[July 22, 2011] Veteran driver Nutley now calls Grundy home Tweet Jul 22, 2011 (Morris Daily Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- John Nutley has raced at many of the usual stock-car stops throughout the Midwest ... and has also gone well beyond the region to compete on occasion. "I've been to tracks anywhere as far south as Birmingham, Ala. up as far north at Sauk Centre, Minn., as far west as Pike's Peak, Colo. and then east to right on the ocean in Myrtle Beach," Nutley said this week. Periodically, the resident of the south side of Chicago has visited Morris' Grundy County Speedway during his 34 years as a regular driver. The closest thing Nutley has to a "home track" is Illiana Speedway in Schererville, Ind. -- where he is a four-time track champion -- but he is no stranger to Grundy. "We were out there in the '80s in the Sportsman Division a little bit," Nutley said. "Then we did race some in the Late Model (Division) once we got our late model. We did one or two full seasons but kind of dropped off after that, because of work and all that on Fridays. ... If you work 'til 5 or 6, it makes it tough to make it down to race that night." In 2010, Nutley competed in the Grundy Late Model Division often enough that he earned 186 points, ranking 26th for the season. Heading into the 2011 season, a decision made by Illiana Speedway helped lead to a decision by Nutley to compete at Grundy full-time. "Illiana canceled one of its series -- the limited Late Model (Division)," Nutley said. "The (car) setup for that is identical to what it is for Grundy's Late Model class. The only difference is in the wheels and tires. ... The chassis and motors that I run are all the same in both cars. The only difference is the tires." Nutley's first full season at Grundy in several years has gone as well as he could have hoped. Through July 15, Nutley is the Late Model points leader with 868. Grundy veteran Eddie Hoffman Jr. is a close second with 864 points. "I'm happy we're doing as well as we are," Nutley said. "The team's happy. We're just trying to stay on top and stay in front of Hoffman. "I'm happy that we're headed in the right direction and hoping to stay there." The points lead remains intact in spite of the fact that Nutley has not won a feature race this season. He has finished second four times and third twice. Nutley did win the last-chance race at the Wayne Carter Classic on June 3 and has won a pair of heat races. That is a stark contrast to Hoffman, who has captured six feature victories, five fast times and a trophy dash in 2011. Hoffman's place in the standings took a hit on June 17, though, when he missed a night of racing. Nutley was in attendance and finished third in the feature and second in a heat. "Eddie missed a night, and that helped us stay on top and stay out in front of him," Nutley said. "He missed that one night, and it hurt him and it helped us." Part of the fun for Nutley at Grundy is trying to compete with dominant drivers like Hoffman and Brett Sontag who he says have an advantage in resources over him. Sontag is the defending Late Model champion, but he has yet to register any points at Grundy this season. "I like to run out there. It's just racing," Nutley said. "I just like to go out and race, now matter how fast or how slow or where it is. I like to run against the fast guys that kind of out-money me like Brett Sontag and Eddie Hoffman and try and hold my own." Over the years, Nutley has shown he has what it takes to stay atop a points race for an entire season at Illiana. He was the track's Sportsman Division champion in 1989, its Late Model champ in 2004 and its Limited Late Model champ in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, Nutley was second in the Limited Late Model class and third in the Super Late Model Division. He still races in the Super Late Model class at Illiana and is fourth in points. Nutley says that the level of competition is similar between Grundy and Illiana. "Both divisions are tough," he said. "It's competitive at both tracks in the Late Model divisions." Being a Grundy regular has been a good fit for Nutley, who thanked the fans for the support they have given him this season. He does plan on coming back in 2012, provided his always-busy racing schedule allows it. "We're planning on it," Nutley said. "We're also considering something a little different, too -- taking a truck and racing a truck series at certain races. I can't afford to do a lot of them, but I'd like to do some." To see more of The Morris Daily Herald, go to http://www.morrisdailyherald.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Morris Daily Herald, Ill. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]