Vernoy: 18 years off hasn’t bothered McCune
Veteran racer Tim McCune has been driving hard and turning left since 1983 ... with an extended pit stop mixed in.
“In 1993 I took 18 years off, and came back just three years ago,” the Great Falls WISSOTA Midwest Modified driver said prior to a race earlier this season at Electric City Speedway.
Apparently, the break didn’t bother him too much. McCune is currently fourth in the local Midwest Modified standings, 94 points behind leader and fellow ECS driver Ron Sasek. He finished 12th in the Midwest feature this past Friday.
“We made a lot of changes this year,” McCune added. “And we’re expecting good things. More suspension, bigger motor.”
Still, even with those upgrades, McCune is just like many other dirt-track drivers: steering wheel in one hand, wrench in the other. The cars always need some kind of tweaking. It goes with the territory.
“Yes, constantly,” McCune said. “Before, during and after every race; you’re constantly adjusting them all night long as the track changes from wet to dry to super-dry. You’re adjusting the suspension all the time.
So what makes the Midwest Modifieds — also known as ‘B’ Modifieds — different from an ‘A’ (IMCA) Modified, or even a Super Stock?
“The chassis are the same, but a Midwest Modified has less horsepower,” he explained. “An economy modified; it’s easier on the budget. It has the same springs, same shocks, same everything … just less horsepower.”
The one thing that made it easy to get back behind the wheel was his competitive edge.
“Anyone with a strong competitive edge can get out there and mix it up with the guys,” McCune said.
PAUL LEACH TOOK HIS Midwest Modified all the way to the checkered flag during the feature Friday night as the Speedway, racers and fans paid tribute to superfan and race car sponsor Fran Flesch, who passed on a year ago. Joey Price got the win in ‘A’ Modifieds, Pacer Popham took the Super Stock class, and Brice Miesmer won the Street Stock battle.
This Friday night is “Dirt Cheap Night” at the Speedway. Racing starts at 7:30, with the gates open at 6.
And make plans for the 21st annual Montana Roundup Labor Day Weekend, the final weekend of the season. The Sprint Cars will be back as well all three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
This weekend marks the halfway point for racing at the Lewistown Drag Strip. The usual Street-Legal “Run What You Brung” drags will start the festivities Friday evening (gates open at 5, heads-up racing at 6), followed by two days of Montana Drag Racing Association state points as well as Lewistown points and ET Class bracket racing on Saturday and Sunday. Gates open both days at 8 a.m. Saturday’s time trials starts at 11 with eliminations at 3; and Sunday’s slate is at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
Sunday’s schedule also has high school and “Land of the Leaders” racing.
And Wednesday night is the first of three August dirt bike dates for the Electric City Dirt Racers over at the Jim Wadsworth Motorsports Complex on Rainbow Dam Road. Call Keith Nelson at 868-9956 or James Handershot at 781-7891 for more details.
Tribune Sports Writer Lee Vernoy writes a weekly column dedicated to the people and venues of the area’s motorsports scene. Follow him on Twitter at @GFTrib_LVernoy, email him at lvernoy@greatfallstribune.com, or call him at (406) 791-6569.