2007 Results

 

 

09/30/07) Rockford—Josh qualified 15th for the National Short Track

Championships.  Unfortunately, lap 133 found him meeting the wall as

another car blew a tire and collected Josh along the way.  Seventeenth out

of 25 cars was the official finishing position.   

 

(09/02/07) Slinger— A new setup left the car 30th in qualifying, and Josh

had to take a provisional to race in the feature.  Unfortunately, the early race

chaos continued this week and Josh sustained front end damage on lap 2. 

Mike, Dennis, and Doug worked hard during the extended cleanup and got

the car back on the track (thanks to the Jesowshek crew for the duct tape!). 

Just 9 laps later, though, Josh was once again a victim of circumstance.  A

spin on the front stretch resulted in another car slamming into Josh in an

Attempt to avoid the spinning car.  Unfortunately, Josh was done for the night.  

 

(08/26/07) Milwaukee Mile AND Slinger—Josh started the day in the Mike Butz Racing #8 at the Milwaukee Mile for the All-Star 50.  He qualified 17th out of the 38 car field, which contained an impressive lineup of drivers.  The race went caution-free, but Josh was still able to maneuver his way to a 9th place finish.  Then it was off to Slinger where a first lap melee resulted in the 71 running without a hood!  However, Josh was able to show his talent by picking off cars until he was in 7th.  The third race of the day for Josh was the Race of Champions at Slinger.  He started 6th (with the hood back on the car!), but pulled off on lap 8 because the car was just too tight. 

 

(08/16/07) Kaukauna—Qualifying just outside the feature, Josh raced his way in via a 3rd place finish in the semi. Starting at the tail of the field, he had worked his way up to the top 10 before being shuffled back in some mid-race chaos.  Fighting back, he finished 11th and clearly showed he has learned a lot about the track.  

 

(08/09/07)  Kaukauna—Finally, a checkered flag at WIR!  Josh started on the pole of the heat race and led flag-to-flag for his first victory in the Mike Butz Racing #8!  Making the victory even sweeter was the fact that it was FastCare Night at Kaukauna!  As Josh said in his victory lane interview, FastCare has been a great sponsor this year and we are glad to have them!  Starting 13th in the feature, a caution on lap one found Josh in 8th for the restart.  A late race caution left Josh in 6th, but he fell back to a 9th place finish after getting pinched coming out of turn four. 

 

(08/04/07) Anderson, IN—In his first CRA race of the season, Josh qualified 14th out of 30 cars.  Unfortunately, Josh got caught up in the wreckage of others, causing the car to be parked after just 34 laps.

 

(07/29/07) Slinger—An 8th fastest qualifying time placed Josh in the 12th starting position for the feature.  A caution on lap 41 found him up to 7th, by the next caution on lap 55 he was in 5th. From the start the car was obviously fast, but Josh had to patiently wait for the holes to open up.  By the time he was free to chase down the top two cars of Lowell Bennett and Dale Prunty, the white flag was flying.  

 

(07/27/07) Plover—In his 2nd Wisconsin Challenge Series appearance of the season, Josh spun in qualifying and ended up 21st.  Finishing 2nd in the qualifying race allowed Josh to advance to the feature.  Starting 18th, his talent was evident as he gained 10 positions in a caution free race.

 

(07/22/07) Slinger—Josh initially planned to take this week off—it’s a good thing he changed his mind!  He timed in 13th fastest and started 2nd with the invert.  Jumping immediately into the lead, he kept it for the duration of the race!  With a 1/2 track lead, Chumley had to frequently remind Josh to take it easy and save the tires in case of a restart.  The 75 lap race went green the whole way, though, and despite the car loosening up Josh was never really challenged for the lead.  The relief he felt was evident in his voice as he spoke in victory lane:  “This was a long time coming.  It’s almost a year to the date to the last feature win and the way we’ve been struggling this year, this just feels good!”

 

(07/17/07) Slinger Nationals—Qualifying 17th, Josh had to race his way into the feature by finishing 4th or better in the Qualifying Race.  He did just that, finishing 3rd!  Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the evening as the 71 sustained damage in 2 separate incidents, leaving the car with front end and right front damage.  In both cases, Josh was collected in other cars’ troubles.  After a long day at the track, the team’s night ended on lap 24.

 

(07/12/07) Kaukuana—Rain and high winds resulted in qualifying and practice being cancelled while the track was dried and a damaged light pole straightened.  The 1/2 mile track didn’t see cars on it until 6:50 tonight.  Starting position was determined by average qualifying time, so Josh started 14th.  On lap 21, he was able to avoid a wreck that developed right in front of him—a sign that our luck is changing!  Josh finished 12th in a car that was very tight.  His next race will be the Slinger Nationals on Tuesday!

 

(07/08/07) Slinger—Qualifying and starting 15th, Josh worked his way toward the front.  He cracked the top 10 on lap 17, but lapped cars soon slowed his progress.  After the past few weeks, tonight’s 7th place finish was good to see!  The car was loose, but ended the race clean. 

