Dean Strom Profile

The Pits
This time it is 2006 ARA Winston Series Late Model and Nostalgia champion Dean Strom:

First Car: 
1977 Mercury Bobcat Wagon, powder blue in color.  It burned a quart of oil a day.  I always had this nice smoke screen behind me.

Favorite car that you have owned:
I’ve never been a big car guy.  However, I had a 1981 copper-colored Mustang for a number of years.  I did really like that car.  It had a straight six and was very clean.  The thing ran forever…that engine design was too good, so Ford stopped making it.  Within a few months of each other, however, the car got hit pretty hard in each door…oddly enough each time the car was parked outside a West Allis bar.  The replacement doors were not the same…the windows leaked, the doors didn’t seal right and the car was never the same.

Favorite all time race driver and why:
Harry Gant.  I don’t know why, I just always liked him.  I got to meet him a few times.  I started liking him when he made headlines by being a “bridesmaid” in something like 13 races before winning his first race.  My liking him must have had something to do with rooting for the underdog.

Least favorite race car driver and why:
That’s a tough one.  Kurt Busch was my hands down least favorite driver…then his little brother came around.  I think we have a tie.  Why the Busch’s?  Have you ever heard either of them talk?  Nuff said.
Favorite movie: Caddyshack 

Favorite movie about cars:
Grand Prix starring James Garner seems to be the logical choice for ISF drivers and fans, but my heart lies in stock car land, and I’m an Elvis fan…so I go with Speedway. 

If stuck on a deserted island and only sports you are able to watch is either Chicago Cubs baseball or Chicago Bears football, what do you choose? Why? 
Da Bears.  Football rocks over baseball and I can almost stomach the Bears but I can’t stomach the Cubs.  Where’s that Bartman kid…I want to give him a high-five.

Favorite ISF race track:
Former ISF track, the old Rapids.  Current ISF track, the Deckertring.

Heather Thomas or Heather Locklear? 
This is really a tough one.  As much as I love Heather Locklear’s sassiness, I used to have a thing for Heather Thomas…I mean, what other reason was there to watch T.J. Hooker?  Heather Locklear is younger, however, and that is a bonus.  But I have to give the nod to Heather Thomas.  Here is my thinking.  Heather Locklear was married to Tommy Lee at one time.  Did you ever see the Tommy and Pam Anderson sex on the boat tape from 10 years or so back?  Tommy is hung like nobodies business.  I can’t compete with that.  I would just be a disappointment to Heather Locklear…therefore Heather Thomas gets the nod.
    
     

(editors note: it should be Locklear at top and Thomas at bottom, however those buggers at angelfire somehow keep getting in here. the pictures are there for 10 minutes then gone)

You can only eat one food for the rest of your life, what is it?
The taco salad that my wife makes.

What is the better song:
Eddie Grant’s “Electric Avenue” or Katrina and the Waves “Walking on Sunshine”? 
Another tough one, but Katrina and the Waves gets the nod here.  As a side note to this question…I recently attended a wedding reception.  The band played “Walking on Sunshine.”  However, the band had a GUY lead singer…it sounded really gay.

Tommy Thompson or Scott Walker, who would have been the better governor for Wisconsin in 2007? 
Scott Walker.  On yet another side note…Melanie and I met him too…in of all places, while eating the free continental breakfast at a hotel in Shawano.  Mel spotted him and I said,” That’s not Scott Walker.”  She said, “Yes it is, and I’ll show you.”  She got up, walked over and introduced herself.  I’m turning her into a good little conservative.

Favorite TV show:
All-time?  Without a doubt, ALF.  Current?  Sopranos.
     
First “real job” was:
As a telemarketer selling HBO.  That was before Milwaukee had Cable TV and HBO was the first premium TV service you could buy.

If you couldn’t root for the Badgers, who in the Big 10 would you root for? 
My friends Ted and John and I pondered this very question just last year, while in a drunken stupor, at our annual Badger road-trip.  Ohio State is the obvious choice for reasons I cannot divulge in this forum…but they are too popular.  So I’ll say Indiana.

