Midwest Indoor Racing Series Set For Inaugural Season

Midwest Indoor Racing Series Set For Inaugural Season On Saturday, November 3rd Perani Arena & Events Center in Flint, Michigan to host first ever event Eaton Rapids, Michigan (Friday, September 28th, 2012): MGM Motorsports LLC, a new venture based in Eaton Rapids, Michigan is very happy to announce the formation of the Midwest Indoor Racing Series (MIRS). An expansion of the Delta Plex Indoor Racing Series, MIRS will feature short track racing inside sports arenas throughout the Midwest with a six to eight race schedule for the 2012/2013 Winter Racing Season. The Inaugural Race is set for Saturday, November 3rd, 2012 at Perani Arena & Event Center in Flint, Michigan. The divisions who will be racing at the maiden event in Flint as well as at most events during the first season will be: Winged Mini Sprints as well as Non-Winged Mini Sprints, Legends Cars (Michigan Legend & Bishop Club-Type), Arena / Mini Cup Cars (Great Lakes Super Mini Cup & Arena-Type), Go-Karts, Quarter Midgets, and Lawn Mowers. There will also be a Practice Day and Parking for the teams on Friday, November 2nd. Perani Arena & Event Center is conveniently located right off of I-69 on Exit 139 at 3501 Lapeer Road in Flint, Michigan. Perani Arena is the home of the Michigan Warriors, a Tier II Junior A hockey team from the North American Hockey League's North Division. Great Lakes Tire, based in Richmond, Michigan will be sponsoring all of the Go-Karts divisions for the 2012/2013 Winter Racing Season at each event as the Great Lakes Tire Go-Karts consist of a variety of classes including the top class of “Open”. There’s also the Purple, Gold, and 360 Flat Head divisions that will be racing as well. In addition to the Go-Karts featuring multiple divisions within the class, the Quarter Midgets and Lawn Mowers also feature a multi-division format. For the Quarter Midgets, there are a variety of divisions that includes Junior Honda, Senior Honda, Heavy Honda, Lite 160, and Heavy 160 while for the Lawn Mowers there are three and those classes that will be racing are the Super Modifieds as well as Modifieds, and Stock divisions. The second event of the 2012/2013 season is slated for Saturday, December 22nd, 2012 at the Birch Run Expo Center in Birch Run, Michigan. As for the remainder of the 2012/2013 schedule, several more events are in the works at several different venues throughout Midwest. As soon as those dates are finalized, completing the six to eight race schedule, they will be announced. MGM Motorsports LLC is a partnership of Scott Menlen, Jack Gritter, and Scott Mathews who were instrumental in bringing Arena Racing to the state of Michigan at the Delta Plex. Amongst the staff who are a part of the venture includes Justin Sharp, who is the Director of Marketing while Matt Prieur of Champion Racing Association (CRA) and Speed51.com will serve as the Director of Communications and P.A. Announcer for all of the MIRS sanctioned indoors shows. For more information and to become a sponsor within the series for the entire 2012/2013 Winter Racing Season, please call Scott Menlen at: 1 (586) 201-0378 or Jack Gritter at: 1 (616) 813-5965. A new website is in development and will be made available very soon. In the meantime, to learn more about the Midwest Indoor Racing Series and the inaugural 2012/2013 Winter Racing Season, please go to the series’ Facebook Fan Page located at: www.facebook.com/midwestindoorracing