 

(07/05/07) Kaukuana—Josh qualified 7th and started the heat in 8th place.  Choosing to ride around at the back to feel the car out, he went into the feature confident that it was “the best car I had all year”.  That feeling lasted until lap 5 when the all-too-familiar early ending of the night came.  Josh got a little too close to a car that had trouble choosing a lane, resulting in both spinning.  However, both were able to come to a stop without contact with each other or the wall.  Unfortunately, the pack coming up behind them wasn’t able to avoid Josh. 

 

(07/01/07) Slinger—It was a tale of two nights.  The car started out great; Josh qualified 4th and was runner-up in the Fast Dash.  From the start of the feature, however, that same “great” car had no grip on the track.  A caution on lap 72 allowed Doug and Mike to make some adjustments, but it was too little too late.  A disappointing 17th place finish was not what we had hoped for with sponsors Cardinal Fabricating and Poblocki Sign in the stands.  We need something to break this string of ugliness!   [Josh’s MBR Racing teammate, Andy Hanson, was fastest in practice, but ended up with a 13th place finish in the semi-feature after they cut a tire early on.  They’ll be back for another go ‘round at the Nationals on July 17th.]

 

(06/28/07) Kaukauna—Josh qualified 8th, then ran around near the back of the heat race, finishing 10th.  He started the feature 3rd, but had immediate problems with bottoming out, resulting in a car that was difficult to hold down in the corners.  When he reported a throttle sticking problem on lap 17, Chumley advised him to head for the pits. The next couple of weeks will be busy ones for the Butz Racing guys.  The #08 car will race at Slinger on Sunday with 17-year-old ASA Midwest driver Andy Hanson at the wheel.  Tuesday will find Andy and the team racing the ASA Midwest race in La Crosse.  Somewhere in there, the #8 car needs to be prepared for next Thursday’s WIR race.  Then the team will head for Sauk Centre, MN on Friday with THREE cars to race the ASA Midwest race at I-94 Speedway on Saturday, July 9th!   

 

(06/24/07) Slinger—Josh qualified 13th, made some changes, then ran a few laps during the semi-feature warm-ups to test the car out.  Starting the feature 13th, Greg coached Josh to be patient as he waited behind some side-by-side racing before beginning to pick off cars.  Usually an awesome outside groove racer, Josh did the bulk of his passing on the inside tonight as the car was too loose on the outside.  Working his way up to 5th, he spent the remainder of the race trapped behind the side-by-side battle between Al Schill and Lowell Bennett. 

 

(06/21/07) Kaukauna—If we could pick an entire week to erase from the season, this would be the one.  The night started with Josh missing the feature on time by one spot.  The heat race seemed to indicate that Tuesday night’s test session had paid off.  Starting on the outside of the front row, Josh ran a near-perfect race, leading 6 of the 8 laps before finishing in 2nd.  In the semi-feature, he started on the pole and needed a top 4 finish in order to transfer to the feature.  After leading the first lap, he was stuck on the outside, allowing Vanderloop, Haese, and Duchow to get by.  Settling back into fourth, Josh was able to fight off charges by the 73 of Harrell.  Unfortunately, the feature had the same ending as Slinger’s did on Sunday.  Some banging on the backstretch collected Josh, tearing off the right front and ending the night for the #8.    

 

(06/17/07) Slinger—Qualifying and starting 12th, Josh was running well, being patient (with Chumley’s help!) and picking off cars one-by-one.  Unfortunately, on lap 44, Mike Strupp broke on the backstretch.  Both Josh and Collin Bamke went for the same hole to avoid him, but there obviously wasn’t enough room for both and Josh hit the wall.  Fortunately the damage wasn’t as bad as originally thought, but a broken tie rod ended the night for Josh.

 

(06/14/07) Kaukauna—Not making the feature on time, Josh needed to finish 4th or better in the last chance race in order to make the show.  He started 5th, alternating between great passes on the outside and falling back in traffic.  With five to go, Josh was running 5th when….perhaps it was described best by the announcer, “eager for the last transfer spot, Bauer got a little aggressive going into 1 and got under the 84”.  The 84 spun and both were sent to the back of the pack.  On lap 13, two cars spun in front of Josh on the backstretch and a hard right turn was all that saved him from being collected.  The caution left him in 4th place, which he was able to maintain despite some major right front damage.  Hard work by the crew had the car repaired by the limited late model feature, so Josh was able to take a few laps during their tire warm-ups.  Starting last in the feature, Josh struggled in the corners and brought the car home to a 15th place finish. 

 

(06/10/07) Slinger—Josh qualified 6th and started on the pole for the dash.  Battling a loose car, he was able to hang on for his 2nd dash win of the year!  In the feature, he was running 4th when the caution came out.  The restart put Josh behind Collin Bamke.  Bamke had a tire rub from an earlier incident, resulting in Josh falling back to 5th.  Fighting a car that was now tight, Josh was able to race back for a 4th place finish. 

