May 19, 2012; Beaver Dam, WI - For the first half of the 30 lap Bumper to Bumper IRA Sprint Car main event at Beaver Dam Raceway it looked like Billy Balog might actually see the checkered flag fall for another driver.  But a series of events that occurred right at the halfway point of the contest changed complexion race placing Balog out front.  Once in the lead the second half of the event was simply a matter of Balog keeping his competition in his tire tracks as he claimed his third straight IRA Sprint victory of 2012.

The four-time and defending champion remains undefeated so far this season.

It wasn't for the lack of effort on behalf of his competitors however.   A field of 28 drivers checked into the pit area at Beaver Dam Raceway to take on the best Winged 410 Sprint racers in the Midwest.  Several drivers showed signs early that they had the speed to catch Balog.   Mike Reinke had topped the speed charts in qualifying blistering the third-mile clay oval with a lap of 13.443 seconds.  His nearest rival, Mike Kertscher was nearly four-tenths of a second behind with a lap of 13.820 seconds.   Four drivers broke into the 13 second range including Bill Warren and 2011 Wilmot Raceway champion Tommy Sexton.   Balog's qualifying effort placed him 12th, nearly a second off Reinke's pace.

From that point on though Balog flexed his muscle.  In heat race action Balog handedly won his contest, with the other heat race wins going to Sexton and rookie hotshoe Blake Nimee who would turn 18 after this nights racing action.

The balance of the 22 car main event was set by taking 7 positions out of the B-main event.  A race that went down to the wire with Matt Vandervere working past Warren for the victory.

The field 22 car field would accept the green flag for the 30 lap A-main with hometown favorite Scotty Neitzel on the pole and Sexton sitting to his outside.  Kertscher and Reinke would make up row two while Balog would start the contest in the sixth slot a position he wouldn't stay in for long.

It was a clean start which would prove Kertscher to be a master of finding the right line. Working through the first two turns as he drove between both Neitzel and Sexton to come away with the lead down the backstretch, a position he would hold the first half of the contest.

Balog meanwhile methodically moved forward picking off his rivals to reach the second position before lap 10.  Once in the runner-up position the goal was to slice into Kertscher's lead.  By lap 12 Balog had caught up to the rear nerf bar of Kertscher who was expertly working lapped traffic and appeared to have the speed to keep Balog behind him. But a quick succession of events would change the contest.

Heading though turn four on lap 14, Kertscher drifted wide leaving a gap just wide enough for Balog to take advantage of the opportunity to slip by.  The pair were encountering heavy lapped traffic as they did battle for the lead when Balog made contact with Scott Young while attempting to place him a lap down.  Balog's machine got airborne but he was able to get all four wheels back on the ground getting back to the gas quickly and regaining momentum.  Young however lost speed rolling to a stop and drawing the caution creating the only slowdown of the contest.

This series of events would leave Balog out front with Kertscher now having to give chase from the second spot, and Reinke waiting for an opportunity from the third position.

Once the race resumed however it would become apparent that barring a mistake by Balog that he would be headed for a win as he pulled away from both Kertscher and Reinke who became locked in a battle for second.   On several occasions Reinke would look to steal the runner-up slot but with a handful of laps left in the contest Kertscher tightened his grasp on the second position.

Balog would spend the rest of the race dodging lapped traffic, winning the contest by a straightaway ensuring his third trip to victory lane in 2012.  Kertscher would cross the line in second.  It was the second straight event where Kertscher has claimed the runner-up position.   Reinke would settle for third. 

Neitzel who spent most of the contest swapping positions with Sexton would come home fourth while Sexton finished the contest in fifth.  Scott Biertzer, Jim Moughan, Warren, Phillip Mock and Russel Borland completed the top ten finishers.

The Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints will now tackle a double-header Memorial weekend.  On Saturday evening May 26th the stars of the series will make it's second appearance of the year at Wilmot Raceway for the Daun/Winkler Memorial.  The series then packs up and hits the road to the third-mile 141 Speedway bullring on Sunday evening May 27th. The IRA Outlaw Sprints will return to Beaver Dam Raceway on Saturday Night June 16th

For more information on the IRA Outlaw Sprints check out the tour website at www.irasprints.com

The IRA Outlaw Sprint Series is proudly supported by Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts & Service Centers, Osborn & Son Trucking, Goodyear, TW Metals, Cummins Onan, DNA Energy Drink & Snacks, MPT Industries, UltraLube, Big Game Treestands, Carriage Auto Body, Otis Gun, Mother's  Polishes and Waxes and Polaris DEFENSE.   The office of the IRA Sprints can be reached at 815-759-9269 or by e-mail at [email protected]

BOX SCORE:

Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints:

30 Lap A-Main:  1.) Billy Balog; 2.) Mike Kertscher; 3.) Mike Reinke; 4.) Scott Neitzel; 5.) Tommy Sexton; 6.) Scott Biertzer; 7.) Jim Moughan; 8.) Bill Warren; 9.) Phillip Mock; 10.) Russel Borland; 11.) Dave Uttech; 12.) Mike Nimee; 13.) Kris Spitz; 14.) Scott Uttech; 15.) Bill Wirth; 16.) Matt Vandervere; 17.) Doug Wondra; 18.) Jereme Schroeder; 19.) Robbie Pribnow; 20.) Scott Young;  21.) Darrell Dodd; 22.) Ricky Logan

B-Main: (Top 10)  1.) Vandervere; 2.) Warren; 3.) Young; 4.) Schroeder; 5.) Young; 6.) Dodd; 7.) Wondra; 8.) Dennis Spitz; 9.) Michael Decker;  10.) Brandon Thone


Heat  1: 1.) Sexton; 2.) D. Uttech; 3.) Reinke; 4.) S. Uttech; 5.) K. Spitz

Heat  2: 1.) Nimee; 2.) Neitzel; 3.) Kertscher; 4.) Mock; 5.) Wirth

Heat  3: 1.)Balog; 2.) Moughan; 3.) Logan; 4.) Borland; 5.) Biertzer

Qualifying: (Top 10) 1.) Reinke, 13.443 Seconds; 2.) Kertscher, 13.820 Secs.; 3.) Warren, 13.828 Secs; 4.) Sexton, 13.916; 5.) Neitzel, 14.047; 6.) Moughan, 14.069; 7.) D. Uttech 14.127; 8.) Schroeder, 14.194; 9.) Biertzer, 14.208; 10.) K. Spitz, 14.208