Travis Sauter and Team in Victory Lane at the 2009 Oktoberfest Race Weekend. (Credit: Doug Hornickel Photo fastlapphoto.com)By: Kari Shear-Carlson (ASAMT Media)
Photos By Doug Hornickel (fastlapphoto.com)

Travis Sauter finished in the top five three times in only four starts with the ASA Midwest Tour in 2009. One of those top five finishes was in victory lane where he captured the biggest victory of his career and first ASAMT win. Sauter claimed the victory in the 40th Annual Oktoberfest 100 at Lacrosse Fairgrounds Speedway after a hard-fought battle with 2010 ASAMT Champion, Steve Carlson. Not a bad way to end the season. In 2010 Sauter will have even more opportunities to make it to victory lane. Travis is set to run the full season with the American Speed Association® Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment and Grandstay® Residential Suites Hotels.

Chances are if you are from the Midwest, you have heard of a Sauter. The family of racers hails from Necedah, WI and several have made the move to one or more of the NASCAR racing series. Travis is the son of Tim Sauter, 1999 ASA National Champion and a competitor in all three NASCAR series throughout his career. Travis has already proven that he has what it takes to follow in his grandfather, uncles’, and father’s footsteps.

The driver of the #5 Hamke chassis is looking forward to racing the full season in 2010. When asked what he was most looking forward to, Sauter’s matter-of-fact response was, “Just racing more in the top touring series in the country!” Travis would not be able to race the entire season without the support of his sponsors. Along with long-time sponsor Cranberry Creek Cranberries, Sauter is happy to announce that Habelman Bros. Company, the world's largest fresh cranberry grower and packer, has teamed up with Travis for 2010.

American Speed Association PR
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Tuesday, March 9, 2010) - It was a re-building year in 2009 for Steve Sinclair as he took over the operations of Wilmot Raceway, an ASA Affiliated Track in Wilmot, WI. After a successful first year, he is ready to step it up for the 2010 season.

"We are definitely increasing the schedule, so there is a lot more race dates for everybody concerned," Sinclair said. "We have five base classes there with the winged 410 Sprint Cars, Modifieds, Street Stocks, 1200cc Mini Sprints, and Fearless 4's which is like a hornet class. Plus we have a bunch of specials, the ASA IRA Bumper-to-Bumper Outlaw Sprint Series is coming there five times, a UMP Summer Nationals Late Model date, the Badger Midgets twice, the Illini Midgets once, an AMA motorcycle race, so we have a pretty busy schedule."

This schedule will begin with a two day opening weekend on May 15-16 with an Open Wheel Extravaganza featuring 410 Sprints, Mini Sprints, Modifieds, Badger Midgets, Street Stock, and Fearless 4's.

Looking back at 2009, Sinclair was happy with how the season went. Part of that success was how he came up with the schedule, "On a limited schedule we had a great year. We are upping the dates but its not going to be an every Saturday night deal," Sinclair explained. "I am looking at what is around us and trying to schedule properly. It worked last year, in some cases where there is a big special on a Saturday we will run our guys on Friday, trying to take advantage of the fact that maybe we can draw some cars those tracks to come down by us and it has worked."

As the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season approaches for the LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway competitors, track officials are also preparing for the new year.

As the season draws near, Speedway staff will hold the annual Driver Orientation Meeting, on Saturday March 27th. "Anyone interested in racing at the track this year, whether it be Late Models, Sportsmen, Thunderstox, Hornets, or even the new R.A.Y.S. division is encouraged to attend," commented General Manager Chuck Deery. "It is a great opportunity to take care of track and NASCAR memberships, pit parking locations, season pit passes, as well as media information. It is a very informative meeting on procedures during the race season, and new drivers especially are strongly encouraged to attend."

The meeting for all divisions will be held at 10:00 am, located at the Fox Hollow Golf Course Banquet Hall. The hall is located five miles south of the Speedway (take Cty Rd M) on Cty Rd O, in Barre Mills. Doors will open at 8:30 for those that want to handle registrations prior to the meeting.

The 2010 season is set to begin on Saturday April 17th with an open practice session, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., and then a 200 lap 4-cylinder Enduro on the quarter-mile track at 4:00 p.m. Weekly racing begins the following week on Saturday April 24th, starting at 7:30, featuring the Kwik Trip NASCAR Late Models, North Country Contractors Sportsmen and United Auto Supply Thunderstox.

Drivers will welcome a 100 percent, guaranteed payout during NEW DIRT’s first ever Spring Thaw on Saturday, April 10 at Seymour Speedway. The first green flag is scheduled to fly at high noon.

The show boasts seven classes and will be the first track in northeast Wisconsin to open it’s doors for the 2010 season. “The biggest reason we wanted to do this was it’s so hard to schedule a big special in September,” said NEW DIRT President Dave “Cosmo” Rihm. “We’re rolling the dice but we’re taking a chance. We want to start this show and run a bulk of it in the afternoon when it’s warmer. We’d like to get done early so the fans can meet the drivers on a Saturday night.”

All drivers are guaranteed to make back their entry fee. “If a late model driver, for example, doesn’t make the show, he’ll go home with $175, their entry fee for two days,” said Rihm. On Friday April 9 an inspection and a “test and tune” will take place from noon to 7 p.m. That practice session is free of charge to the public. Crew members will be charged $15.00 on Friday night and $25.00 on Saturday. For more information and a copy of the flyer for this show, including a driver’s payout for each class, please check out the track’s website seymoursuperspeedway.com.

With the recent warm spell Mother Nature has doled out, Rihm is confident the high-banked, third-mile, clay oval will be in race ready shape for the earliest opener ever in the club’s 27 year history. “We covered the frontstretch with plastic and straw last Fall because with grandstand being on the south end it’s always last to thaw out,” said Rihm. “I can tell you there is no frost on the fronstretch right now. With the warm weather we’ve been having, we’re pretty confident we can get out there soon and begin working on the track.”

Waterford, WI March 4, 2010 - The Midwest Enduro Stock Car Series 2010 race schedule has been released. The delay for the announcement was due to conflicts with some of the participating tracks scheduling and other factors. Seven dates are on the schedule at four participating tracks in Wisconsin and Illinois. Any further additions is not probable at this time.

The first date on the 2010 schedule is at the Milwaukee Mile (West Allis) on Saturday May 15. All three divisons will compete on the one mile oval track for 150 laps. As an addition to the day's events, the Midwest Vintage Racing group will compete for 25 laps.

The Rockford Speedway (Loves Park, IL) will host three Series events with the first on Sunday May 23, second on Sunday August 1 and conclude on Monday September 6 with the "CMW Welding 250".

Wilmot Raceway (Wilmot) will be the only clay event of the season on Saturday July 24 with the running of the "WIIL 95 FM Ralph Fogel Memorial 150". The Wilmot Fearless Fours and Wilmot Street Stocks will be added to the program.

The Series returns to LaCrosse Speedway (West Salem) on Sunday June 20 and Saturday September 18. The last time the Series competed at the facility was in 1989.

Advance tickets will be available for all events at a reduced rate.

Contact the Series for details at (262)895-6682 or e-mail at: enduro4@wi.rr.com The Series website is www.midwestenduro.com