VanDoorn on the Pole for Governor's Cup; Senneker to start 24th

GOVERNOR'S CUP 200 STARTING LINEUP
1 81 - Johnny VanDoorn
2 112 - Augie Grill
3 51 - Stephen Nasse
4 72 - Scott Heckert
5 89 - Matt Tifft
6 36 - Tim Russell
7 39 - Kenzie Ruston
8 26 - Travis Cope
9 26 - Preston Peltier
10 9 - Rich Clouser
11 29 - Austin Theriault
12 96 - Ben Kennedy
13 27 - Bobby Good
14 97 - Patrick Staropoli
15 30 - Bobby Knox, Jr.
16 07 - Jeff Scofield
17 18 - Hunter Robbins
18 71 - Jimmy Doyle
19 11 - David Rogers
20 22 - Dusty Cornelius
21 19 - Ray Black, Jr.
22 08 - Jake Griffin
23 20 - Anthony Sergi (to the rear)
24 31 - Terry Senneker, Jr.
25 129 - Spencer Davis
26 00 - CJ Castetter
27 9K - Kevin Henry (to the rear)
28 38 - Robert Glover (to the rear)
29 14 - Mario Maresca (to the rear)

Follow the race tonight on www.speed51.com

Birch Run Expo Center In Birch Run, Michigan; Site Of Race #2 For The Midwest Indoor Racing Series

Eaton Rapids, Michigan (Friday, November 16th, 2012): The second event of the 2012 / 2013 Winter Racing Season is slated for Saturday, December 22nd, 2012 at the Birch Run Expo Center in Birch Run, Michigan. Fresh off the highly successful Inaugural event at Perani Arena & Events Center in Flint, Michigan back on November 3rd, MIRS is now in the midst of preparations for the second of six possible events within the maiden season. 

Highlighting the events in Birch Run, Michigan and in celebration of the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays will be the John Belott & Sons Auto Purchasing Winged Mini Sprints who will be going for a $750 to Win payday and $125 to Start. In addition, a $100 bonus will be awarded to the Winner of the Four-Car Dash. In addition the Winner of the Feature will be eligible for a $1,000 bonus if they race and win at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana during the Rumble in Fort Wayne on Saturday, December 29th. 

Joining the Winged Mini Sprints will be the Legends Cars, Arena / Mini Cups, Great Lakes Tires Go-Karts (Open, 360 Flat Heads, 360 Animals, Clones, Purple Plate & Gold Plate), Outlaw Shock Company Quarter Midgets (Junior Honda, Senior Honda, Light 160, Heavy 160, Junior Animal & Senior Animal), and Lawn Mowers (Super Modifieds, Modifieds & Stocks). 

Also on the card will be the Upright Non-Winged Mini Sprints as the majority of these competitors race primarily within the Mid-Michigan Mini Sprints Series as well as the Midwest Mini Sprint Association down in Indiana and Ohio. These teams will race in the place of the MIRS Non-Winged Mini Sprints who will not be competing at the Birch Run Expo Center. 

A total of 19 divisions will be racing and Grandstand Tickets are only $12.00! Those Grandstand Tickets will be Available at the Ticket Window on Race Day Only inside the Birch Run Expo Center on a first come first serve basis and those prices are: General Admission (13 years old and Over) $12.00 while Veterans get in for $10.00 and Kids (12 years old and Under) get in for $6.00. Pit Passes will be $25.00 on race day. 

The Midwest Indoor Racing Series is very happy to announce a partnership with Americas Best Value Inn of Birch Run as they will be the host hotel of Race #2 of the 2012 / 2013 Winter Racing Season. When booking a room, be sure to mention “Midwest Indoor Racing Series” to receive the discounted rate of just $68.00 a night! The Americas Best Value Inn is truly providing the best rate in town for MIRS race teams. 

Americas Best Value Inn of Birch Run is located just minutes from the Birch Run Expo Center. Race Teams can enjoy the many amenities including; a continental breakfast, Wi-Fi, Sauna, Whirlpool, a large parking area, restaurants within walking distance and pet friendly rooms. Many different types of quality rooms are currently available. Please book your room by Friday, December 7th to ensure first choice on rooms for race weekend. You can call: 1 (989) 624-4440 or visit Americas Best Value Inn of Birch Run online to make your reservation at: AmericasBestValueInn.com/bestv.cfm?idp=1714  

There will also be a Practice Day and Parking for the teams on Friday, December 21st as those times are “To Be Announced.” The Complete Schedule of Events for Race Day; Saturday, December 22nd is also being finalized and will be available soon. The Birch Run Expo Center is located right off Exit 136 on I-75 at 11660 North Beyer Road in Birch Run, Michigan. 

Also as previously announced, Race #3 of the Inaugural MIRS Winter Racing Season is set for Saturday, January 12th, 2013 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan. Three more scheduled events are in the works at several different venues throughout Midwest. As soon as those dates are finalized, completing the 2012 / 2013 Winter Racing Season Schedule, they will be announced. 

MGM Motorsports LLC, is a new venture based out of Eaton Rapids, Michigan and features MIRS sanctioned short track racing inside sports arenas throughout the Midwest for the 2012/2013 Winter Racing Season and beyond. For more information, please call Jack Gritter at: 1 (616) 813-5965 / Scott Menlen at: 1 (586) 201-0378 or Scott Mathews at: 1 (313) 909-4270. 

