Midseason Check-In with Kevin Ramsell

Midwest Racing Central's Kevin Ramsell joins the podcast and gives his views on the first half of the short track season and what’s coming up including the Midwest Tour, Summer Specials and some of the up-and-coming drivers in the Midwest.

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Midwest Racing Central Today is hosted by Pete Pistone and produced by Mia Pistone

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Hi everybody, welcome into this week's edition of Midwest Racing Central. Today I'm Pete Pistoni. Hard to believe we're halfway through the season, the middle of July, and let's bring our good friend and contributor here at Midwest Racing Central, Kevin Ramsel, in to kind of give us a big picture view of what he's seen so far and what lies ahead. Kev, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:28

I'm doing good. Uh, and especially after what I went through a couple weeks ago, pretty much back on the men and trying to act like I'm a normal person again. So, but um normal probably a stretch, but uh we'll we'll be pretty close.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

So I'm glad to hear your health is better. Uh again, and appreciate what you do here for our website and contributing things. You know, again, my my parents used to tell me this when I was little time's gonna go fast the older you get. I can't believe we're in the middle of July. Um let's just start there, like sort of big picture, Kev. What have you seen so far around the Midwest in terms of racing since we kicked things off kind of in early April?

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Yeah, since we started off in early April, we had a lot of questions coming in now about the Midwest tour. And um, you know, Marty uh reached out to me actually uh uh about uh after the uh second Midwest tour race and says, Um, yeah, we're gonna need some help. So I I I joy, I uh I gladly came back in to help out with what I can with the Midwest tour. And I've seen pretty much stable car counts with those. I think you know back in our younger days ourselves, you know, we were lucky to see 40-50 cars show up for an event. And I think if we see anywhere between 20 to 30 cars show up for an event, I think that we should be happy with that. I mean, if Formula One can run an event with 22 cars, short tracks can easily do that too. And the thing is, is that we're seeing good quality cars too. We're not seeing this uh a field of two or three drivers show up in a bunch of of uh uh part-timers kind of thing, or if you want to call them, you know, field fillers type of field. We're getting we're getting events up there with a word half the field or almost three-quarters of the field. Someone in that field can win the race.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

We brought the Midwest tour. Let's start with that. And uh, I know we got a race this weekend uh at Madison, which we'll get to on Friday night. Uh but I know there was a race that was supposed to be up at it at uh Elko Speedway that is not happening. Can you kind of separate fact from fiction on why that race isn't happening, Kevin?

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Yeah, that it's a simple business thing where you where communication is key. And if there's not communication between the two parties and contracts are not signed, you really can't go forward with an event. And that's pretty much what the what I've been told is the situation was there is that there was, you know, then neither sides were really getting back and forth to each other. Um, you know, one what you know the uh the Midwest Tour would reach out to Elko or or and you know, Elka would not get back to them. And so they pretty much came in like an impasse to where you know we kind of felt we had to go out from that way. And then the Hawkeye Downs race, um, you know, the reason that was canceled is because it was too close to the Slinger Nationals, and more of those more a lot of the drivers who wanted to compete in that show were showing interest in Slinger Nationals, and they thought the events were way too close to each other for them to have to take to take a risk of driving down the the Iowa and coming back with it. So, and I I think probably some of the economy probably had something to do with those long-distance events because when you look at the mainstay of the Midwest tour drivers, they're mostly Wisconsin or Central Wisconsin Bay. So those are those have been the two longest trips of the year for that. So I I I understand where business and uh business comes in before pleasure on those things, and yeah, fans are upset and um you know they hate to see the work cancelled, and they hate to see the fact that their favorite drivers aren't coming up there or super late models aren't coming up to a track that normally doesn't raise super late models. Unfortunately, that's the way how the business runs these days.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Alright, so those unfortunate events are for for that reason, but let's concentrate on what we've had on the Midwest tour so far. We've had some good events, we've had some interesting events. What have you made of the tour so far going into Madison on Friday night, Kev?

SPEAKER_00 4:13

I've been I it's been enjoyable so far. I mean, you got uh if we'll be looking at here, uh we got Points Lear who hasn't won a race yet, and Casey Johnson going for his fifth title, the tie tie majesky. I gotta be sure be careful I say tie tie, you know. And then um then um, you know, we got the Austin Nason coming back and winning the Joe Sheer Classic, Paulie Schaefer uh winning at Jefferson and the excitement he had coming out of the car, and then followed that up the following week by weighing up at a live for five race up at the Dells. And then uh Dalton Zier dominating up in Norway, which was which was to be expected with that. So uh it's it's it's a very uh it's a very uh unique thing that we have going on so far this year with the Midwest Tour, and I think everybody's excited to get back on Friday night for the Howie Leto race, and then the upcoming Gandru 250, which is uh which is a crown jewel event um this year as well, too up at Wisconsin International Raceway on that famous first Tuesday in August.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Yeah, Tuesday, August 4th, that is coming up. So you mentioned Casey Johnson, fresh off of Slinger's Slinger Nationals victory a couple of weeks ago. So I I went up there on Monday, I watched the whole qualifying thing, the bracket thing that they had for the superlate models. I gotta tell you, Kev, I thought that was pretty cool. What what do you think about that format that Travis Nassau and that team had up there?

