By
NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily
News Sports Editor
Joe
Shelby didn’t like the doughnuts he was doing at Slinger Superspeedway. Rather,
these were doughnuts from spin-outs he had in his first year competing in the
thunderstock division and not the celebratory doughnuts after a victory.
Well, after the Slinger native won his first career thunderstock feature Sunday night, he thought about doing those celebratory doughnuts.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Shelby said. “It’s a great feeling.”
Shelby is in his second season in the thunderstock division, and last year was far from pretty.
Unofficially, Shelby, 16, a junior at Slinger High School this fall, spun 18 times during races last year. He didn’t keep count. But others did it for him, much to his dismay.
“My nickname is doughnuts,” he said.
He’s not sure how to do victory doughnuts, but hopes he can with more opportunities to practice.
After Sunday night, he’ll be one of the first ones to tell you, ‘Hey, you can do pretty good if you don’t spin out.’
And not only did Shelby win the race, he dominated it. He led all 18 laps of the 18-lap feature, edging division title contenders Tyler Schley and Brad Hetzel.
“I was shaking,” Shelby said. “I’m not normally shaky. I was kind of wondering what to do next.
“I just held my line and blocked them a little bit.”
As the laps winded down, Shelby was extra attentive to things like the oil pressure and the water temperature. All those numbers were in good shape. He just had to worry about Schley and Hetzel.
“That was definitely heart-wrenching,” Shelby said. “I was just more worried about holding my line and staying away from Brad because he’s a tough guy to beat. It was really hard.”
Shelby is in his third year overall racing at Slinger. In 2010, he began his racing career in the Slinger Bees division. In 12 starts, his best finish was 10th place, twice. He finished 11th in the points standings.
But the goal was to race a bigger race car. So when Shelby’s grandfather found one on the side of the road, the family turned it into a race car.
Last year as a rookie in the thunderstock, he made 15 starts. His best finish was seventh. He finished ninth in the points.
This year, he’s shown improvement, racing in the top five in most of the features, even leading some laps.
“There were a couple times where we were really close,” Shelby recalled.
In the July 8 feature, while challenging for the lead, Shelby’s car had a mechanical failure, which forced him to miss the next week. The crew put in a new motor. It finally paid off for him.
“It’s a lot better winning,” he said with a smile.
He hopes a victory can lead to bigger things for him as his bright blue No. 74 is without sponsorship.
“We’re never going to get back the money we’ve wasted,” Shelby said. “But it’s still nice to be in victory lane.
“Finally got it after three years of trying.”
q
Finally, Jeremy Christians found victory lane in the modified division Saturday at Beaver Dam Raceway
Christians, the defending track champion, has seven second-place finishes this season.
Also picking up feature victories were Roger Lee (grand national), Travis Kleindl (sport modified), Kyle Riedner (street stock) and Ethan Ross (legend).
Speaking of Ross, the Sauk City native suffered two spinal fractures in his upper back after a scary crash during a race Sunday at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie.
He will miss the rest of the season, but plans to return for next season.
Ross, who has five feature victories this season, including three in the first three weeks of the season, was fifth in the division points standings, 99 points behind Brandon Schmitt.
q
Mark Fieber (grand national), Craig Schueffner (late model), Jim Melis (sprint car) and Josh Pierce (outlaw compacts) won the “A” main features in their respective divisions Saturday at the Plymouth Dirt Track on the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds.
Kewaskum’s Shane Wenninger won the “B” main in the sprint car division. He finished 12th in the “A” main.
q
Former Wisconsin short-track racer Paul Menard, a native of Eau Claire, was penalized 25 points after illegal modifications were found on Menard’s car after Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan.
In addition, Menard’s crew chief, Slugger Labbe was suspended until Oct. 3, as well as car chief Craig Smokstad and crew member Grant Hutchens. Labbe was also fined $100,000. And Menard’s car owner, Richard Childress, was penalized 25 points.
