2021-22 Round 8
Styled Aesthetic Christmas Classic - Bermuda Raceway - Wauwatosa, WI
December 16, 2021
Round 8 of 16
Wauwatosa, WI – Dean Strom captured a crisp win in the Styled Aesthetic Christmas Classic at Bermuda Raceway. The victory was the third of the season for the Squirrel Shagged Enterprises driver and the 16th of his IndySlotCar Series career.
CBD racer Bill Black took home the Firestone Pole Award for the second consecutive season at the event. The pole win was the fourth of his career.
Black, the defending champion at Bermuda, finished second in the first heat race after a battle with John Wiedemann, who was able to hold him off to take the win and move on to the final.
Pete Dorn out lapped his CBD Racing teammate Brad Core as well as Steve Rist and veteran Dan Margetta to take the checkers in heat two for his third heat race win this season. With only half the season in the books, Dorn’s heat wins already equal his totals in the last two seasons.
The final heat had the top two in the point standings, Strom and Mike Lack, facing off with Joe Heitz and Matt Hayek. Strom cruised to the heat win while Heitz was able to fend off the point leader Lack to take second and the transfer spot to make the final for the second time this season.
Strom continued his island cruise in the final and was never challenged for the top spot throughout the race. Angry Squirrel Speedsport's Wiedemann held down second place in the first half, but a slow pit stop brought him back to the clutches of a hard charging Heitz. The two battled throughout the final quarter of the race, exchanging the spot and crashing into each other multiple times. Finally, Heitz's #06 Michael Shank-It Honda-Daboiler took over second place and held on to the checkers. Wiedemann settled for third with Dorn in fourth.
The victory for Strom and a fifth place finish for point leader Lack tightened up the battle for the championship with half of the season completed. Lack leaves race eight with the point lead just three points over Strom. Wiedemann remains in third, 29 points behind second place. CBD teammates Black and Dorn sit in the fourth and fifth positions.
Up next is the first race of 2022, the Raven 250 at Raven Raceway on January 6th. Hometown hero Dorn is the defending champion and Black is the defending pole-sitter.
Styled Aesthetic Christmas Classic Fast Facts
Race date: Thursday, Dec 16
Track: Bermuda Raceway, 1.8 mile Natural Terrain Road Course in Wauwatosa, WI
Race distance: 20 minutes
Twitter: @indyslotcar
IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com
2020 race winner: Bill Black (No. 7 Black-Atom Racing)
2020 Firestone P1 Award winner: Bill Black (No. 7 Black-Atom Racing)
One-lap qualifying record: Dan Margetta, 2.293 seconds, 2019
Race record: Joe Heitz, 426 laps, 2019
YouTube Broadcast: IndySlotCar Channel
At-track schedule (all times local):
5:00 – Gates open
6:30 – Driver introductions
6:55 – Drivers Meeting/Chassis Distribution
7:00 – IndySlotCar Series Practice
7:30 – Qualifying for the Firestone P1 Award (group qualifying/ fastest single lap)
8:00 – Heat races
8:50 – Christmas Classic (20 minutes)
Race Notes:
· Bill Black swept the Christmas Classic last year taking the pole and the win, his first career pole position and second ever victory. Black sits solidly in fourth place in the Husarsbilt Cup standings with two second place finishes.
· Mike Lack has scored the last two wins this season to open up a 30 point lead over Dean Strom.
· The Christmas Classic features a new title sponsor, Styled Aesthetic, the South Milwaukee-based company is a leading supplier of motorsports apparel.
· Since the Styled Aesthetic Christmas Classic moved to Bermuda Raceway in 2017, there have been four first-time winners of the Christmas Classic, Matt Hayek, hometown hero Mike Kristof, Joe Heitz and Bill Black.
· Stats Watch: Lack’s win at the Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix presented by Nordic Beef Farms was the record extending 50th of his career. Dean Strom has equaled his former teammate Jim Iverson on the all-time Final Four appearances list with 74, tied for 10th. Pete Dorn passes John Baas on the all-time laps list, moving to 20th with 15,682. Joe Heitz moves ahead of Ned Wicker in total laps to 27th. Steve Rist pulls even with Rist Osterbrink and Arnie Lueders on the all-time DNFs list with 5.
· The entry list for the Styled Aesthetic Christmas Classic may be the largest in 11 years!
CHRISTMAS CLASSIC HISTORY (26 events, 1993-99, 2001-08, 2010-Present)
Date Race Winner Event Name Track
12/16/1993 Phil Cianciola Shrine Christmas Classic Shrine Road Course
12/15/1994 Dave Austin Tomy Christmas Classic Shrine Road Course
12/14/1995 Phil Cianciola Tomy Christmas Classic Shrine Road Course
12/12/1996 Jim Kaehny Tomy Christmas Classic Sanibel Speedway
12/18/1997 Jim Kaehny Tomy Christmas Classic Sanibel Speedway
12/17/1998 Dan Margetta Parma Christmas Classic Sanibel Speedway
12/16/1999 Phil Marich Championship Racing Magazine 400 Sanibel Speedway
12/13/2001 Chad Sorce Christmas Classic Sanibel Speedway
12/12/2002 Phil Cianciola Piggly Wiggly 400 Sanibel Speedway
12/19/2003 Dan Margetta Piggly Wiggly 400 Sanibel Speedway
12/16/2004 Phil Cianciola Piggly Wiggly 400 Sanibel Speedway
12/15/2005 Jim Iverson Chipotle Christmas Classic Vista Rio Rancho Raceway
12/14/2006 John Shea Christmas Classic Vista Rio Rancho Raceway
12/13/2007 Ev Kamikawa Christmas Classic Vista Rio Rancho Raceway
12/18/2008 Larry Rotter Christmas Classic Vista Rio Rancho Raceway
12/16/2010 Mark Walczak Christmas Classic Vista Rio Rancho Raceway
12/15/2011 Mark Walczak Christmas Classic Vista Rio Rancho Raceway
12/6/2012 John Wiedemann Christmas Classic Shrine Desert Road Course*
12/19/2013 Mike Lack Christmas Classic Shrine Desert Road Course
12/18/2014 John Wiedemann Christmas Classic Shrine Desert Road Course
12/17/2015 Mike Lack Christmas Classic Shrine Desert Road Course
12/1/2016 John Wiedemann Christmas Classic Shrine Desert Road Course
12/14/2017 Matt Hayek Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway
12/13/2018 Mike Kristof Shorewest Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway
12/19/2019 Joe Heitz Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway
12/17/2020 Bill Black Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway
*-Vista Rio Rancho Raceway returned to original name
Most Wins – 4-Phil Cianciola; 3- John Wiedemann; 2-Mike Lack, Mark Walczak, Dan Margetta, Jim Kaehny