The new website is located at: www.midwestindoorracingseries.com. You can also learn more about MIRS and the inaugural 2012/2013 Winter Racing Season, by going to the series’ Facebook Fan Page located at: www.facebook.com/midwestindoorracing and don't forget to follow MIRS on Twitter as well by going to: www.twitter.com/MIRSracing

Snowflake 100 Success Could Lead to a Snowball Sweep for Mike Garvey

51 Sports / Snowball Derby PR


2012 Five Flags Speedway (FL) Allen Turner Pro Late Model series champion Mike Garvey has had an impressive season in the division. He won four of the five PLM events at the half-mile track in Pensacola, Florida and finished second in the other.

That success makes Garvey, a short track and NASCAR racing veteran, the odds-on favorite for victory in the Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 on Saturday, December 1st as part of the 45th Annual Snowball Derby weekend at Five Flags.

“The Pro (Late Model) car has been really good,” said Garvey, who also scored a victory in the Five Flags Blizzard Series Super Late Model events this season. “Ever since we switched and went to Phil Harper motors, it’s really helped out a bunch. The motor runs really good and the car has been good and I wish we could have the same success with the Super (Late Model). We’ve been close but not as good as the Pro, I don’t really know what the difference is but we need to get them both running that good.”

With several big race wins and track and series championships under his belt, Garvey knows that there are two strategies to the Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model event. Like the other PLM races at Five Flags this season, the Snowflake is 100 laps. That leads to two differing potential strategies for the race.

Will Garvey play the conservation game until a late sprint to the finish or go hard for all 100 laps to try and set the pace to the checkers?

“That’s the problem, you don’t know which way is the best,” said Garvey. “If you’re going to sit around and wait, which really isn’t my style anyway, you’re depending on a caution at the end, which we generally get. But if you don’t get that caution, like two races from the end there, we had three quarters of a lap lead with five laps to go and there was a caution. But luckily the car was good enough to go, but those guys had to have been going, ‘Man we screwed up, there’s no caution,’ and then, ‘Bam!’ there’s a caution. I would rather just go.

“I don’t like sitting around and waiting, that’s not me. You know, you’ve still got to slow yourself down the whole time anyways. You’re still racing but you’ve got to make sure you’ve got tires left at the end. But it’s not me to ride around for 50 laps in eighth or ninth and then try to come to the front. I don’t like that kind of racing and that’s just not me.”

When strategizing for the Allen Turner Snowflake 100, Garvey appreciates the event’s four-tire rule, but knows there are still many more decisions to make that could win or lose the race.

“It’s two totally different animals and there’s a lot of strategy both ways,” said Garvey. “You know, when you were changing tires you had to make sure you picked the right time to put them on or you’re going to ruin yourself. And now with 100 laps of straight green-flag racing you have to make sure you have something left at the end. And I’m telling you, at Pensacola that’s hard to do. If you’re riding around there at half speed you’re still hurting your tires. So it’s a balance of when to go, when not to go and how hard you can go. We’ve won two races this year that at the end of I was flat out of tires, they were done. We were lucky we had enough both times to just hang on.”

When comparing the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 to the 45th Annual Snowball Derby, Garvey says a win is a win, but if he could only have one it would be the Derby.

“I just break them down into different days,” said Garvey. “I want to win the Snowflake as bad as I want to win the Derby. Saturday that’s our focus, we’re going to do everything we can to win the Snowflake. But like you said, the real focus is Sunday. You could win 100 Snowflakes and you would give that all up for one Derby, so the Derby’s the big one. It’s the big one to Tracy (Goodson, car owner). It’s really important and special to him so we want to win them both, but if we had to take one it would definitely be the Derby.

When it comes to Snowball Derby strategy, tires, pacing yourself and staying out of trouble are major players but the biggest one is luck, which Garvey knows a thing or two about.

“Well if you watch the Derby, luck is as big of a part of it as anything,” said Garvey. “Two years ago we led 100 and something laps and were good. Then the last set of tires we put on were junk, we just couldn’t go. Johanna and I were the only ones with new tires with about 10 laps to go, so it should have been between us. Our tires wouldn’t go and we ended up getting in a wreck in the middle of the back straightaway and Johanna won it. I think we finished 10th or 11th and then last year we didn’t qualify well, and then we were running second at lap 90 and the power steering went out. So I mean, what do you do? You try to get yourself prepared and get the car prepared the best you can and luck still plays a big part in it.”

The Snowflake 100 will be filled with talented Pro Late Model drivers like Bubba Pollard, Augie Grill, Johanna Long, Brandon McReynolds, Chase Elliott, Brandon Odom, Kyle Benjamin, Korey Ruble, Anderson Bowen and many others.

The 45th Annual Snowball Derby kicks off on Wednesday, November 28th with the Green Flag Party. As the teams unload and begin the tech process, fans from 5pm to 9pm CT can meet the drivers and see the cars that will compete during Snowball Derby weekend. The first on-track activity comes on Thursday, as practice for the Super and Pro Late Models commences. Later that evening, qualifying and feature action for the Five Flags Speedway Bomber and Sportsmen divisions will take place.

On Friday, November 30th, it’s WXBM Pole Night, as the top 30 in Snowball Derby qualifying will be locked into Sunday’s 300-lap feature. More practice for the Snowball Derby and Snowflake 100 cars will take place, as well as a full card of Super Stock and Modified action.

Then on Saturday, December 1st, it’s the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 time trials, a qualifying race and the 100-lap feature, plus final practice for the Snowball Derby cars and a 50-lap last-chance qualifying race for the Snowball Derby.

Finally, the 45th Annual Snowball Derby will then go green on Sunday, December 2nd at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL.

Tickets and reserved camping spots are still available, but are going fast. To order tickets or to reserve a camping spot, call the Five Flags Speedway box office at (850) 944-8400.

For more information about Five Flags Speedway and the 45th Annual Snowball Derby weekend, please visit www.5flagsspeedway.com, www.snowballderby.com or contact the track by calling (850) 944-8400.