Moonrise
“Race fans, Central Wisconsin has to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet.”
Ray Underwood’s seldom ceasing voice thundered over the Dodge County Fairgrounds’ antique PA system. “Just look at that moon over turn 3!” Sure enough. The usually small but bright, splotchy circle in the sky was now a blazing ball of orange fire. Seemingly seeping off of the racing surface and fittingly resting over the pit area, the late summer moon promised intense, fiery action both on and off the track for the Midwest Sprint Car Association that night.
However, by the time the moon set early the next morning, a team’s entire season would be for naught, an organization already being publicly scrutinized now under heavy artillery fire from fans and racers alike, and a set of events that was set in motion back in Week 1 of the 2020 MSA season would explode into a roar of outrage, heartbreak, and ultimately; pain.
“TC”
In the MSA Rulebook, under Engine Specifications in Section 6, Rule C states; “No electronic traction control devices.” Traction control is defined as the intervention of an electronic control system to reduce loss of traction from a vehicle’s tires to the road. The type of interventions that pertain to dirt track racing are these three:
Reduction or suppression of spark sequence to one or more cylinders
Reduction of fuel supply to one or more cylinders
Closing the throttle, if the vehicle is fitted with drive by wire throttle
Any of these three instances would allow a driver to basically drive flat out for an entire lap, regardless of track size or condition, and the traction control device would do all of the throttle control for the driver. Thus, why “TC” has been banned in every major Sprint Car series around the world, and why it causes such an uproar if anyone is ever caught with it.
To truly dissect this “TC” story, we need to know the players in the game. Travis Arenz has been a front-runner in nearly every form of motorsport he’s entered. A champion in the entry level 4-Cylinder class, as well as the intermediate Sport Mod category, the Sheboygan, WI native made the move to Sprint Cars in 2018. Immediately making noise and turning heads, the 25t team had a championship slip out of their grasp in 2019, and came out swinging in 2020. The 27 year old driver tallied 4 wins in 2020, and not once did he finish outside of the Top 5. It seemed a foregone conclusion that “Team Two5” would walk away as champions. Enter the “Doctor” Brandon McMullen.
The Plymouth, WI native that now calls Oshkosh, WI home was already a back-to-back-to-back MSA Sprints Champion before 2020 rolled around. A dominating and unbelievably consistent 3 year swing unlike anything the Wisconsin based 360 scene had ever seen before cemented McMullen and the 98 team as frontrunners for the foreseeable future, and the Doctor certainly lived up to that reputation in 2020 after a “down” year in 2019. Logging 7 wins and an astounding 15 Top 10 finishes put McMullen and Arenz in an absolute dogfight at the top of the standings all season long. It seemed the podium ceremonies that occurred every night on the rubbered up front-stretch clay at Wisconsin dirt tracks featured the 98 and 25t every single night, resulting in either a thundering applause, or a cascade of boos from the rabid fanbase. However, all of that would take a sudden and some would say controversial turn on that fateful night in the Dodge County countryside.
“Wisconsin’s #1 360 Sprint Car Series”
The Midwest Sprint Car Association was formed in 1996 at the Beaver Dam Raceway by Gary Schlafer, and the Schlafer name is still synonymous with the MSA. Al Schlafer, a winner of numerous races and a long-time (and 2020 sitting) board member, and Danny Schlafer. One of the winningest drivers in Wisconsin Sprint Car history, who now competes full-time in the Interstate Racing Association 410 Outlaw touring Sprint Car series. The board in 2020 consisted of president and competitor Tim Haddy, fellow competitors Justin Miller, Al Schlafer, Paul Pokorski and 2019 Series Champion Kurt Davis, as well as Competition Director Scott Bader, and official Sheila Leamer. A group of 7 that at the beginning of the 2020 season, seemed poised to lead the MSA for years to come.
In a cruel twist of fate, at the same Beaver Dam Raceway that the MSA was founded, the series may have begun its inevitable downfall, when a simple noise rang out over the roar of the engines. A noise heard by officials and fans alike. A slight break in the throttle from the 25t car, it resembled a Honda Civic hitting the rev-limiter, entering and exiting the dry-slick clay in the turns. Fans asked each other, “why does the 25t sound like that?” Officials began to peer at the Green, Blue and Black car rocketing around the speedway through eyes now narrowed to slits against the dust clouds. A noise that was recently replicated by Joey Montgomery in another Sprint Car event hundreds of miles away. A noise that would unknowingly doom Team Two5’s season.
