Leftovers: Hot night at 47th Slinger Nationals

The 47th Slinger Nationals featured 200 laps of hard-nosed, paint swapping action culminating in one of the event’s most dramatic finishes. At night’s end, Wisconsin hot-shoe Casey Johnson won, adding this elusive accolade to his illustrious racing resume.

Looking beyond the finish, there were several storylines you may have missed along the way. Birthday celebrations, super star adventures, and scorching temperatures highlight this week’s Leftovers from Slinger Super Speedway.

Brown wins Bracket Challenge on 18th birthday

It was a happy birthday indeed for young-gun Carson Brown, as he celebrated turning 18 by winning the 2026 Slinger Nationals Bracket Challenge. He secured the inaugural event victory and a $5,000 prize by setting the fastest lap time in a blazing 11.102 seconds, ultimately out-dueling top driver Ty Majeski.

Introduced as a new addition to the Monday schedule at Slinger Super Speedway, the event was structured similarly to a tournament bracket. The fastest 32 Super Late Models from the afternoon practice sessions were seeded into a 32-driver bracket (1st vs. 32nd, 2nd vs. 31st, etc.). Drivers went head-to-head in three-lap match-ups on the high-banked, quarter-mile oval. The driver with the faster single lap time advanced to the next round. Once the field was trimmed through four rounds down to the final four drivers, each was given a brand-new set of tires for a final solo run. The single fastest lap time among those four determined the overall winner.

Brown narrowly outpaced short-track titan and four-time Slinger Nationals champion Ty Majeski, who couldn’t match Brown’s pace in the final round. Rounding out the final behind Majeski was Luke Fenhaus in third, and Penn Sauter in fourth.

The Hocevar Experience

NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar had a chaotic and short-lived performance at the 47th annual Slinger Nationals, retiring early from the 200-lap feature due to a mechanical failure finishing 22nd.

Driving for Ritchie Wauters, Hocevar’s race day at Slinger followed a frantic, cross-country travel schedule. Following the Sunday NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta, Hocevar stayed in Georgia to compete in a late-night dirt track event on Monday, skipping practice at Slinger.

Fifteen-year-old Spire Motorsports development driver, and Wauters Motorsports teammate, Tristan McKee shook down the No.77 machine in Hocevar’s absence.

Adding to the logistical hurdles, Hocevar arrived at the track on Tuesday without his personal racing gear, forcing him to borrow a helmet and fire suit from fellow competitor Anthony Campi, who just happens to also be of a tall stature. 

Despite the lack of track time and borrowed equipment, Hocevar practiced and qualified for the main event and spent the opening portions of the race battling mid-pack.

His race ended prematurely when his car suffered a mechanical issue prior to the halfway break, but his night did not end there. Hocevar was initially offered a chance to return to the race, jumping into the No. 23 car of Billy VanMeter, but by the start of the second half of the feature, Hocevar found himself in the broadcast booth. He joined Jim Tretow and Blake McCandless, providing commentary throughout the remainder of the night on the FloRacing broadcast.

Fenhaus raced with a broken chassis

A mechanical failure spoiled an otherwise promising performance by 2021 Slinger Nationals champion Luke Fenhaus on Tuesday.

Fenhaus led 36 laps and battled at the front of the field before a mechanical breakdown prematurely ended his night, relegating him to a 15th-place finish.

The trouble for the No. 4 team began early when crew members discovered during practice that the car’s chassis was broken. Not a suspension part… the actual chassis. The team completed repairs, getting the chassis re-welded in time for Monday’s preliminary events, where Fenhaus advanced to the Final Four shootout of the inaugural Bracket Challenge.

Carrying momentum from a victory at the Slinger Independence Day 100 a week prior, Fenhaus surged to the front early in Tuesday’s 200-lap feature. He traded the lead with short-track standouts Ty Majeski and Derek Kraus before the car’s chassis once again broke and sidelined his car past the midway point.

Casey Johnson went on to win the chaotic feature race, while Austin Nason and Carson Brown rounded out the podium.

Scorching temperatures 

Blistering mid-summer heat and a National Weather Service heat advisory took center stage at this year’s Slinger Nationals, matching historic benchmarks for the most grueling racing conditions in the event’s history.

The two-day super late model showcase opened on Monday under a stifling 87°F sun. Conditions deteriorated rapidly by Tuesday’s feature race when afternoon ambient temperatures peaked at 95°F. Heavy humidity pushed “feels like” temps even higher, triggering local heat warnings and severely testing the endurance of drivers, crew members, and fans alike.

While everyone on site had to contend with the unusually high temps, the real battle took place inside the cockpits. Lacking air flow and insulated by heavy firesuits, drivers endured interior car temperatures estimated between 150°F and 170°F. 

The halfway break at lap 100 of the scheduled 200 allowed drivers about 10 minutes to exit their cars, find a fan and cool off. One driver, Gabe Sommers, used the break to change into a “backup” fire suit, having soaked through the suit he began the race in.

Historically, July weather at Slinger fluctuates near an average daily high of 81°F. However, extreme heatwaves have occasionally disrupted the event across its 47-year run. The highest official temperature recorded in the Slinger region during this stretch of July occurred in 2012, when mercury readings reached an all-time record high of 100°F.

Midfielder: Ty Majeski

Four-time event winner Ty Majeski saw his bid for a historic fifth Slinger Nationals title evaporate in a cloud of smoke and late-race chaos Tuesday night, spinning out of the lead with just four laps remaining at Slinger Super Speedway.

Majeski, the defending champion, dominated the majority of the second half of the 200-lap feature. After engaging in a door-to-door battle with Luke Fenhouse prior to the halfway break, Majeski took command and appeared well on his way to another crown.

Majeski’s comfortable lead evaporated in the final 10 laps as he faced pressure from polesitter Gabe Sommers and a hard-charging Carson Brown. With six laps to go, Sommers gave Majeski the bumper. As Majeski slid up, Sommers assumed the lead but only briefly. Carson Brown was quickly at the rear end of Sommers, who himself began to slide through the corner, allowing Brown to move into the top spot. As Brown assumed the lead, Sommers and Majeski made door-to-door contact exiting turn four with five laps to, sending Majeski spinning into the infield. Sommers pulled off track while Majeksi would restart towards the back of the field.

Adding insult to injury, Majeski was involved in a final incident following contact with a spinning Alex Prunty on the backstretch.

Ty Majeski finished in 13th, dead smack in the middle of the 26 car field.

Photos: Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel