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Carlson’s last title at the storied West Salem track came in 1984, and with the 23-year span between championships apparently about to end, Carlson is starting to enjoy the moment, if only for a moment. This track title, should he win it this week, carries a lot more weight and prestige than his first one,
however, as the veteran driver could very well wind up as a national short-track champion.
Of all the talented drivers who have raced at the Fairgrounds Speedway, none has won a national short-track title. Carlson seems intent on changing that.
Carlson won the first of two 20-lap Kwik Trip Late Model
features Saturday night, then finished third in the second one. The second feature might have been the most hotly
contested feature race of the season as Andy Burgess, Paul Proksch and Carlson waged an all-out battle for the top spot. Burgess wound up winning, but Carlson improved his national standing and inched closer to what would be a remarkable accomplishment.
“The car just wasn’t as good in the second one,” Carlson said. “We’ll take a first and a third.”
In the first feature, Carlson somehow worked his way through the field from his 10th spot in the starting field and won for the sixth time this
season. As a crowd estimated at 2,000 watched Carlson work his magic, they let him know they appreciated his talent, too, by making some noise.
“With only 20 laps (vs. the normal 25), you’ve got to get it done,” Carlson said after the first feature. “Its (potential national title) is starting to weigh on my mind a little.”
Carlson was able to steal the lead from Dan Steele on Lap 16 of the feature. He got it done on a restart as he simply powered his No. 66 by Steele on the front stretch, then hugged the corner in Turn 1 as tight as a mother hugs her newborn. He held the lead the rest of the way as Steele settled for second, and Mike Carlson — Steve’s son — took third.
“I didn’t have anything to stay with him,” Steele said. “He’s awesome. There is certainly no shame to finishing second to Steve Carlson. He’s in the hunt for a national championship and I hope he gets it. Like I’ve said before, you look around here and there are former track champions and national touring champions all over the place.”
In the second feature, fans were glued to the front three cars as Burgess and Proksch waged a paint-to-paint battle with Carlson right behind. Burgess and Proksch actually touched — and their cars broke loose for a split-second — coming out of Turn 4 with four laps to go.
“I tried not to think about it,” Burgess said of having Proksch and Carlson breathing down his neck. “He (Proksch) got into me a little bit. It was just close racing.”
Proksch, with a brand new motor in his car, ran his most competitive race of the season. The former two-time track champion refused to surrender to Carlson.
“This is the first time we have been able to run with the top five guys. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s about time,” Proksch said.
Carlson is in 13th place in this week’s Whelen All-American Series, which is the name for the short-track national championship. That place is deceptive, however, as Carlson’s per-race average is 46.8 points. The national leader, Woody Pikat, is averaging 46.6 points per race. By winning Saturday night’s first race, Carlson earned 50 points, and with his third-place finish, he added another 46. He earned an average of 48 points, therefore bumping his average a bit.
SPORTSMAN: Larry Bolster, Jr., had his hands full late in the North Country Contractors Sportsman Division feature race. Bolster had a mirror-full of Aaron Hass, especially in the final lap. Hass tried the outside groove on the backstretch of the last lap, then stayed nearly side-by-side with Bolster through Turns 3 and 4.
Bolster, however, was able to power away from Hass and third-place finisher Jes Tenner down the front stretch to claim his third feature win of the season.
THUNDERSTOX: Steve Bornitz captured the checkered flag in the United Auto Supply Thunderstox Division feature race. Chris Weber was second. It was the second feature win of the season for Bornitz.
Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 791-8403, or at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com
