Fortmann Racing 32

09/01/2026

Race recap brought to you by RiverBluff Collective

Proudly Veteran- and Woman-Owned, RiverBluff Collective is your go-to source for the highest-quality products that always deliver. RiverBluff is a multi-product collective offering innovative, plant-infused products designed to improve and enhance people's lives. Their longstanding expertise and in-depth product knowledge allow them to create exciting new products, source the highest-quality cannabis, and educate our community on how to best incorporate these plants into their lifestyles.

Well Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway rained out on their season championship and doesn’t sound like they have the confidence to have a make up date, but we headed to East Moline Speedway to check out a new track to us and get another race in this season.

First off I need to congratulate East Moline Speedway their staff was super friendly knowing I was coming in a hurry from Dubuque and helped me get all the paperwork done so we could get the car ready for the new track. Their track crew did one hell of a job for dealing with the rain the racing surface was great and they ran a super efficient show. I was truly impressed after hearing all year how bad it was down there, when in truth it was the exact opposite.

So the night started off in a rush just getting to the track we had a lot of help from Claeys Racing for saving us a spot by them and helping with advice a gear options. Little did we know at the time we ran different ratio rear ends! Lol. Went out in hot laps and the heat feeling terrible only turned 5200 rpm before Ryan’s dad realized the mistake. Thanks to Travis Denning Motorsports for lending us a gear for the feature and it made a world of a difference for 2.5 laps… we broke RR shock mount / bolt. I know bad luck tour continues with 4 DNF in a row, but in those 2.5 laps we passed 4 cars ran out of the preferred line and still made up time. We found a few issues with the suspension that could be adding to my uncomfortableness in the car so that’s a plus. Either way came home last and yet considered it one of our more enjoyable nights this year. Also big thanks to Gary Webb Racing for the enjoyable conversation, advice, and old stories from the past. That was one of the highlights of our night! Thanks to our great marketing partners, fans, and great crew that continue to support us! Now onto IMCA Super Nationals!!!

Big thanks to TRR Photography - Tristan Reames for the great photos!! Sorry I made your job hard but you did great in making us look a little fast anyway!! Make sure to give his page a like and follow!!

08/26/2026

Race recap brought to you by Nelson Tire Recycling! They specialize in eco friendly, pest resistant, wire free rubber mulch that comes in 8 colors with a 12 year color guarantee included. They supply consumers in the Dyersville, Cedar rapids, and Dubuque area with high grade rubber mulch.

So needless to say with the late model we could win the lottery and not be able to buy good luck! We had our third DNF in a row. In the heat race we had a good battle going for the lead and the nose folded under causing us to pull in. Being the only car to not make the invert we started last in the feature. We were making decent progress being patient and picking up spots when the caution came out. Under the long caution we noticed the temp was higher than we would like. We took the green and took it easy around the bottom to see if it was warm from the caution or if there was another issue. Few laps later caution came out again and we gained another 10 degrees causing me to pull in where we noticed the lower radiator hose got knocked off the radiator ending our night. Oil temps were normal so don’t feel we hurt the engine just sucks the end another night with a DNF.

Track has definitely been difficult for us these past hand full of nights, with moving us around the order of events, rain fall, and water truck getting extra mileage we have failed to make the right adjustments. Ive always struggled on heavier tracks and prefer slicker slower tracks, with the car and me as a driver. There’s no excuse for that, I have to do better as the driver because “we” as in the rest of the team are putting in the work. I struggle to keep up with the race when we are running wide open bouncing through the corners trying not to miss my marks around the top. I know this is a comfort issue, I rely so much on what I feel from the car and I’ve been numb to the feeling just struggling to hold on.

Sport Mod, Hunter is still working on being more comfortable in the car and has made great improvements. He’s finally willing to go full throttle down the straights! He still has a lot to learn but is up running with the back of the field running his race and learning how to pass and avoid wrecks.

Definitely thankful for our supporters who stick with us through these lows it definitely makes the highs that much more gratifying.

Photo credit to MercedeSweet Photography make sure to like and follow her page!!!

07/27/2026

It’s fair week at Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway!!!

