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Seventeen races and 140 days after the April 15 season opener, three men — Kevin Nuttleman, Andy Burgess and Mark Lamoreaux — are still fighting for the right to call themselves a champion.
Saturday night, we’ll find out who is left standing.
Maybe this is the reason why La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway manager Chuck Deery has resisted the temptation, and bucked some media and fan pressure, to instill a short-track version of a “Chase for the Championship.”
Maybe he knew that nine-time track champion Nuttleman would be right there ready to grab an unprecedented 10th title. Maybe he knew that the often-times rocket-fast Burgess would make his most serious run at Nuttleman.
And who knows, maybe Deery and others knew that the savvy 50-something Lamoreaux (doesn’t it sound better that way than saying he’s 55?) would work his way into the title picture once again.
Nah, I doubt it.
It just turned out that the summer of ’06 provided one of the best Kwik Trip Late Model points races since Rick Wateski edged Paul Proksch by 10 points (1,082 to 1,072) in 1996. And, just like that night, fans will have their eyes glued on what place Nuttleman is in, what place Burgess is in, and where Lamoreaux’s bright yellow No. 26 car is at during the 100-lap feature Saturday night.
It’s probably the only race of the season where the leader — if it’s not one of the big three — will fail to draw the most attention from fans.
“We can’t let it all hang out. We’ve still got to work hard and have a decent finish or it won’t matter,” Burgess said. “If we salvage a decent finish and you hear a clink, clink, clink coming from Nuttleman’s car, it could happen.”
I’ll admit I didn’t immediately get the “clink, clink, clink” that Burgess was coyly referring to. “When the horseshoe falls out,” Burgess explained.
Nuttleman has long been accused of having a lucky horseshoe in his hind pocket because of his almost uncanny ability to avoid wrecks — big and small — during heat races and features week after week, year after year.
Will that streak of good luck continue?
Or is Nuttleman simply that good where he creates his own luck?
It’s a bit of both as the Bangor, Wis., driver has certainly made it through accidents that all logic says he shouldn’t have. Nuttleman is all about consistency, as in finish in the top five night after night after night.
“I didn’t get where I’m at by doing dumb stuff,” Nuttleman said. “We’ve been able to keep it (car) in one piece and get those top-five finishes. It’s all about consistency.”
Yes, Nuttleman and Matt Kenseth attended the “I might be boring, but I win championships” school of racing.
While Nuttleman has one eye focused on a track championship and one eye out for the competition, he’s also looking at something else — the Dodge Weekly Racing Series Division III race. He fell out of the top spot this week, and it appears a second straight region title — and the $25,000 that goes along with it — is unlikely.
However, another top-five finish in the regular season finale would likely solidify his second-place divisional standing.
“We’ve got to worry about track points first,” Nuttleman said. “This is the closest points race I’ve had. I’ve usually led by 40 or 60 points heading into the final night.”
And while Nuttleman and his veteran team might not outwardly show it, there is no doubt they watching another driver in addition to Burgess. There is little doubt that the hottest driver heading into the 100-lapper is Lamoreaux.
The Bloomington, Minn., veteran was the top qualifier last week. He was later disqualified in a post-qualifying inspection, which forced him to start near the back in the feature race. It didn’t matter, as he had worked his way through the field and was battling Burgess for seventh place when they both spun in Turn 1, forcing both to the rear of the field once again.
So what did Lamoreaux do? He roared through the field, going from 17th to fifth place in nine laps. Yes, he passed 12 cars in nine laps. In a season where every car is unbelievably close, Lamoreaux blew past cars like he was in a rocket ship.
Think that didn’t create some attention?
“The last time I had a car that was this good was in the early 1990s,” Lamoreaux said, stone-faced serious. “We have been working on this set-up all year. Now we finally got it. Now it’s time to have some fun.”
It appears that Lamoreaux isn’t the only one who is going to have some fun on Saturday night.
Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 791-8403, or e-mail at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com
