Midwest Racing Central Today
"Midwest Racing Central Today" provides coverage and commentary to the short track scene in and around Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan. Our focus is primarily asphalt and dirt track racing on both the weekly track and regional series fronts. This podcast will feature conversations with guests including drivers, track operators, media reporters and industry insiders.
Midwest Racing Central Today
What’s Happening at Dells Raceway Park with Jerry Auby
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Jerry Auby of Dells Raceway Park joins the podcast and discusses his 2026 schedule, how the economy is impacting short track racing and some big events coming to the track.
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Midwest Racing Central Today is hosted by Pete Pistone and produced by Mia Pistone
Hi everybody, welcome in the Midwest Racing Central. Today I'm Pete Pistoni. We are heading into the middle of June. Lots of racing going around in the Midwest, including up at Dells Raceway Park. And let's bring in Jerry Abe from the Dells to tell us what's happening up there in his neck of the woods. Jerry, how are you? I'm doing fine, Pete. Yourself? I'm doing great. Appreciate talking to you. One of my favorite racetracks in the Midwest is the one that you run up there. We, as I mentioned, uh, we're in the middle of June. You've had everything up there so far, Jerry. You've had some special events, you've had your weekly shows. Give everybody a little bit of a barometer how things are going at the Dell so far this year.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's our that's our MO up there is I try and rotate a lot of classes. I think we we actually run 15 different divisions throughout the summer, and uh maybe 16 if you call it DSA tour. Um, so that what we got coming up this week in you know the NASCAR weekly programs for uh a show this week, uh performance uh left-handed performance night. And then uh at the end of June, we start ramping it up again. We got the Dairy Land 100 with the Alive for Five series, and then we go right in the 4th of July where we go to the Tundra, uh, North American Cup 100. So um starting off July with a bang. How's that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, sounds like it. You mentioned the NASCAR portion of what you do and the sanction that you're under. We've had a couple other track operators we've talked to, Grundy County, uh Berlin. What do you see with that benefit, Jerry, for your competitors being under the NASCAR umbrella?
SPEAKER_01Well, security, uh, for one. Um insurance is a big deal right now. Uh, point payoff NASCAR uh really helps us a lot with the uh the points payoff. Last year, the Dells drivers got over $28,000 in point fund money um just for the weekly stuff, and then that doesn't even include Jacob Gady, who got the $44,000 plus for winning the national thing who raced with us as well. So the other thing is, Pete, I you know, NASCAR, we got insurance with NASCAR and we got insurance with KK, but uh NASCAR is really ramped up and made it things easy. And I think if uh short track racing is going to continue, we need the support of NASCAR to continue on um in today's environment. How's that?
SPEAKER_00Uh that makes sense. When so when you're marketing, does the NASCAR sort of connection, Jerry, help you? Is is that a bit of a magnet? People know what NASCAR is. Does that help you when you promote your races?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um, I'm not sure. I don't really look at it that that way. I I think some people uh recognize it. Um it's 2026, not 1996, right? So NASCAR in 1996, everybody jumped off the couch and started screaming and yelling. NASCAR in 2026, everybody's like, oh, that's nice, you know. So I I'm not gonna lie. Um I don't I think notoriety is uh is wended as because our age group, 45 to 60 year olds that were in the NASCAR or older, you know, were were aging. And the new, you know, people that are especially 30 and under, they never grew up with the glory days of NASCAR, so it doesn't really resound to them as well. How's that?
SPEAKER_00Make that makes sense. So let's talk about that other generation. When I've been at your track, I mean, lots of kids are running around, you do a lot of different things. Tell our viewers about what sort of your target is to try to bring the younger audience to your racetrack, Jerry.
