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Your Pit Guide reporter recently had the opportunity to sit down with a couple of the 2008 champions from Toledo Speedway to hear their thoughts on their racing careers and how they view the upcoming season. So, let's sit back, grab a cold beverage of our choice, and listen to what Sportsman Champ Jim Froling, driver of the bright orange #46 Ford Fusion, and Figure 8 veteran Dennis Whisman, steering the white aptly numbered  #1, have to say about racing on the short tracks.

When and where did you start your racing career and in what class?

Dennis Whisman; Mine was a little different to say the least, since my very first race was the day after my Senior Prom in 1982. I actually ended my prom date early the night before since I was so excited to finally get to go racing in a Street Stock at Flat Rock Speedway. My older brothers all raced and I was itching to get behind the wheel, but when my brother Joey hurt his hand on a motorcycle, I got to drive his car. After trying the street stocks, it looked like the Figure 8 guys were sure having a lot of fun and that whole intersection deal looked pretty exciting, so that was the division I decided to run. I keep telling Jim that they are so much fun, he ought to give them a try, but so far I haven't talked him into it yet.

Jim Froling; Like Dennis, I also started at Flat Rock, but my first race was in an Enduro car around 14 years ago, and the intensity of racing that close with a 100 other cars on the quarter mile was more fun than I could have imagined. It is a great low budget class for someone to find out if racing is really for them, and I recommend them to anyone who wants to get their feet wet and try racing. I raced Enduro for a couple years, moved up to the Street Stocks for three years, and then decided to try my hand with the Super Late Models, ShortTrackTrucks, and an occasional ASA foray. When Toledo Speedway decided to resurrect the Sportsman class in 2000, we decided that was the place for us. As far as the Figure 8's go, are you nuts?  Ever since I started racing, one of my goals was to stay as far away as I could from broadside collisions!

What is your day job?

Jim; I work for Ford as an engineer in cylinder head design. With my background, I really enjoy the technical challenges involved in racing and engineering new innovations for the car as well as driving it.

Dennis; I get to travel around the area maintaining or repairing forklift trucks, and other material handling and maintenance equipment. We provide an important service because the customer facilities we support really get in a bind when a piece of equipment is down.

What can you tell us about your very first street car?

Dennis; I had a 1967 Camaro that once belonged to my sister. It looked really fast with the fire engine red paint and mag wheels, but it only had a six cylinder and a three speed, so it was actually pretty slow. The exhaust was kind of loud, so it didn't sound too bad, but I always had these guys with the big block muscle cars pull alongside to try and race me from the lights. They always got ticked off when I wouldn't take their bait. Now that I think about it, my race car also has a six, so maybe it was a sign of things to come, although with the race car I don't have any problems racing with anybody!

Jim; At least your Camaro looked cool, I had a 1981 Buick Century that I got from my grandfather. It was a good running car, but for some reason, every time I drove by a Bill Knapp's or Sign of the Beefcarver restaurant, it kept trying to pull in the parking lot for the early bird special.

Do you have anyone who served as your idol, mentor or teacher when you started your racing career?

Dennis; Without a doubt, it was my older brother David who raced Street Stocks at Flat Rock. He was the one that first started the Whisman tradition of using a rebel flag on his car long before those Duke boys made it popular. I also put the flag on my car in his honor, and announcer Gary Lindahl started calling me "The Rebel" and the nickname stuck. Figure 8 veterans Denny Pace, and Dave Miller were also a big influence and gave me a lot of advice.

Jim; I had a couple drivers in NASCAR that I admired, like Bill Elliott for his demeanor and also Alan Kulwicki with his engineering background. I got to participate in an autograph session at Ford with Bill several years ago, and it was hard to believe I was actually sitting next to him signing for the fans. As far as the local drivers, I was always impressed by Rick Knowles since he seemed so smooth and focused on the track. I thought if I could drive like that I might do OK.

What current competitors do you have the most respect for?

Dennis; It would have to be Robbie Loving. His dad, Frank, has been a part of the Figure 8 series for a long time, and I actually got my first feature win in their car filling in for Robbie one night. All the drivers in our division get along really well with each other, but Jeremy Miller is another driver I especially enjoy racing with.

Jim;  Ron Allen is such a great competitor at Toledo in any of the series he competes in. He has such passion and dedication for the sport and meets the true definition of a real racer, so if his car is working right, he is always one of the toughest. The last two years we have both gone down to the last race battling each other for the championship with Ron winning it in 2007, and us taking it last year.

How do things look for your division in 2009 at the tracks you race at?

Jim; I think the Sportsman division at Toledo will be pretty good this year. Most all the teams from last year will be returning, and ARCA has done a good job with the Sportsman rules to keep the racing cost effective. No one really dominated last year, and many of the other teams were so very close to the front, that I am expecting it to be very competitive once again.

Dennis; I am expecting a good car count in the Figure 8 division at both Toledo and Flat Rock. Everyone I can think of from last year is returning, and there are even some new cars being built. Figure 8 racing is not very common as a weekly series at a lot of tracks, so our division can offer something different that really grabs the drivers and fans. Assuming everyone can avoid engine trouble, we should be able to have some great competition this year with full fields.

Everyone has a story about the big one that got away; do you recall anything specific?

Dennis; For me, it would have to be the big 3 hour World Figure 8 Championship that runs every year at the Indianapolis Speedrome. I have raced in it a few times, but just never had the equipment that some of those guys bring. There was one team that even brought a whole NASCAR type double deck transporter loaded with a couple cars, so believe me, we felt a little outclassed when that rig showed up. Racing these cars for that long of a distance is definitely a workout for both me and the car, but we sure had a lot of fun!

Jim; By nature, I try not to dwell on that kind of thing, but just put it behind me and prepare for the next race. If I had to think of anything, it would be a race in the ShortTrackTrucks where I had lapped everyone up to 3rd place until the motor broke.

Obviously the fans are such an integral part of our sport. Do you have any memorable interactions with them that you would like to share?

Dennis; I would say it has to be the kids. They get so excited to come down to the pits after the races and will tell you everything that happened during the race, lap by lap. The drivers in the Figure 8's all get along really well with each other, but I have seen some of the fans get so angry about the races that they are almost ready to start fighting. They seem to take it a lot more personal than even we drivers do which amazes us sometimes.

Jim; The only one that easily comes to mind was when I was in the ShortTrackTrucks. Before one race I was approached by a woman that I like to call "The Psycho". She started rattling off more stats and facts about my racing career than I even knew, and it was starting to get kind of creepy, if you know what I mean. I was driving a truck that wasn't as competitive as I would have liked, and for some dumb reason, I blurted out if I won she could come down to victory lane for the photos. Normally I am very focused when racing and don't get distracted, but as the race progressed, I somehow found myself leading, and I made the mistake of thinking about her going crazy in the stands. Wouldn't you know it, I then over drove the very next lap, cooked the tires and ended up getting passed.

Looking into a crystal ball, how do you think the upcoming season will end up for you?

Jim; We just hope to continue where we left off last year. One of our big goals was to win the Sportsman championship, and we finally achieved it last year, so we are hoping for a repeat. The level of competition in our division is so strong; we just need to avoid any DNF's.  I have to thank my team Wolverine Motorsports Inc. for all their dedication. We all work hard maintaining and improving the car during the week, and it's the teamwork and level of preparation that makes it easy for me on race day. Right now we're all having a lot of fun, and it shows.

Dennis; Pretty much what Jim said. I hope everything goes just like last year; our season went really well and we managed to win the championships at both Flat Rock and Toledo, but we will need to try and keep the car in one piece again. I'd like to thank my crew and also my friend Bill Barnhart, MARFC President, for his long time support with his WBVS Photo sponsorship.