Bill Balog Enjoys A Perfect Night With All Star Sprints At Plymouth
Bill Balog Enjoys A Perfect Night With All Star Sprints At Plymouth
Bill Balog claimed his third career Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions win on Saturday night at Plymouth Dirt Track.
PLYMOUTH, WI -- Bill Balog certainly knows his way around Plymouth Dirt Track at Sheboygan County Fairgrounds, and for the second time in as many tries, the “North Pole Nightmare” is a Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 and IRA Outlaw Sprint Series main event winner at the Plymouth, Wisconsin, bullring, this time leading all 30 circuits from the front row for a $6,000 payday. The victory, capping what was basically a perfect evening for Balog with heat race and dash victories padding his preliminary effort, bumped his All Star career win total to three, two of which at Plymouth Dirt Track.
Gibson, Wisconsin’s Danny Schlafer, a regular contender with the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series, finished second on Saturday night at Plymouth, followed by Scotty Thiel, Parker Price-Miller, and Kyle Reinhardt.
“It feels really good to get a win in front of these Wisconsin fans, as well as get a win for all of our great partners. They are the reason we get to do this and it feels good to be standing up here for them,” Bill Balog said, a ten-time IRA champion and driver of the Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup/Wayne Corini CPA/No. 17B sprint car. “I wish we had the opportunity to race in Wisconsin a little more often.”
Starting from the pole position via dash victory, Balog’s campaign at the front of the field was relatively unchallenged, outdueling not only the competitors who were battling behind him, but simultaneously conquering waves of lapped traffic, all while maintaining control on a quick and narrow racing surface. A caution on lap ten would help alleviate an early run in with slower cars, but a long stretch of green from that point forward would eventually lead to additional roadblocks. A big move on lap 17 that allowed Balog to clear two lappers at once all but sealed the deal for the North Pole Nightmare.
“We were so good here tonight. I wish we could translate our speed here to other short tracks that we visit throughout the season,” Balog continued. “I was so focused on hitting my marks, especially in traffic. I wanted to make sure I was exiting every corner on the top of the race track. That allowed me to carry my momentum through the straights and use that momentum to pick off lapped cars. Regardless, we got it done and I’m proud of everyone involved. Hopefully we can repeat tomorrow at Angell Park.”
The All Star Circuit of Champions and IRA Outlaw Sprint Series will conclude their three-race turned two-race sweep through the southern half of The Badger State with a stop at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, on Sunday, May 22. Matching Wilmot and Plymouth, Sunday's weekend cap will award $6,000.
For those who can not witness the All Star Circuit of Champions live and in person, FloRacing.com, the official media partner and broadcast provider of the All Stars, has you covered. To access live and on-demand racing action from the All Star Circuit of Champions, visit FloRacing.com and become an annual PRO subscriber. Race fans can see all the USAC and dirt late-model action they want in addition to Eldora Speedway’s slate of races and those of the All Star Circuit of Champions. The subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.