WEST ALLIS, Wis.- The “Stars and Cars” of the ARCA Midwest Tour will once again headline the Father’s Day festivities at The Milwaukee Mile this Sunday, June 19.
Top Super Late Model drivers from seven states will race for 100 miles around “America’s Legendary Oval” during the Father’s Day 100 presented by Hunt Brothers Pizza.
The race will be broadcast live by SPEED SPORT affiliate MidwestTour.TV.
Leading the regional charge is current point leader and two-time Midwest Tour Champion Casey Johnson, 2019 Father’s Day winner Austin Nason, Slinger Nationals Winner Luke Fenhaus and Tour Champ Jonathan Eilen.
Former NASCAR Truck Series Champions Johnny Sauter and Erik Jones have entered their super lates for Sunday, both having wins at West Allis, Sauter in NASCAR competition and Jones in Midwest Tour action.
Fresh off a win in Alabama last weekend, William Sawalich is joined by Jennerstown Speedway Champion Albert Francis and Redbud 400 winner Dalton Armstong in their quest to best the Midwest’s best.
Former Milwaukee Mile winner Eddie Hoffman will also be one to watch alongside John DeAngelis, Jr, 2019 Truck winner Levon VanDerGeest plus Tour winners Gabe Sommers and Justin Mondeik. Let’s take a look how these drivers stack up heading into Sunday’s feature event at The Milwaukee Mile.
Big 8 Champion Michael Bilderback
Bilderback is a three-time Rockford Speedway Track Champion and is best known for his successes at the famed quarter-mile facility, but he’s has plenty of success outside of Rockford. The 59th Bettenhausen Memorial 100 winner at Grundy County Speedway has four Big 8 Series titles to his credit, was the Big 8 fast qualifier at Milwaukee last August and recently recorded his third weekly win at Madison International Speedway.
SLM Champion Luke Fenhaus
Fenhaus, the 2021 Slinger Nationals winner and Slinger track champion won the tour’s opening event in April at Slinger. The tour runner-up and rookie of the year has moved to North Carolina to chase his racing dreams, finishing second in Virginia last month. Additional accolades a season ago for the 2018 State Park Speedway Champion included the Kulwicki Driver Development Championship as well as the Alive for 5 Series title. He finished 12th at Milwaukee in 2019 and was involved in an incident while leading last year’s Father’s Day 100.
NASCAR Champion Erik Jones
The last time Erik Jones climbed out of a Midwest Super Late Model at The Milwaukee Mile, he was in victory lane at “America’s Legendary Oval” following the 2014 Howie Lettow Classic. Jones, who pilots the iconic No. 43 Chevrolet for Petty GMS Motorsports in NASCAR Cup Series competition is no stranger to success in late models. He is a two-time Snowball Derby Champion, is a former CRA All-Star Tour Champion and counts victories in the Winchester 400, Rockford’s All-Star 100 and LaCrosse’s Oktoberfest 100 amongst his accolades. Jones quickly proved his worth on the big stage by winning the 2015 NASCAR Truck Series Championship. He is currently 16th in Cup Series points.
Tour Champion Casey Johnson
Casey Johnson has been tough to beat so far this season. Having won the Joe Shear Classic at Madison last month, Johnson, a three-time Jefferson Speedway Champion finished third at his home track when the tour was in town last month, his worst tour finish of the season, having placed second at Slinger in April. The two-time tour champion and current point leader won the Howie Lettow Classic at MIS last August and LaCrosse’s Oktoberfest. Last season he won his second Red, White and Blue State Championship by winning the White and Blue races at WIR. In addition to his Jefferson accolades, Johnson has amassed two championships at Wisconsin International, two in Big 8, two Tundra titles, six Wisconsin State Championships, the 2013 and 2016 MIS Triple Crowns and two National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway. The 2013 Milwaukee Big 8 winner was sixth here in 2019 and settled for tenth in a rain shortened effort a season ago.
NASCAR Champion Johnny Sauter
Sauter, the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion sits sixth on the all-time tour wins list with seven with his most recent tour win coming Labor Day Weekend of 2020 at the Dells following a thrilling battle with Casey Johnson and Gabe Sommers. Sauter seeks his eighth tour victory on Sunday afternoon at Milwaukee. Many fans will remember the Wisconsin faithful coming to their feet when Sauter bested the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series field to win at West Allis in 2005.
ARTGO Champion Eddie Hoffman
The eight-time Chicagoland champion (7 Grundy and 1 at Illiana), Hoffman has two career Midwest feature wins to his credit, both coming at Grundy County Speedway where he is the winningest driver in track history. Looking to join the Midwest Tour full time in 2022, Hoffman has done little touring racing since being a favorite in the late 90’s and early 2000’s when he captured three Oktoberfest titles, Hoffman has remained a favorite each time his familiar number 8 is unloaded in the pit area. In what was likely his most recent start at Milwaukee, Hoffman was victorious in ASA North action in 2008.
Mid-American Champion Jeff Storm
Jeff Storm won at the Milwaukee Mile in 1997 during Mid-American Stock Car racing. The two time Mid-American Stock Car Series Champion is still finding success, now in a super late model, Stormy qualified third at Slinger and second at Madison in his last two tour appearances, finishing the day in ninth at Madison. Earlier in April he was the runner-up at Dells Raceway Park.
Super Late Model Champion Dean Cornelius
Nearly twenty years ago Cornelius was an up and comer on the asphalt. The 2003 Raceway Park Champion ventured out of Minnesota and claimed the Midwest Allstar Racing Series rookie of the year honors in 2005 on the strength of a win at Madison. Cornelius continued to be ultra successful by racking up wins with his dirt stock car around the country and is now back concentrating on asphalt racing, teamed with longtime Minnesota Champion Mark Lamoreaux.
Tour Champion Jonathan Eilen
Eilen was the hard charger of the race, charging his way to an eighth place effort after starting twenty-first at Slinger in April. He then put together another strong showing, finishing sixth during Madison’s Joe Shear Classic. The 2012 ARCA Midwest Tour Champion and 2007 tour rookie of the year has a total of five career feature victories including the first ever Ttur event in 2007 held at his home track, Elko Speedway. Eilen, who is seventh on the all-time wins list will make his 146th Tour start on Sunday afternoon.
Truck Champion Tristian Swanson
A second generation driver, Tristian looks to make his fourth Midwest Tour start on Sunday and has his sights set on the tour rookie of the year award. Last season, a win at Madison’s Joe Shear Classic put him on everyone’s radar in the Midwest Trucks. Swanson went on to win four features and was crowned Midwest Truck Champion and Rookie of the Year at season’s end. Swanson raced to a fifth place finish last June at Milwaukee in his Truck. Tristian is a former Legends Track Champion at Dells Raceway Park and started his Super Late Model season by competing in the Chilly Willy at Tucson Speedway in Ariz.