Cedar Lake Speedway
Notes: Dose of medicine for Ebert's team owner
By Kyle McFadden
DirtonDirt staff reporter
Dan Ebert (60) heads for a heat victory. (photosbyboyd.smugmug.com)
NEW RICHMOND, Wis. (Aug. 1) — James Trantina still faces a road to recovery following his gruesome ATV crash July 18 at Granite City Motor Park that left him with numerous broken bones, 10 broken ribs, a broken sternum and a broken nose. | RaceWire
But Saturday at Cedar Lake Speedway, the 40-year-old found himself back in his happy place — the racetrack — and received the kind of medicine every proud car owner hopes for. His Triple B Motorsports driver, Dan Ebert, earned the pole for the 39th USA Nationals, the 100-lap, $100,000-to-win crown jewel.
"It was last-minute to come out here today, so thanks to a friend of ours that has a plane, we made it out here. It's pretty special just to be here and see Dan start on the pole in such a big race, at the USA Nationals," said Trantina, his voice tinged with emotion. "Getting choked up a little bit, but it's pretty special to us. We just feel like we've got a black cloud over us, and this team has shown some really good speed. We just need some luck.”
Ebert called it "an incredible accomplishment" to put Trantina's No. 60 team on the pole for the USA Nationals, especially because "it gives them some fruition on what we built."
For Trantina, it was a moment he couldn't wait to witness in person. Wearing a sturdy back brace for added sternum support, he slowly made his way around Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday, soaking in a day he wasn't sure would come so soon after the accident.
Overall, Trantina said his recovery is progressing well.
"Doing good. I mean, back hurts a little bit right now," Trantina said. "It's getting a little tight from just sitting, but doing pretty good. I'm just lucky to be here, and I'm blessed to be here and just to be able to watch and enjoy what I love."
Trantina politely declined to identify the friend who arranged a flight from St. Cloud Regional Airport to New Richmond Regional Airport, cutting the trip from roughly two hours by car to about 20 minutes by plane, saying only that he wanted to "keep it confidential." But he made sure to express his gratitude for making the trip possible.
"It's a friend of mine that's got a plane, and he just said, 'Hey, why take a two-hour car drive when you can have a 20-minute flight?' So we chose a flight just so I could be here to watch the guys."
Walking the talk
A night after igniting social media with his pointed comments about Bobby Pierce following Thursday's run-in with the Oakwood, Ill., superstar in a DirtonDirt story, Tanner English got right back to business, charging from seventh to win the opening heat race.
Asked afterward by DirtonDirt whether he believes he has a legitimate shot to win Saturday's 100-lapper from the fourth starting spot, the Benton, Ky., driver said that “I think so.”
Even then, the 33-year-old admitted he's still searching for a few late-race adjustments before feeling completely confident. He said he "tried some stuff" during the six-lap redraw dash and the 12-lap Fans Fund Dash, but nothing he believes will ultimately benefit him in the feature. Slick conditions where "nothing's left" have been his Achilles' heel this season, he said.
It's been a while since English has seriously contended for a crown jewel victory — you'd probably have to go back to the 2022 World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., where he won one of the weekend's features — but Saturday's dominant heat-race performance suggested he's a legitimate threat to contend for the $100,000 prize.
Although his heat race didn't feature a previous USA Nationals winner, English was impressive nonetheless, methodically driving his AK Race Car around the bottom groove to score the victory. It further validated the speed he displayed throughout the weekend after setting overall quick time Thursday and charging from 19th to 10th in the preliminary feature.
Hoffman’s fortune
Sometimes all it takes is a lucky break to change a driver’s fortune. Nick Hoffman got exactly that in the fourth heat, when Dallon Murty's jumped-start penalty promoted him from third to the outside front row.
As it turned out, the top groove was the preferred lane, and once the Mooresville, N.C., driver cleared into open track, he cruised to victory.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman entered Saturday with 11 podium finishes during a 20-race winless stretch and backed up Thursday's fourth-place preliminary finish — matching his result in last weekend's Prairie Dirt Classic finale. He said he "felt good" in the heat race, "just not as good as the Rocket1," referring to Brandon Sheppard, who won his own heat handily and will start second in the 100-lap feature.
Hoffman's most recent victory remains his $100,057 World of Outlaws triumph at Mansfield (Ohio) Speedway in May. With another six-figure payday on the line Saturday, he's hoping the fortunate break in his heat race is the start of an even bigger night.
Madden on mission
Make no mistake, Chris Madden wasn't happy about having to scratch from Thursday's program after engine issues surfaced following his second-quickest lap in Group A qualifying.
But the 51-year-old, who hasn't won since April 17's $20,000 victory in the The Gauntlet at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., wasn't dwelling on the setback while spending the rest of Thursday evening swapping engines. After Saturday’s breezy four-second heat victory, which starts him fifth in the finale, Madden wore a bright smile when preparing his No. 44 Infinity Race Car for the 100-lapper.
“I feel good today,” Madden said.
Cedar Lake Speedway remains one of the Gray Court, S.C., veteran's favorite tracks and the site of one of his fondest memories — his 2019 USA Nationals triumph alongside teammate Scott Bloomquist.
Madden said Thursday he doesn't know how many more USA Nationals he'll have the opportunity to race. He isn't hinting at retirement anytime soon, only acknowledging that he's closer to the end of his career than the beginning. That reality only adds to his motivation to become one of the select few drivers to win the USA Nationals more than once.
Odds and ends
Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., told DirtonDirt after the lap-four tangle with Devin Moran in turns one and two while the pair battled for second in the sixth heat that he hated seeing the Dresden, Ohio, driver's left-rear tire go flat, adding that he values his friendship with Moran. Feger called the incident a "fluky deal," saying Moran drifted down the racetrack more than he pushed up into Moran. DirtonDirt could not reach Moran for comment action as his Double Down Motorsports team hurried to repair the car between the heat race and the FANS Fund Dash, then prepare it again before the consolation races. … Jake O'Neil of Tucson, Ariz., continues to impress in his USA Nationals debut, overcoming the worst qualifying pill draw in the field — he went out last in Group B time trials — to charge from sixth to second in the final heat race. The 34-year-old flashed similar speed Thursday, winning his heat before fading to 14th in the preliminary feature after late-race tire issues. He'll start 12th in Saturday's 100-lap, $100,000-to-win finale. … Garrett Smith of Madison, Ga., retired from Cedar Lake action after slowing on lap four while running third in the first heat, a demise that resulted from contact with Logan Zarin that eventually blew out his left-rear tire. Smith said “I don’t know what his plan was, trying to stick it there” and that “I got killed for no reason, especially early in the heat race.”