SPEAKER_00 5:37

Yeah, I was watching that too, and I thought, okay, this is interesting. You know, that's it. I think this is it's it's almost kind of like when you watch um like uh some of like the Velodrome cycling events uh at the Olympics, where they got the like the time trials where they where they put the two bikers, uh where one starts on one half of the lap, the other one starts, and you got that time event. I I enjoyed it. I think it was a very unique thing, and it you know you gotta be good at a certain time, you gotta be you gotta be good on all the times and stuff, and you're taking some risks. Like time of Jesusky, you know, human alternates. I'm gonna just put one lap down and see where it goes. And you got guys out there doing three or four laps trying to get their best lap going with it. I thought it was very unique how it was done and and how and that the format was not to set up the the the lineup for the race, but how we're gonna qualify. And you we all know that uh that sometimes the qualifying order at certain events, depending on what time of day it is, it's more important to go early or go late in those uh things. So I think that had a nice factor into it as well. So I really enjoyed it, plus you know, an extra five thousand dollars being put up for it as well, too, was uh was a cool deal as well. So I hope it's something that stays and they do it again next year, and that becomes their unique tradition. You know, I think I think that because they invented it, they should keep it and no one else should steal it.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

I agree with you. I I liked it a lot. Uh and then I guess we got to the main event on Tuesday that, you know, as you mentioned, Casey Johnson won. Wasn't easy, got a lot of craziness at the end with Ty Majeski and Carson Brown and Andrew Morrissey. What'd you make of the way that race ended with Casey Johnson finally getting a Slinger Nationals win?

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Well, I think I uh I got I got home from work and there was like 10 laps ago, and Casey Johnson was running six. I'm like, okay. Ty is leading, and the next thing you know, Ty Ty gets bumped by Gabe Summers, and Gabe Summers pushes him out of the way and goes, takes over the lead. And next thing you know, to come off of turn four, Ty spinning and brings out a caution. Okay, let's put Morrissey and Carson Brown on the front row. And you see those two bouncing each other back and forth on the back stretch, and they go off into and they go out, they get the green flag off to turn one. And Brown basically pancakes Morrissey into the wall going in the one. I'm like, oh boy, and then Morrissey tried to retaliate, and the next lo and behold, Casey Johnson is on the outside and got Carson Brown with some damage, and that outside's gonna roll on the on a restart at Slinger. And Casey Johnson, you know, you had to leave many laps to uh earn the big paycheck. But it's it's it's a big feather in his cap for the career that he's having. He's won. I think this is probably one uh in like Wisconsin, it's probably one of the more bigger events he has not won until this time.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Yeah, that was a big win for him. I know he's very emotional there in victory lane. All right, so let's just take that and then fast forward and go back to what we're gonna talk about here at Madison, Casey Johnson in the race. He's won that race before. What do you make about A, the entry list that we've got for Madison on Friday night and how that might play itself up up there at MIS?

SPEAKER_00 8:33

I think it's gonna be a very competitive race on Friday night. Um, and I think, you know, and not I'm not saying this in a negative way, but uh it's just the honest truth. With Ty Majewski doing the truck race at IRP, that's gonna prevent him from coming up there. So people are gonna be coming in with more of a gusto of like, hey, I got a legitimate chance of winning this race because everybody's gonna think that from a fans and some other drivers' perspectives, Ty would show up and dominate this race and take away another Checker flag. This did this race could be wide open, but it could also be another Casey Johnson dominate win. Austin Nason, who won the Joe Shear Classic, could be a factor. Luke Fenhouse looked real strong at the Joe Shear Classic until he fell out after this round you know after like 100 laps or so at their halfway mark at the Joe Shear Classic. This is gonna be your classic uh Friday night uh special 100 lap event. The the traditional thing that you and I saw growing up at Madison, where once in a while they'll they'll throw out like either a 50 lap feature or or uh back in the days when Wayne Erickson ran Madison, he would have the mellow yellow 100 on uh on a on a Saturday on a Friday night and bring out some of the big guys for 100 lap Friday night. And that's what this feeling, that's what this track's gonna feel like with the Midwest Truck Series there. I think fans are gonna see uh a really, really cool show on Friday night. And uh it wouldn't surprise me if we have a surprise winner or if we have your Casey Johnson, Austin Nasons, or Luke Fenhouse uh in Victory Lane.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

