The weather was perfect and the racing was competitive across all six divisions Saturday night at the Upper Peninsula International Raceway. Click the above headline to read details, courtesy of race reporter Todd Rose.
Bark River native Greg Ives, crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, capped off an impressive first year with the 88 team by winning Federal-Mogul Motorparts` prestigious MOOG® "Problem Solver of the Year" Award. Click the above headline for the details. (Federal-Mogul Photo)
The Upper Peninsula International Racing Association recently wrapped up the 2015 season by hosting their banquet at loyal sponsor, the Island Resort and Casino. Prizes were donated by a number of local businesses. Click the above headline to read details.
The 6th Annual UPIR Fall Classic will wrap up the 2015 race season at Upper Peninsula International Raceway at the Escanaba Fairgrounds this weekend. The two day finale kicks off Friday, with pits opening at 3:00. Click the above headline for more details.
Teenager C.J. Greaves was in the winner's circle again on Sunday at the Bark River Off-Road races, but Keegan Kincaid won Sunday's Pro Two-Wheel Drive race to prevent Greaves from a double weekend sweep. Click the above headline to read details from the TORC Series. (Photo of Greaves' #33 Truck courtesy of the TORC Series)
It was a big day for C.J. Greaves Saturday as the Off-Road Racing weekend in Bark River kicked off for a 40th straight summer. Greaves won two events to strengthen his points lead in both events, passing his father, Johnny, along the way. Click the above headline to read the details, courtesy of the TORC Series.
EMP is sponsoring racing on Friday, August 7 at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. UPIR switched to Friday this week to allow organizers of Armageddon on Wheels to host their event on Saturday. Only six points separate the top three drivers in the Sportsmen Micro-Sprint class. Click the above headline to read more details.
Over 1500 fans packed the stands for UPIR's 5th Annual Blast from the Past and 3rd Annual Art Richer Memorial race on Saturday. Seventy-four racers in six divisions and 21 vintage modifieds put on a show in Escanaba. Click the above headline to read the details.
The Upper Peninsula racing community is in shock today after the sudden death of Dale Peterson. Peterson won his late model dirt car race Saturday night at the Upper Peninsula International Raceway, but died Sunday morning. Click the above headline to read more.
Bark River native Greg Ives, the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Sunday's GEICO 500 at Talladega, almost wasn't around for the driver's first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of 2015. On Saturday, Ives found out his 8-year-old daughter Payton had fallen and broken her right arm. Click the above headline to read more details, via NASCAR.com.
The Krusin Klassic's Car Club is planning its "Fun Run" weekend in Escanaba May 29-30. It is the 30th anniversary for the event, which features classic cars from throughout the Midwest. This year's event will include a special attraction: the NASCAR #88 Kelley Blue Book car of driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Click the above headline to read more details.
Gladstone native Jordan Ives crashed his race car on Saturday at the New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. The 16-year-old Ives was in practice for a Super Late Model Series race when his brakes failed, forcing his car to skid into the wall and catch fire. Click the above headline to read more, and to hear our interview with Ives. Pictured: Ives' car after the fiery crash. See photos at www.speed51.com
The off-road races at Bark River and Crandon, Wis., will mean a bit more this summer as the two tracks have announced the formation of the "Sportsmen Off-Road Series". It will see three races in Crandon and two in Bark River, between June and September of 2015. Click the above headline to read more details.
Chase Elliott clinched the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship on Saturday and became the first rookie to win a NASCAR Nationwide Championship, and it also makes him the youngest NASCAR champion at the age of 18. Elliott's crew chief is Bark River native Greg Ives. Click the above headline for details.
An Escanaba boy is off to a good start in his bike racing career. Twelve year-old Joey Stankowicz recently took first place in both the 90cc and 300cc events on the flat dirt track in Newberry. Stankowicz has also been racing this summer at the Upper Peninsula International Raceway in Escanaba. Congratulations!
The Upper Peninsula International Raceway played host to sprint-car racing Saturday night as the U.P. State Fair closed in Escanaba. In the main event...the 600 CC microsprint, Gladstone teenager Jordan Ives won both his heat and the feature race. Click the above headline to read more about Ives' win, and to hear his interview.
