Iulg Eyes 2021 as a Time of Redemption

Tim Iulg eyes 2021 as a time of redemption for his race team. Iulg plans to compete in all of the Speedway Entertainment All Pro SpeedSTR races fueled by VP Racing Fuels in the upcoming season.

The racing history and success runs deep in the Iulg family.

“We did have success before, both in Micros and TQ’s,” said Iulg. “It was nothing for us to win eight to ten plus races a year in 600 micros at tracks all over. We dabbled in TQ’s (Three Quarter Midgets) for just a bit and won a couple races outdoors at Wall Stadium and Borger’s in just a few starts. Had a lot of success in the Crate Sprint Cars at Bridgeport too.”

Iulg’s success at Bridgeport Motorsports Park in the past will give him some confidence although the tracks configuration has changed drastically. Ironically, even after being on of the first cars to flip at Bridgeport’s new facility, Iulg still feels the SpeedSTRs are better on the large tracks. “I love Action Track USA, but I think the SpeedSTRs are better suited for bigger tracks. I love running Bridgeport (especially since it's close to me) and in the past Grandview, 5 Mile Point and absolutely LOVED running Selinsgrove.”

Iulg has been a SpeedSTR driver for five years. The aforementioned success opened the door for Iulg to race a crate sprint car at Bridgeport Motorsports Park. Following over 15 wins and a championship in a few years that he competed in the crate cars it translated into a ride offer in New York to race the ASCS Sprint Car Series.

Back with his crate Sprint Car owner, Iulg took on a United Racing Club schedule that saw struggles in his rookie season with engine issues. Soon after his car owner would dissolve the team.

Iulg recalls that was a time of transition for he and his family. “About that time, I was a few years into my marriage and we just had two kids and racing became less of a priority. Then I kind of became a driver for hire and had glimpses of success here and there ride hopping. Fast forward a few more years and we found ourselves in the SpeedSTRs. We've had a few decent runs over the 5 years in this division, but for the most part, we've way underperformed our potential. We just are not meeting our expectations or goals, thus the rededication of efforts this year. We got a great sponsor onboard in Craig and Jamie Kugler at CSI/Claim Specialist INC (www.claimssuccess.com). Super great people that are a ton of help to our race team beyond just financially.”

Iulg likes the diversity on the schedule for the 2021 season as he and his team hope to hit their stride early in the season. “I’m looking forward to running on a variety of tracks and hopefully redeeming ourselves. My Dad and I have won a lot of races together and my racing success has not been great the last hand-full of years, to put it kindly. I feel like I kind of stalled out when I started a family and couldn't really devote all my time into racing anymore. Obviously, I have no regrets, I love my family and wouldn't change a thing, but my kids are a bit older now and it's a bit easier to put more work in the race shop.”

As far as their approach to the new season, the 56 team has set themselves up for success.

“This off season we decided to push all in and we kind of rededicated our efforts and purchased the new car as well. We are hoping that, in part, will translate into the success we used to enjoy. So, it's good timing to have the SpeedSTR schedule be as aggressive as it is this year. We are looking forward to potentially cashing in on some of that $250,000 in purse payout offered this year!”

“I'm optimistic the new car will give us the platform to potentially have better results this year. We found a lot of issues with our previous frame. It was a 2015 and it had been through a rough 5 years. There were things we found on that chassis when we stripped it this year that made us decide it was done. The new car should, if nothing else, should be a lot more consistent in driver feel from what I was dealing with in the old frame. This will hopefully translate to better feedback from me off the track to help Dad and I make the right decisions with set up on the car. So yes, I'm optimistic the new car will give us the platform to potentially have better results this year.”

The 2021 Speedway Entertainment All Pro SpeedSTRs fueled by VP Racing Fuels season will open at Middleford Speedway in Seaford, De on March 20. This event will be the first in a 25-race schedule that will see the class compete at five different facilities in three states. Each event will award the winner at minimum $2,000.

For more information regarding the SpeedSTR cars or series you’re encouraged to visit SpeedwayEnt.com or Facebook. You can contact the Speedway Entertainment office at 717-866-7450.