“(Expletive)’s Not Legal.”
In Arenz’s own words, our story begins.
“It all started at little Beaver (Beaver Dam Raceway) in June.” Arenz began. “After my heat race, Dan Mayer (owner of the 15m Mayer Automotive car, currently being driven by former champion Justin Miller) went screaming to Scott Bader (current MSA race director) jumping up and down saying that I was running traction control, and that Scott had better do something about it.
“After the feature was done, Scott went through the whole car with a flashlight, checked all the wiring and pulled the mag cap off to check for anything. Everything was good. Almost every night after that, I got teched for twice as long as anyone else.”
Arenz continues the story at Gravity Park on July 4th, where fellow competitors started to get curious about the odd noise emanating from the 25t.
“Many teams were screaming that we were running traction control after we won the B Main. After the feature was over, Kurt (Davis), Dan Mayer and a few others were yelling at officials saying we were running something. Again, the entire car was searched and nothing was found.” Arenz also got into an altercation with fellow competitor Sean Rayhall about the legality of his car on July 4th, and both drivers wound up being placed on “probation” by the series. The two have had no disagreements since, and Rayhall has since moved onto the IRA 410 series where the Georgia native claimed Rookie of the Year honors, and after the events of the 2020 season, has said he has no desire to race in the MSA series again.
Arenz continues, “At the time, Barry Maas was my engine builder and we both talked to Fred (MSA official) and offered to pull the mag out of the car, have it checked and inspected and then sealed so they knew it was not tampered with. He said ‘no we don’t have to go to that level.’ The following day at 141 Speedway I was confronted by an MSA board member saying my (expletive) isn’t legal, that he and everyone else has no respect for me and that they don’t want me in the series to give it a bad name.”
According to Arenz and others close to the situation, the scrutinizing of the 25t car continued throughout the month of July, but August was evidently where it got almost unbearable for Travis.
“You Keep Cheating Big Boy”
“August was just the worst. On the 15th, I won the feature at Plymouth and was forced to stay in the infield after the victory lane ceremonies. The MSA and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing board came down and said they were sick of people yelling at them and saying they aren’t teching us. Paul (Pokorski) told me to go on the track and make the sound of my foot shaking.” Fans began to crowd the pit grandstands and wall to watch the spectacle. Eager to see if their suspicions, one way or the other, would be confirmed. As Arenz replicated the sound, boos, shouts of dissent and vile curses hurtled from the onlookers towards the 25t and officials alike.
Arenz continues, “I did so, and when I came in I asked Paul if he was happy. He said ‘no, we’re taking your equipment.’” Arenz reminds me then that none of his crew were allowed onto the track for this “test”. “So I’m standing there watching the MSA board cut zip ties and tear out electronics (the mag and tach gauge) on my car. They set everything on the tailgate of a truck, took pictures of serial numbers, etc. PDTR said they were going to handle the investigation.” The insults from onlookers kept coming as Arenz rolled his now stripped naked 25t car back to his hauler at the back of the paddock. “As we were rolling through the pits, Dan Mayer yelled out to me, ‘you keep cheating big boy.’” Arenz puts his hand to his face in dejection as he recalls the events of August 15th, 2020.
Two Sides to Every Story
Let’s take a look at this situation from the MSA’s point of view for just a moment. After all, there’s two sides to every story. Intense pressure from large figures in the Wisconsin racing community likely forced their hand in this unfortunate situation. Figures like Dan Mayer, board member Kurt Davis and other drivers, fans, officials, crew chiefs and more were all breathing down MSA President Tim Haddy’s neck to take action over an unusual noise from a front-running car.
I had numerous one-on-one conversations with Haddy throughout the 2020 season, and have the utmost respect for who he is and what he’s done for the MSA in recent years while president, and I will therefore keep those conversations private. I will say that throughout 2020, Haddy felt caught in the middle. A known friend of Arenz, I imagine Haddy felt as if he was betraying the 25t team, and therefore attempted to remove himself from as much of the situation as he could. However, the MSA board has 7 members for a reason, and a ‘5 yes, 2 no’ vote later in the season would be the proverbial nail in the coffin for the 25t team, and a harrowing example of what an organization’s board is capable of.
The Tumultuous Tale of Travis’ Tach
Arenz continued the tale after PDTR confiscated his equipment on August 15th. “The deal between the MSA, PDTR and myself was that everything would be documented, pictures would be taken of where the equipment was taken to be checked, who took it there and back, everything dated, etc.
