The Milwaukee Post

14 • Milwaukee County Post • September 4, 2015 By NICHOLAS DETTMANN Conley News Service ELKHART LAKE — Paul Menard was one of the few NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who decided to race on the series' off week- end. But for the 35-year-old Eau Claire native, it still had a vacation feeling to it. Menard and the family packed up a mini- van and a camper, and drove across the state to the track for Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race, the Road America 180 Fired Up By Johnsonville, where Menard was to drive the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing entry. "I drove over with my family on Thursday, and I got to share the moments I had as a kid riding around the track with my daughter Thursday night and Friday was pretty special," Menard said Saturday. "It brought back a lot of memories." The "vacation" ended the best way possi- ble for Menard: a victory at Road America. He led the final six laps to win race, his third career series victory, stretching his final fuel run 20 laps where the fuel window was estimated to be 13-17 laps. "We saved fuel right from the start," crew chief Danny Stockman Jr. said. "Paul did an excellent job. "It's really special for me to do this as a team for Paul and his family because they've done so much for our sport," he added. "It's an awesome feeling." Ryan Blaney finished second, followed by Brian Scott, Chase Elliott and Darrell Wallace Jr. to round out the top five. Chris Buescher, the series points leader, finished ninth and maintained his points lead, 16 points over Elliott. "We had a good car all day," Blaney said. "We were up toward the front most of the day." Winning a top-tier NASCAR series race at Road America was a check off Menard's bucket list. He had already won at two tracks impor- tant to him: Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Milwaukee Mile. Road America was the third and final track on that list. "This was a track I spent a lot time at as a kid, riding around the trails on ATVs with my cousin and brothers," Menard said. "Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Road America are the three tracks that are really close to home for me. I've been able to win at all three. So I'm a pretty lucky guy." He's also developed a knack for winning in his home state. Menard has won seven career stock car races between Sprint Cup, XFINITY, ARCA and NASCAR regional series. Of those seven, three were in Wisconsin, including a NASCAR Midwest Series race at Road America in 2001, which before 2010 was the last time NASCAR had a race at the 4-mile road course. Menard won at The Milwaukee Mile in 2006 for his first XFINITY Series victory. He won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in 2011. It was a momentous victory for Menard as it was his first and so far only career Sprint Cup victory. In addition, his family supported racers in open-wheel rac- ing and the Indianapolis 500. "It felt like a vacation," Menard said. "I was up here with my family all week in Eau Claire. We loaded up the rental minivan and drove over with my mom, wife and daughter and made a little day of it." Just like the old times. "We drove through Wausau where we go skiing, Granite Peak," Menard said. "We drove by signs for Marshfield, signs for Plover and Golden Sands (Speedway), defi- nitely made a lot of runs down Highway 29." Normally a mild-mannered person, Menard didn't express much emotion after the race. But in the seat of his race car, it was different. "Coasting around, I was looking at every- body and seeing all the Badgers tents and people wearing Packers stuff and seeing some of those trails along the fences where I was 10 years old riding my bicycle and four-wheelers around," Menard said. "I got a little emotional." As the Wisconsin native he is, he also had the Miller Lite and other beer ready in the camper. "I have options," he said with a smile. In a way, however, it was almost fitting for Menard to be in victory lane at Road America. The parts used to build the trophy were all purchased at Menard's. "Maple oak and mahogany, I think," Menard said. Email: ndettmann@conleynet.com Wisconsin's Menard wins NASCAR race at Road America How to get the most out of your dishwasher MILWAUKEE — After countless uses and hun- dreds of dishes, homeown- ers may find that their dishwasher is not running as smoothly or smelling as good as it once did. If it's not time to replace your dishwasher, here are a few things to keep in mind to help extend its life. Appliance Gallery, 4550 W. Wisconsin Ave., offers ways for homeowners to help their dishwashers run at best. ■ Making sure the dish- washer is not overcrowded is essential. "The most energy-effi- cient method is to load as many dishes as possible," said Stephen Erb, appli- ance manager. "But make sure that dishes are not touching each other so they will be properly washed." ■ One of the most important things when it comes to using the dish- washer is loading the dish- es properly. Delicates should be placed on the top rack and more durable items placed on the bottom. Load stemware and cups at an angle. That way, water can run off the bottom and dry better. For optimal clean- ing, put cooking utensils on the top rack rather than in the cutlery bin. Plates and bowls should be loaded so the dirty side faces the water spray, and pots, pans, and casserole dishes should face down for the best cleaning results. Place pans and platters along the sides of and back of the rack to prevent them from blocking the spray arm. ■ Less is more when it comes to detergent. "Many people use more soap then they need," said Erb. "Dishwasher deter- gent is concentrated, so you do not need to use much. And, while you do not want to put dishes with large chunks of food in the dish- washer, it's not necessary to rinse thoroughly. Today's detergents are formulated to react with the proteins in leftover food." ■ Using the correct cycle when washing the dishes will help to enhance the dishwasher's performance. "Sometimes it may be tempting to use a shorter wash to save energy and money on water bills, but if your dishes have baked-on food, they won't always get clean," Erb said. "Then you'll waste more water by running the cycle another time." ■ Extending the life of a dishwasher involves regu- lar maintenance. The dishwasher trap and the dishwasher seals can accumulate a lot of buildup, so it is important to clean them out every few months. If a dishwasher starts to smell, a cup of white vine- gar will do the trick. "Dumping a cup of white vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher and run- ning a cycle will help elimi- nate old food particles and smells," Erb said. ■ Checking the water heater temperature is another way to ensure the dishwasher is performing at an appropriate tempera- ture. The ideal temperature for washing dishes is between 120 and 125 degrees. If it is any higher, it may cause water to flash dry and not roll off the dishes. "Testing your water to make sure it is not hard is also important," said Erb. "Hard water will leave a residue on your dishes and lead to rust in the dish- washer. The easiest solu- tion is to use dishwasher detergent with a water sof- tener." www.appliancegallerywi.com SPORTS HOME Nicholas Dettmann/Conley News Service Eau Claire's Paul Menard does a burnout while his pit crew cheers him on after Menard won Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race, the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville, at Road America in Elkhart Lake. Submitted photo A few simple steps can help your utensils and dishes come out of the dishwasher sparkling. MILWAUKEE — Led by a strong jump in single-fami- ly production, nationwide housing starts inched up 0.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.206 million units in July, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. This is the highest level since October 2007, the gov- ernment reported. Single-family starts rose 12.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 782,000 units after an upwardly revised June reading while multifamily production fell 17 percent to 424,000 units. "Our builders are report- ing more confidence in the market, and are stepping up production of single-family homes as a result," said NAHB Chairman Tom Woods, a home builder from Blue Springs, Mo. Regionally in July, com- bined single- and multifami- ly starts rose by 20.1 percent in the Midwest and 7.7 per- cent in the South. The Northeast and West posted respective losses of 27.5 per- cent and 3.1 percent. National housing starts at highest level since 2007

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