By
NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
SLINGER – The nerves haven’t hit West Bend’s Travis Dassow yet.
But when they do, Dassow will remember the words of his late mentor Howie Lettow. Actually, very few words would likely be spoken.
“Good luck,” Dassow said when asked what he thought Lettow would tell him as he got ready for a big race. “Take it easy and let it play out. That’s what he told me every race.”
But when driver introductions come up?
“That’s when I get amped up to go racing,” Dassow said. “At that point, that’s when I’m going to take it all in and figure out what we’re here for.”
Dassow’s start in auto racing was greatly influenced by Lettow, who died of cancer almost two years ago.
“I think about him every day,” Dassow said.
Dassow met Lettow when he was 16 years old. In their third race together in 2007, they won the race. Dassow was 20 at the time. They won the next race they competed in and took over the points lead in the ASA Late Model Challenge Series and never looked back, winning the series championship.
“It was amazing,” Dassow said of Lettow’s influence.
In a field of more than 70 of the country’s finest short-track racers, including current and rising NASCAR stars, this race means more to Dassow than to anybody else.
“Me and Howie worked side-by-side the last four years of his life,” Dassow said. “It’s going to be pretty special to go run that thing. I’m pumped to go back to Milwaukee. Me and him had so much success there. It was his favorite race track.”
Other NASCAR stars Lettow mentored before they hit the big time include Mark Martin and five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.
It will be Dassow’s first race at the Milwaukee Mile since Lettow’s passing. He last raced at the Mile in 2008. During their time together, their best finish was second in 2007.
“It’s going to be exciting and emotional when the green flag drops,” Dassow said.
Dassow added he doesn’t believe he has extra pressure to do well.
“Winning that race would mean the world to me,” he said. “I’d probably retire.”
Winning will be a tall task. Heck, even making the 40-car feature main event will be a task in of itself.
Among those scheduled to compete with NASCAR experience are Travis Sauter, Johnny Sauter, Kelly Bires, Scott Wimmer, David Stremme, Chris Wimmer, David Ragan, Aric Almirola and Tim Sauter.
Two-time Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth and his son Ross Kenseth are also scheduled to compete, along with Chase Elliott, son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott.
Rich Bickle Jr., a two-time super late model champion at Slinger and three-time Slinger Nationals winner, and Jeremy Lepak, the 2011 super late model champion at Slinger.
Current Slinger regulars Steve Apel and Ryan DeStefano are also scheduled to compete.
Oh, and of course, Rusty Wallace, NASCAR’s newest member of its Hall of Fame who is coming out of his 2005 retirement to compete.
And that’s just in the 150-lap main event. There are three other divisions of racing as well.
Whew!
All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer.
“You look back through all the years and look who he’s been with, who he’s crew-chiefed with and who he’s raced against, it’s amazing,” Dassow said. “There’s nobody who ever says anything bad about Howie. He’s the most likeable guy you can have in the pit area.
“It’s going to be pretty special. I just hope everybody realizes why they’re there.”
These days, Dassow doesn’t race all that much. Instead he’s helping his girlfriend, Kelsey Bauer, to get her racing career going. He’s using a lot of mentoring tips he learned from Lettow on Bauer.
When Lettow passed, Dassow admitted it was hard for him to go to the race shop and work on his race car. So much so he had to move the shop just to get away from the memory of his beloved mentor.
“I had to,” Dassow said. “I couldn’t deal with it anymore. It was hard showing up every day. I’d walk in the mornings and expect him to be there.”
Then this race came up and Dassow pounced at the opportunity to thank his mentor the best he knows how to, win a race, preparing the Howie Lettow way.
“The way I look at it is if I prepare like the way he and I always did, he’d be proud of that,” Dassow said. “As long as I can do that, I’ll be fine with it.”
Keeping his focus will be tough, he added.
“It’ll be overwhelming because there’s going to be so many cars, it’s going to be chaos,” Dassow said. “You look up and down the list, there’s not going to be any slouches out there. It’s going to be pretty cool.”
