Rapids Grand Prix - Rapids International Raceway - Milwaukee, WI

Round 13 of 17

February 19, 2026

Heitz Closing In On Title Fight

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Joe Heitz started the season in a bit of a hole to his Husarsbilt Cup championship contenders by missing the second and fifth rounds of the season, but a recent charge and a missed race by points leader Mike Lack, brings the two back within fighting distance. Heitz scored his third win at the streets of Rapids, with a comeback win over defending race winner John Shea. 

This is the third time this season that Heitz has taken his Good Vibes Racing Splenda Chevrolet-Daboiler from pole position to victory lane. Heitz set a new track record for a single qualifying lap. Shea started along side Heitz on the front row in his #3 Pennzoil Team PenskeHO Chevrolet-Daboiler, the only entry from FAST II: The Castaways', John Wiedemann, third, Good Vibes' other car, the #20 of Mike Kristof, fourth and CBD Racing's Brad Core with a solid fifth place to start.

The first heat featured the slowest four qualifiers and Pete Dorn and Dean Strom ran one-two early on, but a lack of power kept Dorn from challenging late, with James Spehert moving into second in the heat, but ninth for the evening, while Strom and Chris Spehert finished tenth and eleventh, with Dorn moving on to another final.

The middle heat saw Kristof, Core, hometown hero Ev Kamikawa and FAST's Steve Rist. Kristof and Core both struggled with handling, while Kamikawa using his experience kept his car clean, staying on track and opening a lead of Rist in the first half. Rist proved to be fast in the second half and was able to chase down and pass Kamikawa to take the heat win, while Kamikawa and the #12 Team PenskeHO team had to wait and see if their lap total would hold up for the transfer spot.

The three fastest qualifiers lined up in the last heat, with Heitz, Shea and Wiedemann all running together early on. Nearing the midpoint, Shea opened up a small lead over Heitz, with "JW" right there. As time started to run out, the 21 was able to get past the 3, eventually taking the heat win and the bonus points for the most laps in the heat races, with Shea taking the transfer spot away from his Team PenskeHO teammate. Wiedemann would settle for fifth in the race.

The 20-minute final saw Shea open a lead that looked like the veteran would repeat at the only street course on the IndySlotCar Series schedule, growing up to a significant five laps. Pete Dorn would end his race early, crashing out on lap 89, to finish fourth. Just past half distance Heitz began ripping off fast laps and slowly reeling Shea in. Rapids was the site of the beginning of the "flood gates" that the Heitz/Kristof partnership was known for back in 2022, with Heitz repeating the following season, with the comeback complete with a couple of minutes left to take the checkered flag, it was Heitz's third win at the track. Shea's second place was the best of his part time season, the owner of Victory Motor Speedway will be back in the field in two weeks when the series returns to the newest oval on the schedule. Rist's podium finish was the first since the Deckertring back in October.

With Lack missing the race, his 91 point championship lead is reduced to 37 after Heitz was able to score every point available, including the win and for the Firestone P1 Award, a heat win and the most laps in the heats. Both Heitz and Lack are expected to be entered in the remaining four events on the schedule, so it should be an interesting battle right down to the end of the HO Indy 500 in eight weeks.

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Rapids Grand Prix Fast Facts
Race date: Thursday, Feb 19

Track: Rapids International, 3.75 mile street course in Rapids

Race distance:  20 minutes

IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com

2025 race winner: John Shea (No. 3 Team PenskeHO Chevrolet-Daboiler)

2025 Firestone P1 Award winner: John Shea (No. 3 Team PenskeHO Chevrolet-Daboiler)

One-lap qualifying record: Mike Lack, 5.398 seconds, 2020

Race record: Mike Lack, 188 laps, 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

7:30 – Qualifying for the Firestone P1 Award (group qualifying/ fastest single lap)

8:00 – Heat races

8:45 – Rapids Grand Prix (20 minutes)

Race Notes:

●        Mike Lack has won three of the last four races and five this season, building a sizable 91 point lead heading into round 13, unfortunately the #9 PNC Bank FAST driver will not be entered at Rapids.

●        Joe Heitz is Lack’s nearest competitor and the only driver not named Lack in the last four races with a win. A victory at Rapids, along with all the possible bonus points would cut that deficit by 54, down to 37.

●        Dean Strom sits third, 104 markers behind Lack and John Wiedemann 109.

●        Despite the five wins by Lack and three by Heitz, there have been six different drivers in victory lane this season, however, one of them is not Ev Kamikawa, could home cooking change that?

●        John Shea is the defending Rapids GP winner, following up his victory in 2000, with his second, a quarter of century later, the longest gap between first and second wins at any IndySlotCar Series event.

●        STAT NOTES: Joe Heitz pulls even with his Good Vibes Racing teammate on the all-time Heat Wins list, with his 36th at Deslotmania, the two are at 15th. Heitz also pulls even with Tom Spehert on the all-time Final Four appearance list with 40, tied for 16th. John Wiedemann moves ahead of his FAST II: The Castaways teammate Matt Hayek on the all-time DNF list with his 42nd, now fifth on that list, with Joe Heitz also moving to a three-way tie at 18th with his 21st DNF.

RAPIDS GRAND PRIX HISTORY (26 events: 1995 - 1996, 1998 - 2001, 2007 - Present)

Date                  Race Winner                   Event Name                                   Track

4/13/1995    Dave Austin               Rapids Grand Prix                         Rapids Raceway

4/11/1996    Dave Austin               Rapids Grand Prix                        

12/3/1998       Dan Margetta             Rapids Grand Prix                         Rapids Raceway Version 2   

12/2/1999       Ev Kamikawa              Rapids Grand Prix                        

12/7/2000    John Shea                        Rapids Grand Prix                         Rapids Raceway Version 3

11/29/2001     Phil Cianciola              Rapids Grand Prix                         Rapids Raceway Version 4

2/1/2007          Ev Kamikawa              WiJobs.com Grand Prix                  Rapids Raceway Version 5

1/31/2008        Mark Walczak             Rapids Grand Prix                         Rapids International Version 6

2/5/2009          Mark Walczak             Lia Sophia Grand Prix                   

9/17/2009        Mike Lack                        Lia Sophia Grand Prix                   

9/30/2010    Mark Walczak             Lia Sophia Grand Prix                   

3/15/2012    Mark Walczak             Too Clean Laundry Grand Prix    Rapids International Version 7

9/20/2012    Mark Walczak             Lia Sophia Grand Prix                   

1/17/2013    John Wiedemann     Too Clean Laundry Grand Prix

1/16/2014    John Wiedemann      Too Clean Laundry Grand Prix

1/22/2015        Mike Lack                         Too Clean Laundry Grand Prix    Rapids International Version 8

1/21/2016        Mike Lack                         Too Clean Laundry Grand Prix

9/22/2016        Matt Hayek                      Too Clean Laundry Grand Prix

2/1/2018           Ev Kamikawa                   Too Clean Laundry Grand Prix

2/21/2019        Mike Lack                         Maytag Rapids Grand Prix

2/20/2020        Mike Lack                         Rapids Grand Prix

1/7/2021           Mike Lack                         Rapids Grand Prix

1/27/2022        Joe Heitz                           Rapids Grand Prix

2/9/2023           Joe Heitz                           Rapids Grand Prix

2/15/2024        Ev Kamikawa                   Rapids Grand Prix

2/13/2025        John Shea                         Rapids Grand Prix

Most Wins: Mike Lack-6; Mark Walczak-5; Ev Kamikawa-4; John Shea, Joe Heitz, John Wiedemann, Dave Austin-2