The field of Mid-American Stock Cars take the green flag at Lake Geneva Raceway in 2006Bill Prietzel, Maxwell Schultz, James Swan, Andrew Meyerhofer, Ron Vandermeir Jr, and Rick Corso at WIR in 2023
The Mid-Am Racing Series, formerly Mid American Stock Car Series, is an elite sportsman traveling stock car racing series in the Midwestern United States. The cars are based on a 108" metric stock frame, less costly suspension parts and a maximum of 358 cubic inch engine. The car's roll cage and chassis were made of a design very similar to the same chassis a previous design of NASCAR cup chassis, but have also included more modern safety features such as plated door bars and the "Earnhardt bar[broken anchor]" which runs from the roof to the dash. The series runs primarily on paved racetracks but also appears on dirt and road courses. The series is the highest form of racing available to sportsman-style, GM metric chassis stock cars.
History
The Vercauteren brothers, during some time off in their hotel room in Daytona Beach, Florida during Speedweeks in February 1993, came up with the concept of a new asphalt series – the Mid-American Stock Car series. “Essentially the idea was to take the concept of the steel-bodied grand national cars that had been so popular on the dirt at Chilton Fairgrounds and create a traveling series on paved tracks throughout the Midwest.”[1]
During the first two years the series ran in ’93 and ’94 the Vercauteren’s were able to secure dates at legendary tracks like the Milwaukee Mile and Road America in Elkhart Lake cementing itself as a formidable racing series. The Series was at one time a support class for the ARTGO Challenge Series. The Mid American corporation expanded to a traveling Supertruck Series named the Midwest Super Truck Series in 1995 and a traveling Super Late Model Series,[2] named the Midwest All-Star Racing Series (MARS) in 1999. The expansion also included the Stock Car Classics in 2004 and the American Stock Car League (ASL) in 2005. The death of Vercauteran in October 2005 led to the purchase of Mid-American by longtime employees Doug and Julie Strasburg. The Strasburgs kept only the Mid American Stock Car Series while MARS and ASL were dissolved. The Stock Car Classics split into two groups (Classic Racing Series and Midwest Stock Car Classics). The Super Trucks were absorbed into the United States Super Trucks or USST.[citation needed]
Strasburg ownership era
When the Strasburgs took over Mid American in 2006, the series was struggling with car counts and tracks willing to host races. The average car count average jumped from 20 entrants per race to 27. A season high 39 participants ran at the Milwaukee Mile during the Governor's Cup Weekend. Several tracks have renewed relationships with the Mid-American Stock Car Series such as the Golden Sands Speedway, Marshfield Super Speedway, Dells Raceway Park and Road America.[3]
Gruenberg ownership era
Dave Gruenberg took over ownership on October 22, 2014. Working with Gary Vercauteran, Doug Stasburg, and Julie Stasburg previously made this an easy transition.
[4][5] Teams were intrigued when series owner Dave Gruenberg revealed a 2017 schedule that would have them competing on consecutive days at a couple of very different venues. Veteran drivers and newcomers alike were sent into their respective think tanks to consider how best confront these challenges.[citation needed] On Thursday, May 25 a race was held on the 1 mile dirt oval of the Indiana State Fairgrounds. In a show of versatility, less than 24 hours later on May 26, the VERY same drivers AND cars took to the track 21 miles to the west, for 40 laps of feature racing on the pavement at the fast 5/8-mile Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana. Competing at the event was retired NASCAR star, Ken Schrader.[6]
Go Racing Promotions ownership era
The series was sold by Gruenberg to former La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway flagman Greg Oliver in early February 2017. Oliver ran both the Great Northern Sportsmen Series and Midwest Dash Series. All three series became a part of the GO Racing Promotions organization.[7]
The Mid-American Stock Car Series was sold by Oliver to former Mid-Am competitors Tim Scrogham and Cheryl Hryn in early November 2020 and rebranded the Mid-Am Racing Series. With the rebrand the series returned to dirt racing as part of an effort to diversify the schedule. 2023 was the first year for a "dirt double header" July 14-July 15 at Kankakee County Speedway and Sycamore Speedway. Mentorship from both Greg Oliver as well as the Stasburgs have been instrumental in the resurgence of the series.
Maxwell Schultz Vercauteran memorial winner in victory lane at WIR 2023Ron Weyer in victory lane at Milwaukee in 2019
The series honors its founder Gary Vercauteran with a race each year after beginning as an event honoring his parents.[22] The race was often held as part of the Red, White, and Blue state championship event at Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR). The 2007 event at WIR was rained out, so it was held at 141 Speedway which is the track next closed to Vercauteran's hometown Chilton.[22] The 2010 event was held at Road America.[22] It began in Vercauteran's hometown dirt track in Chilton Fairgrounds before the series' origin.[22] It has been held at a variety of tracks since then. The 25th annual Vercauteran Memorial winner returned to WIR and was won by Tyler Bauknecht (whose family had traveled with the Vercauteran family in the early days of the series).[23]