Jacob Poel - Dirt Cast Interview

Jacob Poel - Dirt Cast Interview

VanDoorn Wins at Winchester

Winchester, IN (September 23, 2012) - Close finishes, drivers fighting for close point championships were every position counts, a driver solidifying an already strong point lead and racing that proved again Winchester Speedway can be unforgiving were the results from the rain delayed makeup of the World Stock Car Festival on Sunday. Originally scheduled for Labor Day Weekend Winchester Speedway hosted five series on September 23 including the ARCA/CRA Super Series, Top Speed Fabrication CRA Late Model Sportsman, and CRA Street Stocks. Two time ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion Johnny VanDoorn came into the Winchester 100 tied for the most Super Series wins at Winchester Speedway with three and a commanding lead in the season point championship as he is racing to tie Scott Hantz for the most Championships. Setting second fast time and starting third on the grid VanDoorn wasted no time in getting to the front taking the lead on the fourth lap, he raced to a strong lead while other drivers worked their way to the front also. A caution on the 20th lap bunched up the field. During the caution caused by a spinning car Kenzie Ruston, second in the point's race and Joe Beaver were collected, ending both their days. Following the caution VanDoorn outraced EDCO Welding Fast Qualifier Rick Turner to maintain the lead. Throughout the race VanDoorn was never able to pull away from the other racers as Hantz and late in the race Jeff Fultz chased him and stayed close. As the laps wound down, VanDoorn developed a vibration, Fultz worked to get beside VanDoorn. Fultz could not get past him despite getting to his rear quarter panel. Hantz finished third, Rookie Travis Braden fourth and Nick Gullatta fifth. "Last year was a really tough for us, we had some people involved who were there for the wrong reasons. This year everyone is pulling together and we are really doing well." VanDoorn stated. "There toward the end the car developed a vibration, and with (Jeff) Fultz coming up I knew we had to keep going strong." Fultz earned a Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award and the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award for his daring moves to get to second and almost taking the win. Mark Lambert earned the second Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award, the Lane Automotive/ISKY Racing Cams Hardcharger Award, the Racing Electronics Hardcharger Award for moving up from his 22nd starting position to finish 10th.

Popular Michigan racer looking for $20,000 payday in this weekend's Down & Dirty 100

Popular Michigan racer looking for $20,000 payday in this weekend's Down & Dirty 100 By Steve Kaminski | Skaminsk@mlive.com MARNE – Jeep Van Wormer didn’t call this weekend’s opportunity to race Berlin Raceway a Bucket List item, although this is one thing Van Wormer never dreamed would happen. Photo courtesy of DE Photos Jeep Van Wormer will be making his Berlin Raceway debut in this weekend's Down & Dirty 100. Van Wormer, of Pinconning, is one of Michigan’s most successful and popular dirt Late Model racers, and he has competed and won at some of the nation’s legendary dirt tracks. He lives only about three hours from Berlin, so he has heard all about the half-mile in Marne. But Berlin is an asphalt track, and Van Wormer has spent the past 16 years building his career on dirt. Three hundred truckloads of dirt and a $20,000 first-place cash prize are luring Van Wormer to Berlin this weekend, though. He will make his first Berlin appearance when he participates in the Keyser Manufacturing Down & Dirty 100 presented by NAPA. “We have never been to Berlin, not even to check it out,” Van Wormer said. “But we have heard that it is a top-notched facility, and we are excited to have the chance to race there.” Berlin is hosting an open practice from 4-8 p.m. today, followed by racing on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. both days. Van Wormer will be racing in the featured division, the traveling World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Saturday’s main event winner will earn $20,000. Van Wormer, 37, has raced at approximately 100 tracks throughout the United States. Career highlights include winning the UMP Fall Nationals at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, in 2003. He also has won 15 career races on the UMP Summer Nationals tour. In addition, Van Wormer is the only Michigan driver to win a WoO Late Model race. He took top honors in the 2007 race at LaSalle Speedway in LaSalle, Ill. The World of Outlaws Late Models races from February through November, and it competes at tracks from South Dakota to North Carolina, as well as Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and across the Midwest. Van Wormer made two series starts in August when it visited Winston Speedway in Rothbury and Merritt Raceway in Lake City. Mechanical problems took him out of action in both races. “We are looking forward to racing against the best this weekend,” Van Wormer said. “You always want to see how you can stack up, and hopefully, we will run well.”

Lane Automotive Michigan Traditional Sprints Finish Strong at Great Lakes

Lane Automotive Michigan Traditional Sprints Finish Strong at Great Lakes

By Trevor Hollis


Perfect racing weather and thirty of the best non-wing sprint cars in the state of Michigan took to the track at Crystal Motor Speedway to close out the 2012 racing season. A packed house was given a great show and Greg Dalman was able to hold off Brett Mann to pick up the win in the 25 lap feature event.

