Story By: SPENCE SMITHBACK / ASCS – SHEPHERD, MT – When you think of Sprint Car hotbeds, states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and California are likely the first to come to mind.
Over the next two weekends, the drivers of the ASCS Frontier Region will be aiming to prove why Montana belongs on that list.
This week’s Harvey Ostermiller Memorial at Big Sky Speedway isn’t just the first national Sprint Car event in the state in three years, but the $12,012 Saturday winner’s purse is the largest on the schedule in Montana.
If the full-time National Tour teams want to leave with the money, they’ll have to deal with a strong contingent of local talent led by Frontier Region point leader and two-time Series champion Phil Dietz.
“Our expectations are to run up front and potentially challenge those National guys for an upset or a win,” Dietz said.
A native of Laurel, MT, Dietz got the motorsports bug watching his dad wheel a Sprint Car every weekend, and decided at a young age to give it a try himself.
“Started racing Sprint Cars in 1999 when I was 13 years old,” Dietz said. “Raced up until 2016, took a three-year break and then started up again.”
While Dietz has more years of experience than most drivers around the country, Montana’s geography means he gets far less seat time per season than his counterparts in warmer climates.
“As life progresses and my responsibilities keep increasing, nowadays I probably only get in 12 to 15 winged races a year,” Dietz said. “Back earlier in life, usually got in about 20 to 30. We did start racing a limited wingless car this year at Big Sky Speedway, and we’re going to have roughly 10 races in on that. So, we probably get about 22 to 25 races in a year in a Sprint Car.”
Dietz is far from the only local hot shoe the National Tour drivers will have to fend off. Thirty-two points behind Dietz is Trever Kirkland, who has collected three second-place finishes in seven starts with the Frontier Region along with a Northern Plains Region win in May at Wyoming’s Casper Speedway.
“Our family vacation every year was to go out to Skagit [Speedway] and watch the Dirt Cup every year,” Kirkland said. “That’s kind of what sparked the Sprint Car side of things for me, and I just always wanted to do it.”
Years later, the Helena, MT resident found himself returning to the Pacific Northwest multiple times a season, but this time as a driver. With Washington and Oregon being the closest states hosting marquee events for 360 Sprint Cars, Montana teams often find themselves making the all-day drive to see how they stack up against the outsiders.
But with the return of the National Tour to Montana in 2024, Kirkland is looking forward to the chance to race for big money without racking up a big diesel bill.
“Jerry [Brey, Big Sky Speedway owner] is a Sprint Car guy, he’s been around Sprint Car racing for a long time,” Kirkland said. “He understands the promotion side of things, he’s working really hard to build the Sprint Cars and build racing as a whole in the state of Montana. I greatly appreciate what he’s doing. I think it’s really cool what he’s doing, I think it’s a lot of work that goes into what he’s got going on to get it there.”
With the largest event in track history comes a wave of teams and fans laying eyes on Big Sky for the first time, and according to both drivers, they will be in for a treat.
“The nice thing about Billings, it seems like this year we haven’t gotten the same track twice,” Dietz said. “So, it’s kept us on our toes. Usually very fast. Usually builds a really nice cushion right around the top lip. Very fast pace. Very physically demanding, but also, they do a good job of keeping a bottom there too so you can get multiple grooves of racing.”
Kirkland shared Dietz’s optimism toward not just Big Sky, but next weekend’s stop at Electric City Speedway in Great Falls (Aug. 30-31) as well.
“I think [Big Sky] is the raciest track we have in the state as far as speed is concerned,” Kirkland said. “I think you’re going to see two lanes. I think you’ll have a top and a bottom. Jerry works really hard at building a two-lane racetrack.
“Great Falls is going to be super dry and slick. I would bet you’re going to ride around the fence or the bottom, one of the two there. Both of them are going to be pretty racey racetracks. I think we’re going to see two different racetracks.”
Dietz is a firm believer that the Montana Sprint Car scene has leveled up as a whole in recent years, and he’s excited to put that on display in front of a national audience.
“We take Sprint Car racing seriously up here,” Dietz said. “I think in previous years, Montana was always thought of as a place where people could go and, I don’t want to say cherry pick, but come and have a sure thing.
“In recent years, everybody’s stepped up their game here quite a bit. Our equipment’s on par with a lot of national touring driver’s equipment. Essentially, when we hit the track, we’ve got the same stuff.”
Kirkland agreed with Dietz’s confidence level.
“I don’t want to sound cocky,” Kirkland said. “But I think that your National Tour guys are going to be surprised by what they see up here.”
Tickets to the ASCS National Tour races at Big Sky Speedway on Aug. 23-24 and Electric City Speedway on Aug. 30-31 are available online or at the gate on race day.