2021-22 Round 9
Raven 250 presented by Ultimate Truck - Raven Raceway - Milwaukee, WI
Round 9 of 16
January 6, 2021
Lack Starts New Year With Win
Milwaukee, WI – Halfway through the 2021-22 InsySlotCar Series season, there has been a familiar pattern with Mike Lack and Dean Strom battling for wins. The Ultimate Truck Raven 250 at Raven Raceway started off with that same pattern, Dean Strom took the pole. However, in the middle of the event, it did not necessarily look like form would hold. But in the end Mike Lack ran easily to the checkers for his fourth win of the season.
Strom put the #1 Squirrel Shagged Enterprises Chevy-Daboiler on the pole with Dan Margetta starting alongside on the front row and Lack's #27 Napa Honda-Daboiler right behind him in third.
It was Margetta in the opening heat race that started to throw a wrench into mix of the top two championship contenders as the #48 Carvana Honda-Daboiler would put Strom away and Strom would come up short in the transfer spot as well, finishing fifth for the night.
Lack would be challenged by hometown hero and Pete Dorn in the second heat, once again, it looked for a time like Lack would also struggle to make the final, but the defending champion found his way past Dorn to win the heat, but he would see the #5 CBD Racing Chevy-Daboiler again, as Dorn would snatch the transfer spot from Strom.
The third heat saw veteran PenskeHO driver Ev Kamikawa pull away from Steve Rist and one-off driver Brian Miller. Around half way into the heat Rist would lose control and crash out relegating the #4 Squirrel Shagged Enterprises Chevrolet-Daboiler to ninth on the night. Miller made a better than respectable debut with a sixth place.
Two of the most experienced drivers in series history Margetta and Kamikawa would square off against seven-time champ Lack and defending race winner Dorn. With Margetta hoping to play spoiler in the championship, he started out challenging Lack's #27 Angry Squirrel Speedsport Honda, but the pace was too much, Kamikawa and Dorn just tried to stay close. While other cars made their pit stops, Margetta's MisFitz Motorsports #48 flew off the track ending his hopes for a win at Raven Raceway. Heading to the checkered flag Lack was never challenged, coming to the line 12 laps ahead of Kamikawa, who had his best finish of the season and Dorn would stand on the podium in defending his win a year ago.
Lack and Strom wound up swapping finishes from the Christmas Classic where Strom took the win and Lack finished fifth, the Husarsbilt Cup championship standings now find Lack plus 23 to Strom, John Wiedemann is on a temporary hiatus, but holds on to third, but Pete Dorn has moved past his CBD Racing teammate to fourth one point over Bill Black.
The series takes an extra week off before heading back to action on the Streets of Rapids for the Rapids Grand Prix on January 27th.
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Raven 250 presented by Ultimate Truck Fast Facts
Race date: Thursday, Jan 6
Track: 2.5 mile Natural Terrain Road Course in Milwaukee, WI
Race distance: 250 laps
IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com
2021 race winner: Pete Dorn (No. 5 Black-Atom Racing Dallara-Chevrolet)
2021 Firestone P1 Award winner: Bill Black (No. 7 Black-Atom Racing Dallara-Chevrolet)
One-lap qualifying record: Mark Walczak, 4.000 seconds, 2011
Race record: Pete Dorn, 20 minutes 13 seconds, 2020
YouTube Broadcast: IndySlotCar Channel
At-track schedule (all times local):
6:00 – Gates open
6:30 – Driver introductions
7:00 – Drivers meeting/Chassis distribution
7:05 – IndySlotCar Series Practice
7:25 – Qualifying for the Firestone P1 Award (group qualifying/ fastest single lap)
7:50 – Heat races
8:45 – Raven 250 (250 laps)
Race Notes:
· Pete Dorn is the defending race winner, the 2020 Raven 250 was Dorn’s first career victory.
· Dean Strom is coming off his third win of the 2021-22 campaign at the Styled Aesthetic Christmas Classic, that equals the three victories of Mike Lack, and the two are nearly tied on points in the Husarsbilt Cup championship, with Lack up by three.
· With half of the 16 race schedule complete, just four drivers have wins, in addition to Lack and Dorn, Chris Spehert opened the season with a win at the Mini Mile and Matt Hayek won on the only other oval this season, the Jackson 500 at the Black Track.
· John Wiedemann has appeared in more finals that any other driver, six, and sits third in the standings, 32 points arears of Lack.
· STATS WATCH: Strom’s win at Bermuda, the 16th of his career, pulling equal with Dave Austin for 11th all-time, it was also his 75th final 4, moving ahead of Jim Iverson to tenth and start number 191, equaling Chris Spehert in ninth. Bill Black’s pole position at the Christmas race is the fourth of his career, moving to 18th all-time. John Wiedemann’s 71st heat win at Bermuda breaks a tie with Larry Rotter, elevating to sixth. JW passes Phil Cianciola for third in laps, with 46,670. Mike Lack moves into a three-way tie for sixth in all-time starts with Mike Fitzlaff and Larry Rotter with 203.
RAVEN 250 HISTORY (22 events, 2000 - Present)
Date Race Winner Event Name
2/17/2000 John Shea Milwaukee Bucks Challenge – Raven Raceway**
3/1/2001 Chad Sorce Milwaukee Bucks Challenge
1/31/2002 Phil Cianciola Palermo’s Pizza Challenge*
1/2/2003 Larry Rotter Saz’s 250
10/2/2003 Larry Rotter Saz’s 250
1/6/2005 Phil Cianciola Saz’s 250
1/5/2006 Dan Margetta Saz’s 250
1/4/2007 Dan Margetta Quizno’s Grand Prix
1/3/2008 Mark Walczak Quizno’s 250
1/8/2009 Mark Walczak Raven 250
2/4/2010 Mike Fitzlaff Raven 250
1/6/2011 Dan Margetta Raven 250
1/5/2012 Mark Walczak Raven 250
1/3/2013 Mark Walczak Raven 250
1/2/2014 Dean Strom Raven Bowl 250
1/8/2015 Mike Lack Raven 250 at Rapids – Temporary oval at Rapids International
1/7/2016 Mike Lack Raven 250 – Turtle Creek Park Raceway
1/5/201 7 John Wiedemann Raven 250 – race returns to Raven Raceway
1/4/2018 Bill Black Raven 250
1/2/2019 Mike Lack Raven 250
1/23/2020 John Wiedemann Raven 250
1/21/2021 Pete Dorn Raven 250
Most Wins – 4-Mark Walczak; 3-Mike Lack (wins on all 3 tracks to host the event), Dan Margetta; 2-John Wiedemann, Phil Cianciola, Larry Rotter
*-Dave Austin bottle/nose incident
**-All races held at Rave Raceway through 2014
