WHITTEN RETURNS TO RUN
42ND ANNUAL OKTOBERFEST

Tanner and Chase Campbell, local Wausau Homes Builder at the track

18 year old Tanner Whitten from Concord, NC will return to LaCrosse Speedway, October 8th & 9th for the 42nd running of Oktoberfest. This prestigious race has been won by Nascar drivers such as Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Dick Trickle.
Besides racing in the Big 8 Late Model race Tanner has also been selected to participate in the 2nd Annual JMcK 63 Memorial Invitational on Sunday afternoon October 9th for which he was a segment winner last year.

Tannerʼs spotter and car owner for this weekends race is Frank Kreyer from Wisconsin Dells, WI. Frank is a past Nascar Nationwide driver who drove for the Wisconsin based company Culvers.

Tanner will be driving the #85 Wausau Homes, Red Cactus Salsa Chevrolet. He is excited to be partnering with two midwest companies for this race weekend. Both Wausau Homes and Red Cactus roots go back to helping feed and house Americans. Tanner himself is 7th generation from the family farm in Illinois.

His race car will be sporting pink accents in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We all know someone that has been affected by this disease. One in fourteen women with breast cancer are under the age of 40. Many of the Nascar drivers will be showing support of this cause all month long.

For more information go to www.oktoberfestraceweekend.com, www.tannerwhittenracing.com, www.wausauhomes.com and www.redcactus-usa.com.

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY -
LOUDON, NH

There were 43 cars on hand for the July 15th K & N Pro Series East Race in Loudon, New Hampshire.  Tanner qualified 24th and that's also where he finished the race.  There were several bad accidents right in front of Tanner that he was able to avoid and one actually sent him into the grass but he was able to control the car and get back on the track with no car damage.  Tanner would like to thank Iowa State University for their sponsorship of this race, his Crew Chief Jerry Babb, his Spotter Randy LaJoie and his entire team for all their help and support.  Be sure to check out additional photos from the race on Tanner's photo gallery page compliments of Ken Spring Photography and don't miss the race which will air on the SPEED channel Thursday, August 4th at 5:00 p.m. central time.

IOWA STATE'S FORAY INTO AUTO RACING IS SATURDAY IN NEWTON

Like many 18-year-olds, Tanner Whitten listened closely to the recruiting pitch of Iowa State University. This high school senior, though, has a different relationship with higher education.

Iowa State is sponsoring Whitten’s No. 85 car in Saturday’s K&N Pro Series East/West Challenge. This is the first venture into motorsports for the Ames-based university, and Iowa State will be sponsoring Whitten only for this weekend’s race. 
Cars in Sunday’s Nationwide race will be the first at Iowa Speedway to use ethanol fuel — the prototype of which was developed by Iowa State researchers in the 1930s.

Though the K&N Series will not use ethanol fuel, Iowa State marketing director Carole Custer is hopeful that Iowa State’s sponsorship will increase the exposure of ethanol fuel and help make the case, she said, that all NASCAR events should make the switch.

The sponsorship cost $5,000, which was paid from marketing department funds.

“The issue here is having an opportunity to raise the awareness of the university in this field that helped all Iowans,” Custer said. “We thought it was a great opportunity to tell our story. ... It’s what Iowa State is all about.”

The car will feature mascot Cy on the hood, and the Iowa State nameplate and colors along the side.

“The overall goal is to say to Iowans: Iowa State is doing research in products and programs that are going to make your life better,” Custer said. “The biofuels area is part of our misson.”

Whitten, who lives in Congerville, Ill., has long been aware of Iowa State, though he admits he’s not a Cyclones fan.

“I’m not a sports fan, outside of racing,” Whitten said.

This is Whitten’s first season on the K&N series — one that emphasizes younger drivers — and while he plans to attend a yet-to-be-determined college this fall, he’s hoping for an on-track education right now in the hopes of graduating to the Nationwide Series.

“That’s the main reason that I’ve pushed myself to get as far as we have — to pursue that dream,” he said.

No matter the outcome of Saturday’s race, Whitten won’t stick around Newton to celebrate. He’s receiving his high school diploma on Sunday.

College sponsorships of race cars are rare but not unprecedented.

High Point University sponsored a car during a 2009 Nationwide race in Newton, and Kenny Wallace, who will make his 500th Nationwide start Sunday, has been sponsored in the past by the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima.

“It’s a recruitment, marketing tool,” Wallace said. “You’ve got a young demographic that’s coming (to the races).”

Written by

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State University and its long history of biofuels research will be featured at the Iowa Speedway's May 21-22 NASCAR weekend.

The No. 85 Chevrolet driven by Tanner Whitten in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East/West Challenge at 7 p.m. May 21 will race with Iowa State colors and logos. And a 1933 replica filling station on display at Iowa Speedway during race weekend will tell the story of Iowa State professors Leo Christensen, Ellis Fulmer and Ralph Hixon developing a blend of 10 percent corn alcohol and gasoline. Advertisements of the day called the octane-boosting blend "a superior motor fuel" that "means cornbelt prosperity."

