Mid-Am Racing Series

Did You Know?

• The Vercauteran Memorial race began as a tribute to founder Gary Vercauteran's parents, before the series itself existed, at Chilton Fairgrounds.
• In 2007, the Vercauteran Memorial was rained out at Wisconsin International Raceway and moved to 141 Speedway, the track closest to Vercauteran's hometown of Chilton.

History

The Vercauteren brothers conceived the asphalt series in February 1993 during Speedweeks in Daytona Beach, Florida. The idea was to adapt the steel-bodied grand national cars popular on dirt at Chilton Fairgrounds into a traveling paved-track series across the Midwest. In its first two years, the series secured dates at the Milwaukee Mile and Road America. It once served as a support class for the ARTGO Challenge Series.

Mid American expanded to include the Midwest Super Truck Series in 1995, the Midwest All-Star Racing Series in 1999, the Stock Car Classics in 2004, and the American Stock Car League in 2005. The death of Gary Vercauteran in October 2005 led to the purchase by Doug and Julie Strasburg, who kept only the Mid American Stock Car Series; MARS and ASL were dissolved. The Stock Car Classics split into two groups, and the Super Trucks were absorbed into the United States Super Trucks.

Scrogham/Hryn ownership era

In early October 2020, former competitor Tim Scrogham purchased the series from Greg Oliver and rebranded it as the Mid-Am Racing Series. In 2025, Scrogham added fellow former competitor Cheryl Hryn as co-owner. Under their leadership, the series modernized through greater transparency, standardized procedures, improved race-day operations, expanded digital infrastructure, virtual town hall meetings, and streamlined workflows. Hryn strengthened driver communication and competitor relations.

Notable Drivers

Ken Schrader has driven in ARCA, NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Camping World Truck Series, and most recently for the Superstar Racing Experience; he also owns and drives a dirt late model and dirt open-wheel modified. Joey Gase has competed in the Sprint Cup Series, American Speed Association, ARCA Racing Series, USAR Pro Cup Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, and now races part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Bill Prietzel has raced dirt late models, SCCA, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Ron Vandermeir Jr. is an ARCA Menards Series driver and five-time series champion. James Swan is a 35-year veteran of Midwest racing. Eddie Hoffman won the 1998 ARTGO championship and multiple Super Late Model track championships in the Chicago area. Brett Sontag was the 2004 American Speed Association National Tour Rookie of the Year and a five-time track champion.

Peter 'Speedy' Hernandez was the 2006 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver of the Year. Paige Decker has competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series and was a 2014 NASCAR Drive for Diversity participant. Claire Decker was a 2014 participant in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity. Stephen Cox races in the World Racing League endurance sports car series, CRS Super Truck Series, and Grid Life.

List of Vercauteran Memorial winners

The Mid-Am Racing Series honors its founder, Gary Vercauteran, with an annual race that started as a tribute to his parents. This race was frequently part of the Red, White, and Blue state championship event at Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR). In 2007, rain forced the race to move from WIR to 141 Speedway, the track nearest to Vercauteran’s hometown of Chilton. The 2010 edition took place at Road America.

Before the series itself existed, the race began on a dirt track at the Chilton Fairgrounds, Vercauteran’s hometown venue. Over the years, the event has been held at a variety of tracks. The 25th annual Vercauteran Memorial returned to WIR, where Tyler Bauknecht won; his family had traveled with the Vercauteran family during the series’ early days. The list of winners includes: 1990 Wayne Strand (Chilton Fairgrounds), 1991 Larry Richards (Chilton Fairgrounds), 1992 Jerry Wenzel (Chilton Fairgrounds), 1993 Eddie Hoffman (WIR), 1994 Brian Lambie (WIR), 1995 Eddie Hoffman (WIR), 1996 Pat Kelly (WIR), 1997 Bill Prietzel (WIR), 1998 Pat Kelly (WIR), 1999 Gregg Haese (WIR), 2000 Mark Pluer (WIR), 2001 Peter Hernandez (WIR), 2002 Peter Hernandez (WIR), 2003 Jeremy Spoonmore (WIR), 2004 Bill Prietzel (WIR), 2005 Brett Piontek (WIR), 2006 James Swan (WIR), 2007 Kevin Damrow (141 Speedway), 2008 Jacob Finney (WIR), 2009 Gregg Haese (141 Speedway), 2010 Bill Prietzel (Road America), 2011 Jacob Finney (Norway Speedway), 2012 Kenny Joosten (Rockford Speedway), 2013 James Swan (Rockford Speedway), 2014 Tyler Bauknecht (WIR), 2015 Lyle Nowak (State Park Speedway), 2016 Ron Vandemeier, Jr. (Rockford Speedway) during the 51st National Short Track Championships, 2019 Ron Weyer (Milwaukee Mile), 2020 Rick Corso (Rockford Speedway) during the 55th National Short Track Championships, 2021 Ron Vandemeier, Jr. (Rockford Speedway) during the 56th National Short Track Championships, 2022 James Swan (Rockford Speedway) during the 57th National Short Track Championships, 2023 Maxwell Schultz (WIR), 2024 Kenny Richards (WIR), and 2025 Scotty Gardner Jr. (Madison International Speedway).