Large group of chassis and engine builders meet with
WISSOTA representatives to discuss state of racing, rules

By Kirk Holmes
Reprinted With Permission From All The Dirt! Racing News

ST. CLOUD, MN (March 17) - Change seldom occurs without research, which is often times preceded by discontent.

That’s basically how things went in the University A meeting room at the Kelly Inn when members of the WISSOTA Promoters Association board and engine and chassis builders discussed one major topic during their get-together on Saturday, March 17.

The most talked-about item of the day was WISSOTA’s 2007 plan to test crate motors in two divisions. And the response de jour from WISSOTA to the builders who had questions was that the organization has committed to nothing but would be wrong if it did not at least look into the prospect of crate engine options in the region.

Myriad other topics were also discussed during the nearly six-hour meeting, including the WISSOTA rule book and the question of what the builders - and anyone else present at the meeting - believed could be done to safeguard and enhance the future of the sport.

The builders set the entire agenda for the meeting; they were asked on the way into the meeting room to provide a list of the topics they wished to discuss.

WISSOTA board members present were President Terry Voeltz, Vice President Billy Engelstad, Secretary Gus Omundson, Sue Lloyd, Public Relations Director, Dennis Terning and Marketing and Sponsorship Committee Chairman Scott Hughes, who requested and chaired the meeting. There were also five driver representatives on hand including John Kaanta (Late Models), Dave Cain (Modifieds), Ryan Aho (Super Stocks), Brock Gronwold (Midwest Modifieds) and Corry VanMil (Mod Fours).

The crate engine testing plan, as presented to those at the meeting, calls for issuing one GM 602 crate motor to a WISSOTA Midwest Modified driver and one in the WISSOTA Super Stock division, both of whom will be chosen from a list of applicants. Each driver must commit to a list of criteria, including strict record keeping and racing two or more nights a week. The drivers can race for track points but no WISSOTA national points.

The question WISSOTA’s board of directors hopes to have answered through the 2007 research project is: can the crate engine be a cost-effective and competitive engine which might someday be a driver option in the Midwest Modified and Super Stock divisions?

A group of drivers in Wyoming, Montana and western South Dakota are going to begin a crate Late Model program this summer. They have chosen to do so with the support of WISSOTA and their results will be examined as to the future of that division in WISSOTA. Rick Kobs, the promoter at Kopellah (WI) Speedway, will also run his own crate Late Model periodically in 2007 and he will pass along anything he learns during the season.

Members of the board emphasized the cause for the test program is the belief among some promoters and drivers that the low-cost power plants may be a healthy option to let drivers consider in the future.

The reaction from the engine builders was as expected: with only a handful of engine builders in a region certified by GM to do maintenance work on the crate motors, adding crate engines to WISSOTA could impact some of their businesses. Several chassis and engine builders further stated that without their work and the dollars they provide for advertising and sponsorships at the individual track and driver level, there probably wouldn’t even be a healthy core of WISSOTA tracks and competitors. Others admitted there is no ignoring the fact the topic has to be explored.

As a group, the builders remain skeptical - at best - that the soon-to-be-tested crate engines will ever come to be a practical entry into the WISSOTA racing region or that they will last under the stresses of weekly competition.

Terning was a promoter at Fiesta City (MN) Speedway when he helped bring the Midwest Modified division into WISSOTA back in 2001.

“I still know guys that were (Midwest Modified) drivers back in 2000 and they are still drivers today,” Terning told the group. “They’ve said to me, ‘ever since we joined WISSOTA, they have screwed things up. The engines today cost us $5,000’!”

“Heck,” Terning continued, “we haven’t changed a single engine rule.”

Terning’s anecdote was an indication that as a group, drivers should often share responsibility for the increasing cost of racing. When one driver outspends another and wins, then others begin to believe they need to spend the same or more just to keep up. While that’s not always a fact, many convince themselves that it is.

One of the driver reps present at the meeting stated today’s huge toters and enclosed trailers have little affect on the outcome of the races, but they sure drive up the cost many teams attribute to the “cost of racing.” He then pointed out that he also did well back when he hauled his race car behind a pickup truck - and admitted that drivers can be their own worst enemies when it comes to controlling the cost of racing.

One of the builders even suggested that tracks could help curb that particular problem by providing a bonus program for drivers who show up with open trailers - which he said would also help the tracks from an advertising standpoint. “In lots of towns, people don’t even know there’s a race going on because they never get to see the cars - they’re all in enclosed trailers!” he said.

As the “crate” discussion continued, someone suggested that even if a governing body believes its current rules are the best they can be, the perception that something better exists just can’t be ignored.

“If someone asks a question and you don’t answer it, it’s the same as ignoring the question,” Norman County Speedway promoter Paul Engelstad said. “Just because you look at something doesn’t mean it will be better.

“I’ve had guys come to me and say, ‘$2,800 for a Midwest Mod motor, that’s great. How come WISSOTA won’t let us have it’?”

Voeltz said one plan for the future may be to develop a single engine with very limited specs that could be run in the Super Stock, Midwest Modified and Street Stock divisions and could be constructed for an agreed-upon price by whatever builder the driver chooses.

The second most controversial topic was mufflers. The WISSOTA promoters voted last November to lower the noise level maximum to 95 decibels at 100 feet in 2007 in a proactive approach to the potential of serious legal times ahead for race tracks. However, the promoters did not specify what type or brand of muffler the drivers should use.

According to the exhaust noise suppression entry on Page 18 of the 2007 WISSOTA rule book (in essence), all drivers must use a manufactured muffler to be in compliance by the third night of their racing season or they won’t be allowed to race. All tracks and all cars must be in complete compliance by June 15, 2007 - which rules out the possibility of letting a race car sit all summer and then believing it can be raced three times during invitationals before it has to be legal.

Although various brands and prices were tossed around for consideration as official, mandated or even suggested muffler models during a lively and lengthy discussion, the majority of those in attendance admitted that the responsibility for compliance should rest with the drivers, not with any spec parts mandated by the sanctioning body.

“Everyone has to understand this is not WISSOTA making drivers buy more parts,” Voeltz said. “It’s for the future of the sport.”

Other topics of discussion during the nearly six-hour meeting were:

• Slight alterations to engine machining processes that would equal differences currently in place for different makes;

• The use of roller rockers on Modified claimer engines;

• Changes in the Modified body rules to help further distinguish the division from the Midwest Mod division;

• An alternative cylinder head for the Super Stock division because the most prevalent head used to meet today’s rules is no longer available from General Motors;

• An identical engine rule for the Street Stock, Midwest Mod and Super Stock divisions;

• A reduction in the minimum weight of the Super Stock division because many cars now carry hundreds of pounds of lead to meet the minimum;

• Allowing ethanol to be legal in all WISSOTA divisions.

In addition, several small errors in the current rule book were discussed and will be fixed immediately in the online version of the rule book. Tech updates on each of those will be issued on the WISSOTA website, www.wissota.org.

At the conclusion, several builders expressed a desire to continue these types of meetings at regularly spaced intervals - possibly once a year - in the future.