The 11th Annual Icebreaker kicks off the 73rd season of racing at Marne, Michigan’s Berlin Raceway this Saturday evening. Four divisions will be in action with a 75-lap Super Late Model race headlining all of the action.

The Super Late Models are the premier division at the tricky half-mile oval that many racers consider to be the most difficult short track in all of America. Their season-opening race pays out $5,000 to the race winner.

In 2022 it was Brighton, Michigan’s Kyle Crump who scored the victory. Crump held off one last effort from Joe Bush in turn four to take the win while NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Carson Hocevar finished third.

While Saturday’s race most likely won’t feature many outside invaders like the Money in the Bank 150 and the Battle at Berlin will later this season, Saturday is still the opening leg of Berlin’s Triple Crown series and as a result will feature many of the track’s local heavy hitters. 

Evan Shotko is one of those heavy hitters. Shotko grew up just minutes from the Berlin Raceway and at 19 years old scored seven wins throughout the 2022 season on his way to the track championship. One of those wins was by far the biggest of his career, as he dominated the Battle at Berlin over the likes of Bubba Pollard, William Byron, Carson Hocevar, Ty Majeski, Brian Campbell and others to take the $30,000 check.

Crump, last year’s winner, is another one of those heavy hitters as he looks to go back to back in the season-opening Icebreaker event. 

Another driver to watch will be Brian Campbell, a multi-time track champion at Berlin. Campbell had a bit of an off year at Berlin in 2022 scoring no wins throughout the season. He was in a position to potentially win the Battle at Berlin before Shotko got by and set sail in the late stages. Even with no wins, the 2021 champion still finished the season second in points with 12 top-five finishes in 16 races.

Saturday’s Icebreaker will also include the Limited Late Model, Sportsman, and four-cylinder divisions. Fans that can make it to Berlin Raceway on Saturday are encouraged to buy tickets on Berlin Raceway’s website in advance for just $5. 

Race fans that cannot make it to the track on Saturday can watch all of the action live on FloRacing. FloRacing will carry every event at Berlin Raceway all season long. Fans can subscribe to FloRacing by clicking here.