Mid-Am Racing Series

The Vercauteren brothers, during some time off in their hotel room in Daytona Beach, Florida during Speedweeks in February of 1993, came up with the concept of a new asphalt series – the Mid-American Stock Car series. “Essentially the idea was to take the concept of the steel-bodied grand national cars that had been so popular on the dirt at Gravity Park and create a traveling series on paved tracks throughout the Midwest.”[1]

During the first two years the series ran in ’93 and ’94 the Vercauteren’s were able to secure dates at legendary tracks like the Milwaukee Mile and Road America in Elkhart Lake cementing itself as a formidable racing series. The Series was at one time a support class for the ARTGO Challenge Series. The Mid American corporation expanded to a traveling Supertruck Series named the Midwest Super Truck Series in 1995 and a traveling Super Late Model Series,[2] named the Midwest All-Star Racing Series (MARS) in 1999. The expansion also included the Stock Car Classics in 2004 and the American Stock Car League (ASL) in 2005. The death of Vercauteran in October 2005 led to the purchase of Mid-American by longtime employees Doug and Julie Strasburg. The Strasburgs kept only the Mid American Stock Car Series while MARS and ASL were dissolved. The Stock Car Classics split into two groups (Classic Racing Series and Midwest Stock Car Classics). The Super Trucks were absorbed into the United States Super Trucks or USST.

When the Strasburgs took over Mid American in 2006, the series was struggling with car counts and tracks willing to host races. The average car count average jumped from 20 entrants per race to 27. A season high 39 participants ran at the Milwaukee Mile during the Governor's Cup Weekend. Several tracks have renewed relationships with the Mid-American Stock Car Series such as the Golden Sands Speedway, Marshfield Super Speedway, Dells Raceway Park and Road America.[3]

Dave Gruenberg took over ownership on October 22, 2014. Working with Gary Vercauteran, Doug Stasburg, and Julie Stasburg previously made this an easy transition. [4][5] Teams were intrigued when series owner Dave Gruenberg revealed a 2017 schedule that would have them competing on consecutive days at a couple of very different venues. Veteran drivers and newcomers alike were sent into their respective think tanks to consider how best confront these challenges. On Thursday, May 25th a race was held on the 1 mile dirt oval of the Indiana State Fairgrounds. In a show of versatility, less than 24 hours later on May 26th, the VERY same drivers AND cars will take to the track 21 miles to the west, for 40 laps of feature racing on the pavement at the fast 5/8-mile Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana. Competing at the event was retired NASCAR star, Ken Schrader.[6]

The series was sold by Gruenberg to former La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway flagman Greg Oliver in early February 2017. Oliver ran both the Great Northern Sportsmen Series and Midwest Dash Series.[7] All three series became a part of the GO Racing Promotions organization.[7]

The Mid-American Stock Car Series was sold by Oliver to former Mid-Am competitor Tim Scrogham in early November 2020 and rebranded the Mid-Am Racing Series. With the rebrand the series returned to dirt racing as part of an effort to diversify the schedule. 2023 was the first year for a "dirt double header" July 14-July 15 at Kankakee County Speedway and Sycamore Speedway.

Mid American Stock Car Series cars at Rockford Speedway in 2017

The following tracks are scheduled to host at least one event in 2023:[8]

• Kankakee County Speedway (dirt oval)
• Grundy County Speedway
• Hawkeye Downs Speedway
• La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway
• Madison International Speedway
• Milwaukee Mile
• Rockford Speedway
• Sycamore Speedway (dirt oval)
• Tomah-Sparta Raceway
• Wisconsin International Raceway

Former tracks

Norway Speedway in 2009

• 141 Speedway – Francis Creek, Wisconsin (later became a dirt track)[2]
• Dodge County (WI) Fairgrounds (dirt exhibition)
• Elko Speedway - Elko New Market, Minnesota
• Blackhawk Farms Raceway
• Golden Sands Speedway
• Indiana State Fairgrounds
• Lake Geneva Raceway – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin[9][2] (track closed after 2006 season)
• Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
• Marshfield Motor Speedway
• Michigan Ideal Speedway[2]
• Norway Speedway – Norway, Michigan
• Road America – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
• South Bend Speedway[2]
• State Park Speedway
• Beaver Dam Raceway (dirt oval 2021)
• Dells Raceway Park

Super Truck Series Race ONLY:

• Raceway Park[10]

Maxwell Schultz Vercauteran memorial winner in victory lane at WIR 2023

Ron Weyer in victory lane at Milwaukee in 2019

The series honors its founder Gary Vercauteran with a race each year after beginning as an event honoring his parents.[16] The race was often held as part of the Red, White, and Blue state championship event at Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR). The 2007 event at WIR was rained out, so it was held at 141 Speedway which is the track next closed to Vercauteran's hometown Chilton.[16] The 2010 event was held at Road America.[16] It began in Vercauteran's hometown dirt track in Chilton before the series' origin.[16] It has been held at a variety of tracks since then. The 25th annual Vercauteran Memorial winner returned to WIR and was won by Tyler Bauknecht (whose family had traveled with the Vercauteran family in the early days of the series).[17]

• 1990 Wayne Strand (Chilton)
• 1991 Larry Richards (Chilton)
• 1992 Jerry Wenzel (Chilton)
• 1993 Eddie Hoffman (WIR)
• 1994 Brian Lambie (WIR)
• 1995 Eddie Hoffman (WIR)
• 1996 Pat Kelly (WIR)
• 1997 Bill Prietzel (WIR)
• 1998 Pat Kelly (WIR)
• 1999 Gregg Haese (WIR)
• 2000 Mark Pluer (WIR)
• 2001 Peter Hernandez (WIR)
• 2002 Peter Hernandez (WIR)
• 2003 Jeremy Spoonmore (WIR)
• 2004 Bill Prietzel (WIR)
• 2005 Brett Piontek (WIR)
• 2006 James Swan (WIR)
• 2007 Kevin Damrow (141 Speedway)
• 2008 Jacob Finney (WIR)
• 2009 Gregg Haese (141 Speedway)[16]
• 2010 Bill Prietzel (Road America)
• 2011 Jacob Finney (Norway Speedway)
• 2012 Kenny Joosten (Rockford)
• 2013 James Swan (Rockford Speedway) [18]
• 2014 Tyler Bauknecht (Wisconsin International Raceway)[17]
• 2015 Lyle Nowak (State Park Speedway)[19]
• 2016 Ron Vandemeier, Jr. (Rockford Speedway)--51st National Short Track Championships
• 2019 Ron Weyer (Milwaukee Mile)[20]
• 2020 Rick Corso (Rockford Speedway)--55th National Short Track Championships[21]
• 2021 Ron Vandemeier, Jr. (Rockford Speedway)--56th National Short Track Championships [22]
• 2022 James Swan (Rockford Speedway)--57th National Short Track Championships [23][24]
• 2023 Maxwell Schultz (Wisconsin International Raceway)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mid-American Stock cars.

• Official Mid-Am Racing Series Website