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Another fun day at the MDTR Speedway found Stan M atop the flagstand with the crossed flags signaling the halfway mark for week #1 in the 9th Annual GRP Racing Trivia Contest. The sprint car and late model contestants have reached the midpoint of their action in the contest. The activity today was focused on the sprint car division with three entries submitted while one of them became the new leader.
Returning to contest action in the sprint car class after skipping a year, Tony Steuck rolled his O'Reilly Auto Parts 69R/South Dakota Race Reports Schnee out of his stacker trailer. Tony had participated in the 2004-2006 sprint car division in the contest, but mechanical gremlins kept him from unloading last year. Fresh off a fine run in the late model class on Tuesday, Tony climbed aboard his sprinter and hit the ignition switch. Yes fans, Tony's sprint entry has a starter on board much to the delight of the stock car fans. Tony blasted around the MDTR high-banks with a great first half run. The second half of his run, as he stated afterwards, killed him. Tony really struggled to get a handle on his sprinter in the waning stages. He kept it upright though and sped under Stan's checkered flags with a 27 point effort. Tony vowed to return next week with his mod and super entries.
The second sprint car entry today comes from the only contestant to have submitted an entry in ALL NINE contests. He is no stranger to the MDTR Speedway and his fan following is quite large. He hails from that great sprint car area near Sioux Falls. MDTR officials welcomed back Todd Boots from Tea, SD. Todd is a three time champion, twice as a solo champ and once as a co-champ. Only Ron Haugstad has more sprint car titles than Todd. Todd has never finished outside of the top ten in the contest, usually running in the top five positions each year. For the 2008 edition, Todd brought his CityWide Insulation R19 Maxim/Carpetta sprint entry in the huge CityWide R19 hauler. Todd got down to business quickly upon arriving, as he knew his mount would hook up and haul. The large crowd on hand watched intently as Todd blew past all fellow competitors enroute to an incredible 38 point score. Stan M even dropped his beer when Todd rocketed past to conclude his run. Could this be another title for Todd? We still have some very strong contenders who will likely arrive later in the week, but they now know they have their work cut out for them. Todd did not leave much room to pass, so the other competitors will really have to be on top of their game.
The final contestant to take a stab at the title today in the sprint car ranks is another contender who has many laps at the MDTR Speedway. Shane Trondson brought his Trondson Engines "Pumpkin Eater Special" #31 sprinter over from St. Paul for another competitive effort at MDTR. This was Shane's fifth contest appearance. He's hoping to top his personal best 4th place finish from 2005 against what is well regarded as some very stiff competition. Shane made the right tire choices and the Trondson Engine was singing a fine tune, as he was able to run high, low and in between. Soon Shane had contest leader Todd Boots in sight but he simply ran out of laps and could not overtake the "Tea Tornado." Shane looked up on the scoreboard as he lifted his visor and saw a tremendous 36 point score posted for his efforts. This currently placed Shane in the #2 spot in the running order. Shane's hauler is lined with numerous photos on his all-time favorite sprint car driver, John Stevenson. Having watched John race at North Starr Speedway and numerous other tracks around the Midwest for many years, John Stevenson is also one of contest promoter GRP's all-time favorite sprint car drivers.
Activity today in the late model division was confined to numerous practice sessions and some test-n-tune runs under the clock. One powerhouse contestant was rumored to be ready to take to the track for his effort, but he decided to tweak his setup just a little bit more in hopes of moving past Tireguy. Mark Schreiner has put up a very solid score and the other contestants are searching for the right combination to gain the advantage.
Current point standings through Jan 23 (Day 4)
Late Model Division:
1. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 36
2. Kevin Mudrak, Superior WI = 35
3. Tony Steuck, Watertown SD = 34
4. Brad Luepke, Bonduel WI = 30
5. Brent Creaser, Menomonie WI = 21
Sprint Car Division:
1. Todd Boots, Tea SD = 38
2. Shane Trondson, St. Paul MN = 36
3. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 34 ROY
4. Ben Nelson, Cameron WI = 28 ROY
5. Tony Steuck, Watertown SD = 27
*ROY denotes Victory Funding Connection Rookie of the Year contender.
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