The Forest County Potawatomi are well-known for lending a hand when needed, whether it is assistance with the local community or donations that go outside the community. A major way they show their support for area interests is by way of partnerships.
One major area of partnership is in the sport of off-road racing, which here, in Forest County, is extremely popular and a huge contributor to the economy. Not only does the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway Association (CIORA) bring in racers from all over the world for their various events, but these events also bring in thousands of fans who contribute to the economy through their support of local businesses during the race season. There are two main races that draw racers and fans to the community during the summer: The Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run, which will be held June 25-26, and the premier race of the sport, the World Championship Off-Road Races® held on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-4. Both events take place at the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway just west of the community.
Potawatomi Traveling Times (PTT) spoke with Cliff Flannery, president of CIORA for the past 42 years, to discuss the significance of the tribe’s partnership in the history of off-road racing.
In 1992 when the races were starting to be advertised on public television, partnerships started to come pouring in. As early as 1993, the FCP started sponsoring what was then called the “Governor’s Cup” Race. Since that time, they have been a major contributor to and have offered support for the races. Later, the Potawatomi Carter Casino Hotel (formerly known as Northern Lights Casino) was one of the major partnering names for the races with one of the major events of the weekend, the “FCP Chairman’s Cup”, being supported by the tribe. At the finish of that race, the tribal chairman would be in attendance to present the cup to the winning racer. As time passed, the name was further changed. It is now referred to as the “Forest County Potawatomi Community Cup”.
The amount of money awarded through their partnerships for these races became even larger and brought in more and more drivers from around the country. As the amount of monetary prizes increased, more drivers were attracted to the Crandon races, and the fields expanded even further. At times, the raceway was giving $130,000 in prize money over the weekend. Flannery mentioned, “We started having people come in from 18 to 19 different states. Racing back in Crandon in ’92-‘95 was really huge, and it brought in tons of people.” Today, in addition to the racing purses, Flannery says they are giving anywhere from $70,000-$80,000 back to the community through the 14 different organizations that come in and help them put on these races. Over $2 million totals the economic benefit to the community through these races.
Not only does CIORA give back to these organizations to help the community, but they also contribute directly to different benefits and activities around the surrounding area. They have helped the two cancer runs held in the area in the last couple of years; the Crandon School uses the track grounds for their cross country sport; they have a trap range for both kids and adults which is also used by the school for their trap team; and they also give scholarships to graduating high school students. These are just a few examples of their commitment to community needs. The success and help from FCP has also helped enable CIORA to build a larger campground and make improvements in that area to make patrons feel more at home. Flannery says, “The Potawatomi’s help has allowed us to be way more successful in all areas — not only right here, but also outside the community.”
With the help of FCP, CIORA has been able to grow the races into a huge and very successful pair of events. This, in turn, has helped the local community through both donations to local organizations as well as significant economic boosts to local businesses in Crandon and the surrounding areas. The economy in this area is also positively affected, considering the huge numbers of spectators who attend the races. Race fans who come to Crandon need places to stay and eat while they are here. As a result, it is estimated that the money they bring in turns over seven times before it leaves the county. Flannery mentioned that the racing organization also gives back to the tribe at various times so they benefit from one another. The raceway loans the tribe specific items to use during their powwows, students’ graduation parties, and the tribe has used the grounds at times for large events.
Flannery also stated that without FCP’s help, they wouldn’t be where they are today. He says, “In 2007-08, they bought the TV rights for the World Series, it was called then, and by buying these TV rights, the races became a larger success with a broader audience.” Having these television rights continues to expand the interest in the races, so that decision clearly was a wise one.
Other special events hosted during the race season by the FCP besides the FCP Community Cup race include the huge “Friday Night of Thunder” Race during the World Championships. Flannery described it by saying, “That Friday night racing is huge! That will be especially true this coming fall because there is a bit of a surprise that spectators will enjoy.”
Flannery sees the raceway and FCP being together indefinitely and looks forward to whatever else the future will bring through their collaboration. Flannery closes with, “Between the raceway and Potawatomis, nobody brings more into the community than this partnership does by far. There is no other event in Wisconsin like this, and their partnership with us has helped make these races the largest event in the Northwoods just as they are the largest employer in Forest County. Their help has brought much success.”
In addition to talking with CIORA, PTT was able to get a perspective from a racer who FCP has supported for years. Johnny Greaves has been in the sport of racing since the age of 12 when he started racing motocross as an amateur. At the age of 19, he started racing motocross professionally. He then raced as a pro in motocross for five years before switching to short-course off-road. Greaves is currently a professional off-road racer and team owner. He races the PRO 4 in the TORC series and has been doing this for 20+ years. Greaves has earned 11 PRO class championships and has a 100+ wins.
FCP has been partnering with Greaves for approximately 18 years, and Greaves is extremely grateful for the support the tribe has given him. He said, “The tribe was one of my first major sponsors, and with their support, I was able to take my off-road racing to a professional level. I feel a lot of our success has come from the long-term support from our loyal partners. I’m not sure we would have been able to advance our team and equipment the way we have or achieved the success and goals we have without these supporters. It continues to be an amazing journey in the sport of off-road racing, and we are very fortunate to have such a long-lasting and loyal partnership with the Forest County Potawatomi!”
Another off road racer with partnership ties to the FCP Community is Cam Reimers.
FCP’s support has unquestionably been invaluable in continuing to make Forest County the hot spot for the coming racing season. This sport seems to grow bigger each year and has put Crandon on the map as a major off-road race site in the country.
It should also be mentioned that FCP has a partnership with the ARCA Midwest Series for stock car races. There’s one race in Kaukauna, Wis. in August that is totally dedicated to the FCP Community. Additional partnerships within the series include Johnnie Sauter, Ross Kenseth and Kyle Calmes.
FCP also partners with LPGA golfer Caroline Powers.
Over the years, the Potawatomi have been generous in their partnerships and donations to causes as well as other local activities and organizations. In addition, the tribe is always watchful for new opportunities to support that offer future economic potential that will help the local community and surrounding area thrive and prosper.
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