“They said they had a plan.”
“Well, Wednesday rolls around and the equipment is still at PDTR and they said they were still trying to figure out where to take it. The next Saturday on my way to the driver’s meeting, I walked past Lee Glomski and Fred. Lee asked, ‘Hey, did you get your stuff back?’ I said no, and asked him why he asked. He said, ‘Oh, they had it checked out a couple days ago and everything came back fine.’ Then he said there was some weird stuff going on.” According to Arenz, Glomski went on to tell him that the MSA board tried taking the mag from PDTR, and that they told Glomski to “get lost” as he has no part in it, even though Glomski is an official and tech inspector at PDTR. Arenz then found Tim Haddy and PDTR President Dave Mohs talking and asked them about his equipment.
“I asked them what’s the word on my stuff?” Arenz said. “He said he personally took it and had it checked out. ‘It’s all legal’ he said. I asked why no one let me know anything and he said because he personally took care of it. I then asked Tim if he could let everyone at the meeting know my stuff came back legal, which he did, sort of.” After hot laps that night, Dave Mohs dropped off Arenz’s equipment at his hauler.
“Dave asked me a ton of questions about everything when he dropped it off, which I answered. He gave me the paperwork stating it was inspected and found to be legal, but the location of where it was sent was blacked out. Even though in the original agreement they said everything would be documented.”
Breaking Point
Fast forward now. August 29th at Beaver Dam Raceway. Arenz starts the 25 lap feature in 11th place, storms through the field and wins the event. And yet, that same sound rings in the keen ears of fans and officials alike, and once again, outrage from fellow competitors ensues.
“After the feature multiple teams went to the MSA complaining about the sounds from my motor again. So the MSA board had an emergency meeting to discuss suspending me for the sound. Of which 5 out of 7 members voted yes.” Meanwhile, officials are teching Arenz’s car from top to bottom, and yet again, nothing illegal is found.
Later that week, Arenz gets the news. “I got a call from a very reliable source saying that I was going to be suspended for one race due to the sound of my motor. I called Tim Haddy immediately and talked to him for a bit about everything going on and he confirmed that the board met and was talking ‘about stuff.’ When I brought up seeking legal action against the series since there is nothing in the rulebook stating you can suspend someone for a sound, I was told ‘you’re correct, and we don’t need that kind of attention to the series.’ I was also told that ‘it’s just an MSA title, not like we’re going to get rich from winning it, etc.’”
The next week, a doubleheader was on the schedule with night 1 taking place at the Dodge County Fairgrounds. Arenz finished 2nd in the feature behind McMullen, more than keeping pace with him in the points standings, and setting up an epic last couple weeks in the series to fight it out with the 98 team for the title. Alas, it was not to be.
“We got teched and everything went well. Then Scott Bader asks if I can follow him to the MSA trailer. They got 5 of the 7 members together and handed me a letter saying I was suspended for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct.’ When I asked how I was ever unsportsmanlike, they claimed it was due to threatening legal action towards the series. I was told I would get a call from Dave Mohs the following morning.”
“A short amount of time after the meeting, I was talking to Al (Schlafer) who is on the board and he was apparently never informed of the letter. We talked and went to find Tim to talk about things. We ran into him talking with Paul Pokorski.” Arenz was stonewalled from the start in this attempt to make peace. “When I walked up to him Paul said you have no reason to be here and the ruling is final. When Al was trying to make peace with them, Paul walked away and told Al to ‘quit talking to them’, meaning myself and my crew members. Before he walked too far I asked him to give me a specific reason why I was being suspended and he claimed he didn’t have to.”
And just like that, a season for nothing. The suspension meant that Arenz would miss the following night at Plymouth. If McMullen simply signed in for the race, he would gain enough advantage on Arenz in the title fight that it would take a miracle for the 25t to catch the 98 over the last 3 races. A miracle that never came.
The Morning After
“The next morning I never got a call.” Arenz said. “I got Dave’s number from a friend and called him. No answer. He called back about an hour later and asked why I called. I told him that Sheila (Leamer) told me you were going to call about the suspension. He said, ‘oh, I had no idea.’ In the short conversation we had I asked him why I was suspended, and he said it was due to the sound of my motor. I told him that’s not what the letter said and he asked me to read it to him. So I did and he said, ‘oh, okay.’ After that, I asked if I could get an appeal and he said there would be no appeal and that he couldn’t go into any further comment.”
