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MIS E-News
Week of August 21, 2006
by John Wells
Hi Everyone,
Not too many opportunities to see racing at MIS left in the 2006 season. I'm
hoping that all of you can join us for our remaining three events.
All five weekly racing divisions will be in action this Friday night at
Madison International Speedway. Only two points events left in the season with
no drivers having a lock on their divisional title at this point.
The Season Championships will be held on Friday, September 1st. See the
first-ever quarter mile champions crowned along with the Madison ASA Late
Model and Limited Late Model champs. Drivers will be honored during our
off-season banquet.
Bryden Motors presents Salute to America Night on Friday, September 8th
highlighted by the Wisconsin Challenge Series 100 for the super late models.
The Area Sportsman, Bandits, and Lake Geneva Super Stocks will also be on the
racing program. The National Guard will be on hand along with a spectacular
fireworks display.
Looking Back...
Rain showers in the afternoon and a persistent mist that continued forced the
cancellation of racing at MIS on Friday night. A large field of limited late
models was expected to do battle in the CarQuest 40 along with the Area
Sportsman, Hobby Stocks, Bandits, and Pure Stocks. Limited Late Models were
coming from as far away as Appleton and LaCrosse.
Saturday Night
Tom McClintock of Onalaska, Wisconsin, knew he would have some stiff
competition from several drivers who have had a great deal of experience on
Wisconsin’s Fastest Half-Mile. However, the Onalaska, Wisconsin, driver made
the most of his visit by taking home top honors in the Preferred Pets 40 for
the Midwest Super Truck Series.
Seventeen trucks took the green flag with Matt Vaade of Cottage Grove,
Wisconsin, and Jeff Babb of Elgin, Illinois, making up the front row. Babb had
a slight advantage after one lap before Vaade powered by on the second lap to
take over the top spot. Vaade would hold his advantage over the field until
the fifth lap when Jeff Steenbergen of Waupun, Wisconsin, took over the
point.
The caution flag came out shortly thereafter for an incident in turn four that
collected both Vaade and Steve Miller of Onalaska, Wisconsin.
Following the restart Steenbergen continued his lead with McClintock up to
second followed by Fred Oswald of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, Sun Prairie,
Wisconsin’s Bryon Pautsch, and John Wood of Madison, Wisconsin.
Steenbergen would continue to build his lead until having to maneuver around
lapped traffic on lap 23. This allowed McClintock to close the gap with Wood
right behind. Meanwhile, Charlie Cottam, the all-time winningest truck series
driver at MIS with 35 career victories who elected to start in the rear of the
field, was up to fifth behind Oswald.
A lap 29 caution sent Oswald to the pits and again would close the advantage
Steenbergen had over the field. Following the restart McClintock was on
Steenbergen’s tailgate patiently waiting to make the pass. On lap 34
McClintock dropped to the low side and passed Steenbergen for the lead. One
circuit later an incident in turn one would send Steenbergen to the rear of
the field and take him out of contention.
It was now time for Wood and Cottam to hunt down McClintock. But McClintock
proved that the number 40 was the lucky number in this 40 lap race as he held
off the veterans for the win.
“All I could see behind me was a lot of blue,” said a very happy
McClintock from victory lane who was referring to the blue trucks of Wood and
Cottam. Wood would hold off Cottam for second with Pautsch finishing fourth
and Gary Cerny of Janesville, Wisconsin, in fifth.
Once again the trucks put on a great show. Special thanks to Natasha for
getting me all of the information regarding the series and hats off to Chris
Stocks for all of his efforts in putting together the Midwest Super Truck
Series. It was great seeing many of our former Midwest Truck Series regulars
back at the track. Charlie Cottam chose to start in the rear of the field and
almost made it to the front by the end of the race.
Shelby Howard of Greenwood, Indiana, won the Miller Lite 250 for the USAR
Hooters Pro Cup Northern Division. Twenty-two cars made the trip to Madison to
compete in the final points race of the 2006 season for the Northen Division.
Three-time Northen Division champion Benny Gordon of Dubois, Pennsylvania,
started on the pole with Woody Howard of Chesapeake, Virginia, starting
alongside him. Howard would take the early lead and maintain his advantage
until being passed by Gordon on lap 14.
Gordon, who won at MIS in 2005, appeared to have the field covered as he
quickly built up a solid lead over the field. Howard was second followed by
Johnny Rumley of Summerfield, North Carolina, and Jeff Agnew of Copper Hill,
Virginia. Delaware, Ohio’s Gary St. Amant had joined the top five by lap 50.
A slowed car on the track brought out the first caution of the night on lap
51. Too soon for the leaders to pit, the field took the green shortly
afterwards as their crews began thinking about when they would need to pit.
Gordon continued with his dominant performance and built a solid lead over the
field with St. Amant up to second by lap 120 followed by Agnew, Rumley, and
Shelby Howard. The race continued to run under green with Gordon dominating
the field until the caution flag finally came out again on lap 170 when Woody
Howard made contact with the wall coming out of turn two. After two caution
laps St. Amant was out of gas and stopped on pit lane.