And the Midwest Truck Series will be there as well. They've got a have uh healthy entry list for Friday night, so that should be good. For our listeners who may not know who who uh who uh uh Harry Ledar was, uh tell tell us a little bit about him and what he means in the sport.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

Uh Howie Howie Leto was Howie. Howie it's okay. Uh Howie was a um was a well-known crew chief and mostly in ASA racing back in the days. Um he's more well known for uh being a crew chief for Jimmy Johnson back in when Jimmy Johnson ran the number 44 Penz oil car in uh in ASA competition, but he also fostered a lot of other drivers like Steve Holzhausen, um man, the Steve Carlson when Steve Carlson ran ASA, and then later on in life, uh helped Kelly Byers win uh win the ASA late model series title. Travis Dasau also winning the um the title as well, too. And then his last uh driver was uh Blake Brown, um the grandson of uh Terry Cunis, who owned Madison, um mentored him until he is until he passed away from cancer in 2010. But he was like uh if you if you if you're familiar with short track crew chiefs these days, he was like what the bond sus is today in short track racing for a crew chief. Howie was that guy. Howie was the one who was always was able to adapt with the changes, know what the car needed, could communicate well with the driver, could educate the driver well on what what they need to tell him and things like that. And he was probably one of the most successful crew chiefs that uh will go down in history without going up to the higher ranks of the sport.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

All right, so that's coming up on Friday night at Madison International Speedway. I want to ask you about some of the other things we've seen so far in the first half of the year. When you came with us at the beginning of the year, we talked about some of the weekly shows and what we're seeing there. You mentioned the Dells, we had Jerry Alby with us here on the broadcast. He kind of told us, told us what he's happening, what he's doing up there. Jefferson Speedway had a really good show, I think, this past weekend, Kevin. A lot of cars that showed up there. Kind of what's the sense that you're getting from some of the weekly shows we're seeing there? W Wisconsin International Raceway, their Thursday night show. That seems to be pretty healthy as well.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

I think the key word is stability. They're very stable with what they're getting per week, and they're getting quality shows every week. And um, and I think that the crowds are starting to are really starting to recognize it. Um, I don't know if you saw the video from last Thursday's uh race up at uh at WIR, but man, that Canadian fire smoke that really put a place looked like it was covered under fog the whole time. And it's amazing that they were able to get that show in without uh without health health violations or anything like that. But it's that's good that they were still able to get in. I I see I'm seeing a very like very stable car, you know. You're not seeing anything where you're not really reading anything online saying the car count's really down this year, or or there's or the there's influx of cars or anything like that. I think people pretty much have uh made their beds and they're lying in it right now. So they're they're they're happy where they're at um right now with it. And like with the Midwest tour, um, you know, we got uh last time I saw it was 22 cars entered. That's gonna be for Friday night. And I think the Leto, that's gonna be uh again the 250 could probably see around 25 to 30 cars for then. That's gonna be a very solid field for that race for Tuesday night. Um, you know, I'm I asked Greg McCarns if uh there's gonna be any NASCAR drivers coming up to that race, and he says stay tuned with that. So there is uh he's working on some things for that, but uh overall um it's pretty stable throughout the throughout the uh state. I was up at lacrosse um last last month, and they had a solid field of late models up there for for their uh for their weekly show, and you got people up there like Jacob Gady and uh Skylar Holzhouse and putting on shows for the fans, and they've had a different variety of winners up there this year, too. And that's the other thing I'm seeing is you're not seeing the same winners every week either.

unknown 14:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

So you mentioned NASCAR drivers. I'm curious about that. I mean, uh, the guy right now is Carson Hosevar. We all know about that, right? He went to Slinger, he went to Berlin. Maybe he's gonna go to uh Kokana, as you mentioned with with Greg's crew there on August 4th. Does that still resonate with race fans here in the Midwest when a NASCAR driver shows up in your mind, Kevin?