Bark River native Greg Ives continued his climb up the ladder in NASCAR racing with Wednesday's announcement that he will become the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s, Sprint Cup team next season. This follows Ives being the crew chief for Nationwide Racers Regan Smith and Chase Elliott. Click the above headline to read about Ives' promotion.
The TUNDRA Super Late Model Stock Car Racing Series came to Norway Saturday night, and boy, was it a rough ride for many of the drivers. Half of the 26 drivers ended the race in the pits instead of the finish line, and series points co-leader Dalton Zehr emerged with the victory. Gladstone teenager Jordan Ives started 12th, worked his way through the pack, then was tapped and spun out on the 24th lap. He rebounded to finish eighth. Click the above headline for details.
The Gladstone boy who won $50,000 in sponsorships from the Champion Spark Plug company earlier this year now has another big moment in his racing career. Sixteen year-old Jordan Ives will now be running the Number 18 Super Late Model car of Robb Vanderloop at the Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna every Thursday. Ives will be racing a car that is not owned by his family for the first time. Click the above headline to read more about the new assignment, and hear his interview.
Gladstone teenager Jordan Ives spent the last day of his Spring Break thanking the folks at Champion Spark Plugs for the $50,000 in sponsorship money that he won in a national contest this winter.
A Gladstone High School sophomore won a big prize on Monday as the Champion spark plug company announced the winner of its "Search for a Champion" contest. Sixteen year-old stock car driver Jordan Ives had the top-ranked video out of nearly 400 that were submitted, earning him a $50,000 sponsorship. Click the above headline to read more.
An Escanaba native has quickly worked her way up through the ranks of NASCAR, and is now a part of the pit crew of a Sprint Cup driver. Shannon Sands has been named to the crew of the #44 car of J.J. Yeley. Click the above headline to read her story, and hear a radio interview.
A Gladstone High School sophomore who races late-model stock cars is getting some national recognition. Fifteen-year-old Jordan Ives entered an on-line contest put on by the Champion spark plug company. And his video has been picked as one of 15 national finalists, earning him and his team $5,000 in sponsorship cash. And now, Ives is in the running for $50,000 in sponsorships, but he needs your help. Click the above headline to read the full story.
Fifteen-year-old Jordan Ives is one of the youngest people ever to race late-model stock cars in the U.P. And now the Gladstone High School sophomore needs your help to possibly win up to $50,000 in sponsorships from the Champion spark plug company. Click the above headline to read how you can help him.
JR Motorsports, owned by NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., announced Monday that 18-year-old driver Chase Elliott has joined their team in the #9 car. And Bark River native Greg Ives will have the front seat as Elliott's crew chief when the Nationwide Series begins in February. Click the above headline to read the details and to listen to our interview with Ives.
Fifteen year-old racer Jordan Ives of Gladstone was the winner of the nine-lap "Gong Show" race at the Golden Sands Speedway in Wisconsin Rapids over the weekend. He also took 17th in the 60-lap feature race, while Bark River's Tom Lindquist took ninth.
The 28th Annual Off-Road Races came to an end on Sunday under sunny skies at the Bark River International Raceway. Seventeen-year-old C.J. Greaves did it again in his Pro Light class, as did Mark Steinhardt in the Single Buggy race that he has dominated for years. Click the above headline to read all of the details.
After a great day of "make-up racing" Friday night, off-road enthusiasts filled the stands on Saturday for the first full day of racing in Bark River. And a pair of Yoopers made it to the podium. Click the above headline to read details from Saturday's races, and to hear comments from local racers Jamie Kleikamp and Brad Erickson.
It was a great night of high flying racing action in Bark River on Friday night. Locals drivers had a great night of racing. Chad Hord of Felch took 2nd place in the PRO 2 Division. In the Pro Light division, local driver Scott Beauchamp took 2nd place and Mark Kleiman took 12th after a wreck on the race track. Click the above headline to see all of the results.
The man who won the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship last season will visit the Upper Peninsula next week. Brad Keselowski (and his #2 car) will hold an event at the Bridge View Park along US-2 near St. Ignace next Wednesday night, May 29th, at 6:30 p.m. Click the above headline for all of the details of Keselowski's Upper Peninsula visit.
