cup for Super Late Models at Cottage Grove (Ore.) Speedway.
• Leading all 30 laps, Trynt Lloyd of Jacksonville, Fla., picked up a $2,009 Summer Slam victory in July 26 604 Crate Late Model action at Lake City’s North Florida Speedway.
• Sweeping the North Dakota Governor’s Cup, Ryan Mikkelson pocketed $4,000 for a pair of July 25-26 Late Model victories at Mandan’s Dacotah Speedway.
• Winning his first Late Model feature in 13 seasons, Mike Collins of Crescent, Iowa, took the checkers July 26 at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa. The 57-year-old Collins raced sparingly from 2013-20.
• Scoring a two-victory weekend in his home state on July 25-26, Kyle Lear of Severna Park, Md., won the Crate Late Model feature at Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek and the Limited Late Model feature at Hagerstown Speedway.
• Fourth-generation racer Mason VanderVeen of Six Lakes, Mich., notched his second late Model victory of the season June 25 at Fenwick’s Mid-Michigan Raceway Park. VanderVeen’s first victory came May 30.
• Anthony Roth of Columbus, Neb., scored July 24 and 26 victories at his hometown U.S. 30 Speedway and Norfolk, Neb.’s Off Road Speedway.
• Winning July 26-27 races, Tyler Leach of Sun River, Mont., captured Late Model victories at Gallatin Speedway in Belgrade, Mont., and Sheridan (Wyo.) Speedway.
First things first
Recent first-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• Division rookie Robbe Ewing of Stockton, Mo., captured his first Late Model feature July 26 at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.
• Winning July 26 at Rice Lake (Wis.) Speedway, Cooper Sundby of Menomonie, Wis., scored his first Late Model victory. The USRA division winner was joined in victory lane by his mother, who is battling cancer.
• Brad Simpson of Rodney, Ontario, led only the final lap July 26 at Ontario's Buxton Speedway for his first career Late Model victory. The 49-year-old spent nine winless seasons in the division before dropping down to modifieds, but he drove C.J. Field’s backup Late Model (owned by Simpson’s uncle) to his first win.
• Winning July 26 at West Alabama Speedway in Winfield, Chad Trammell of Cullman, Ala., notched his first career Limited Late Model victory.
• Clay Simpson of Mount Vernon, Iowa, won July 27’s Late Model feature at Dubuque (Iowa) Speedway for his first division victory. He’s the son of multitude Super Late Model regional champion Chad Simpson.
Weekly news briefs
• Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway on Aug. 2 will induct drivers Paul Shafer, Joe Godsey, Mike Fields and Ray Weston into the track's Hall of Fame with its 21st induction ceremonies part of the Northern Allstars Late Model Series event.
• A tornado warning forced the cancellation of July 27’s race program at Casino Speedway in Watertown, S.D., with the Weather Channel later reporting a tornado and baseball-sized hail in the area. While there was damage to structures and power lines nearby, an evacuation of the track was completed without incident. Ticket stubs can be used Aug. 3 and pit wristbands can be used at any event the rest of the season.
• After Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway sustained damage to the track, grounds and equipment during its busy Prairie Dirt Classic weekend, promoter Matt Curl has elected to skip the originally scheduled Aug. 2 (FALS Cup) and Aug. 9. (Crate Late Models) events. The track will return to action for Aug. 16’s Fairbury Fair Fan Appreciation FALS Cup with a $2,500-to-win Super Late Model event highlighting the program.
• After reviewing a photo finish, Thunderbird Speedway in Muskegon, Mich., reversed the finishing order of July 26’s Crate Late Model feature. Ryleigh Beebe was originally named the winner, but the next day the track gave the victory to Donald Campbell. Track officials said the reversal had nothing to do with what Beebe termed a “dirty” slider.
• First-year East Moline (Ill.) Speedway promoter Rob Parker has prematurely ended the track's season, citing financial struggles, low car counts, low attendance and "unfulfilled promised community financial support” at the track owned by the Rock Island County Fair. Logan Veloz of Colona, Ill., won six of eight IMCA-sanctioned Late Model features at East Moline and topped points in the division that drew 23 Late Models competing at least once (the track drew 26 total Late Models in each of the previous two seasons under promoters Chuck Hanna, Kyle Meier and Casey Meier). The track averaged 9.6 Late Models per event in 2025 with a season-high 15 entrants May 25.
• Giving spectators a break from long uphill walks to the track, 201 Speedway has added a shuttle bus at the Sitka, Ky., oval.
