09/13/2026
Last night we raced what we now know was our final Saturday night with the Upper Midwest Sprint Car Series at Cedar Lake Speedway.
The hard part? We didn’t know it would be our last until after the features.
And honestly… that one hurts.
There had been talk last year that the non-wing traditional sprints needed to get the car count up to remain at Cedar Lake. We were told the series was committed to keeping this class alive. Even if the class was dropped by Cedar Lake, the series could have taken the class to other tracks. But that isn't what was said. It was said that the UMSS would no longer sanction a non-wing traditional sprint car class. **update our average weekly count was 15.8 this year...thats decent**
These drivers have invested years into this class.
A few of the long timers (that I know of);
Tommy Kamrath & Jeff Pellersels have been here since the beginning, dating back to around 2011.
Cam Schafer started driving the #54 (Kamrath owned) in 2013.
Jon Lewerer & Scott Brandt since 2014.
Bryan Roach since 2016.
Zach Widdes since 2020.
Think about that.
Years of time.
Years of money.
Years of broken parts, blown engines, wrecked cars, long nights in the shop and weekends spent traveling.
These guys could have raced anywhere.
Instead, they chose to support a local class and help build it into something special.
And it was.
The non-wing traditional sprints put on one HELL of a show week after week.
The talent in this class is incredible. On any given night, more than half the field has a legitimate shot at winning. These guys routinely put on fast, side-by-side, caution-free races that keep everyone on the edge of their seats.
But what makes this class even more special is the people.
These people have become more like family than competitors.
We race side-by-side.
Lap after lap.
Slider after slider.
And when the checkered flag falls, we’re back in the pits helping each other.
We loan engines.
We loan cars.
We share parts.
We lend tools (and crew members)
No questions asked. No expectation of getting anything in return.
This year alone, cars have been destroyed. Engines have blown. Parts have been broken.
And what did everyone do?
We wrote the checks. Bought new chassis, engines, parts. We thrashed in the garage. We got the cars back together.
And we showed up.
We continued supporting the series that told us they were committed to supporting us. Only to find out that, in the end, they weren’t.
There, that's it. We aren’t going to spend anymore time dwelling on their decision, and we aren’t going to ask them to change their minds. Because honestly… We’re better than this series.
We’ll regroup.
We’ll refocus.
And we’ll figure out what 2027 looks like. Because there is WAY too much talent in this class to let it end here.
There are tracks out there that would love to have this group come put on a show, and we’re confident we’ll find the right place to continue doing what we love.
Now for what really matters. What happened on the track.
The heat race went a little like this. Cam Schafer drove the #54 Rathpak Racing car from 8th to 1st.
Roach started 7th and moved up 3 spots.
Scott Brandt started 10th and drove all the way to 6th.
The feature rolled around and it had Roach starting on the outside front row. Cam and Brandt started in the top 5.
The track was FAST with a ton of grip on both the top and bottom.
Roach jumped out to the lead early and led what I believe was around the first 8 laps… but honestly, it was way too exciting of a race to keep track of exactly how many! 😂
Jack Berger and Cam worked their way through traffic and were trying everything they could to get to the back of Roach.
Berger worked the high side through 3 & 4 before eventually making the move for the lead on the bottom of 1 & 2.
Cam then got past Roach in the middle of turn 3 and set his sights on Berger.
The pace was fast and exciting, and the 15-lap feature went CAUTION FREE.
Berger would finish on top just a few car lengths ahead of Cam.
Cam also climbed into the #50 Viebrock wing sprint, finishing 2nd in the heat and 3rd in the feature.
We have a BIG week ahead at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri, for the Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial.
Roach & Molly, along with Cam Schafer behind the wheel of the #97 410 traditional sprint, are ready for three nights of racing with some of the best 410 drivers from across the country. Oh, and we will get to see the High Limit Racing series in action as well !
Last year we made the A-Main every night and were in contention for the Hard Charger Award when a rocker arm broke in the engine, ending our night about 6 laps into the A main on Saturday night.
This is one of our favorite weekends of the year. We get to do a little "camping" with the Aldrich Racing team and who doesn't like 3 nights of 410 sprint cars driven by the best drivers in the country. Good friends & exciting racing... I can't wait!
Thank you to all of our sponsors and our family and friends who came out to show their support!
Mueller Jewelers Gary Mueller
Southwind Builders
Commercial Systems, LLC
Frost, Inc.
G & S Motorsports
Rathpak Racing Tommy Kamrath Sue Hilger Damico
Foot & Ankle Clinic Jeff Pellersels
Todds Redi Mic Concrete Todd Widdes
Lowboyz Excavating
CSI
GRP Motorsports Greg Parent
DRC
Highcroft
Speedwerx
CB Shocks & CB Design
