5/10/2012
Bill Balog
A Chilly Victory and a Strong Run with the Outlaws for Bill Balog and B2 Motorsports
Union Grove, WI – April 30, 2012. Bill Balog and the B2 Motorsports Team were ready to get the season kicked off on Friday, April 20th, but Mother Nature had other plans. The team planned to tow to Lincoln, IL to the Lincoln Speedway to race with the Midwest Open Wheel Association, but after a morning downpour, officials were forced to postpone the event until a later date causing the 17B sprinter to sit in the race shop one more day.
On Saturday, April 21st the team loaded the car and their winter gear in the trailer and headed up Interstate 43 along Lake Michigan to Francis Creek, WI for the Interstate Racing Association opener at the 1/3 mile, high banked 141 Speedway where Bill and the B2 Motorsports team has won the last 2 – races competed there with the IRA. With 24 cars on hand, Bill would qualify near the end of the pack laying down a lap on 12.602 seconds for the 7th fastest lap of the competitors on hand. With that qualifying effort, Bill would line up the 17B mount in the 4th starting position. At the drop of the green, Bill would shoot into the lead coming out of turn 2 and never look back cruising to a convincing win over Todd King and Scotty Neitzel showing that he would be the car to beat come feature time.
With the #3 pill drawn for the feature invert, Bill would line up to start on the outside of the front row of the feature next to Dave Uttech. With the temperature dipping into the upper 30’s come feature time the action was about to warm up. The initial start was slowed up with cautions 3 – times before a lap could be complete, but once the race was finally under green, Bill shot out into the lead and set a blistering pace began lapping cars at will a few laps in. Even with the caution flag waving in the middle stages of the race, the 17B sprinter was too strong for the competition and after the checkered flag waved Bill parked the B2 Motorsports Maxim on the frontstretch once again at the 141 Speedway finishing ahead of Mike Reinke and Jeremy Schultz.
This last Saturday, the B2 Motorsports team was supposed to head north to the Beaver Dam Raceway for the Jim Wipperfurth Memorial, but once again Mother Nature had other plans. By 9:00 a.m. the race was postponed due to inclement weather so the team loaded up and headed west to the Knoxville Raceway to compete with the World of Outlaws. Bill and the team were greeted with 42 – competitors at the ½ Mile “Sprint Car Capital of the World”. After laying down a lap of 15.222 which would be good for 14th fastest, Bill would line up on the pole of his heat race. After a slow start, Bill would settle in the 4th position and would finish there behind the Madsen brothers of Ian and Kerry and the “King of the Outlaws” Steve Kinser. Bill would start in the 8th row of the feature alongside Donny Schatz. The initial green would not last a lap as 3 – cars would tangle in turns one and two. On the next start Bill will slip back a little until the fuel load began to burn off and then his charge forward would begin. Bill ran the low side of the track and moved forward working his way up to pass the 10th place car, but the yellow would come out on Lap 19. Under caution the right rear tire lost some air pressure and when the green flag was waved again the 17B mount was now tight and would lose some positions ending up finishing in the 15th position after the final 6 laps were completed.
Bill and the team were happy with their results with the Outlaws at Knoxville and will return this weekend for weekly action at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday to gain more valuable seat time before August where they compete in the 52nd Annual Knoxville Nationals. The following weekend the B2 Motorsports team will return to IRA action at the Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, WI.
Bill and the B2 Motorsports Team would also like to thank our continued supporters/sponsors including: Buesser Concrete, Hoeft Builders, Hepfner Racing Products, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, K&N Filters, Gleason Equipment, FK Rod Ends, Auto Meter, Saldana Racing Products, Astro Titanium, Maxim Chassis, DMI, Fibrestar Industries, Super Shox, Stumble Inn Bar and Grill, Xtreme Stainless, Allstar Performance, Competition Driveline Service, BLZ, XYZ Machining. Outerwears, and Racer Gear X.
For more information on Bill Balog and the B2 Motorsports Team visit www.billbalog.com.
Submitted By: Bill Balog