A new state will be represented in the upcoming World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season.
Last month, Bill Balog threw his name into the World of Outlaws ring as a full-time driver. He’ll compete for Kevin Gobrecht Rookie-of-the-Year honors.
Hailing from North Pole, Alaska, Balog’s roots are more than 4,000 miles from the World of Outlaws home base in Concord, N.C.
How did Balog wind up racing sprint cars? The driver nicknamed “The North Pole Nightmare” stated it “just started as a hobby in Alaska and seemed to be doing pretty well, the first couple years.
“So then I ended up moving to Washington state to race asphalt late models for a guy and it didn’t really work out,” Balog continued.
While Balog never contested a race in a late model, it was a sign of things to come.
“That kind of got me down to the lower 48,” Balog said.
“Then, (I) worked at a mechanic shop throughout all these years. My dad brought a sprint car down to Washington and started racing that, but it wasn’t until I moved to Wisconsin, where I got to start racing the 410 cars.”
Beginning to race a 410 sprint car in 2005 with the IRA Outlaw Sprint Series, Balog was named rookie of the year.
Shortly after, Balog’s tear on the IRA tour ensued. Balog reeled off seven straight championships aboard the B Squared Motorsports No. 17b. He’d later earn three more titles and secure a whopping 127 victories with the series.
Amid his stellar showing behind the wheel of a race car, he became a professional racer.
“2015, I quit my job and went full-time racing,” Balog said. “So, (it) hasn’t been that long. But, it’s been kind of a slow progression of trying to gain equipment and just race.”
A year after quitting his day job, Balog topped the Greatest Show on Dirt in the Jim Boyd Memorial at Wisconsin’s Beaver Dam Raceway.
Balog had arrived on the national sprint car scene.
Since his breakthrough with the World of Outlaws, Balog has focused on racking up victories in the IRA and All Star Circuit of Champions.
Though he and his Wisconsin-based team had eyes on achieving a lifelong dream — competing full time with the World of Outlaws.
“I just looked at everything, looked at all the numbers, and it was sort of a no-brainer for me and what we’re doing here,” Balog said of his decision to contest the full World of Outlaws calendar this year.
“Just always wanting to do the World of Outlaws.”
While Balog carries a winning pedigree into the 86-race schedule, he’s keeping his expectations modest as he recalls his previous encounters with the traveling series.
“It’s super intense,” Balog said. “Their pace is very high and they generally run 10 laps longer than we would run. So a 30-lap feature for me would be at a local race or whatever, or even an All Star show. Normally, it’s a 40-lap race for an Outlaw race.
“So they run a little bit more laps. I sometimes have to be a little bit defensive locally. If you do that with the World of Outlaws, you’re just not going to make it,” Balog continued.
“So, it’s 100 percent offense. I think it’s gonna be hard. I’ve definitely got to stay in shape and make sure I stay healthy.”
By season’s end at the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in November, Balog believes a top-10 points finish is a realistic goal as he wears many hats outside the cockpit.
“I don’t really have real high goals. I’m the owner, driver, truck driver and the bookkeeper and everything,” Balog said. “So, I got a lot going on.
“I’m not trying to set real high goals and then get beat up. I want to do the best I can, top 10 in points. If I do that, I think there’ll be some success throughout the year.”