Tuesday, June 18, 2013

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Baumgartner ready for Off Road Racing in Bark River
Posted: 08.04.2011 at 3:09 PM
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2010 Winter Olympian leading stock truck standings in rookie year

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BARK RIVER -- It's seems anything Nick Baumgartner does, he turns out to be pretty good at.

In high school, he was an All-American wrestler at West Iron County and was so good at football, he played briefly at Northern Michigan University.  Aside from that, he's won gold at the Winter X-Games and was just in Vancouver for the Olympics a little over a year ago, and apparently that isn't enough.

This summer Baumgartner has been driving on the Traxxas Off Road Racing series and actually is the points leader in the Stock Truck standings.  He's been on the podium all four races this season and won his second race in Crandon, Wisconsin, June 18.

Now, Baumgartner's not giving up snowboarding anytime soon; in fact, he said he'd like to be in the next two Winter Olympics, first in Russia (2014) followed by the South Korean Games (2018).

While his winter rivals sit home this summer, Baumgartner says he feels he's getting better at snowboarding by sitting in the cock pit.  "I'm getting all that mental training that's key, that a lot of my competitors in snowboarding aren't getting," said the 2010 Olympian, "because they're not getting that full-on competition all year long, and then I'm doing it while sitting down and being able to focus and try to transfer that when I'm all over the place on the snowboard."

The Traxxas Off Road Racing beings a week from Saturday.  This year's off road racing is the only time the series pulls into Bark River International Raceway.

In years past, the track has hosted a pair of weekend events.  This year, rally car racing will be added to the festivities. 

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