What’s North Pole, Alaska, known for, besides being the hometown of that big guy with the sleigh who’s busy around this time of year? It’s also the unusual hometown of a highly accomplished Sprint car driver. Bill Balog is 44 years old and calls North Pole home. For professional reasons, which means manhandling a 900-horsepower winged Sprint car, Balog has relocated to Wisconsin, where he holds 10 championships with the Interstate Racing Association regional sanctioning body. Balog is about to join the big time for real.
Now planning to embark on a campaign to win the World of Outlaws rookie of the year honors in 2024, Balog already leads all IRA competitors with 138 feature event wins, plus another five in what used to be the All Star Circuit of Champions before its recent purchase by the High Limits tour. Balog joins a younger rookie, Landon Crawley, in seeking the prestigious WoO rookie crown bestowed by the national touring Sprint series. The award is named in honor of the late Kevin Gobrecht, who came out of central Pennsylvania and was a rising WoO star when his untimely passing occurred.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 