Wednesday:

The IMCA Late Model will remain in the shop since the Karl Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Model Touroming to town, and our little old crate just isn’t up to par with their rule package. We’d really love to compete, but we just don’t have the horsepower in the stable to compete.

Sunday:

We’ll have both the IMCA Late Model and the Sport Mod competing in the Julian Dubuque Classic!

We’ve spent this past week going through both cars, especially the Late Model. We haven’t been slow the last two shows, but we also haven’t had the speed we know is in the car. We found a few issues and are hopeful those fixes will get us headed back in the right direction!

Be sure to come out and support Hunter! As a rookie and one of the sport’s young talents, he’s part of the future of dirt track racing, along with many others in his class.

Thank you, everyone, for your continued support! Be sure to click the link in the comments and check out our merch store!

07/22/2026

LINK to RACE SHIRTS, SWEATSHIRTS , and HATS

Well, people have been asking, and we have answered! Thanks to Jason Frommelt for hooking us up, we finally have apparel available!!!

Click the link below to open the store! A huge thanks to the folks at Angry Duck Graphics for making this next phase of the process as easy as Amazon!!! Fill your cart, make your payment, and our merchandise will ship directly to you!

A collection of Terry Fortmann apparel, hats and more!

07/21/2026

Race recap brought to you by RiverBluff Collective

Proudly Veteran- and Woman-Owned, RiverBluff Collective is your go-to source for the highest-quality products that always deliver. RiverBluff is a multi-product collective offering innovative, plant-infused products designed to improve and enhance people's lives. Their longstanding expertise and in-depth product knowledge allow them to create exciting new products, source the highest-quality cannabis, and educate our community on how to best incorporate these plants into their lifestyles.

Sunday night... well, to put it mildly, we struggled.

With all the hoopla that happened a couple of weeks ago, we forgot about one little bit of information we learned during tech after our third win. We were legal, of course, but our droop was more than we expected. I was supposed to investigate why, but I completely forgot. Everything we've been feeling in the car over the past two weeks points to what is possibly the same issue.

That said, we still made progress. In the heat race, we went from 5th to 4th, and in the feature, we worked our way from 8th to 5th. It definitely wasn't a night to write home about, but we logged a lot of laps during the feature and were able to really diagnose what I was feeling in the car.

I truly couldn't do this without my supportive crew, fans, and marketing partners. I promise we'll get back to where we were in terms of speed. It may not be another streak of multiple feature wins in a row, but we'll get back to being competitive. No matter what, our team never gives up!

Thank you, MercedeSweet Photography, for the photos! Make sure to give her page a like and follow if you haven't already!

07/14/2026

Race Recap, brought to you by Dan and Son’s Snowplowing!

While we may have the hot temperatures now, it won’t be long until you need to start planning your snow-clearing services. When you do, keep Dan in mind! They have a great local reputation and are proud supporters of dirt track racing.

Well, our Sunday was interesting.

With the late model, we came into the night feeling confident with where the car was. The track was definitely going to provide a new challenge, and it didn’t fall short. In the heat race, we started 7th and were up fighting for 4th when I made a mistake that caused a big push. We fell back to 7th but were able to bring it home in 5th to make the invert.

In the feature, we started 10th, and the car was a bit too free. I searched from the top to the bottom, but I couldn’t get off the corner properly. We came home 7th. It definitely wasn’t the night we wanted, and to top it off, the motor got really hot. We broke the Flex-a-Lite nylon fan we run. Since we’re on alcohol, overheating usually isn’t much of an issue.

Either way, it wasn’t our best night, as my crew got reminded when another driver’s dad yelled, “Welcome back to f’in reality,” and then someone pulled by our pit and yelled out the window, “Haha, you didn’t f’in win,” while our families and supporters were there after the races.

I’m never one to say names or publicly bash a track, but I kindly request that if anyone has an issue with us at the track, be a professional and come speak to me as the driver. Leave the families and members of my crew out of your chatter. At the end of the day, it’s between the drivers—not their crews or family members. We’re the ones on the track making the moves.

In the Sport Mod, Hunter Fortmann did really well with the new car. We definitely have some bugs to work out and more learning to do, but he passed a couple of cars in the feature and actually got to race. He’ll keep learning and developing!