The feature event would see eventual winner Greg Dalman and former Sprints on Dirt champion Brett Mann on the front row. The last time Mann was behind the wheel of a non wing sprint car was 1998 at Crystal and he wound up victorious. Rust did not seem to be an issue however as Mann and Dallman would battle wheel to wheel for three quarters of the race. Dalman would later say that the top grove had started to take rubber and develop a lot of grip about half way thru and sure enough that is when Dalman would start to pull away from Mann. Brett would hold his own on the bottom but in the end it would not be enough to get around Dallman and he would have to settle for a second place finish.

In heat race action Jay Steinebach would pick up the first checkered flag over Tim Evilsizer and Nick Landon. The second heat would go to Joe Irwin with Dalman and Keith Love rounding out the top three. 2011 champion and defending Great Lakes Nationals champion Joe Bares won heat three. John Watson and Nate Bostrom would round out the top three. And in the final heat it was Steve Irwin picking up the checkered flag over Brett Mann and Mark Irwin. The final few spots in the feature would be filled from the b main. Former series champion Mike Galajda, Chris Pobanz, and Mike Baker would move on making up the top three.

With the season in the books Joe Irwin will pick up his first points championship with the series. Joe's consistent finishes in all of the races would prove to be enough to hold off Steve Irwin who would collect a couple wins on the season and third place finisher Mark Irwin. 2011 champion Joe Bares would hold on to fourth and Mike Baker rounded out the top five. The 2012 rookie of the year title belongs to Nate Bostrom.

Everybody associated with the series would like to take a second and thank all of the sponsors that make everything possible. Huge thanks goes out to series title sponsor Lane Automotive, associate sponsors Strpko Engineering, Hoosier Race Tire, Tri-county Equipment, Allstar Performance, Irwincraft Racecars, and Northwest Automachine. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to help this series grow. Well, that's a wrap on 2012! Here's to 2013! We'll see you at the track!!!

Great Lakes Nationals full results:
Strpko Engineering
Heat 1 finish. 1.Steinebach, 2.Evilsizer, 3.Landon, 4.Hawk, 5.Pobanz, 6.Gall,7. Hayward, 8.Rutledge.

Hoosier Race Tire
Heat 2 finish: 1.J Irwin,2. Dalman,3. Love, 4.Chuck Wilson, 5.Galadja,6. Baker, 7.Strpko, 8.Chris Wilson.

Tri County Equipment
Heat 3 finish:1. Bares, 2.Watson,3. N Bostrom, 4.Austrauskas, 5.D Bostrom, 6.Ockerman, 7.Brown.

Allstar Performance
Heat 4 finish: 1.S Irwin, 2.Mann, 3.M Irwin, 4.Rogers, 5.Vanhouten, 6. Woorden, 7. Caines

Irwincraft Racecars
B main finish: 1.Galadja, 2.Pobanz, 3.Baker, 4.Gall, 5.D Bostrom, 6.Strpko, 7.Chris Wilson, 8.Brown, 9.Hayward, 10.Ockerman,11. Woorden. 12. Rutledge 13. Caines 14. Vanhouten

Northwestern Automachine
A-Main finish (starting position)

1. Gregg Dalman (2), 2.Brett Mann (4), 3. Steve Irwin (5), 4. Mike Galajda (17), 5. Joe Bares (1), 6. Jay Steinebach (7), 7. John Watson (11), 8. Nick Landon (3), 9. Chuck Wilson (14), 10. Keith Love (12),11. Joe Irwin (9), 12. Chris Pobanz (20), 13. Mark Irwin (10), 14. Tim Evilsizer (6), 15. Mike Astrauskas (15), 16. Kevin Hawk (13), 17. John Gall (19), 18. Nate Bostrom (8), 19. Nick Rogers (16), 20. Mike Baker (18)


MTS Sprint Car Series
www.mtsprints.com
mtsprints@aol.com