The 49th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend is just over a week away and officials are busy getting prepared for the four-day event on October 4, 5, 6, and 7 at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, Wisconsin.
The competition guide was recently posted on the Oktoberfest Race Weekend website along with the entry form for many of the divisions competing on the busy race weekend.
One noticeable change to this year’s competition guide is who will be overseeing the rules for the Futures and Dick Trickle 99 presented by JE Pistons Super Late Model events.
Last February, longtime Oktoberfest Super Late Model tech inspector Mike “Lumpy” Lemke passed away after a brief illness. The loss of Lumpy put the Oktoberfest Race Weekend officials in a position to find a suitable replacement.
With the variety of competitors coming from not only around the Midwest, but from other parts of the United States and Canada coming to participate in the Super Late Model events, officials have asked longtime Super Late Model Tech Director Ricky Brooks to provide his expertise for the 49th annual event.
Brooks will oversee Thursday’s Futures and Friday’s Dick Trickle 99 presented by JE Pistons Super Late Model events and will work in unison with the ARCA Midwest Tour team for Sunday’s Oktoberfest 200.
“After Lumpy passed away, I told Gregg McKarns that if he needed any help just to let me know,” Brooks, who is the Tech Director for the Snowball Derby, New Smyrna Speedweeks, SRL Southwest Tour and other big Super Late Model events said. “He asked me if I had any interest in Oktoberfest and I said I would be interested because it’s a big event and I have always been hoping to come up to see it in person. Now I am not only coming up, but it’s another event on my list that I can say I have worked, and I am looking forward to coming up and being a part of it.”
When asked about coming in and filling the shoes of his friend, he quickly thought about the memories of Lumpy.
“I have always respected Lumpy and I miss his stories that he would randomly share with me over the phone or whenever we saw each other in person,” Brooks recalled. “Honestly, he really didn’t care what anyone thought about him and I am pretty much the same way, and we both aren’t really politically correct, but we both enjoy being at the track and working with the teams.
“Another thing that Lumpy and I have in common is that we always have the best interest at the heart of the racers. We are there to do our job, yet at the same time provide a level playing field for everyone who is there to compete. We both try to work with the teams and make this good experience for everyone.”
Gregg McKarns, Co-Promoter of the 49th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend, is grateful to have Brooks coming up to help this year.
“Ricky and Lumpy have been working together for years to try to make our rules come together with other Super Late Model series, and I have a lot of respect for Ricky with his knowledge and help,” McKarns said. “His resume will show that he has worked many Super Late Model events and we wanted to bring in someone with the experience and knowledge of working events like Oktoberfest to help keep the tradition of how we operate over the four days smooth for everyone involved from the competitors to the fans.”
The 2018 Oktoberfest Race Weekend Competition Guide, Rule Book, and Entry Blank can be downloaded the OktoberfestRaceWeekend.com website.
For those competitors competing in The Futures and Dick Trickle 99 presented by JE Pistons, please call or email Ricky Brooks with questions 850-324-6821, rickybrooks5@aol.com with questions.
Make your plans now to be a part of the 49th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend on October 4,5,6, and 7 at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, Wisconsin.