June 16, 2011 at 9:38 a.m.
Schwalbe seeks victory at Brush Run
Schwalbe seeks victory at Brush Run
By Andrew Hildebrand-
The Spring Brush Run returns this weekend to the little dirt track and one Rhinelander native is itching to get started.
Scott Schwalbe is gearing up for another season of racing in the Super Buggy class. The Brush Run is one of the first in a series of eight races that will take him up to 500 miles from home on tracks as far as lower Michigan.
But according to Schwalbe, the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway is always special.
"It's a fast track, and it's challenging because it's fast," he said. "It always gets a little rough and the competition is always fierce. We like it because it's kind of our hometown track."
Schwalbe began racing 32 years ago and has run in the Super Buggy class just as long. The Super Buggy offers an exciting combination of freedom and speed, he explained.
"It's an open wheel car," he said. "It's unlimited as far as suspension goes. The motor will restrict it to 1650 cc's, but other than that it's open, so we can basically do what we want. It's a high-horsepower, lightweight car. It's fast and it's a lot of fun to drive."
Like any other racer though, his goal is to win a championship, something Schwalbe has achieved multiple times already.
"I've had three or four championship runs with the Super Buggy class," he said. "They've all been really good years and seasons. There's a lot of things that need to happen to win a championship. The motor has got to be working well and the cars have got to be in good shape and working right. The suspension has to be figured out and when you hit all those things together, things get exciting."
He, however, recognizes just how tough winning a championship is. When asked about his chances this season, he made sure he wasn't over-confident.
"The competition is really strong this year," Schwalbe said. "There's some new guys and some cars from out West. I'm looking forward to a good season, but it won't be an easy one."
This season marks the 42nd year of competition at the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway, making it the longest running off-road short course in the nation. The initial track in Crandon, built in 1970, was a 25-mile long loop that racers would circle four times. In those days, only about a quarter of racers even finished the race. In the years since, the short track was rebuilt and recently reduced in size to one and a quarter miles in an effort to make the entire race viewable to the large crowds.
Qualifying rounds will take place Friday with competition resuming Saturday morning.
Schwalbe will once again be competing in the Super Buggy class, on his home track at Brush Run, and like so many times before, he'll aim to give the more than 10,000 fans filling Crandon to capacity a memorable performance.
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