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| SUMMIT PHOTO BY CHRIS TODD
Dave Laugen and his family check out the No. 16 car driven by Greg Biffle on the NASCAR Sprint Cup series during the 3M-sponsored car’s appearance at Forest City Ford this past week. |
NASCAR racer draws a crowd
Racing enthusiasts get a chance to ‘take the wheel' of Sprint Cup car
By Chris Todd
Of The Summit
FOREST CITY - Leland resident Dave Laugen says his one-time dream of racing cars is over, but it isn't for his children.
Maybe that's why he had his young daughter and two sons sit behind the wheel of an authentic Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup racer displayed Wednesday afternoon at Forest City Ford.
“I wouldn't mind seeing them get into racing,” said Laugen. “Seeing these actual NASCAR cars is always interesting. They're always a lot smaller than they look on TV.”
The car being displayed was retired but driven recently by NASCAR star Greg Biffle. The car is sponsored by 3M and belongs to Roush-Fenway Racing, one of the most renowned NASCAR team in the country.
Laugen, meanwhile, first put his 7-year-old son Carter in the front seat of the car. Carter grasped the wheel as if he was coming down the last straightaway of the Daytona 500.
Next up was his younger brother, Bradlee, who wasn't even able to hold the steering wheel yet because of his young age.
Earlier, Laugen had his daughter Andrea behind the wheel. She's seen a bit more racing experience. At the age of 8, she already races go-carts in Forest City.
Andrea was asked by her father if the Biffle car could beat her in her go cart.
“It's cool, but I don't think so,” she said. “Maybe it would go a little faster, because it's so loud.”
Biffle is currently among the leaders in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings. He sits in seventh place going into this weekend's Michigan 400 with 2,460 points. He hasn't won a race in 2008 yet, but he has six top-five finishes and nine top ten finishes.
“Greg's having a great year,” said Charlie Honeycutt in a thick, North Carolina accent. “He's pretty much right in the hunt.”
Kyle Busch leads the Sprint Car standings with 3,004 points and he's followed in second by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton in third.
Honeycutt is currently touring with the car at various locations around the country. He'll spend 200 days with the car, counting drive time and actual car shows.
“Greg actually raced this car last year,” Honeycutt said. “It'll definitely rattle your ears when you start it up.”
Honeycutt added that Biffle's former car has a Ford Fusion Body with a 351, V8 Engine. When it's on a straightaway at a longer track, it will top out at over 200 mph.
“The aerodynamics of the body are what makes this a great race car,” Honeycutt. “The engine's very good but it still takes a good driver. You can have the best car on the NASCAR circuit, but unless you have a good driver, it won't help much.”
He added that 3M pays close to $20 million just to sponsor the car and put its logo on the front hood.
“NASCAR is the fastest-growing spectator sport in the world,” Honeycutt said. “It used to be that racing was just big in the Southeast, but now it's popular nationwide.”
Two other NASCAR fans were in Forest City for the WIT Winnebago rally and will soon be on their way to Michigan for the Michigan 400.
A couple from Port Washington, Wis., Terry Tietyan and his wife were also taking a look at the Biffle car Tuesday.
“We're big NASCAR fans, and we usually see two to three races per year,” Terry said. “Every year, we go to Bristol and Michigan and next year, we're going to Daytona.”
They are fans of Roush Racing because one of the team's drivers, Matt Kenseth, is from a town near Port Washington.
“And Biffle just seems like a nice guy,” Tietyan said. “He's on TV a lot as a guest on the Speed Channel and does a nice job. He's got a nice car, too.”
Story created Aug 05, 2008 - 10:28:36 CDT.
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