Superior Ice Racing Association’s Racing Season in Full Swing with Souptown Showdown

DULUTH, Minn.– Ice racing season is in full swing in Superior with Saturday’s Souptown Showdown race.

“There’s no traction out here, we’re all on the same surface cause it is ice,” said racer Greg Pluntz.

The sound of engines revving filled the frozen Allouez Bay in Superior as vehicles raced around a frozen track on the ice. It was the second race put on by the Lake Superior Ice Racing Association.

“There’s no rule on how nice of a car you can have. You could just take a car out of your backyard and race and do super good,” Laurisa Richardson, a racer and Secretary Board Member of the Lake Superior Ice Racing Association.

22 racers slid around on the ice along the 8 lap track. Including Richardson, who’s been competing for the last 5 years.

“Granted it’s really cold but it kinda makes you forget about the Monday through Friday stuff and you can have fun on the weekends,” said Richardson.

Richardson races with a fixed up 1984 Cutlass with a Chevy 350 engine to help get her around corners on the track, putting her be ahead of the pack.

No matter what place she finishes, she says racing with the ice racing association is always fun and inclusive.

“I think a lot of it is the fact that I’m a girl that races and all the guys are so fair,” said Richardson. “They’re always willing to help like I just had my last race I got third but for a while there I was in second and it was just a great race and it’s fun.”

There are no divisions or classes of cars, just a group of racers looking to be the first ones past the checkered flag. Each with their own strategy.

“You can’t just give it all the time. You have to actually give it a lot of thought process and make sure that you’re smooth,” said Pluntz. “you want to come off the corners smooth, all of that stuff’s going through your head and trying to keep the track in front of you but yet, you’re looking in your mirrors and just trying not to slide around so bad that you take yourself out of contention.”

Just off of the track, spectators watched from their vehicles. It’s a sight which warms the competitors.

“It’s amazing isn’t it? It’s 20 below zero and there’s got to be 30 cars out there watching us. It’s fantastic,” said Pluntz. “Just to get out in the fresh air, even though it’s 20 below zero, it feels really good to get out in the sunshine and talk to people and race with people and get back racing again. That’s what it’s all about.”

Racers will be back out on the bay during the next two weekends for doubleheader races on Saturdays and Sundays.