Favorite girl on “The Facts of Life”:
Nancy McKeon (Jo), hands down…not even close.  And that is odd, cuz I normally prefer blondes...and Blair was a blonde.

If someone was holding a gun to your head and forced you to choose between one of the following activities, which would it be:
1. Riding a tandem bike with Dan Margetta at the lakefront
2. Flying a kite at the lakefront with Dan Margetta
Is shoot me an option?  No.  Damn!  Well then, riding a tandem bike, but only as the driver.  I look at it like this.  With a tandem bike, I can steer and Dan has to just shut up, sit in the back and pedal.  Then, at any given moment, I can hop off and ghost ride the bike right into the lake and Dan can’t do anything about it.
  

Thanks Dean!
Until next time...it's not bad being in the pits!

Wauwatosa Indy Slot Car League where a boy's fun becomes men's hobby

This appeared in the local edition of Tosa Now, a publication describing events in the city of Wauwatosa, and a place I used to work at many years ago under a different pen name.
Good job Karen and thanks for the shout out!
Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

Wauwatosa Indy Slot Car League where a boy's fun becomes men's hobby
To Read the Original Article click here

Karen Pilarski, Now News Group Published 11:51 a.m. CT March 29, 2018 | Updated 3:40 p.m. CT March 30, 2018

(Photo: Submitted)

Slot cars were popular in the 1960s. It was something to do for restless youngsters when they couldn't play outside. 

But a lot of those kids grew up and took their hobby with them. 

Fast forward past video games and other distractions to present day, and you will find many slot car enthusiasts who are into the cars, down to the minutia. The thrill of putting a car on the track provides a sense of nostalgia, too. 

For a group of men in Wauwatosa, it's not just about reliving the old days, but having fun today. The Wauwatosa Indy Slot Car League is celebrating its 25th year. Member Jon Wyatt said the league consists of huge fans of Indycar racing and slot car racing is a means to an end. 

"We obviously couldn't afford to do full-scale racing, but it was something we could do in the offseason from the fall until spring," Wyatt said.  

The league meets every two weeks from September to early April. 

"Racing is the main theme, not the slot cars. It gives us racing to do when it is too damn cold outdoors here," he said. 

Many of the members are in their 50's or older. They grew up in a time when Indycar was the only real racing people in the Midwest paid attention to.

There are 13 members in the league, all in Milwaukee County.  Each season consists of 16 races; four are held in Wauwatosa. The league meets in a member's basement and race on the host's racing track.

The Wauwatosa Indy Slot Car League is celebrating their 25th year. Member Jon Wyatt's track is inspired by Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Photo: Submitted)

Wyatt said each track is different, like a real racing season.  

Members love to host a race since it is like a small party with food, racing and, of course, a beer or two. 

"It pegs the dork meter as it is. We make it like a bowling league — at least it looks like grown men are doing it," Wyatt said.

The Wauwatosa Indy Slot Car League is celebrating their 25th year. Each member has a theme for their racing track. This track was inspired by New Mexico. (Photo: Submitted)

The group enjoys the excitement and competitiveness of the race. Wyatt said anyone who gets really good at slot car racing is hated, in a competitive, but good-natured way.. 

"Everyone is excited for you on your first win, but the second or third is less popular," he joked. 

Winner takes all the glory

Competitive slot car racers use software to score cars and how long it takes to do a lap. For Wyatt and his buddies, it never made sense for them. 

"A slot car is slow enough to keep your eye on it, but fast enough to try to control," he said. 

A pin goes in a slot which keeps the car on the track. If the car flies off the table, the racer is done for the evening. Wyatt said it is like a major crash in real life racing, where the car is too damaged to continue. 

At the end of the season, there is a championship complete with a crystal trophy. The trophy has championship winner's names engraved on it, along with the series logo. The trophy travels to each winner's home. Chick-fil-A is a sponsor for their league and provides gift cards to race winners. 

The fast track for fun

Wyatt is on his third home in Tosa and his racing track has changed each time he moved and wedged it in the basement. 

Everyone has an idea how they want to design their oval-shaped track, which resembles Indycar races. A slot car racing track is similar to a model railroad track complete with scenery. Each person develops a theme for his track. One member lives in Quarry Heights neighborhood. His track is modeled on the terrain complete with a hill and the old quarry. 