Daily News Sports Editor
SLINGER – The nerves haven’t hit West Bend’s Travis Dassow yet.
But when they do, Dassow will remember the words of his late mentor Howie Lettow. Actually, very few words would likely be spoken.
“Good luck,” Dassow said when asked what he thought Lettow would tell him as he got ready for a big race. “Take it easy and let it play out. That’s what he told me every race.”
But when driver introductions come up?
“That’s when I get amped up to go racing,” Dassow said. “At that point, that’s when I’m going to take it all in and figure out what we’re here for.”
Dassow’s start in auto racing was greatly influenced by Lettow, who died of cancer almost two years ago.
“I think about him every day,” Dassow said.
Dassow met Lettow when he was 16 years old. In their third race together in 2007, they won the race. Dassow was 20 at the time. They won the next race they competed in and took over the points lead in the ASA Late Model Challenge Series and never looked back, winning the series championship.
“It was amazing,” Dassow said of Lettow’s influence.
In a field of more than 70 of the country’s finest short-track racers, including current and rising NASCAR stars, this race means more to Dassow than to anybody else.
“Me and Howie worked side-by-side the last four years of his life,” Dassow said. “It’s going to be pretty special to go run that thing. I’m pumped to go back to Milwaukee. Me and him had so much success there. It was his favorite race track.”
Other NASCAR stars Lettow mentored before they hit the big time include Mark Martin and five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.
It will be Dassow’s first race at the Milwaukee Mile since Lettow’s passing. He last raced at the Mile in 2008. During their time together, their best finish was second in 2007.
“It’s going to be exciting and emotional when the green flag drops,” Dassow said.
Dassow added he doesn’t believe he has extra pressure to do well.
“Winning that race would mean the world to me,” he said. “I’d probably retire.”
Winning will be a tall task. Heck, even making the 40-car feature main event will be a task in of itself.
Among those scheduled to compete with NASCAR experience are Travis Sauter, Johnny Sauter, Kelly Bires, Scott Wimmer, David Stremme, Chris Wimmer, David Ragan, Aric Almirola and Tim Sauter.
Two-time Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth and his son Ross Kenseth are also scheduled to compete, along with Chase Elliott, son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott.
Rich Bickle Jr., a two-time super late model champion at Slinger and three-time Slinger Nationals winner, and Jeremy Lepak, the 2011 super late model champion at Slinger.
Current Slinger regulars Steve Apel and Ryan DeStefano are also scheduled to compete.
Oh, and of course, Rusty Wallace, NASCAR’s newest member of its Hall of Fame who is coming out of his 2005 retirement to compete.
And that’s just in the 150-lap main event. There are three other divisions of racing as well.
Whew!
All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer.
“You look back through all the years and look who he’s been with, who he’s crew-chiefed with and who he’s raced against, it’s amazing,” Dassow said. “There’s nobody who ever says anything bad about Howie. He’s the most likeable guy you can have in the pit area.
“It’s going to be pretty special. I just hope everybody realizes why they’re there.”
These days, Dassow doesn’t race all that much. Instead he’s helping his girlfriend, Kelsey Bauer, to get her racing career going. He’s using a lot of mentoring tips he learned from Lettow on Bauer.
When Lettow passed, Dassow admitted it was hard for him to go to the race shop and work on his race car. So much so he had to move the shop just to get away from the memory of his beloved mentor.
“I had to,” Dassow said. “I couldn’t deal with it anymore. It was hard showing up every day. I’d walk in the mornings and expect him to be there.”
Then this race came up and Dassow pounced at the opportunity to thank his mentor the best he knows how to, win a race, preparing the Howie Lettow way.
“The way I look at it is if I prepare like the way he and I always did, he’d be proud of that,” Dassow said. “As long as I can do that, I’ll be fine with it.”
Keeping his focus will be tough, he added.
“It’ll be overwhelming because there’s going to be so many cars, it’s going to be chaos,” Dassow said. “You look up and down the list, there’s not going to be any slouches out there. It’s going to be pretty cool.”
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