Cold weather or not, we’re going racing for the World Championship in Eagle River, Wisconsin, on Sunday!
The 62nd running of this historic event will come down to 25 fast laps between an unbelievably deep pool of drivers. And it will happen in subarctic temperatures on the historic high-banked oval.
We’ve said before in our annual Tip Sheet that “any of these drivers could win it,” but we’ve never meant it more than this year! From top to bottom, all 10 of these drivers have fast machines under their seats – there’s not a single “lucky to make the final” rider in this bunch. And the two drivers that we’ve expecting to qualify through Sunday morning’s Last Chance Qualifier shouldn’t be fully discounted either.
That said, the top four listed below have been a notch ahead of the rest of the field for most of the weekend. The cold weather will allow for peak horsepower output, and the rock-hard track is in the best shape it’s been in for years in this ultimate showdown for the Snow Goer Cup as the next World Champion.
We’ve been producing a “tip sheet” at the World Championship in Eagle River since the 1990s, setting fictional odds on the front row qualifiers. Have fun with it, but for the record, we’re not covering any wagers or side-bets you make with your friends!
The World Championship is set for 1:30. Check it out, then check SnowGoer.com tonight for full coverage and behind-the-scenes detail.
Blaine Stephenson, No. 102 Polaris, Hutchinson, Minnesota. The four-time World Champion was the fast qualifier Friday morning and then won the Friday Night Sweet 16 final to establish himself as the favorite. Could the Wahl Bros. rider be the sport’s first-ever five-timer? ODDS: 2-1 Zach DeWald, No. 57 Polaris, from Twining, Michigan. The son of likley future hall-of-famer Troy DeWald was second in 2023 and was second to Stephenson on Friday in the Sweet 16, plus he won his Saturday semi-final. He’s been strong all weekend on the Mickey’s sled. ODDS: 3-1Matt Goede, No. 28 Ski-Doo, New Germany, Minnesota. The two-time defending World Champion here at Eagle River has been very good, but he hasn’t been as dominant as the last two years. Only a fool would count out this proven winner, though. ODDS: 3-1Joe Burch, No. 29 Polaris, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Last year’s runner up is fast, but he had an interesting path to the final after crashing into the haybales atop turn four. We can definitely envision the former Soo I-500 winner holding the Snow Goer Cup after Sunday’s final. ODDS: 4-1Tanner Foss, No. 14 Polaris, Middle River, Minnesota. Burch’s teammate at DL Racing has been getting great holeshots and has a tremendous sled. The question is whether he can maintain that speed for 25 laps. Time will tell. ODDS: 6-1 Gunnar Sterne, No. 220 Ski-Doo, West Chicago, Illinois. The multi-time national oval sprint points champion has admitted to struggling with the bigger Formula III chassis compared to Pro Champ sleds, but Saturday he displayed amazing corner speed and looked the most comfortable we’ve seen him on an F-III sled. ODDS: 7-1Dustin Schwandt, No. 326 Arctic Cat, from Fox Lake, Wisconsin. He was surprisingly strong Saturday afternoon, winning the third semi final. He holds the hope of all Arctic Cat fans in his gloved hands! ODDS: 8-1Reed Klinger, No. 221 Polaris, of Athens, Wisconsin. The Formula III rookie was the second fastest in qualifying and has a great machine, but he’s making his first run for the Snow Goer Cup. ODD: 9-1Andy Shoemaker, No. 22, of Pinconning, Michigan. The fifth place finisher in 2023 spent a lot of time in snowdust Saturday with consecutive third-place finishes in the quarterfinal and semi final, but was strong enough to advance. ODDS: 9-1Dakota Harris, No. 23 Polaris, Morley, Michigan. He edged Gavin Peterson by mere inches for the last spot in the final, so the popular Michigan driver is kind of playing with house money. Finished fifth in the W.C. previously. ODDS: 10-1
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Who won?
It’s all here: https://snowgoer.com/news/dewald-wins-dominant-world-championship-at-eagle-river/33076/