Another member built a track after Road America, a road course located near Elkhart Lake on Highway 67. 

"Many take inspiration from the real Indycar tracks and make it happen on a smaller scale," Wyatt said. 

Wyatt's track is called the Shrine Desert Road Course. It was inspired by Albuquerque, New Mexico. He adapted it with photos of the mountains and a desert layout of New Mexico. 

Another member has a track with campgrounds and a nudist beach. 

"We don't take this seriously," he said. 

For more information on the league visit http://www.indyslotcar.com/.

Indyslotcar 25th Season Reunion in Pictures

Indyslotcar has completed 25 seasons as of the spring of 2018.

51 drivers have attempted to race in the league, and recently as part of the season long celebration of the league, commissioner Mike Kristof invited everyone that ever raced in the league to a reunion and race on the Shrine Race Course. A good time was had by all as drivers from across the country came to celebrate and have fun. This writer was invited and here is what he saw through his lens.

Thanks guys for all the memories and fun.

Drivers gather

Two-time champ Jim Iverson shares stories with five-time champ Mike Lack, while...

...future champ John Wiedemann gets some advice from Iverson

Dan Margetta, Chris Spehert, Pete Dorn catch highlights from the past. Dorn looks surprised that I made the guest list

Champion Dave Austin mugs for the camera

Five-time champ Phil Cianciola reminisces with John Baas and Iverson

Scoring guru Tom Spehert catches up with two-time champion Jim Kaehny

Two future drivers attended, one being Hiro, son of Ev Kamikawa

Commissioner Mike Kristof, Margetta, Austin, bend the ear of two-time starter and reporter of the most recent new story about the league, Lance Allen of Todays TMJ4 TV

Iverson downloads telemetry about the track

A shot of the drivers who started in the original season in 1993:

Austin, Margetta, Cianciola, two-time champion Ev Kamikawa, Kaehny

Drivers that came in the "second wave" of drivers who started in the league circa 1999ish

Baas, Chris Spehert, Iverson, Tom Spehert, Kristof

Drivers from the "fourth wave" circa 2007ish or later:

Allen, Lack, Dorn, Wiedemann

Five of the seven league champions in order of their titles and how many they have won:

Cianciola-5, Austin-one, Kaehny-2, Kamikawa-2, Iverson-2, Lack-5

Baas was known as the brawler in his driving days. Here he gets a quick shot at Cianciola for old times sake

All the drivers gathered for a quick group shot

The Hall-of-Famers:

Cianciola, Iverson, Kaehny, Austin, and the newest member Margetta.

Missing of course is the beloved Larry Rotter. Race in Peace Larry!

The vets pummel the rookie for his initiation

After the food and pagentry, the drivers competed in heat races based on when they came into the league

Cianciola easily won his heat to advance to the final

Marshall! Red Lane!

Austin's championship winning Penzoil car, Dan Margetta's Christmas car (known as the ugliest car in league history-but it won a race!), and Cianciola's Shell car were raced for the first time in several years

Indyslotcar TV covered the event

Austin jumped back into his car and won his heat

son and father race the champ in the second heat

The third heat saw Iverson win, making it the third yellow car to win on the day

Wiedemann, Lack, and Dorn in the fourth heat picked up were the season left off and showed their racecraft for the first time to many of the league veterans

John Wiedemann won the heat to advance to the final. His car wasn't completely yellow, but featured a yellow stripe making yellow the color car to have on the day

During final four interviews fans sneak into the live shot like always. Some more subtle than others

Teo Fabi even dropped by to see how his old teammate Austin was doing

There is that fan again...

...and again...

...and again...except Baas wasn't in the final four. A celebrity none-the-less though for this fan

The final four get underway!

John Wiedemann wins a tight race

Austin-4th, Iverson-3rd, Cianciola-2nd, Wiedemann-1st

and his car in victory lane

The picture of the cake with the original logo and current logo

A great time was had. Lets hope it isn't another 25 years before the next reunion!

Until next time...It's great being...

In The Pits!

Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett