Arpin races to WISSOTA national crown

Steve Arpin’s lead-footed ways have landed him a nationwide spotlight.
The Fort Frances stock car racer rebounded from a slow start to take the checkered flag in the Modified division at the WISSOTA 100 national championships in Cedar Lake, Wis. last weekend.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said the 19-year-old upon realizing he had outdistanced the elite field of WISSOTA competitors.
“There was another race this weekend in Aberdeen, N.D. and a lot of the guys from [Cedar Lake] left here to go to that one, because the competition was too tough in this one,” he noted.
“Then to see guys behind you that are as good as they are, that’s a pretty cool feeling.”
Arpin spent plenty of nights—and plenty more laps—thinking about eventually coming out on top in Cedar Lake.
“Winning this race is every Modified driver’s goal,” said Arpin. “It’s the biggest race in WISSOTA. The specials [special event races] I was in before I came here, the car had been really fast, so I had some confidence coming in.”
Arpin, who finished a disappointing 11th (by his standards) in last year’s WISSOTA 100, travelled to Cedar Lake yearning redemption.
He let it be known he was going to be a threat when he won his heat—despite getting stuck with the very last starting position on the 24-car grid after a random draw.
His finish gained him a spot on the outside of Row 2 for the 35-lap feature, but some pre-race adjustments had him dropping back right from the green flag.
“We set up the car pretty tight, meaning the back tires are sticking and you’re plowing into the corners,” said Arpin, who suddenly found himself in 10th spot.
“Once you burn fuel, the car gets looser, but I didn’t expect it to be near as tight. I nearly got into the wall off the start,” he noted. “But then, I just had to sit back and wait for the car to come around.”
Come around it did on about Lap 15, when Arpin started picking off cars in front of him one by one.
“Once you decide to start passing, you have to just go for it,” said Arpin. “In a matter of six laps, I had the lead.”
After extending his cushion, Arpin had to deal with a series of yellow caution flags that turned the last part of the race into a series of high-intensity re-starts.
“It’s hard to keep your concentration when you get that many yellows,” Arpin noted. “These guys are the best of the best. You screw up, and they won’t hesitate to take your spot.”
Arpin figured out—with the help of his father, Chuck, sitting in the stands—the proper strategy to fend off any would-be lead thieves.
“I knew where there was bite along the bottom of the track,” said Arpin, who currently is attending Red River College in Winnipeg to obtain his business degree.
“It was just a matter of coming out of [Turn #4] at the right angle.”
Arpin managed to hold off his pursuers long enough to capture his first national championship as he works his way towards a possible NASCAR career.
“It’s like I said before, I just want to take everything I learned from this year and apply it to next year,” he said. “We’ll probably hit up as many specials [events] as we can and stretch more south every weekend.
“But I’ll still be around [Emo Speedway],” he promised. “It’s nice to stay home once in a while.
“Emo is one of the best tracks I’ve ever run on,” he said, adding track maintenance chief Ron Korpi works countless hours every Friday and Saturday to get it in top shape.
“To this day, I have not raced at a track as well prepared as Emo Speedway,” Arpin said.