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Or at least the two biggest races in terms of exposure.
Schendel is one of two area stock car drivers — West Salem's Steve Carlson is the other — who is in sunny California this week for an event called the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. It's an invitation-only, nationally televised (Speed Channel) event that features the best drivers from NASCAR's four touring series — the International Truck and Engine Midwest Series, the Featherlite Southwest Series, the Southeast Series and the Raybestos Southwest Series.
The top 15 drivers in the two NASCAR Grand National series — Busch North and Winston West — along with the top 10 drivers in the four touring series, converge on the Irwindale, Calif., Speedway for what is being tabbed the biggest thing to ever happen to NASCAR's support divisions.
"It is no exaggeration that this event is the biggest thing to ever happen to our touring series," said Chris Boals, NASCAR's director of regional touring, in a story on NASCAR's web site.
Two 50-lap qualifying races are scheduled for Friday night, with two races structured similar to The Winston for Saturday. The first race is a 75-lap team-type race, to be followed by a 10-minute intermission. The team race combines results of drivers from each of the four regions to determine which is the top region.
The individual race, which is 25 laps, is all about the driver and their particular team.
Carlson, who won an unprecedented eighth touring series title this year, and the up-and-coming Schendel will get to test their skills against top drivers from across the country who compete in a series with similar rules and cars.
The only difference is that they are now on one track, and a national television audience will be watching.
"If I could get a good run here, it certainly might help," said Schendel, who has put together back-to-back top-five season points finishes in the ITEMS series. "A lot (Craftsman) Truck and Busch Series team owners are going to be out here. the Craftsman Truck Series doesn't race this weekend, and plus this is going to be on national TV."
The Sparta, Wis., man has been itching to move up the racing ladder, and the next logical step is into a Craftsman Truck, or even a Busch Grand National Series car. That, however, takes more than driving skill. It takes lots of cash, as in sponsorship. A top five, top three, or even better yet, a victory, would certainly grab the attention of team owners looking to fill a vacant driving seat in 2004.
"Our goal is to go there and do the best we can," said Schendel, who was working out of a race shop in Bakersfield, Calif., on Tuesday. "I've talked to a lot of people, and we have a pretty good idea of what we need to do for this race track. We're going with the same stuff we used at La Crosse."
The Irwindale Speedway is a half-mile track that has flat, sweeping corners that have slightly more banking than those at the Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem. Both Carlson and Schendel have raced countless times at West Salem, which may play to their advantage.
"Everywhere you go the competition is tough," said Schendel, who is coming off a sixth-place finish in a Southwest Tour event at the Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) last week. "I have all the confidence in the world we can go out and win this thing. A lot of what makes the Midwest guys good is what (the late) Joe Shear did and what Steve Carlson has done and continues to do. They have been racing a long time and have their stuff together. That raises the bar for a guy like me.
"Some of the guys from out West, they seem to have an awful lot of money. Sometimes I think they have more money than talent," Schendel said. "Our guys, they may be strapped for dollars but the talent level is really high."
Starting Friday night, race fans will be able to find out.
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Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 782-9710, ext. 403, or e-mail at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com