 

(06/09/07) Kaukauna—Josh qualified 12th of 44 cars in the Wisconsin Challenge Series “Red Race”.  Starting on the outside front row (yes, again!), he led the first 5 laps.  Passed by Jim Duchow, Josh held onto 2nd until lap 32, even briefly challenging for the lead on lap 26.  A shuffle amongst the front-runners left Josh in 4th position, but he was able to regain 2nd spot after a couple of laps.  An exciting side-by-side battle with veteran Tim Rothe resulted in Josh dropping one more spot.  He finished the first 50 lap feature in 3rd place behind WIR veterans Mike Gardner and Rothe.

 

The 2nd 50 lap feature didn’t go as well.  A 12th starting position and a loose car kept him mid-pack for the first 12 laps or so.  By lap 17, the car was coming to him and he had worked his was up to 9th.  However, an extended caution ruined that.  Late in the race, a battle with the 45 resulted in Josh spinning and being tapped from behind by the 3.  What can only be described as amazing maneuvering kept the #8 Bellin FastCare Chevy off the frontstretch wall!  Unfortunately Josh was sent to the pack of the back, resulting in a 15th place finish.

 

(06/07/07) Kaukauna—Racing cancelled due to the threat of severe weather.

 

(06/03/07) Slinger—Another “rainout”!

 

(05/31/07) Kaukauna—Starting the feature on the outside front row, Josh quickly jumped into the lead.  He stayed there for the first 3 laps, battling side-by-side with veteran Lowell Bennett.  Josh regained the lead on lap 6, and the exciting battle with Bennett continued.  As the car tightened up, Josh fell back slightly but finished a respectable 8th in his first outing with the Mike Butz Racing team.  The #8 team has built up an excellent reputation at Kaukauna, but Josh was still able to turn heads with his driving.  In victory lane, race winner Mike Gardner was asked about his “front row seat” for the side-by-side battle between Bennett and Bauer.  He commented that he was “rooting for Lowell at first”, but was impressed by how well the “kid in the #8” was running on the outside!

 

(05/27/07)  Slinger—Early in the first practice session oil was dropped on the track, resulting in a car spinning in front of Josh.  With nowhere to go, the 71 sustained front-end damage.  The crew worked hard to get the car repaired;  however, Josh went out for qualifying without the benefit of practice laps.  The result was a “very tight car” that timed 31st out of 44 cars.  Starting deep in the semi-feature field, Josh passed his way up to a 5th place finish.  Unfortunately, only the top 2 transfer and Josh missed the first feature since he started racing late models. 

 

(05/24/07) We were 0 for 2 in racing attempts this week as Kaukauna was rained out!

 

(05/20/07) Cold and the threat of rain resulted in canceled races at Slinger today.  Josh will make his debut in the Mike Butz Racing #8 at Kaukauna this Thursday! 

 

(05/13/07) Slinger—Another great qualifying run  -  2nd fastest (11.447), making the Fast Dash once again.  Starting 8th in the feature, Josh’s fans watched him going backwards in the field.  Josh said he “tried something new” with the tire pressures that didn’t work out so well.  However, when the cautions subsided, Josh was able to pass his way back to a 6th place finish.

 

(05/06/07) Slinger—Josh qualified 6th this week and went on to win the Fast Dash!  In the feature, the car was “really good”!  After a lengthy side-by-side battle with Collin Bamke, Josh began to track down leaders Al Schill and Lowell Bennett, with David Prunty right behind him.  We all cringed when the caution flew late in the race because, as Josh put it, “the car took 10 laps to come to me”.  He restarted in 4th, but raced by Prunty and Bennett, finishing in 2nd.

 

(05/01/07)  The YELLOW 71 hit the high banks of Slinger yesterday for the first time this season.  A planned test session at the track last Thursday was rained out, leaving the guys with only the time between practice and qualifying on Sunday to fine-tune the car.  Josh qualified 12th with a lap time of 11.595; last year he ran consistently in the 11 4’s, so Tuesday’s shop night will involve more tweaking.  Starting 12th in the feature, Josh picked his way to the front and by lap 45 of 60 he was in 4th place.  Nick Schumacher and Mike Strupp were locked, side-by-side, in a furious battle for 2nd, as Josh patiently waited for an opening to sneak through.  Unfortunately, that opportunity never arrived.  However, a 4th place finish with an untested car is a respectable way to start the season!  The team welcomed Greg back into the role of spotter and Josh reported that he did “a great job”.  Special thanks go to Monica who helped get us up and running with the new transponder software.  Go to the links page and click the My Laps box to see a breakdown of Josh’s lap times.     

 

(04/09/07)  After 3 years, Josh has decided to part ways with GTR Motorsports.  The shop is back where it began—at his dad’s house in Random Lake.  The car parked in that shop is the same one that Josh drove last year at Slinger, only it has a new look!  Plans for this year include running at Slinger Super Speedway where he was Late Model Rookie-of-the-Year in 2006 and piloting the Mike Butz Racing #8 at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna.  Other special events will likely be added to the schedule as the season goes on….stay tuned!