In talks with PDTR officials relating to the suspension, they claimed the suspension was originally slated for the Friday night race at Dodge County. If the MSA suspended Arenz for one race, PDTR would be expected, and have to, do the same. So if they went with the Friday suspension, Arenz would be required to miss two complete nights in a row with PDTR suspending him for Saturday’s race at Plymouth. Therefore, in an effort to suspend Arenz for as few races as possible, PDTR convinced the MSA to suspend him for Saturday’s race at Plymouth, in doing so also serving his one race suspension with PDTR on the same night.
Stripped of his MSA 360 ride for the night, Arenz turned his attention to the IRA 410 ranks. Fran O’Brien and Ozzie Weisner offered Arenz their 3rd “backup” 73 car for the Saturday night race at Plymouth. Their 2 main cars being driven by 2018 series champion Jake Blackhurst and series front-runner Joey Moughan were numbered 73 and 73AF. Arenz’s car? 73TC.
“After I qualified in the Ozzie car on Saturday, IRA president Steve Sinclair came by and said he had people complaining about the sound coming from my car. So after the feature (in which Arenz was running in the top 10 until a flip ended his night) they came and tore the car down. They checked the MSD box and they took the tach to be inspected, which to this day (date of this interview was 10/11/2020), has not been returned to Ozzie Motorsports. Supposedly lost in the mail somewhere.”
The next week was an off week for the MSA, so Arenz once again turned his attention to the IRA. After a racelong battle with Sean Rayhall for a top 5 spot, Arenz came home 6th. “After the feature finished, we got pulled straight to tech where they had me pull out my pockets and roll up my sleeves, while five to six tech inspectors tore down the car. Again, they took the MSD and tachometer but returned with them a short time later. I was even told I should sew up my pockets built into my suit from the factory. The last night of the year at Plymouth, I was left alone and teched normally.”
Aftermath
The ripple effects of the 2020 racing season in the Midwest Sprint Car Association likely won’t stop being felt anytime soon. The board has since gone through an overhaul. Paul Pokorski, Tim Haddy, and Al Schlafer have all resigned or otherwise stepped down. Sheila Leamer is now President, Kurt Davis has moved up to a VP role, with Adam Miller, Todd Wondra, Tony Wondra and Scott Bader filling the open positions. The series began the season averaging nearly 40 cars a night, with the first date at Beaver Dam Raceway setting a new series record with 42 cars in attendance. By the end of the season, that average had dropped to barely 30 entries a night. Many drivers have expressed their plans to race in the IRA in 2021, with several leaving the MSA for good. Plymouth Dirt Track Racing has stated numerous times that, no matter what the MSA does, they will continue to race 360 sprint cars at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds on Saturday nights. Meanwhile, Arenz has confirmed his plans to race in the IRA full time in 2021. Brandon McMullen did indeed win the 2020 MSA Championship and PDTR Track Championship, but even he is rumored to not be racing full time in the future.
The MSA is more than healthy in terms of young talent. A changing of the guard seems imminent. Young blood replacing old, so to speak. Hot shoes like Jack Vanderboom, Will Gerrits, Justin Erickson, Brandon Berth, and Tyler Tischendorf seemed poised to dominate the series for years to come, but even some of those names are rumored to be pursuing 410 racing sooner than later. As for the traction control situation, other drivers’ names have been tossed into the rumor mill with claims that they’re using some sort of TC device as well.
The 2020 race season may always have an asterisk next to it due to the COVID-19 epidemic altering schedules and shortening the year, but the 2020 MSA season may always have two asterisks next to it. Would McMullen have won the championship in a fair fight? The stats and result trends make it seem possible. Likely even. However, we will never know. To the fans that wear their “#FreeTravis” or “#FullyLegal” T-Shirts and boo-ed McMullen every week, they may always consider Arenz the true champion. Lord help anyone who tries to tell them otherwise.
The following individuals either declined or ignored requests for comment on this story:
Paul Pokorski
Sheila Leamer
Kurt Davis
Dan Mayer
So what was the noise? Sprint cars don't have rev limiters, nor do they sound like Honda Civics with rev limiters. You never told me where the sound came from. Why is there only one other case of the same sound (Montgomery)? Was he investigated for traction control also? The video attached says the sound is not the same as when in the race... Can someone explain please - it seems to point towards hiding something. I was never at the races when the 'sound' occurred.