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'North Pole Nightmare' Bill Balog Heads East To Tackle National Open
PA Sprint Car News | By Justin Snyder
When Bill Balog outdueled the 2013 World of Outlaws Craftsman Series champion, Daryn Pittman, at Beaver Dam Raceway to stake his first ever series victory in late June, it was marked as the defining moment of the Hartland, WI native's Sprint Car racing career.
After racing Sprint Cars throughout the Midwest and capturing multiple victories, this win in particular was the accomplishment that gave him the confidence to run with the best.
"I’ve been running these cars for a while now, and I just never could quite put it together a full race to win one of those things,” said Balog, who became the fifth non-Outlaw driver to pick up a victory in 2016. “Those guys are the best in the world for a reason, there is a reason only a handful of people beat them each year. It was a really cool moment for my whole team.”
Looking to capitalize on the triumph and a season that saw him capture 11 total victories, Balog is taking his team on a nearly 800 mile trek across the country from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania to challenge the Outlaws once again.
He will join a group of drivers who know also know a thing or two about beating the Outlaws, the famed Pennsylvania Posse.
This will be the second trip of his career to the historic Mechanicsburg dirt track. He was on hand for the World of Outlaws Tune-Up on September 23rd. There he claimed a B-Main victory and finished 19th in the feature event.
"To be honest, we went out there and got our butt kicked a few weeks ago, “ said Balog, driver of the Buesser Concrete/Extreme Stainless #17B. “It’s a very unique track and the driver talent there on a weekly basis is nothing like what we are used to seeing every week. It was quite the eye opener for us!"
Previously, Balog had not intended on racing the National Open. However, after rain postponed the originally scheduled three-day event to what will now be a one-day show this Friday night, and some extra financial assistance from Wayne Corini, Balog set his sights on tackling the Speedway once again. As long as everything goes as planned, the team will also race at Port Royal Speedway the following night for their Outlaws event.
"Our season in Wisconsin was just about wrapped up and I really just wanted to race more," said Balog. “After our trip out there a few weeks ago, this opportunity presented itself and we figured we’d come out, give it another go, and see if we can’t get a little better and take home that $25,000 purse.”
An extra bonus for first-time drivers attempting to qualify for the National Open is also on the line. The National Open Rookie Award Presented by the Beerhill Gang will pay $2250 to the highest qualifying National Open rookie.
"I’d really love to pick up that bonus money," said Balog of the award that was captured by PA young gun, Chase Dietz, last year. “It is definitely going to be a challenge and just adds to the excitement of the event for a driver like myself travelling this far.”
The award came into play when local Pennsylvania fans, Earl Hoon Jr. and Travis Emig, began thinking of ideas of how to entice drivers to come race in Pennsylvania from out west. Through t-shirt sales and various sponsors, they were able to present $1500 last year to Dietz. This year’s prize includes an additional $725 and a trophy.
"There are all these big races out west and there are a lot of good drivers that fans never get to see here in Central PA,” said Hoon Jr. “To See a driver like Bill tow out here looking to win the award, it is exactly what we had in mind when we started this. We wish him all the best of luck and hope he enjoys his time here in PA.”
Balog got the chance to interact with the Pennsylvania fans during his short stay last month, and many fans encouraged him to come back out and take a shot at the award. He was especially impressed with their loyalty and hospitality to him and his team. "Typically, at any race we go to, we will sell a few shirts throughout the night and we are extremely happy with that," said Balog, who donates a portion of his sales to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer fund. “I think we sold nearly 40 shirts and hats while in PA and that was before we even hit the track. The fans here are amazing and like nothing I’ve run into anywhere else in the country.”
While “The North Pole Nightmare”, as he is affectionately referred to by fans, would love to win the race and go home with his second career Outlaw victory, his expectations are tempered by the reality that there will be a collection of the best sprint car drivers in the country vying for that win as well.
He is focused on laying down a good qualifying lap and transferring into the A-Main. More importantly, he wants to be able to come back to Wisconsin with the car intact.
"The last thing I want to do is haul all the way out there and tip the thing over in hot laps,” said Balog, who is only bringing one car for the trip east. “As a driver, I’m going to go into it with my eyes wide open and a smart game plan. I want to learn as much as possible. That’s my plan and if it goes well, maybe we will have some success.”
Don Kreitz Jr. gave him some words of confidence following his last trip to the speedway and he is hoping to apply that knowledge for the Outlaw show.
"I bought one of Don’s chassis videos and he told me to call him if I had any questions," said Balog. “We made some changes during an open red when we last ran there and it seemed like we went in the complete opposite direction after that as far as being competitive. So, I gave him a call and just ran some stuff by him. He confirmed everything I had suspected about what I may have done wrong before. So, now I have a little better idea of what I should do and not do. I think I’ll be better off this time around.”
For Balog and his team, this is an opportunity to get better and test their knowledge against the best drivers in the country.
His goal for the future is to be able to grow his team to be bigger and more competitive, and he believes running races in Pennsylvania will go a long way in achieving that.
"Ideally, I’d like to get to a point where I can show up at a track and feel like we can run well out the gate. I want to compete for wins anywhere in the country,” said Balog. “You’ve got to take your licks to get to the top and that’s what this is all about. With gained experience and laps on different tracks, I’m confident that we can be there and I’m looking forward to the trip very much.”
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