Bintz to pilot late model Saturday

Scott Bintz will be the rookie this weekend at Jamestown Speedway.

The Northern Late Model Racing Association (NLRA) will be making its first of two appearances in Jamestown this summer on Saturday, and Bintz and his recognizable No. 1S will be taking part in the action.

The Jamestown race car driver will be piloting what many consider to be the premier dirt-track racing machine for the very first time.

"We're going to give it a whirl and see if I can get it through the corners without any trouble," Bintz said.

The NLRA brought 22 late models to Jamestown Speedway last August, with Grand Forks' Brad Seng, the eventual 2014 NLRA tour champion, picking up the victory. It was Seng's third career NLRA victory at Jamestown Speedway and second tour championship.

Seng is back at it again this season after winning the NLRA season-opener at Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minn., over Fargo's Cody Skytland on May 23. Saturday's stop in Jamestown will be the tour's second event of the season, where Bintz will be waiting.

Bintz will be driving a 2015 Millenium chassis built by Fastlane Racing Equipment and provided by Strand Racing. The father and son racing duo of Brian and Dustin Strand own and operate Fastlane Racing Equipment in East Grand Forks, Minn.

The plan to get Bintz behind the wheel was hatched last fall by his crew chief, Chase Guthmiller. Bintz's current WISSOTA Midwest Modified and IMCA Modified are both Strand-built Milleniums.

"I think Chase really got it started last year. Dustin had a spare car sitting there, and Chase asked to see if he'd let me drive it," Bintz said. "(Dustin) said sure, but a few months later I asked him, 'When you said sure, did you really mean sure, because I could definitely run it a couple of times in Jamestown when the late models are in town?"

Bintz has had a racing relationship with the Strands since he launched his modified career in 2008. As most do in the beginning, Bintz was struggling with his car and some advice from Carrington veteran driver Kelly Hagel got the ball rolling.

"I bought (Jamestown's) Don Gumke's old A-Mod and converted it to a B-Mod, and I couldn't drive it," Bintz recalled. "Kelly said, 'Why don't you give Brian and Dustin Strand a call, they can help.'

"So it started with Kelly's recommendation and their willingness to tune a chassis that wasn't their own."

But Bintz, and Jamestown's Realtruck.com, have also been strong supporters of the Strands.

"Scott has been really good to work with, and he's always been really good to us through Realtruck.com," Dustin Strand said. "We pretty much do all his race car stuff now, and we've become good friends."

Bintz has had plenty of modified racing success over the years, most recently picking up B-Mod feature victories in Devils Lake and Aberdeen so far this season. Strand said Bintz should take to late model racing like a duck to water.

"It's our spare car, and we just got it finished up (Thursday). Mostly the horsepower difference is what he'll have to adapt to," Strand said. "It's definitely a different animal, but I think he'll feel right at home. He runs good in everything he drives."

The differences between a WISSOTA B-Mod and a late model are stout. B-Mods weigh around 2,600 pounds, have engines that produce approximately 380 to 400 horsepower and operate on an eight-inch tire.

Late models, on the other hand, weigh around 2,300 pounds, produce in the neighborhood of 600 to 650 horsepower and grip the track like crazy with a 14-inch tire.

"If there's a little bit of traction on the track, there's definitely a lot more speed involved," Strand said.

Bintz will find out just how much more come Saturday.

"They drive pretty straight and turn on a dime, like they're bolted down," Bintz said. "I'd like to pass a few cars, but the reality is I hope I don't delay the race at all."

Strand drove to victory here during the NLRA's visit in August 2012. He has also had some recent success, picking up an A-Mod feature victory at Jamestown Speedway two weeks ago on May 30.

"Jamestown is always one of the places we look forward to coming to, because the track is always smooth and it's kind of predictable. You know what to expect," Strand said. "Other places it varies from night to night, but Jamestown always seems to have a nice racing surface.

"And, the people there really appreciate having us, and that makes it that much more fun to race there."

Bintz will no longer be the rookie when the NLRA returns to the speedway on Aug. 1.

"Sprint cars intimidate me a little. They seem like insanity on wheels, so I thought maybe someday it would be cool to race a late model," Bintz said. "But I didn't want to jump into it, so it's really cool that (Dustin) is going to let me wheel his a couple times in Jamestown this year to see if I can handle it or not.

"We'll see if I can keep the tin straight."

Northern Late Model Racing Association

Previous winners at Jamestown Speedway

2014: Brad Seng

2013: Mike Balcaen

2012: Ricky Weiss; Dustin Strand

2011: Mike Balcaen; Bill Mooney

2010: Cody Skytland

2009: Blaine Doppler

2008: Chad Becker

2007: Mitch Johnson

2006: Troy Olson

2005: Curt Gelling; Curt Gelling

2004: John Seitz; John Seitz

2003: Brad Seng

2002: Brad Seng

2001: John Seitz; Mitch Johnson

-- Information courtesy NLRA

Jamestown Speedway

Points leaders

Bombers

1, Justin Schempp 164; 2, Cory Rodin 155; 3, Josh Anderson 154; 4, Kasey Ussatis 144; 5, Leann Christensen 138; 6, Billy Carow 129; 7, Jay Schlotfeldt 124; 8, Ryan Ost 122; 9, Lane Stoppleworth 121; 10, Brad Rodin 118.

WISSOTA Modifieds

1, Jason Grimes 158; 2, John Corell 147; 3, Ryan Mikkelson 137; 4, John Nord 130; 5, Jerry Lamb 128; 6, Bob Sagen 120; 7, Mike Stearns 109; 8 (tie), Dale Mathison 108; Bob Banish Jr. 108; 10, Dustin Strand 106.

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

1, Preston Carr 158; 2, Scott Bintz 156; 3, Jarrett Carter 153; 4, Ryan Lehr 150; 5, Joey Rowell 146; 6, Eric Edwards 137; 7, Lucas Rodin 136; 8, Randy Kollman 129; 9, Darren Pfau 128; 10, Kelly Seckerson 125.

WISSOTA Street Stocks

1, Jonny Carter 154; 2, Rory Opp 144; 3, Jeff Vogel 141; 4, Matthew Lesmeister 134; 5, Troy Nelson 133; 6, Dustin Erickson 130; 7 (tie) Kyle Anderson 124; Josh Ganser 124; 9, Scott Gartner 122; 10, Jeremy Willman 120.