SPEAKER_00 14:23

I think it depends who the NASCAR driver is. Um, you know, the the you know um on the Wednesday night, they had uh the Harvix at Oassel Speedway over in Michigan, and that drew a pretty good crowd. And they they had like a like a dinner with the Harvix the night before, which at least uh they think they charge like 200 bucks, and they had a very good turnout for that. Um, with with the with the Harvix and such. I think it all comes down to it is with what Carson Hosevar is doing on the cup side right now, winning races, uh, the way how he's being projected out as far as his driver mannerisms and things like that. I think he is becoming more of an attraction when he shows up at a short track. And I think people want that kind of he's he's almost like taking the place of Kyle Bush. You know, how Kyle Bush would come to the short tracks because of what if you want to call it controversy or uh such that he does on the on the on the cup level or the top three level, you know, how Kyle would always people are like, oh, Kyle Bush is gonna come here. Let's see what kind of crap he's gonna pull here and things like that. I think people are starting to get that kind of wavelength with Carson Hosovar as well, too. Carson's a great kid. I mean, he's he's very easy to talk to, always approachable, always, always fun to work with, and um and I I actually had no problem with him. And it it's just kind of funny seeing when you sit there and watch and you start and you see some of the things happening, and then you're like, Yeah, he's got a little Kyle Bush in him, you know. And then I don't mean that as a disrespect to Kyle Bush. I Kyle Bush was a successful racer, and once Carson got his first win, you can see he's been pretty talented ever since.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Well, what's interesting to your point, because I've talked to Carson about this. I talked to Matt Slinger actually, he doesn't like to just show up, he wants to be competitive, right? He wants, like you said, when Kyle Bush would come with that 51 super late model, you knew he wasn't a part of the mix, right? It was a show. Carson Osevart is the same way, he doesn't just want to show up and sign autographs, he wants to be in the mix to possibly win the race. I think that sets him apart. I agree with you.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

Yeah, I agree with you wholeheartedly too. Yeah, there's some we we've had some experiences in the past with drivers who would just show up and run run 15 laps and pull off the track saying, Oh, there's something wrong with the motor, and they're looking at going, motors intact, yeah, there's something wrong with it. I don't know what it is, you know. I won't I won't say who did that, but um, that was way back in the early 80s. So um, but there was but you know, that's the thing is that these these when these cup drivers come in, this this new generation of cup drivers come into a short track, they know they're there to help put on a show, but at the same time, they're like they're racers, you know. They take a look at Kyle Larson and everybody who goes and runs the dirt Christopher Bell and those guys when they go and run the Chile Nationals, they're not just there for an appearance. They they got they they got a reason to be there, and they're starting, you know, they got those reasons too now when they go to the short tracks is that they're coming in there and they like we better we better show that we're really good at this so that we don't get this back up on the uh up on the cup level saying, Why are you up there when you can't do anything at Kacona or you can't do anything at Madison? You know, we can do it. You know, a few years ago, Rillian Bryan showed up with a at Madison before uh for the Howie Leto race and drove a Chris Wimmer car. He went out and sat his set fast time. Okay, that's legit. And then you're on a flight that that night heading to Daytona to run the Coke Zero 400 the next day. But you know, he he just didn't show up to drive around and such. He he came up there with the intent of trying to work on that car and get things done.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

Before you go, so we mentioned some of the races that are coming up on the Midwest tour side. What else here in the second half of July, August, September? And heck, we're gonna get into the fall specials here before too long. What else is on your radar, Kevin?

SPEAKER_00 18:10

We got the uh we got the uh Labor Day week and the Jim Starter Classic at Dells Raceway Park, which has become a real real fun event. Um great great crowds turn on over Labor Day weekend on the Labor Day Saturday night. Um, and then of course, so um Dells will host the um um the uh national short track championships, a thing that you and I are very well known, well very well aware of that was at Rockford. Um and Grundy's got the Bettenhausen Classic, which is gonna be an ASA Midwest tour race this year, uh, with it. I think that's that that's gonna be interesting to see how that goes with it. And then of course the four days October 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th Oktoberfest up in uh lacrosse, Wisconsin. And hopefully we'll have 80-degree weather like we've had there last year. You know, it's fun to rock one Octoberfest when with shorts and on instead of a hoodie.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

I couldn't believe it when I saw those pictures. Like, wait, but this can't be lacrosse, Wisconsin, but it was. Um, all right.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Well, yeah, we appreciate you up to Fest.

SPEAKER_01 19:11

I gotta get up there. I I will have to see what my schedule looks like at the end of the year. I've never been, so been to La Crosse before, but never been to Fest. So hopefully uh may be able to work it out this year.

SPEAKER_00 19:19

The reason why you should come to Fest this year, yeah, Mark Martin's gonna be there all four days.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Yes, you know, Mark Martin, little little he might be here on this podcast before we get there too. So we're working on that. That'd be awesome. That'll be terrific. Got a lot a lot of Midwest racing experience with Mark. Uh, I appreciate you taking time. Appreciate what you give us here on the website. I know a lot of our uh listeners and readers do as well. And uh glad you're feeling better and look forward to seeing you here at the Racetrack here as we go around, Kev.

SPEAKER_00 19:44

Yeah, sounds good, P. We'll see you then.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

All right, that's Kevin Ramsel. Don't forget Midwest RacingCentral.com. That's the place to be. Kevin's got a lot of videos, some stories he writes as well, and we've got everything covered coming up this weekend starting Friday night at Madison. We got a tundra race this weekend coming up as well, so lots to keep your uh eyes on, and we can do it right here at Midwest RacingCentral.com. I'm Pete Pistoni. Thanks for listening. Thanks for tuning in to Midwest Racing Central today. We'll see you next time. So long, everybody.