By Ben Deatherage
HARTFORD, S.D. — For the second straight year, Hartford’s Lee Goos Jr. rose above adversity and a deep field of contenders to capture the RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car national championship, marking back-to-back titles.
“It’s kind of ironic — I didn’t really have intention of going for another national championship until last year’s banquet,” Goos said. “A couple of our good friends couldn’t make it because one of their family members had passed away, and I told them, ‘I’ll just win it next year so you can go.’ They thought I was joking, but I was serious.”
That promise became reality. What began as another season of steady racing turned into a campaign defined by perseverance. Goos started the year strong, ran into midseason frustration with several DNFs, and then steadied the ship with a late push that sealed the championship.
“We had good cars all year, but I took myself out of a few races. I had seven DNFs and was still able to get the championship. It put a lot of pressure on me the last month of the season, but we made it count.”
Goos competes regularly at I-90 Speedway and Huset’s Speedway and opened the year with trips to Eagle Raceway to test himself against Nebraska’s top talent.
“It’s not small car counts at our home tracks and going down to Eagle early in the year I wanted to see how we stacked up early,” he said. “I can’t complain — it’s a lot of fun.”
The season opened with early momentum, including a pair of May victories at I-90 Speedway on the 3rd and 31st that set the tone for his title defense. June brought a red-hot stretch with a weekend sweep across two tracks, winning June 14 at I-90 and June 15 at Huset’s before closing the month with another I-90 triumph on June 28. The summer grind produced a steady rhythm of podium finishes and a late-year surge that saw Goos win at Southern Iowa Speedway on August 4 and wrap up his title chase with a decisive victory at Arlington Raceway on September 27.
Across 32 starts, Goos collected seven feature victories, 20 podiums, 23 top-five finishes, and 27 top-tens — a model of consistency despite the setbacks. Four of those wins came at I-90, joined by single victories at Huset’s, Southern Iowa, and Arlington. He also earned the I-90 Speedway track championship where he’s a multi-time titlist.
Goos is one of only five drivers from South Dakota to win an IMCA Sprint Car National title since 1925 and the first from the Mount Rushmore State to win it more than once, joining Matt Richard, Steve Ballenger, and Doug Wolfgang, who won it from 1994–96, and Dusty Ballenger, who earned the crown in 2011.
Reigning National champion Lee Goos Jr. poses after another standout season in the RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car division. (Photo by NWIowaPics.com)
The championship season was made even more meaningful through family. Goos’ son Dylan Waxdahl completed his second full-time season and finished fifth in national points while winning the Huset’s Speedway track title.
“Dylan wanted to be Top 20 in points and ended up fifth,” Goos said proudly. “He drives for Josh Sterrett, and they went up to North Dakota a lot to race. It’s nice to pit next to each other when we can, though it might add to his mom’s stress level,” he added with a laugh.
“There’s not a lot of sponsorship behind our team — most of it comes out of my pocket and from our family business, Goos RV,” he said. “We’ve got a few people who help us, and I couldn’t do it without Sid Gulbranson, who’s a huge help when we travel, or Brad Wiskur and Colby Klaassen when we race close to home. My other half, Jamy, is a good sport about my racing giving up her weekends to help and support me.”
Feature Wins 7
Total Top Five’s 23
Total Starts 32
His Pit Crew: Sid Gulbranson, Brad Wiskur, Colby Klaassen, partner Jamy Waxdahl
His Sponsors: Goos RV, Hoogie’s Garage Podcast, Great Plains Electric, Creekside Meats, JJ Designs, Circle Performance, Complete Living Solutions