By Tony Veneziano

Scotty Thiel has put up some championship-caliber numbers the last couple of years with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association (IRA) Outlaw Sprint Series. Last season, he won four times and had 23 top 10 finishes, with 17 of those being top five performances in 29 starts.

While Thiel has ultimately finished second in points each of the last two seasons, he and his team have added to their knowledge base and continue to be a contender each and every time they head to the track with the series, which always features a solid roster of drivers. The goal again this year is to run the full IRA tour and chase that elusive first championship.

Thiel opens the 2018 IRA season on Sunday, April 29, at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin as part of the Wipperfurth Memorial Triple Crown, which also features the Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Series and Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA). The event kicks off a 30-plus race schedule for the IRA that will see the series race in four different states at 17 different tracks.

“We have never really focused on points early in the season that much, but the last couple of years finishing second in points, we look back at how we started,” Thiel said. “We definitely need to focus on doing a lot better early on and try to win some races early in the season. If you can come out of the gate and get a win right away, that definitely helps. You probably would be the point leader if you won the first race of the season. You want to keep racking that up as much as you can and as fast as you can and carry that momentum on throughout the year.”

Thiel scored his first-career IRA win in 2014 at Beaver Dam Raceway. Making the win even more special was the fact that he did it with a smaller 360-cubic-inch engine in the car, racing against a field comprised mostly of bigger 410-cubic-inch engines. 

Thiel has added seven more IRA wins since to bring his career total to eight victories at three tracks, including three at the historic Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI.

“Everything worked out perfect that night and it proved that you can take a car with less horsepower and win,” Thiel recalled of his Beaver Dam win. “We’ve been running really well at Beaver Dam the last few years, but Bill (Balog) has just been dominant there. We had a couple of chances to get him and I think I know where now to capitalize and get around that place. To win the first night out would be great and to have that momentum going into the rest of the season.”

Nice to see @scottythiel64 make it out to @AtomicSpeedway on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/G8gaZoPRVl

— Wayne Riegle (@RieglePhotos) April 5, 2018

Thiel made a trip to Atomic Speedway in Ohio a few weeks ago to get some laps in and shake off the rust from the offseason. The trek turned into a blessing in disguise as his team discovered a fueling problem that they now have fixed for the IRA season opener. 

He also notes the benefits of visiting different tracks and racing against a variety of competition.

“It definitely felt good to get back in the car,” Thiel said. “It was a long drive to find out we had had trouble, but it’s better we found it then than at the opening point race of the season. The Ohio guys are nothing to talk down to. They get after it. You can get humbled when you go race with them. They are a threat every single night, so it feels good to race against other guys. 

"You learn a lot when you race against different guys and at different race tracks. It gives you a little bit of a confidence boost when you go back home and you drive that much harder when you go out there.”

With poor weather already postponing the IRA season opener twice this month, Thiel is chomping at the bit to get behind the wheel of his No. 64 machine. The native of Sheboygan, WI, is used to the season starting a little later in his neck of the woods, but that still doesn’t make it any easier waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate. 

“I don’t have iRacing or anything like that, so it’s a struggle early in the year when you are dealing with the weather,” he noted. “You work hard all winter long and get everything prepared and all the spare things are ready and you think you are going to go race and then it gets canceled. That’s a downer early in the year. You want to get out there and get going. 

"During the season, sometimes it’s a blessing if it rains out if you’ve had a bit of a bad luck streak or need a breather. It’s definitely tough early in the season when you are all amped up and ready to get going.”

Thiel and his team have pinpointed a few areas they will focus on even more as they kick off the 2018 campaign. One of those is time trials, where he believes they made strides last year. Solid qualifying efforts are rewarded by the IRA format, which offers bonus points in time trials. 

Putting together a “full night” from time trials through the checkered flag of the main event is also on their list of priorities.

“You have to come out of the gate strong,” Thiel said. “If you qualify well and transfer through the heat you’ll be in the redraw. That’s crucial for sure. Running more consistent in the features is a key as well. We had a really good year last year, winning five races, four with the IRA and one local show and we want to focus on winning more races and capitalizing at the tracks we may struggle at. Overall, if we can come out strong and maintain that all year, I think we’ll put ourselves in a little better position.”