Thanks to my crew, family, great marketing partners, and fans for the support. We’ll be back next week and hopefully have some of our speed back!

Thanks to MercedeSweet Photography for the photos!!

07/10/2026

Third-generation Dubuque (Iowa) Speedway racer TJ Fortmann of Galena, Ill., is a perfect 3-for-3 this season as he chases the track's IMCA Late Model championship.

Read more in our Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends at the link below.

07/09/2026

Our DirtonDirt interview!

Monday, I had an interview with Todd at DirtonDirt for their Weekend Warrior spotlight. I was a very nervous throughout it, but I'm so thankful for the consideration! Make sure to follow their page to keep up to date with more stories and news releases centered around our great sport of racing!

DirtonDirt.com covers Dirt Late Model racing like no other publication, magazine or website with massive amounts of original content including videos, photos, stories, columns, blogs and more. Eldora Speedway's World 100 and Dream, the Dirt Track World Championship, Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Na...

07/07/2026

Race recap brought to you by Beidler Towing Inc.! Beidler Towing is the premier 24/7 towing and roadside assistance company in the Dubuque area, offering services like towing, jump-starts, tire changes, and lockouts, with a focus on direct, local dispatch for prompt service. They are the family-oriented company many of us in Dubuque have come to trust and believe in. Give them a call for any issues and let that be the first great step in what would be a bad day!

Well, where to start? Let's start with the Sport Mod first. Steve Miller raced Hunter's new car this weekend to shake the car down and make sure everything was right on it. He kept the car in one piece and gave some valuable insight into what we're lacking and game-planned for what to do going forward. I appreciate everything he does for our program, from crew chief of the Late Model to experimental driver on the Sport Mod.

And now, what an amazing start to the year it has been for our Late Model Program. We've been one of the luckiest teams on the grid when it comes to the draw/redraw and started up front again.

These past few weeks, we have been doing a lot of experimenting with the car and trying different things, and we really think we've stumbled upon some speed. We have confidence going forward with the invert that we'll be in the best situation we can be with the car. We won Sunday by a considerable amount and ran consistent laps .5-.6 seconds faster than any other car on the track. I know what you're thinking - "Well, anyone can win from the front row." And while that holds water, it doesn't hold much; starting up front definitely helps, but you still need the speed to hold that lead, let alone drive away. Having the closest finish of these three weeks be half a straightaway and only that close because we sat behind lap cars not needing to push it, says a lot. We had a fun little battle for the lead in the heat race with Gary Webb Racing. I felt like I was a little quicker, but that's not enough in racing, and you need to complete the pass. Webb ran great, holding me off! I appreciate being able to race against so many of my childhood heroes and, in that moment, I didn't care if I won or got second; I appreciated the respect he gave me after the race with a big wave and thumbs up.

We couldn't do any of this without our great marketing partners on the car and the guys behind the scenes turning the wrenches. So, big thanks to all of them and the fans who support us week in and week out.

Shout out to MercedeSweet Photography and B.A Photographyfor being at the track snapping photos of our cars. Make sure to go give both their pages a like and follow to support the work they're doing!

06/16/2026

Race Recap!

Brought to you by Turpin Dodge Body Shop! Swing by for an estimate and all your collision repairs! Terry, the shop manager, will truly go to war against the insurance company, looking out for you and your best interests, not the insurance company's.

Well, on Sunday at Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, we pulled the rabbit out of the hat, the stars aligned, and probably used up all our luck for the year. We drew the number 1 chip at the gate, had a rough heat from starting on the pole, made some human errors with setup, but made a redraw and drew the 1 chip again! We started on the pole for the feature and never looked back, racing out to a commanding lead. We were patient with lap traffic for the last 10 laps, allowing second place to close the gap to about half a straightaway.

We couldn't do this without the support of all our marketing partners or the family who did what they could to get the car ready for the track throughout the night. Big thanks to Steve Miller, Chris Greene, Hunter Fortmann, Karma Fortmann, and Adam Slade.

Thanks to MercedeSweet Photography for capturing these photos throughout the night! Go give her page a like and follow.