SPEAKER_01Well, the bandal, the INAX bandalero series is obviously uh the target goal from that, starting, you know, seven seven years old all up to the teenage years. Uh, we just had a nice bandolero race the other night. Uh, had a great turnout for that, and um, you know, that's where it starts, but everything has gotten so expensive, that's that's not a cheap date either. You know, it's not like buying a $500 go-kart and coming up racing at the Dells. They're gonna parents are gonna spend some money and time and setups and things, but yeah, we also start off with the economy cars, the six-shooter cars, which are you know, this the street stock of the of the day, the six shooters, and uh they're fairly economical. And high school racing association starts out with those as well, and trying to get that younger group into it. And we've got a lot of racers into that, don't get me wrong, but um, there's there's a battle between stock cars and street cars when it comes to the younger generation, um, the drifting, the the things of that nature that um is new that was never around when we were growing up.
SPEAKER_00What about in the grandstands? What do you do in the have the families bring their kids out there and have a good time on a Saturday night at the Dells, Jerry?
SPEAKER_01Well, we hope so, but yeah, you could come up. You know, we are the entertainment capital of the world up there in Wisconsin Dells, but things really kick off a little after, you know, as kids get out of school here in June. Uh, we got the water parks, you know, you can go ride the ducks, we can have a great day in the Dells, and you come to the races at night with dad and hang out and have some fun. I mean, we've got you know, festival foods and carney trailers and everything else up there, so well, we try and cap it all off, but um, there's plenty to do in Wisconsin Dells if they make the trip.
SPEAKER_00No, no doubt about that. I mean, my family came up here from the Chicago area every summer up there. So, to that point, do you kind of work with the area there? Do you do you work with some of the attractions and the hotels and those kinds of things, restaurants to get them to sort of co-promote of what you're doing there with the racetrack, Jerry?
SPEAKER_01Yes, we work with uh like Tula Vista, Kalahari is a big one. Uh Kalahari right now, you can go to Kalahari and check in there, and you'll get a coupon discount for the races to come out to the races that night if you uh stay at the Kalahari this summer. So that was very nice of the that family and and working with them. And then we've got uh downtown restaurants, Jose's for one, the bowling alley, you know, things of this nature that we try and work it as a community. You got to realize that Wisconsin Dells, when it's not populated with 250,000 people sliding down water slides, is a community of 2,500. So it's a pretty small community, actually, and uh it only gets big in the summertime. There's a lot of a lot of empty space in the wintertime there.
SPEAKER_00I can understand. Let's talk about your journey and how do you wound up with where you are with the Dells, Jerry. Give the listeners and the viewers a little bit of a Jerry 101, how you wound up being what you're doing right now with the Dells Raceway Park.
SPEAKER_01Well, uh, most promoters have a heart attack after they buy a racetrack. I happen to have one before, but so what went on? I started out in high school, got into late mile stock car racing, raced for 25 years, then um actually a rotator cuff slowed me down and a broken arm, snowmobile accident, things like that, and then uh got helping with uh well, I always bought a lot of Wayne Lensing cars, so started helping Wayne Lensing who bought the Dells, right? And then uh Wayne started going on and on about you know, he's getting he's got too many irons in the fire, he just wants to get rid of the place, he wants me to take it over, so I did for a little while and just ran it for him, and then he's like, just buy it, all right. So I had a uh pacemaker put in about 2012 when I was working for Wayne. Um I just didn't know I was having some congestion heart failure until I did, you know, and and and then so I stepped out of the race car completely and just got devoted into the the other side, the tower side of the the racing, and uh and then uh worked out the deal where um I was working you know multiple jobs and then um still bought the racetrack and then eventually uh now today 2026 getting towards retirement age and stuff, just just running the racetrack is is enough.
SPEAKER_00So so tell us about your your weekly show. No matter what it is, you mentioned you got a lot of divisions, so I think every Saturday it's a little something different there at the Dells, but in terms of the program itself, what are some of the things that you want to make sure when somebody gives their time and money to come to your racetrack, how that program runs on a Saturday night, Jerry?
