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With his next Late Model victory, Nuttleman will do what no driver has ever done at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway. He will forever be known as Mr. 100. Yes, with his next feature win, Nuttleman will reach 100 career victories at the West Salem facility.
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“It is tough out there, even though we lost four of the heavy hitters, it’s still a tough place in terms of the competition,” Nuttleman said Saturday night. “Sure I’ve thought about it, but we just have to take care of business. If it comes, it comes.”
When you’re a 10-time track champion like Nuttleman, the odds are in your favor that it will come.
Nuttleman, who is driving a brand new car this season as part of the three-team Dutch Mill Trucking team, is off to another impressive start. Currently the Kwik Trip Late Model points leader, he has two top-five finishes (fifth and third) to his credit in two starts.
Saturday night, he was going after history-making win No. 100, but inclement weather canceled the race program for the second time in four weeks.
“I’m real happy with the start we’ve had,” Nuttleman said. “The weather hasn’t been very nice, but I think we do have some momentum. This car, it’s one of the best cars I have ever been in. It’s right up there with the one I had when we won the Miller Lite 150 at Hawkeye Downs in ’99. We were able to finish third last week despite breaking a left-front shock in the third lap of the feature.”
Nuttleman, who won two feature races last season and finished runner-up to Steve Carlson in the Late Model track championship race, finished in sixth place in the national short-track standings. His impressive year, however, was overshadowed by the fact that Carlson won the Whelen All-American Series national championship.
Will this be Nuttleman’s year? And what will No. 100 mean to him?
“It’s not just me. It’s been a lot of people who have helped me along the way,” said Nuttleman, who has won two national regional titles in his career. “No. 1, I’m proud of the fact that I’m from Bangor. And No. 2, I’m proud of the fact that I’ve run at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway this long. It’s a great place to race and have fun.”
Throughout his career, Nuttleman has always emphasized the “fun factor” when it comes to racing. That is a big reason, he said, while he has been able to race for 29 years and still keep his passion for the sport.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Nuttleman said. “When it no longer becomes fun, it’s time to get out.”
Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 791-8403, or at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com
