Rich Bickle will try to capture one of the most prestigious titles in all of short-track racing when he competes in the 29th-Annual Miller Lite Nationals at Slinger Super Speedway this Tuesday, July 15th.

"The track hasn't changed a bit," said Bickle, the 1992, 1996 (left) and 2003 Nationals champion. "The competition is just as tough, there just isn't as much of it. Back in the 1980's, there would be more than 60 cars in the pits. Now, there's usually 40 to 45 or so. It's still tough, one of the toughest races to win anywhere. That's why I keep coming back. It's great competition."

Opened in 1948, Slinger is a quarter mile in length and banked to the sky. Bickle, the 1989 Slinger regular season champion, made his Nationals debut in 1981 and knows his No. 45 Perlick Chevrolet Monte Carlo will have to be faster than fast to make the starting field in this year's Nationals. It will take a qualifying time in the mid 11-second range to win the pole for Tuesday's 200-lap event. Anything in the mid-12's, and you're probably on the trailer headed home.

"We'll have the same car that we raced at Madison International Speedway a couple of weeks ago," said Bickle. "Scott Ollerman owns it and we'll make a few spring and shocks changes and let her eat. I've got a couple of things that I do to the chassis set up that have been very successful over the years at Slinger. I used to tell people what I was doing, but then they got pretty fast, so I stopped telling everyone what I did. I expect to be fast and challenge for the win this time around."

This year's Nationals will be a battle royale as two dozen or so of the best super late model stock cars and drivers in the land - including NASCAR stars Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Erik Darnell, Scott Wimmer, Kelly Bires, and David Stremme - will be fighting for the win.

"When you get right down to it, those guys are just one more car you have to beat," said Bickle, who finished sixth in his most recent short track outing - the All Star Challenge at Madison International Speedway on June 24. "You can't look at it like you want to beat a NASCAR guy. I used to be one of those NASCAR guys and it was always tough coming back to race in the Nationals because the regular guys were so tough to beat. Those guys, and everyone else will be tough, but you have to beat them all to win."

For Bickle, who these days spends most of his time managing his business interests away from racing including the newly opened Muscle Up Performance and Hot Rod Shop in Janesville, WI, capturing his fourth Nationals title would be extremely satisfying. To date, only Joe Shear, Dick Trickle and Lowell Bennett  - the defending Nationals champion - have won the event four times.

"Winning the Nationals again would be a big deal for me," said Bickle, shown at right racing Alan Kulwicki in the 1989 Nationals at Slinger. "I've won it three times and I probably should have won it about eight other times. I just haven't had much luck over the years in that event. I've had flat tires, a rotor cap broke once while I was leading and a couple of years ago I could have lapped the field only to have the rear end go bad within site of the checkered flag. The two times I did win it I felt like it was about time nothing happened.

"I haven't been racing much the last couple of years, so I haven't won in awhile," Bickle continued. "It would be good to win. We're due. We've had great cars. We'll have another one this time, so I expect to be in there fighting for the win at the finish."

Tuesday's Miller Lite Nationals at Slinger Super Speedway get underway with open practice at 11:30 a.m. The spectator gates open at 3 p.m. with Midwest Sportsman and Late Model qualifying at 4.

An on-track autograph session and a performance by the University of Wisconsin Marching Band will precede the drop of the green flag on the 40-lap Midwest Sportsman event 7 p.m. and the 200-lap  Nationals main event is at 8:10 p.m. (all times Central).

For more information and tickets to this year's Slinger Super Speedway Miller Lite Nationals, please log on to www.slingersuperspeedway.com.

For more information about Rich Bickle, please log on to www.muscleupperformance.com.

Miller Lite Nationals Past Champions -

Larry Detjens - 1980

Alan Kulwicki - 1981

Dick Trickle - 1982, 83, 85, 89

Mark Martin - 1984

Joe Shear - 1987, 90, 91, 93

John Ziegler - 1986

Butch Miller - 1988, 95

Rich Bickle - 1992, 96, 2003

Lowell Bennett - 1997, 2002, 2004, 2007

Matt Kenseth - 1994, 2002, 2006

David Prunty - 2001

Tony Strupp - 1998

Conrad Morgan - 1999

Nathan Haseleu - 2005

Photos courtesy of Close Finishes, Inc.