SPEAKER_01Well, I like it to run very quickly and efficiently. I don't like to drag out the programs. Uh, I like to get everybody out of there by nine o'clock. Um, so we start at six o'clock, and a three-hour show is long enough. And uh we get the the divisions up. I like to get everybody their laps, um, as far as the racers and competitors and put on a fair show and then you know, a timely event, and uh get we we start out with the late models, and I do a variety of classes every week, it's never the same classes every week. Some people uh had a tar hard time adjusting to that, but it's just the way the schedule works out because you know you're trying to work around and work with other racetracks right now. The the the pie is smaller than it used to be as far as availability of racers to race, right? So you got to kind of share uh what you're doing with other racetracks so they know that not to schedule a big event when you're trying to have a big event and move forward and such things like that, there. But um yeah, so we get everything wrapped up, and then we got fireworks on the fourth of July, and then a big Labor Day of Doom weekend. We've got the ASA series coming in for the Jim Sauter Classic 200, and then uh on that Sunday we have the Labor Day of Doom, which is always a big slam fest that everybody enjoys and uh usually sells out for that.
SPEAKER_00So, Joe, you talk about working with other racetracks on scheduling. I want to ask you about working with other racetracks on rules, and obviously, you're in an area up there, you got Golden Sands not far, Madison. There's a lot of them in where your area. How do you come about coming up with a fair rule package? And obviously, you know, we know the cost of what it costs to go racing on, certainly on the late model side. What's sort of your view and sort of the way you looked upon it to work with other tracks to have those kinds of divisions of running it at the Dells?
SPEAKER_01Well, I've been involved with the UMA um for about 15 years writing rule books, trying to get everybody on one page for 15 years, and as soon as you get close, somebody new comes into the development in another track and changes it another direction. I'll tell you, it's it's almost impossible um to get everybody on the same rules package. So, right now, the UMA puts out rule books, offers it to everyone, and if they want to go with it, great. If they don't, that's fine. If they want to make changes, that's fine. But I'm telling you, with there's not as many racers out superlate models. When I started working for Wayne, there was 325 superlate models racing in the state, right? We're down to about 125 that have cars and garages. I don't even know if all of them are racing. How's that? So we're losing our clientele, so you got to work smarter because you can't have can't sit there and divide 125 up six ways with four different, you know, 14 different rule packages across this and that and the other thing. But um, Pete, that's that's an accomplishment that I'm probably gonna retire with. That's never happen gonna happen. Uh, anytime you get everybody settled and on one rules package, somebody wants to change it. Somebody's got to be different, somebody's getting money lobbied to them from somewhere else, to be honest with you, to change a rule, and it's never gonna happen. I just come to the realization after 15 years that nobody really wants one rule package, they just say they do, and that that's the honest truth. I don't mean to be blunt about it, but tried my ass off for 15 years and it's not gonna happen.
SPEAKER_00Seems difficult. All right, so the offshoot of that conversation, Jerry, pro late models, 602 late models. Where are you on those two divisions?
SPEAKER_01Well, 602 late models uh worked heavily with Wayne Lensing on that, and strictly 602 um crate motors, you know. Um, we've uh grown that class, you know, to a base of about 30 cars um that are in garages right now and come out to the racetrack and uh outlaw bodies and trying to make keep that as economical as possible. But uh so that class is great. And then when you got we talked pro late models, well, we didn't go with a straight 604 crate class up in the Dells. We were we were close at one time, but we still allow built motors and everything else. We just run the NASCAR weekly series late models, which runs crate motors and built motors just like it was, and we've come up with a uh a race package, a rule package that pretty keeps tries to keep things pretty balanced so you have the crates and the built motors can exist together.
SPEAKER_00So, another topic we have when I talk to to track presidents, track operators, Jerry, is about streaming and where we are right now. Now, you guys have your live for five races streamed through pit row TV, but generally, what is your view on streaming versus trying to get people in the grandstands and how do the how do you thread the needle between those two in your mind?
SPEAKER_01Uh right now that needle's in my eye, indeed.
