It's no secret that the Midwest has always been a hotbed for introducing some of the best stock car drivers in the country-legends like Dick Trickle and Joe Shear Sr.; stars of today such as Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Mark Martin; and stars of tomorrow like Ryan Newman, Johnny Sauter, and Jimmie Johnson.
Talented drivers don't just jump straight from the local tracks into the fast-paced, high-intensity world of the NASCAR Busch Grand National or the Winston Cup Series. Most of them have climbed the racing ladder by competing at local short tracks and using some of the better regional and national touring series to gain experience.
Well, there's a new series in town of which many are starting to take notice. The big guns in the Midwest now have the opportunity to run the Kendall Late Model Series. The five-year-old series is becoming one of the leaders in the world of short-track stock car racing. It is easily a viable option for those looking to take racing to the next level.
"Our philosophy has always been to be an economy touring series," says Kendall Late Model Series Director Glenn Luckett. "We run mostly one-day shows. All are about 100 or 150 laps with no pit stops required because you can use one set of tires and one tank of gas."
Luckett sees the series as a level somewhere in between running local shows and moving up to a full-fledged touring series, such as ASA, ARCA or the All Pro Series.
"There are some other series that have more prestige, but the competition isn't any less in our series," says Indianapolis driver Matt Hagans, who has raced with the series since its inception in 1997. "For example, we had one race (last) year where there were five of us-me, Brian Ross, Peter Cozzolino, Kenny Tweedy and Junior Hanley-who all qualified in the 16.95 range. We raced for the third digit to qualify for the pole position. You just don't get that everywhere. There are some series where the top 10 cars can be separated by over a second, on a short track that is. The top 20 cars here are usually less than a half-second apart."
Formerly the Kendall Indiana Late Model Series, the sanction is quickly becoming one of the most respected and popular series for budding young drivers to hone their skills. But, like many of these smaller sanctions, it is also a home for weekend warriors who never aspire to be anything more than just that.
"I think running a local track gets monotonous," says three-year Kendall veteran Jeff Lane. "It is a really competitive series, and a place I am happy to be running. If you win there, it makes you feel like you have done something good. I'm 38. If the right opportunity came along elsewhere, I would take it. But right now, I am really happy to be running with this group of guys, and I could see myself staying here."
New TerritoryThe series has quickly ventured outside its home state of Indiana, hence the dropping of the Indiana in its name. In 2001 the series sanctioned 18 races in both Indiana and Ohio, with the series looking to venture into Michigan in the coming season, and maybe even beyond in years to come.
"Six hours from Indianapolis is our main target area," says Luckett, who also is a part owner of the series. "We figure that is what people can do in one day. Anything farther away than that, people are going to have to look into spending the night and making it more expensive. We want to be a touring series that looks out for the money our competitors spend. They get the same traveling experience without having to put too much out (of their pockets). The majority of our drivers are based within an hour of Indy."
But that is only the majority of their drivers, not all of them. In those short five years of existence, the series has continued to draw a variety of talent from all over the Midwest, with regular competitors often making the long trip from Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and a number of other states just to compete for the series championship. In 2001, 10 states and Canada were represented in the series.