6/19/2021
Slinger Super Speedway
Carson Kvapil and Zach Telford both look to make Nationals debut
(Slinger, WI) In the past week, a pair of talented super late model racers have taken to the Slinger Super Speedway oval, trying to get up to speed, all in anticipation of the July 6th SupplyZone Slinger Nationals presented by WABAM and Miller Lite.
Eighteen-year-old Carson Kvapil spent a day testing at the quarter-mile oval and then raced in the Sunday night, June 13 weekly program. The Mooresville, North Carolina driver qualified fifth, but found the going more difficult in the feature event, finishing 14th, while using the main event as an opportunity to fine tune the car and gain valuable track experience. It was the first time that Kvapil raced at Slinger Speedway.
“I was really surprised with how different the exit to each corner is and by how different things are between qualifying and the race,” said Kvapil. Carson is the oldest son of 2003 NASCAR Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil. “We’ve got a bunch of family in Wisconsin and combine that with the fact that the Slinger Nationals is one of the biggest short-track events in the country, it makes it an event that we’ve really wanted to hit.”
Sixteen-year-old Zach Telford had a similar week. The Middleton, Idaho driver also spent a day practicing at Slinger Speedway and later competed in the June 13th, Sunday night program. Telford qualified 13th and soldiered on to finish 15th in his first feature at the high-banked speed plant.
“Our home track-Meridian Speedway-is also a quarter-mile oval, but it’s about two seconds slower than what we ran at Slinger, which is just crazy to think about,” said Telford. “We run Pathfinder Chassis cars at home and Joe Wood told us that the Slinger Nationals was an event that we should run. After racing there on Sunday, I can see why he’d say that. I’m very excited for the Nationals.”
Both Kvapil and Telford are gearing up towards their respective first runs in the Slinger Nationals. The Nationals has been a proving ground for the best of the best among super late model racers for the last 41 years. Past winners include NASCAR Hall of Famers Alan Kulwicki (1981) and Mark Martin (1984) and NASCAR Cup Series champions Matt Kenseth (1994, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2019) and Kyle Busch (2011). Regional stars, Ty Majeski (2018 and 2020) and Bubba Pollard (2017) have been recent winners of the prestigious event.
Reserved grandstand seating remains for the Slinger Nationals. Fans can secure their seats, online, by visiting www.slingersuperspeedway.com.
In 2020, the Slinger Nationals was named the “Outstanding Short Track Racing Event of the Year” by Racing Promotion Monthly (RPM), securing its status as a short track, must-see, crown-jewel event.
Slinger Speedway is located off of Highways 41 and 144 at 280 Cedar Creek Road in Slinger, WI. For more information on upcoming events visit our web site at www.slingersuperspeedway.com or call the track office at 262-644-5921.
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Article Credit: Todd Thelen
