Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix - The Road Course at Badger Raceway - Muskego, WI

December 7, 2023

Round 7 of 17

Wiedemann Goes Back-to-Back

Muskego, WI -- The high speeds of the open class event scared away a portion of the field, leaving only the bravest to test their nerve at the Road Course at Badger Raceway, where ultimately John Wiedemann would take his second win in a row at the Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix and reclaim the Husarsbilt Cup championship points lead. 

The eight drivers who dared to challenge the long fast straights and the tight turns at Badger were rewarded with riches as hometown hero Dean Strom took the Firestone P1 Award for the fourth straight year, his FAST teammate, Wiedemann lined up along side, just .032 of a second slower for his fastest lap than the #28 of Strom. Mike Kristof, taking full advantage of the Michael Shank-It Racing technical partnership with the FAST team, used a car they set up to qualify a surprising third, with another FAST driver fourth, Mike Lack and FAST's #27 pilot Matt Hayek fifth.

With the short, eight car field, just two heats would determine the finalists. Kristof and CBD Racing's Dan Margetta, lined up against FAST's Mike Lack and Matt Hayek. Along with his surprising qualifying, Kristof surprised everyone as he opened an early lead in the red lane, challenged closely by the other three, which became two when Dan Margetta had a major crash that ened his night with just 13 laps, last for the night, on his series record extending 400th start. Meanwhile, Kristof would make a couple of mistakes that allowed Lack and Hayek by. All three stayed in close contact until later in the heat, Kristof dropped a couple of laps back with Hayek closed, took the lead, suffered a spin, Lack would scoot by and hold that gap to the checkers, advancing to the final. Hayek's lap total would not make either of the two transfer spots, and finish fifth ahead of Kristof in sixth.

The second heat showed far more speed and control as three FAST teammates, Wiedemann, Strom, and Steve Rist were grouped with the only other CBD Racing driver, Pete Dorn. Wiedemann moved out front early in the green lane with Strom attempting to keep pace in the more challenging blue, Rist and Dorn attempted to keep close. Eventually JW's #29 Damon sponsored Honda-Daboiler opened up a gap ahead of Strom who would have to settle for second in the heat, but transfer easily to the final, as did Rist two laps ahead of Hayek's opening heat lap total. Only Dorn's #5 Arrow Honda-Daboiler would have to sit after this heat, finishing seventh for the night.

The final appeared to be set for a battle between Strom, the defending and three-time Sweeney Memorial winner against Wiedemann, who clearly was fast and Lack, another multiple DSMGP winner, in fact, only Lack and Strom have won the race over the past five season. But almost immediately, Strom made a major error and crashed out just nine laps in, from there, Wiedemann would open a healthy lead and then he just needed to avoid a mistake like Strom, he would cruise to a 16 lap victory, with Rist an Lack providing all the competition as Lack struggled in the second half, but was able to keep his #26 ahead of the 98 and have a healthy rebound from the last place finish at the Turkey Trot, Rist's third, was his best finish of the season. 

It was the second win in a row for Wiedemann and his second Sweeney Memorial victory. With Joe Heitz unable to attend, JW extends his championship points lead to 57.

The series head to Bermuda Raceway for the Christmas Classic in two weeks.

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Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

Race date: Thursday, Dec 7

Track: Road Course at Badger Raceway 3.25 mile natural terrain road course in Muskego, WI

Race distance:  20 minutes

IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com

2022 race winner: Dean Strom (No. 1 Squirrel Shagged Enterprises)

2022 Firestone P1 Award winner: Dean Strom (No. 1 Squirrel Shagged Enterprises)

One-lap qualifying record: Dean Strom, 3.853 seconds, 2020

Race record: Dean Strom, 268 laps, 2020

YouTube Broadcast: IndySlotCar Channel

At-track schedule (all times local):

6:00 – Gates open

6:30 – Driver introductions

6:55 – Drivers meeting

7:00 – IndySlotCar Series Practice

7:30 – Technical inspection

7:35 – Qualifying for the Firestone P1 Award (group qualifying/ fastest single lap)

8:15 – Heat races

8:55 – Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix (20 minutes)

Race Notes:

·         Dean Strom is the defending race winner of the Sweeney Memorial, his third win of the open class event, and the second victory in three years

·         Mike Lack is the only driver other than Strom to win the Sweeney in the last five season.

·         John Wiedemann is coming off a win at the Turkey Trot, becoming the fifth different winner in the first six events of the season.

·         With his Turkey Trot victory, Wiedemann takes back the Husarsbilt Cup championship lead, moving four points ahead of Joe Heitz. Ev Kamikawa sits 32 markers back in third. Mike Lack and Pete Dorn are in a tie for fourth, a distant 68 points back.

·         Promoters of the Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix have promised that we will “Race for beef”.

·         This race will mark Dan Margetta’s 400th career start, a continuing series record total, ahead of fellow Hall of Famer Ev Kamikawa, who will take his 362nd green flag.  Mike Kristof is the only other driver with more than 300 starts.

·         Stats watch: Joe Heitz’s final four appearance at the Turkey Trot is the 30th of his career, moving into 19th all-time. Dean Strom moved ahead of Tom Spehert in all-time laps turned list, Strom is now 11th with 36,919, the top ten is just under 400 laps away, where HOFer Jim Kaehny currently sits. Bill Black leap-frogged John Shea to 18th on the laps list, with 20,387, 127 ahead of John Shea. Heitz’s latest starts moves him to 26th on the all-time list with 58. Amy Butler, Bill Black and Steve Rist’s DNF at the Turkey Trot moved them into 14th, 19th and 25th respectively in career DNFs.

DUANE SWEENEY MEMORIAL GRAND PRIX HISTORY (20 events, 2004 - Present)

Date               Race Winner                   Event Name                                                                    

1/22/2004        Larry Rotter                     Duane Sweeney Memorial 500 - Edgewood Superspeedway (oval)

12/2/2004        Jim Iverson                       Duane Sweeney Memorial 500 - Bayside International     

12/1/2005        Jim Iverson                       Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

11/30/2006      Jim Iverson                       Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix    

11/29/2007      Mark Walczak                 Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/4/2008        Ev Kamikawa                   Sweeney Stomp - Road Course at Badger Raceway*

12/3/2009        Mark Walczak                 Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/2/2010        Mark Walczak                 Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/1/2011        Mike Lack                         Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

11/29/2012      Mark Walczak                 Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/5/2013        Dean Strom                      Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

10/30/2014      Ev Kamikawa                   Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/3/2015        John Wiedemann           Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/15/2016      Dan Margetta                 Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

11/30/2017      Dan Margetta                 Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

11/29/2018      Mike Lack                         Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/5/2019        Mike Lack                         Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/3/2020        Dean Strom                      Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/9/2021        Mike Lack                         Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix presented by Nordic Beef Farms

12/8/2022        Dean Strom                      Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

* - Track was built as Bayside International and moved to become The Road Course at Badger Raceway before December 2008.

Most Wins – Mike Lack, Mark Walczak-4; Dean Strom, Jim Iverson-3; Dan Margetta, Ev Kamikawa-2