• Failure of track preparation equipment forced Raceway 7 to cancel July 25’s program. The Conneaut, Ohio, track plans to return to action Aug. 1.
• Longtime Midwestern racing columnist and publicist Jerry O’Brien, a multiple-track Hall of Famer who produced copy about cars going around in circles for more 50 years, died July 14 at his Superior, Wis., home. He was 83. A racer from 1971-85, O’Brien provided columns and stories for The Checkered Flag Racing News, All the Dirt! Racing News, National Dirt Digest and DirtonDirt along with local newspaper like the Duluth News-Tribute and Superior Telegram. O’Brien is a member of the Superior Speedway and Proctor Speedway Hall of Fames.
• Duck River Raceway Park in Wheel, Tenn., has tapped Matt White to handle marketing, public and driver relations, social media and promotions.
• Farmington (Mo.) Empire Speedway issued an apology after two B-mod drivers squared off to fight on the frontstretch during July 26’s program, apparently after drivers were encouraged at the drivers’ meeting to settle things on the track. "Our intention was never to condone violence, and we deeply regret that the experience may have given the impression otherwise,” the track posted in a Facebook statement. The track added that “we recognize that asking participants to confine disagreements to the track was not the ideal solution. We are revisiting our rules and procedures to establish a safer and more effective way to handle confrontations between competitors.”
• Cherokee Speedway fans can vote on the 2025 Hall of Fame class for the Gaffney, S.C. Find a voting link on the track’s facebook page. Voting deadline is Aug. 3 and the induction ceremony Aug. 31.
Weekly points
DIRTcar (Supers): Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., has 2,312 points to lead Tyler Erb (2,252) and Dennis Erb Jr. (1,882).
IMCA (Limiteds): Kale Kosiski of Ralston, Neb., has 756 points to lead Cory Dumpert (753) and Zach Zeitner (750).
USRA (Limiteds): Lucas Peterson of Stockholm, Wis., has 3,934 points to lead Jason McFadden (3,593) and Cade Nelson (3,432).
WISSOTA (Limiteds): Tyler Peterson of Hickson, N.D., has 1,377 points to lead Kevin Burdick (1,269) and rookie Devin Fouquette (1,231).
American All-Stars (Crates): Ronnie Martin Jr. of Buena Vista, Va., has 398 points to lead Justin Williams (389) and Darren Slone (342).
Crate Racin’ USA (602 Crates): Brett White of Kosciusko, Miss., has 694 points to lead Devin Whatley (679) and Cody Parsons (667).
Crate Racin’ USA (604 Crates): Ben Davis of Poplarville, Miss., has 664 points to lead Sid Scarbrough (648) and David Williamson (624).
DIRTcar (Crates): Denny Woodworth of Mendon, Ill., has 1,037 points to lead Brandon Sweitzer (966) and Chase Wilson (961).
RUSH (Crates): Jason Genco of Frewsburg, N.Y., has 1,324 points to lead Jeremy Wonderling (1,306) and Davin Kaiser (1,299).
Ultimate (Crates): Chandi Currence of Clarksburg, W.Va., has 324 points to lead Kolbe Kimbrew (232) and Derrick Shaw (221).
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events coming up for Late Models at dirt tracks around the country:
Raceway 7, Conneaut, Ohio (Aug. 1): The Dave Levesque Memorial pays $2,000-to-win for Crate Late Models with $250 to the hard charger and $50 to heat winners.
I-94 EMR Speedway, Fergus Falls, Minn. (Aug. 1): The track lists a special for its Gen-X style Late Models, but no purse information was publicized (a makeup race for the division is also on the card).
Merritt Speedway, Lake City, Mich. (Aug. 1-2): The Wood Tic 100, with a far more modest purse than recent seasons, pays $4,000-to-win for NASCAR-sanctioned Late Models. Practice is set for July 31.
Wartburg (Tenn.) Speedway (Aug. 2): The Dylan Kennedy Memorial pays $12,037-to-win for the Limited Late Model division. The 75-lapper pays at least $500 to every starter. Seven divisions are on the undercard.
Willamette Speedway, Lebanon, Ore. (Aug. 2): The Clair Cup honors track found Clair Arnold with Super Late Models chasing $2,500 in purse earnings and lap money (potentially up to $5,000 total for the winner).
Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (Aug. 2): The Crate Late Model division chases a $2,000-to-win payday has part of a four-division card.
Eagle River (Wis.) Speedway (Aug. 2): On the undercard of the Badger Midgets, USRA Late Models chase a $1,200-to-win purse in a weekend event.
