My name is Stan Meissner and I am a dirt track racing writer and photographer based out of Forest Lake, Minnesota. My first exposure to racing was in the early 1960's and the cars were called Supermodifieds. They raced at our local short tracks including the Twin City Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway and Princeton Speedway. My cousin, Tom Wilke and my uncle Lloyd Wilke wreched cars driven by Jerry Lepinski. Those years were exiting times for our local racing and that's what drew me to the sport.
I have been blessed with opportunities that have enabled me to make a contribution to the sport I love. In 1996 I created my website as a personal homepage that included a section devoted to dirt track racing. It wasn't long before I started to receive positive feedback about the racing section so I decided to devote the entire site to racing. In 1999 my website exceeded my ISP's hit quota for a personal home page so I registered the domain gotomn.com and got a hosting account. It was also in 1999 that I began my association with the Midwest Racing Connection. 2008 will be my tenth season writing for MRC. I am also a contributing photographer to the Three Wide Media Publications Flat Out Illustrated and Dirt Late Model.
|
|
|
|
|
Ken Schrader checks out MRC, Stan Meissner photo |
Mark Strausser of MRC, Stan Meissner photo |
Tony Stewart and Brenda Bruggeman, Stan Meissner photo |
 |
||
|
Vince "Track Rat" Peterson and his dad Les getting Jeff Gordon's autograph. Vinster is a big fan of Jeff Gordon. This photo was published in Cedar Lake's 50th anniversary program. Stan Meissner photo |
||
|
I took this photo of Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the press conference during his 2007 visit to Cedar Lake Stan Meissner photo |
If you haven't visited my Photo Gallery I invite you to do so.
|
Haud at the Eldora Million 2003 Stan Meissner photo |
JJ Yeley at the Eldora Million Stan Meissner photo |
The 2003 season produced an unexpected opportunity. Rob Hahn would be hosting a television show on Twin Cities channel 45 called the "Race Show." Rob recruited Dan Plan, and I to do television interviews. Brian Nelson, a co-worker of MRC contributor Mark Strausser shot the dirt track video segments. Brian was already an accomplished photographer so not only was he a great help making the show a success but he gave me some photography tips as well. Rob Hahn continues his involvement in racing through his weekly motorsports column in the Minneapolis Star & Tribune and as a consultant for MRC. Here are photos of some of my favorite moments from the Race Show as well as photos taken during some of the NASCAR driver visits at the Cedar Lake Speedway. The Race Show dirt track segment lasted for one season and we had a lot of fun making new friends as well as getting to know some of the drivers.
|
Matt Kenseth and Stan Meissner at Cedar Lake Mark Strausser photo |
Rob Hahn interviews Matt Kenseth for the Race Show Stan Meissner photo |
Race Show interviews
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
||
|
Dave Blaney, And Matt Kenseth were the subjects of our second night of Race Show interviews. Blaney is my favorite NASCAR driver and it was an honor to be able to talk to him about his Outlaw career, Sharon Speedway and NASCAR. I am a "Blaniac" and follow Dave's career closely. |
Scott Bloomquist, most photographers will probably tell you they are Scott Bloomquist fans. That's because Scott likes to watch races from the infield to see what the track is doing. Bloomquist will sit on his four wheeler and talk with whoever happens to be in the vicinity. Scott was a pleasure to interview and I don't hesitate to call myself one of his fans. |
Pat Doar, This was my first night doing interviews and Pat was our second of the evening. Pat is one of my favorite Late Model drivers. He had done well against national competition when he's got the motor program and sponsorship to get out and travel. Like the majority of our local racers Pat holds down a job during the week and goes racing on the weekends. You have to admire how hard these guys work to get to this level. |
Craig Dollansky, The Dollansky interview was done at Princeton while Craig was recovering from back surgery. Craig was at the Princeton Speedway watching a 360 Sprint Car race. Nobody would have predicted on the night of this interview what would happen at Princeton the next season. The first ever Princeton National was held at the Princeton Speedway in May of 2004. |
Steve Kinser, we did two interviews with the King of the Outlaws. Kinser won the Cedar Lake Feature on this night so we had the pleasure of interviewing him in his hauler and later while still strapped into his car in Victory Lane. Kinser was in a rush to catch a plane so he could get back to IROC practice but he graciously granted us interviews in spite of the time crunch. |
||
) |
|
) |
) |
) |
||
|
Donnie Schatz, Brian and I followed the Outlaws to Fox Ridge so we could do an interview to preview the upcoming Cedar Lake WoO race. At that time Donnie was looking at other options in racing including Silver Crown Cars on pavement. Since returning to the dirt full time he has been the man to beat with the Outlaws |
If you're a Sprint Car fan and you're from Minnesota you're probably a Travis Whitney fan. We did this interview at Travis' shop. I enjoyed the opportunity to do something away from the track. |
Terry McCarl Won the 2003 Richert Memorial. I was in Superior for the Northern Nationals the night before and mentioned to Terry that we'd be doing an interview. We had talked a few times before that and he told me that he used to pick up Schmidt cans under the grandstands at North Star in Blaine when he was a kid. It was cool that Terry remembered our conversations at Superior and Husets and worked that into the Race Show interview. Terry is a fierce competitor and a great promoter. |
Tom Nesbitt, What would the Race Show have been if we hadn't done a Tom Nesbitt interview? I have gotten to know Tom a little since I did this interview and am in awe of the legend whenever I talk to him. Tom gives a good interview and has a lot of insight into our local racing. He's got a lot of years of experience driving dirt Late Models. |
Jerry Richert Jr., Talked about the Jerry Richert Memorial race held each September at the Cedar Lake Speedway. The entire Richert family has is involved in making this one of the best Sprint Car races in the upper Midwest each season. The race is sanctioned by the IRA and includes drivers from Knoxville, Iowa and NOSA as well as all the IRA regulars. |
A few of my racing friends from left to right, Les Peterson, Track Rat Vinster (Vince Peterson), my son Les Meissner, GRP (Greg Parent)
This is what it's all about, relaxing and having fun
Thanks for visiting my website. Stan Meissner
[ Back to Gotomn ]
)
)
