Story by Stan Kalwasinski & Eric Huenefeld

Loves Park, Ill., October 1—Jeremy Miller etched his name into the

record books during Rockford Speedway’s Last Lap Season as he captured

the National Short Track Championships late model stock car special at

the historic speedway Sunday afternoon.

The 58th running of the race saw the 43-year-old Miller, a Rockford

resident, win the 158-lap Big 8 Late Model Series contest at the

banked, quarter-mile, paved oval – becoming the 33rd different and

final winner of the annual Midwest classic dubbed over the years as

“One Great Racing Weekend.

Miller, a five-time Big 8 titlist but winless at Rockford since 2007,

wheeled his Kar Korner/Colony Brands/Montgomery Ward/Stewart

Automotive/Loves Park Motorsports-sponsored, Joe Hunter-owned Ford No.

5 to the victory, holding a 1.970-second margin at the finish over

second place-runner Randy Sargent. 2013 Rockford champ Alex Papini,

Jesse Bernhagen, two-time track champion Jake Gille and five-time

champ, including this year’s title, Jon Reynolds Jr. rounded out the

“top six” in the 25-car field.

After honorary starter “Jumpin’ Jack” Heiman waved the green flag,

Shane Radtke, coming from his front row pole starting spot, led the

first 24 laps with Gille moving into the lead briefly with Dale

Nottestad taking over on lap 26. Winner of the last two NSTC

contests, Austin Nason, this event’s fastest qualifier, dropped out

during the warmup laps and didn’t complete one green flag lap.

Nottestad, looking for his first NSTC victory, looked in control and

built a comfortable margin, with the likes of Gille, Sargent, Miller,

Papini and Michael Bilderback giving chase. With 80 laps complete, a

mandatory pit stop took place on the main straightaway with crews

refueling and making chassis adjustments for the final half of the

race.

Miller hustled by Gille for second place after the restart with

Nottestad still running strong. Miller began to peck away at

Nottestad’s lead with 30 laps to go. Suddenly with 29 laps remaining,

Nottestad’s Chevy began to backfire and pop with the leader coming to

a halt in turn one. Nottestad was pushed to the pits with Miller

inheriting the lead, a lead he would not relinquish.

“I was catching him (Nottestad),” said Miller. “I was running maybe a

tenth (of a second) better than him. If I was going to get him, we

were going to have to play a little rough. I was going to have to do

a little “Rockford Racing.” I don’t know if I could have got him. He

got off the corners good.

“This is huge – my biggest win. The team put so much into this, a lot

of testing. Even this morning, we were making changes. We made maybe

90 percent the right change and then at the break we went the other 10

per cent and last half of the race the car was really good.”

One more race remains for the Big 8 Late Model Series in the 2023

campaign, with a stop at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway on tap as part

of the annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend this Saturday night October

7th. Heading into La Crosse, Jon Reynolds Jr holds a 38 point

advantage over Randy Sargent for the Championship while Greg Borchardt

has already locked up the 2023 Big 8 Late Model Series Rookie of the

Year award.

Other results from “One Great Racing Weekend” include…

FRIDAY NIGHT

Rockford Speedway Short Tracker Track Champion Nick Schneider capped

off his season in style, taking home the victory in the headlining

race of Opening Night of the 58th NSTC. Schneider was followed across

the line by former Track Champion Kyle Lapier and Tyler Deschaine.

Shawn Bowar had an unforgettable season in the Bandit division at

Rockford Speedway and ended his terrific campaign with an conquest at

NSTC. Bowar outran Ryan Finley and Stephan Hillary for the checkers.

Rockford Speedway Roadrunner Champion Kevin Memoli added to his

accolades at NSTC, winning the divisions’ feature race. Memoli outran

a familiar foe in Austin Fowler en route to the win with Robert Roush

coming home in third.

DeForest Wisconsin’s Steven Mueller won the NSTC Sixermania feature

with Daemyn Lounsbury and Kayden Ellis taking second and third

respectively.

Monroe Wisconsin’s Tyler Leutenegger won his first NSTC trophy by

topping the Super Stox field. Jerry Legner ended the race in second

place, while Gus Morzel claimed third.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Austin Nason was the victor in the 147 lap Jody Deery Super Late Model

showdown. The win was the second of the night for Nason, who also

topped the competition in the 50 lap Hugh Deery Classic for the

Sportsmen division.

Tyler Deschaine followed up a third place finish in Friday night’s

Short Tracker feature by being the dominant car in Saturday night’s

Midwest Dash Series race. Deschaine came out on top ahead of David

Russell and Aaron Rude to earn the victory.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Josh Nelms set fast time and later won the 50 lap feature for the Mid

Am Racing Series. Nelms took the lead just before the race’s halfway

point and beat Timmy Stewart to the line for the win. Daniel Calhoun

claimed his first Mid Am top three finish in crossing the line behind

Nelms and Stewart.

Austin Fowler was the top dog in the 33 lap Roadrunner Rumble. Fowler,

the 2022 Track Champion, collected $750 for his victory. Waylon

Robinson finished second place in the Rumble, followed by Dusty Heil.

Overall, 250 racecars raced in twelve divisions over the course of the

three day event.