Scott Owen, Special to the Leader
It all comes down to this. The blood, the sweat, the gear lube in the hair. The final night of racing at the historic half-mile Shawano Speedway.
Five track champions will be crowned Saturday.
Ron Berna enters the final night of racing with a 16-point advantage in the Late Model division over Doug Blashe. Sixteen points is not an insurmountable lead, but due to the fact that there is only one point difference between feature finishing positions, it is a tough task. If Berna goes on to win the title, it would be his seventh point title in the division, which would place him in a tie with MJ McBride and Terry Anvelink for the most Late Model track championships.
It also be Berna’s 10th overall title at the track. Berna already holds the most titles at nine right now. Berna won three consecutive IMCA Modified titles in the mid 1990s.
Jerry Wilinksi has already wrapped up the track championship in the IMCA Modified division this season. It is the second title for Wilinski, who also won the title in the 2010 season. Wilinski finished the season on a tear to wrap up the title. He has won the last five features in a row and seven features on the year.
Travis VanStraten has also wrapped up the IMCA Stock Car point title for the second consecutive season. He has won an amazing 14 features at Shawano alone, and has won over 30 features on the year. VanStraten has set a goal of winning the IMCA national title as well. He is only a single point out of the lead competing with drivers from 14 states.
Defending IMCA Sport Mod track champion Lucas Lamberies holds a slim five-point edge over Jason Jach in what is the closest point battle entering the final night. For Lamberies it would be his second title at Shawano. In the case of Jach, it would be his first track championship.
Brad Wedde comes into this week’s action as the point leader in the Mighty Four division with a 25-point lead over his cousin Calvin Stueck. It would be the first Shawano Speedway title for either one of them.
Saturday night, three drivers will come realize the goal they have worked for all year long. Wilinski and VanStraten have already marked their place in the record books this season. VanStraten, though, still has an eye on that national crown.
Racing starts at 6 p.m. Come on out this week and see who will win it.