Raven 250 - Raven Raceway - Milwaukee, WI

January 8, 2026

Round 10 of 17

Lack Goes Back-to-back

(Milwaukee, WI) -- It's been five seasons since Mike Lack hoisted the Husarsbilt Cup to celebrate his seventh IndySlotCar Series championship, 2025-26 is beginning to look a lot like those title winning seasons as the FAST driver won for the fourth time this season and follows up his Christmas Classic victory by taking the checkers at the Raven 250.

The record holder for all-time victories, is now creeping up on the record for pole positions as Lack scored the Firestone P1 Award to start the evening's program. Lack's former FAST teammate, Matt Hayek lined up on the front row at the start, with his teammate, John Wiedemann putting his FAST II: The Castaways Honda-Daboiler on the second row followed by the two Good Vibes Racing drivers, Mike Kristof and Joe Heitz, respectively to round out the top five.

The opening heat race featured the Solo Cup sponsored #10 of Dean Strom, hometown hero Pete Dorn along with his CBD Racing teammate Brad Core and Strom's FAST teammate Steve Rist. The start brought high drama as Rist hit the gas at the green flag, made the corner at turn one and then touched tires with one of his competitors, causing the #8 FAST Honda-Daboiler to leap over the pit straight wall and out of the race, making for one of the shortest races in the 33 season history of the IndySlotCar Series. While Rist was uninjured in the wreck, he was clearly stunned at what had happened and did not have an explanation. Meanwhile, Strom opened an early lead over Core, Dorn just a lap behind. As the race neared its conclusion Core made a mistake and came off at the infield hairpin, ending his race, settling for tenth on the night. Strom cruised to victory, with Pete Dorn holding the transfer spot for the moment, but the total would not stand up and finish seventh for the event.

Ev Kamikawa has surprised many this season, after finishing second in the standings last season, the #12 Verizon pilot has had only one appearance in a final so far this season. It was a tight battle between Kamikawa and Joe Heitz in the first half of the second heat, with Dan Margetta right behind the leaders and John Wiedemann not far back. As the race moved into the second half, Kamikawa's Team PenskeHO Chevrolet-Daboiler built a lead over Heitz, who easily surpassed Dorn's transfer position lap total as Margetta attempted to make some noise in a challenge for second, however he was heard repeatedly on the radio to his Spehert Global team, that the car was dangerously loose. Margetta finished sixth for the race, while second in points, John Wiedemann would settle for eighth.

The last heat saw three of the top four qualifiers compete for a chance to join Strom, Kamikawa and possibly Heitz in the final. Mike Kristof's #20 Java House Chevrolet-Daboiler opened an early lead, with Lack in hot pursuit and Matt Hayek just behind in third. Lack would overtake Kristof a few minutes in, and grow that gap out to three laps. While Kristof would make attempts to get back within distance of challenging Lack for the lead, but too many mistakes allowed the points leader to hold a solid two lap lead. Despite running behind, the transfer position was still within reach for Kristof, and as the clock ticked down,  he would surpass his teammate Heitz's total to put the Good Vibes driver in a final for the first time since his home race back in September. Hayek ran to ninth for the evening.

The 250 lap final was one of the most competitive of the season, Kristof and Lack would trade the lead early, with Lack opening a bit of gap through lap 100. But, as the race was nearing half distance, Kristof, with the help of a couple of mistakes by Lack, was able to overtake the #9 PNC Bank Honda-Daboiler, then just as lap 125 was going to mark the end of the first half, Kristof had an unusual wreck coming off the last corner, landing on his roll cage as Lack swooped in and took the point on lap 125. Meanwhile, Ev Kamikawa was running five laps behind Kristof in third and Dean Strom a more distant fourth. If the top two thought they were well clear of the second two in the second half, time would show that was not a safe assumption. Kristof was pushing hard to try to keep in contact with Lack, but spins and crashes in being aggressive was allowing Kamikawa to pull within striking distance. Inside the last 50 laps Kamikawa pulled to the same as Kristof's #20, eventually the Java House car made one too many mistakes and the Verizon Chevy of Kamikawa moved into a solid second place within three laps of Lack, who was able to smoothly ride out the end of the race, to take his sixth "Incident" trophy for winning the Raven 250. Kamikawa ran a remarkable 128 laps in the second half, against Lack's 125, Strom with a solid 122 and Kristof's 121. 

Lack now opens a sizable 55 point lead over his long-time friend/former teammate/rival, with Dean Strom 70 markers back. Lack will likely miss one event in the closing half of the season, but with a maximum of 54 points available at any race, the lead could be maintained. Next up on the schedule, the longest track on the schedule, Corevette Connection Raceway for the Corvette Connection Grand Prix, where Ev Kamikawa is the defending race winner and Good Vibes Racing drivers have three wins and a second place.

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Raven 250 Fast Facts

Race date: Thursday, Jan 8

Track: 2.5 mile Natural Terrain Road Course in Milwaukee, WI

Race distance: 250 laps

IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com

2025 race winner: John Wiedemann (No. 11 FAST Honda-Daboiler)

2025 Firestone P1 Award winner: Dan Margetta (No. 27 Team Spehert Honda-Daboiler)

One-lap qualifying record: Mark Walczak, 4.000 seconds, 2011

Race record: Pete Dorn, 20 minutes 13 seconds, 202

YouTube Broadcast: IndySlotCar Channel

At-track schedule (all times local):

6:00 – Gates open

6:30 – Driver introductions

6:55 – Drivers meeting/Chassis distribution

7:00 – 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:

• Mike Lack enjoyed the holiday break as the winner of the Christmas Classic three weeks ago, the longest layoff of the grueling IndySlotCar calendar. With his third win of the season, the FAST driver holds a 27 point lead over his former teammate John Wiedemann as we move to the second half of the season.

• Wiedemann’s win is the defending Raven 250 winner, it was the fifth win of his championship campaign. With one victory in the ’25-’26 season, Wiedemann, no doubt, is looking for more, especially at a track he has won at three times previously.

• Wiedemann’s Firestone P1 Award at the Christmas Classic was the FAST II: The Castaways’ drivers first of the season. Eight different drivers have scored a pole position this season, only Matt Hayek repeating.

• Chris Spehert is looking to continue his turn around in fortune after a podium at Turtle Creek, a trip to the west coast during the break along with his teammate and son James, may help.

• STATS WATCH: Mike Lack extends his career win total record out to 60. Joe Heitz moves to a tie with his Good Vibes Racing teammate, Mike Kristof, on the all-time Heat Wins list, both have 35 and sit 15th. Chris Spehert’s heat win at the Christmas Classic is the 29th of his career and  pulls him equal to Hall of Fame driver Dave Austin at 18th.

RAVEN 250 HISTORY (26 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

1/5/2017 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

1/6/2022 Mike Lack Raven 250 presented by Ultimate Truck

1/5/2023 Joe Heitz Rupena’s Raven 250

1/4/2024 Mike Lack Rupena’s Raven 250

1/2/2025 John Wiedemann Raven 250

Most Wins – 5-Mike Lack; 4-Mark Walczak; 3-John Wiedemann, Dan Margetta; 2-Phil Cianciola, Larry Rotter

*-Dave Austin bottle/nose incident

**-All races held at Raven Raceway through 2014 and from 2017 onward