June 17, 2011 at 5:31 p.m.
TNT Speedway picking up steam
Local racetrack in its 17th season
TNT Speedway picking up steam
By Jonathan Bailey-
TNT Speedway of Three Lakes completed its second race night of the year a week ago and is gearing up for another evening jam-packed full of exciting three- and four-wide racing in four different classes tonight. TNT had its first two dates of the season washed away by rain.
"The racing is great," track owner Tim Rutzen said. "You got some of the best racers in the Northwoods at TNT Speedway.
"In the street stock division and modifieds this year we have some really, really good racing," he added. "There are a lot of good drivers, a lot of drivers that have raced on that track for quite a while, so they're very competitive."
In its 17th season, TNT Speedway offers four different divisions of racing - Wissota Midwest Modifieds, WISSOTA Street Stocks, TNT Purestocks (formerly known as the Bomber Class) and TNT Stingers.
Also making the Three Lakes' track that opened in 1995 special is the high-banked, third of a mile, clay oval.
"The track is quite fast and unique because of the banking," Rutzen said. "And of course it is a little bit wider than other tracks so there is a little bit more room to race on.
"What also makes it unique is the people we have racing. We've been open now for 17 years and we've still got a lot of racers that were there on day one."
On an average race night, Rutzen figures the speedway to attract around 50 racers, a number he says is a little bit down from past years due to the hike in the price of gasoline.
While the numbers may be down a bit, the racing has become more localized, as many of the racers that have stopped coming on a week-to-week basis are from out of the area.
Through two weeks of the season, Rutzen is pleased with the number of spectators coming out to watch the races, especially considering the weather and this time of the year.
A couple of the special nights planned this year at the racetrack is the AMSOIL ROC Qualifier (July 23), Jake Mullin's 2nd Annual Memorial - Streetstock Special (Aug. 6), Yellowbook Night (Aug. 13) and the season championships (Aug. 27).
The winners of each class on the AMSOIL ROC Qualifier night will advance to the WISSOTA 100 in South Dakota Sept. 14-17.
For the second consecutive year, TNT Speedway will also hold a night to remember Jake Mullin, a driver who passed away in a car accident last year.
"He had raced with us for a long, long time, since he was about 13 or 14 years old," Rutzen said. "He was a good friend and a competitive racer."
Rutzen added that the Wissota Street Stock division, in which Mullin raced, will have a higher purse that night as there will likely be a large field. He also believes that they will have some off-road race trucks from Crandon that night as well.
Racing takes place every Saturday at TNT Speedway. Hot laps begin at 7 p.m., with heat action getting underway at 7:45.
For more information call (715) 546-2539 or visit the track's website www.tntspeedway.com. The speedway is located at 5435 Hwy 45 South, six miles out of Three Lakes.
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