"Iowa State University is all about putting science, technology and creativity to work for Iowa and the world," said Carole Custer, director of university marketing. "This promotion and sponsorship is a way to highlight the university's role in the development of ethanol and the university's continued leadership in biofuels research."

This year NASCAR started fueling its stock cars with a blend of 15 percent ethanol made with corn grown by American farmers. This month's races at Iowa Speedway will be the first time NASCAR's ethanol-fueled cars will race in Iowa.

To promote ethanol-fueled racing, Tad Whitten of In-Touch Marketing Solutions in Congerville, Ill., is organizing "Farmers Drive Iowa," a caravan of vehicles powered by biorenewable fuels. The vehicles include the Iowa State-sponsored race car, a John Deere tractor and several flex fuel vehicles.

TANNER WHITTEN to race in NASCAR
K & N East Series in 2011

April 13th, 2011 - Congerville, IL - Tanner Whitten, 18 year old from Congerville, Illinois will race in 2011 in the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East racing series. The K & N series is the last step of the NASCAR developmental program prior to racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series and the NASCAR Nationwide series. After a successful Rookie year in the NASCAR Whelen series Tanner has moved to Concord, NC and will be racing out of the LaJoie Race Team shop with teammate Corey LaJoie.

Tanner’s 2011 race season begins on March 26th at the historic Greenville Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina. His season will start out with a partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Farmers International www.fcfi.org. They are a group of farmers and businessmen that travel the world helping people in need. The series will take Whitten to NASCAR tracks such as Dover, Delaware, Richmond, Virginia, Loudon, New Hampshire, Newton, Iowa and Phoenix, Arizona.

“I’m looking forward to driving out of the LaJoie camp this year and racing in the NASCAR K & N Series. Should be a challenging and fun filled year”, said Whitten.

Along with racing Tanner will continue his outreach towards distracted driving. Follow Tanner at www.tannerwhittenracing.com. For more info contact Tad
Whitten at Motorsports Management, Inc., tadwhitten@gmail.com or call 309/261-3062.

WHITTEN WINS BIG 8 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
AND ALSO WINS THE JMCK63 SEGMENT 2
RACE AT OKTOBERFEST IN LACROSSE

With the 2010 race season complete Tanner finished 6th out of 105 cars in the Big 8 Series points race also grabbing Big 8 Rookie of the Year honors.  Whitten competed in Rockford, Madison, Slinger and LaCrosse throughout the race season in the Big 8 Series.  The race season ended on October 10th in LaCrosse, Wisconsin with a race win in the JMCK63. John McKarns was a big part of the motorsports industry and he was a long time promoter of Oktoberfest.   "I was very honored to have won this race in honor of John McKarns, Gregg McKarns' father", says Whitten. "Gregg has done so much for me this year and it was a great way to end the season with a win at LaCrosse in honor of his late father.  I never met John McKarns but everyone always spoke highly of him and his love for the sport".  Click on the Media & Video tab to view the race video.

With much anticipation Tanner Whitten along with youth Pastor's Jeff & Betsy Frost from Rockford First will be speaking to nearly 400 teens on September the 8th at 7:00 p.m. at the church.  The event is called Drive.  Using racing and Christ as the focal point, teens will learn about Tanner's trust in the spotter and crew much as we all should trust in God's guidance everyday. We are excited to be a small part of this outreach.  It is certainly important for all of us to trust in God's direction.  Please join Tanner's racing Facebook page and share any thoughts and comments.

WHITTEN GRABS FIRST WIN AT
ROCKFORD SPEEDWAY

August 14th - Tanner wins his first NASCAR Whelen Series Feature Win at Rockford Speedway on Saturday night.  There were 18 cars on hand for the NASCAR Late Models.  Tanner qualified 4th fastest and started the feature in 9th position.  “You have to keep your nose clean,” an excited Whitten offered in the winner’s circle. “I love Rockford. You gotta be able to run high, run low, get up on the wheel and drive a little bit here to win. This place really caters to a mix of aggression and patience.”   Tanner would really like to thank his entire crew as well as their wives and girlfriends for all of their dedication and commitment as well as all of his sponsors.  Official results are below.  Click on the Media & Video tab to watch the race video.  Next on tap is Madison International Speedway this Friday, August 20th.

TANNER WHITTEN PROMOTES DISTRACTED DRIVING DAY AT THE ILLINOIS STATE FAIR

On the opening day of the 2010 Illinois State Fair Tanner Whitten served as the official spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Transportation promoting Distracted Driving Day at the Fair.  Tanner was in the IDOT tent all day along with his Mountain Dew/Toyota Camry Late Model stock car to discuss the importance of distracted driving.  In 2011 Tanner will be traveling all across Illinois and speaking at schools about this very serious issue that faces everyone with a cell phone today. He also spent time on Thursday traveling to various radio and television stations to discuss this same issue.