SPEAKER_00That bad, huh?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So unless we start getting paid a lot of money, we're gonna have to start quit streaming because um I'm willing to stream, but so other racetracks are getting hundreds of thousands of dollars and we're getting hundreds of dollars, and it doesn't make up for the difference in the crowd when you have a $50,000 superlate model race and have 650 people show up because it's hot or the packers are on, they're gonna stay home and watch it on TV, and we don't get any of that revenue. Well, the contracts are up uh this year, so we'll see what happens. But it's just got to be like NASCAR. NASCAR, you know, loves the attendance at the racetrack, but they're not they have a 90 what is you know, how many billion dollar 11 billion dollar contract with TV, right? So if nobody shows up in the grandstands, they're still covered. Well, nobody shows up in our grandstands, we're not covered, and we're not gonna stay in existence if we just provide everybody with home streaming and and no revenue from it that is enough to cover what it costs to run a race. So, you know, you start looking at you know, your average cost of running a race on a super late mile night is $75,000. And if you have 650 people show up at 20 bucks a head, you're not gonna make it. So I'm I'm I'm really on the bitter side of the streaming. Yes, I enjoy it, but yes, somebody's gotta pay. Either it's gotta work or it isn't gonna work. How's that?
SPEAKER_00I understand. I mean, I see both sides of it, I really do. Again, since you're talking about this, I'll just bring it up. Well, we all know economic times are kind of tough right now, fuel prices are high. How are any of those impacting, Jerry? What you're seeing so far in the middle of June, free race.
SPEAKER_01Just thinking about that this morning, COVID was the best for racing there ever was 2020. You know, we had an average car uh crowd of you know 1200 a week, and uh some crowds you know bigger during COVID. We didn't start till June. It was our best year ever. We we we ran a short season, and fuel price was what 99 cents a gallon, you know, for the gas pump. And right now, with gas prices um going up, it it's it's a big expense for the fans to travel, which coincidedly works what we were just talking about with the subject of streaming and versus coming to the racetrack. You know, you have them. We won't stream our weekly shows, but the economy's got to improve. We got to get back down to gas to $2.99 a gallon. If you get diesel back down to you know, diesel can't be over five dollars a gallon, first of all, because that drives the inflation in the whole economy. It also is what all the race haulers are running off of as diesel, and it costs them more money to get to the racetrack. We need diesel about $3.50 a gallon, you need $299 on your gas, and the world will take care of itself. But until we correct the gas and fuel prices that drives everything else that you buy at Walmart or anything you know online. Um, right now I was telling my wife we're losing money at popcorn, we're charging three dollars a box. The freight on the popcorn boxes is more than the popcorn boxes when they ship in, and um yeah, that's that's where we're at. It's a sad situation right now.
SPEAKER_00Hopefully, that will straighten us all out. I agree. All right, uh, let's end our conversation again. You kind of touched on this, but I mean, some people are making plans 4th of July weekend. What's coming up with your race track there in a couple of weeks, Jerry?
SPEAKER_01Well, it's starting June 27th. We have the Dairyland 100, we'll have the Alive for Five series back, Luke Van House, Gabe Summers, um, Casey Johnson, all the boys be back duking it out for uh 100 laps there, and then right away turn around again, come back July 4th. We got the fireworks, we got the Tundra North America Cup 100 with the whole Tundra Super Late Model series. A lot of the same drivers are coming back for that, and uh should be uh a great way to celebrate 4th of July up in Wisconsin Dells. Enjoy the whole weekend up there and cap it off with fireworks at the racetrack.
SPEAKER_00So a good time to me. Listen, I really appreciate the time. I mean it when I say you're one of my favorite racetracks, and I look forward to seeing you up there this summer, Jerry. Thank you for being with us.
SPEAKER_01Well, thanks for having me on, Pete. Appreciate it. Take care.
SPEAKER_00That's Jerry Albee from Dells Raceway Park, one of the best racetracks you're ever going to go to up there in the Dells, and great time to go here in the summer. I'm Pete Bistoni. Thanks for watching. Make sure you stay right here at Midwest RacingCentral.com. We'll have everything covered this racing weekend and get you all set for the big fourth of July weekend right around the corner. This has been Midwest Racing Central today. We'll see you next time.