Menard, last season’s Brickyard 400 winner at Indianapolis, was 15th in the points standings, 34 points behind Carl Edwards for the final spot in the Chase before the penalty.
Well, after the Slinger native won his first career thunderstock feature Sunday night, he thought about doing those celebratory doughnuts.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Shelby said. “It’s a great feeling.”
Shelby is in his second season in the thunderstock division, and last year was far from pretty.
Unofficially, Shelby, 16, a junior at Slinger High School this fall, spun 18 times during races last year. He didn’t keep count. But others did it for him, much to his dismay.
“My nickname is doughnuts,” he said.
He’s not sure how to do victory doughnuts, but hopes he can with more opportunities to practice.
After Sunday night, he’ll be one of the first ones to tell you, ‘Hey, you can do pretty good if you don’t spin out.’
And not only did Shelby win the race, he dominated it. He led all 18 laps of the 18-lap feature, edging division title contenders Tyler Schley and Brad Hetzel.
“I was shaking,” Shelby said. “I’m not normally shaky. I was kind of wondering what to do next.
“I just held my line and blocked them a little bit.”
As the laps winded down, Shelby was extra attentive to things like the oil pressure and the water temperature. All those numbers were in good shape. He just had to worry about Schley and Hetzel.
“That was definitely heart-wrenching,” Shelby said. “I was just more worried about holding my line and staying away from Brad because he’s a tough guy to beat. It was really hard.”
Shelby is in his third year overall racing at Slinger. In 2010, he began his racing career in the Slinger Bees division. In 12 starts, his best finish was 10th place, twice. He finished 11th in the points standings.
But the goal was to race a bigger race car. So when Shelby’s grandfather found one on the side of the road, the family turned it into a race car.
Last year as a rookie in the thunderstock, he made 15 starts. His best finish was seventh. He finished ninth in the points.
This year, he’s shown improvement, racing in the top five in most of the features, even leading some laps.
“There were a couple times where we were really close,” Shelby recalled.
In the July 8 feature, while challenging for the lead, Shelby’s car had a mechanical failure, which forced him to miss the next week. The crew put in a new motor. It finally paid off for him.
“It’s a lot better winning,” he said with a smile.
He hopes a victory can lead to bigger things for him as his bright blue No. 74 is without sponsorship.
“We’re never going to get back the money we’ve wasted,” Shelby said. “But it’s still nice to be in victory lane.
“Finally got it after three years of trying.”
q
Finally, Jeremy Christians found victory lane in the modified division Saturday at Beaver Dam Raceway
Christians, the defending track champion, has seven second-place finishes this season.
Also picking up feature victories were Roger Lee (grand national), Travis Kleindl (sport modified), Kyle Riedner (street stock) and Ethan Ross (legend).
Speaking of Ross, the Sauk City native suffered two spinal fractures in his upper back after a scary crash during a race Sunday at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie.
He will miss the rest of the season, but plans to return for next season.
Ross, who has five feature victories this season, including three in the first three weeks of the season, was fifth in the division points standings, 99 points behind Brandon Schmitt.
q
Mark Fieber (grand national), Craig Schueffner (late model), Jim Melis (sprint car) and Josh Pierce (outlaw compacts) won the “A” main features in their respective divisions Saturday at the Plymouth Dirt Track on the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds.
Kewaskum’s Shane Wenninger won the “B” main in the sprint car division. He finished 12th in the “A” main.
q
Former Wisconsin short-track racer Paul Menard, a native of Eau Claire, was penalized 25 points after illegal modifications were found on Menard’s car after Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan.
In addition, Menard’s crew chief, Slugger Labbe was suspended until Oct. 3, as well as car chief Craig Smokstad and crew member Grant Hutchens. Labbe was also fined $100,000. And Menard’s car owner, Richard Childress, was penalized 25 points.
Menard, last season’s Brickyard 400 winner at Indianapolis, was 15th in the points standings, 34 points behind Carl Edwards for the final spot in the Chase before the penalty.
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