9/14/2017
IRA Interstate Racing Association
Century Mark: Bill Balog heads to Clay County Fair Sprint Car Triple Header after 100th IRA Win
SPENCER, Iowa — September 14, 2017 — Bill Balog will head to the Clay County Fair Sprint Car Triple Header on Friday, September 15 at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa, after making history on Wednesday night at the Dirt Oval at Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois. Balog was victorious at the three-eighths-mile to become the first driver in the history of the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Outlaw Sprint Series (IRA) to record 100 career wins. The IRA dates back to the 1960s, with the first series champion being crowned in 1967.
The IRA will be making their debut at the three-eights-mile as part of the famed Clay County Fair, which is billed as the “World’s Greatest County Fair.” Along with the IRA, the Upper Midwest Sprint Series (UMSS) will also be in action, as well as the Traditional Sprint Car Series (Non-wing) of the UMSS.
Balog, who is a native of North Pole, Alaska and now calls Hartland, Wisconsin home, has 12 wins this season with the IRA as he chases his eighth series championship. Balog won seven consecutive IRA titles between 2008 and 2014. He won an IRA-record 18 races in 2012.
Balog is the current IRA point leader and has racked up 22 top-10 finishes in 25 races, with 21 of those being top-five performances. He has won at seven different tracks in IRA competition. Balog has won three times at Beaver Dam Raceway, where in 2016 he became the first IRA driver to score a World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win. He also has three wins this year at Wilmot Raceway, as well as scoring a pair of victories at the historic Angell Park Speedway. Balog has also visited victory lane with the IRA at ABC Raceway, Amsoil Speedway 141 Speedway and the Dirt Oval at Route 66.
The veteran driver also has won this season in a 360-sprint car with the Sprint Invaders series at Tipton, Iowa. Balog also has a couple of midget wins, with those coming at Indianola, Iowa and Angell Park Speedway, where he won both the midget and IRA feature on that same night.
Tickets for the Clay County Fair Sprint Car Triple-Header on Friday, September 15 at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa can purchased online at http://www.midwestix.com/organizations/clay-county-fair and at the track on race day. For ticket information, visit www.ClayCountyFair.com.
Speed Shift TV will also broadcast the Clay County Fair Sprint Car Triple Header. To order the live broadcast of the Clay County Fair Sprint Car Triple Header on Friday, September 15, visit https://www.speedshifttv.com.
Article Credit: Tony Veneziano
Submitted By: Kim Tennyson