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

December 4, 2024

Round 8 of 17

Wiedemann Wins...Finally

(Muskego, WI) -- Winning back-to-back championships, even ones that look from the outside as fairly easy, are anything but. The consistency to show up to every event at a high level cannot be taken for granted, so we can excuse John Wiedemann, if, for the first several races of this new season, the now, three-time Husarsbilt Cup champion showed up to just enjoy the events and not carry the heavy weight of attempting to fight for another as intensely as may be perceived. Don't be fooled, Wiedemann is always aware of his position in the season and took an opportunity to jump back out front at the high speeds of the Road Course at Badger Raceway for an open class win that puts him back in the thick of the season title hunt.

Home town hero Dean Strom opened the event with the kind of qualifying run that the fans have come to expect of the FAST pilot at this "open class" speed fest Firestone P1 Award. Good Vibes Racing's Joe Heitz put his #21 on the front row, with Strom's FAST teammate Mike Lack third, Wiedemann alongside on the second row and Mike Kristof in the second GVR car also near the front in fifth.

The slowest four drivers lined up in the opening heat, where Pete Dorn of CBD Racing quickly took the lead and never looked back to his teammate Brad Core or the two Spehert Global drivers, James and Chris, Dorn finishing a healthy eight laps ahead of the younger Spehert.

In the middle heat, Wiedemann and his FAST II: The Castaways teammate Matt Hayek, as well as Spehert Global's Dan Margetta duked it out for a chance to move to the final. Hayek and "JW" ran even through the first half, with Margetta just two laps back, Steve Rist of FAST two behind Margetta, but as the the time grew short, Wiedemann moved clear of the field, with Margetta's #27 slipping past Hayek's #15 Mobil-sponsored Honda-Daboiler finishing sixth and seventh on the night respectively.

Just two teams contested the last of the heat races, as FAST teammates Strom and Lack faced off against Good Vibes Racing teammates Joe Heitz and Mike Kristof. The FAST drivers were just that at the beginning of the ten minute battle, running one-two past half way, with Heitz two laps back. While Kristof faded to eighth on the night, the Good Vibes were with Heitz in the second half as he chased down Lack who was running three laps down to the pole sitter, Strom. As the time was running out, Heitz's #21 would get on the same lap as Lack's #9 PNC Bank FAST Honda-Daboiler, but ultimately would come up about a half a lap short of the transfer position that Lack would take to the final and again face off against his teammate.

The final would prove to be one of the most shocking of the season, as Strom took an opening lead, that would be short lived, as a crash just eight laps into the event would see his #10 Solo Cup FAST Honda-Daboiler leave the track out of turn one and disappoint the home crowd as he would settle for fourth on the night. That left Wiedemann and Lack in a familiar position of fighting for the lead, with CBD Racing's Pete Dorn staying out of trouble. After the halfway mark and pit stops complete, Lack held a solid three lap lead, when again, the leader made a mistake, the #9 PNC Bank FAST Honda-Daboiler crashed off the track handing the lead to Wiedemann and Dorn thrilled to find himself on the second step of the podium after starting the night in tenth.

With Wiedemann's first win of the season and fourth final in the opening eight races, the #45 pilot leaps from fourth to second in the Husarsbilt Cup standings and just seven points behind Lack.

The series heads to the Christmas Classic at its new home, Turtle Creek Park Raceway before the holiday break at the midway point of the season.

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Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix fast facts

Race date: Thursday, Dec 4

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

Race distance:  20 minutes

IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com

2024 race winner: John Wiedemann (No. 11 FAST)

2024 Firestone P1 Award winner: John Wiedemann (No. 11 FAST)

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 of open class car entries

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:

• With Mike Lack missing the Turkey Trot the Husarsbilt Cup championship has tightened up, with Matt Hayek now just two points behind, Dean Strom third, 21 back, John Wiedemann 23 out and Steve Rist and Joe Heitz, 50 and 52 behind with nine races left.

• Joe Heitz became the second driver this season with two wins, it was also Heitz’s first Firestone P1 Award of the season.

• Ev Kamikawa’s final four appearance at the Turkey Trot was his first of the season, that makes 12 different drivers making a final this season.

• John Wiedemann has won the last four open class events, sweeping both races for the past two seasons.

• The Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix pays tribute to the late official Starter of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1980-1996, and 27 years at Hales Corners Speedway, the Milwaukee-area resident flagged an IndySlotCar race back in 1997 at Vernon Speedway in Wauwatosa.

• Stats watch: Joe Heitz win at the Turkey Trot is the 17th of his career, equaling Hall of Famer Jim Iverson at 11th on the all-time list. Matt Hayek won his 51st Heat Race moves to a tie with another Hall of Famer Jim Kaehny, also 11th. DNFs at the Turkey Trot moved Dean Strom to a tie with Tom Spehert with 36, good for eighth on the all-time list, Amy Butler’s 26th career DNF draws her even with founder and Hall of Famer Phil Cianciola and John Baas all at 12th on that list, and Steve Rist has matched Tony Perkins with 22, they rank 16th.

DUANE SWEENEY MEMORIAL GRAND PRIX HISTORY (22 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

12/7/2023 John Wiedemann Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix

12/19/2024 John Wiedemann 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; John Wiedemann, Dean Strom, Jim Iverson-3; Dan Margetta, Ev Kamikawa-2