The green came out again fifteen laps later with Shelby Howard, Sam Fullone of
North Collins, New York, Tim Bainey Jr. of Pennsylvania, Eric Corbett of Clear
Springs, Maryland, and Stafford,Virginia’s Jack Bailey comprising the top
five. Gordon, who had changed his engine between practice and qualifying,
would not be a factor the remainder of the way.
>From here on out it was all Howard as he cruised to victory followed by
Fullone, Bailey, St. Amant, and Corbett. Rounding out the top ten were Bainey
Jr., Agnew, Gabi DiCarlo from Phoenix, Arizona, Ken Butler III of Snellville,
Georgia, and Rumley.
It was a very interesting Pro Cup race as the long period of green flag racing
caught the drivers and teams off guard. With just one caution in 170 laps on a
half-mile who would have thought it possible.
The USAR Hooters Pro Cup staff is top notch and all of us at MIS enjoyed
working with them.
Special thanks to MIS marketing manager Holly Coley who sang the national
anthem on Saturday night. Awesome job Holly...something tells me she has sung
in public before!
Point Standings Update
Who will win track championships at Madison International Speedway in 2006?
The answer to that question is only two race nights away as the season wraps
up with a point race this week followed by the Season Championships on
September 1st.
The race for the Weaver Auto Parts Madison ASA Late Models championship comes
down to Travis Sauter and defending champion Bobby Wilberg. The twenty-one
year old Sauter who hails from Necedah, Wisconsin, currently has a 45 point
advantage over Wilberg with two events to go. Conistency has been the rule all
season long for Sauter who didn’t pick up his first feature win until August
11th. Nathan Haseleu is third with 482 points followed by Dan Lensing with
463, Andrew Morrissey with 426, and Nick Hammer just three points out of the
top five with 423.
Rockton, Illinois’ Jeremy Miller has a twenty-six point lead over Bobby
Wilberg in the Rockweiler Insulation Limited Late Models. Miller currently
holds a 457-431 advantage over Wilberg who is still in position to win back to
back dual championships at MIS. Bill Baumeister is in third with 403 points
followed by Jerry Gille with 350 and Beau Sanden with 322.
With a season high six feature wins to his credit, Scott Riedner has a solid
lead in theBryden Motors Area Sportsman points race with an eighty-four point
cushion over Scott Lawver (806-722). Casey Burns is looking to repeat his
third place finish from 2005 as he is in that postion this season with 655
points followed by Ryan Goldade with 598 and Chris Ehrhart with 524.
The closest points race comes in the Club La Mark Hobby Stocks where Mike
Storkson has just a thirty point lead over Johnny Robinson II (764-734). Nick
Newton is in third with 658 while Kyle Stark and Rodger Stephenson round out
the top five with 572 and 532 respectively.
Tyler Kelley is closing in on his first track championship at MIS as he leads
the Roto Rooter Bandits with a 993-919 advantage over Stephen Scheel. The
fifteen year old Kelley from nearby Oregon is enroute to become the youngest
track champion in MIS history. Rory Padfield holds down the third position
with 830 points followed by Alex Jones with 787 and Kyle Riedner with 762.
Steve Dickson is just twenty-seven points out of fifth place with 735.
Jason Erickson is the current leader in the Madison ASA Late Models for the
Rookie of the Year title with Cliff Rucks leading the way in the Limited Late
Models.
With only two points events remaining on the schedule anything can
happen.
Wayne's Custom DIECAST Update
Here are the points for the Wayne's Custom DIECAST
Dash Series:
1. Jeremy Miller 559 pts
2. Bobby Wilberg 509 pts
3. Billy Baumeister 489 pts
4. Jerry Gille 409 pts
5. Beau Sanden 280 pts
6. Ryan Carlson 271 pts
Suggestion Box
As plans are already being made for the 2007 season, it is always important
that we hear from all of you. If you have suggestions to improve the weekly
racing program, ideas for special events, etc. please email them to Steve
Einhaus at miseinhaus@yahoo.com.
The Chaplain's Corner
by Todd Christopherson
We lost a race this Friday to some rain given to us by the Lord. (We all know
there is no mother nature:) A year ago we also gave up a race. As we think
back to that week and think about those from Stoughton I have a couple of
thoughts. One is that there were a lot of people that lost a lot of material
things. There is great sadness in the lose of a life. But the thing that was
great was to see those that jumped in and helped clean and rebuild.
I need to remind you to pray for Rich this week. His surgery will be Tuesday.
He needs strength and protection and pray for his family to be comforted.
Also, keep praying for DaMatta and his recovery.
Let me remind you of one more thing. There is a place to find truth. In a time
in history when truth is hard to come by, there is one who will not lie. It is
God and He has given His Word to us.
See you at the track and let me know if I can pray for you.
That's all for this week...see you at the races!!!
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