This message was edited on
January 20, 2009 at
10:36:50 PM by grp
On the fourth day of the 10th Annual GRP Racing Trivia Contest, four more entries arrived. Each division saw two more contestants make attempts to gain the top spot. One was successful in the Stock Car Division while another came up a tiebreaker short in the Open Wheel Division. Contest veterans and newcomers (sort of) made up the field today. Here's a summary of Tuesday's action on the dirt banks of MDTR Speedway.
The first entry was an early one. The Hoffman family pulled through the back gate late last night with their Open Wheel entry in tow. With Todd Hoffman doing the wrenching, Kristi was behind the wheel for the first time at MDTR. The Husets Speedway rig unloaded early, and the crew went to work on their ASCS engine. After some fine-tuning by Todd, Kristi was the first one on the track for the day. She soon found the fast way around, but ole MDTR can be plenty tricky during the contest. Kristi wheeled home with a fine score of 43 points in a tie with Mark Schreiner. Mark will get the nod on earliest entry in the standings though. A large crowd gathered around the Hoffman family pit area following the races, as many fans were anxious to get a look at the first of the South Dakota powerhouse teams.
With Michael P waiting to see if his 47 point score from day 3 will hold up, the next contestant in the Open Wheel Division was about to give him a scare. Shane Trondson from St. Paul is no stranger to the contest. Shane has negotiated the high-banked MDTR track on numerous occasions in the past, wheeling his Pumpkin Eater #31 Special into the top five finishers during the 6th Annual contest. This year Shane had a new Trondson engine in the ole familiar #31 machine. The fresh power was evident right out of the gate, as Shane planted the car firmly against the cushion. A solid run in the first half found Shane contending for the lead, but a tricky turn in the latter going cost him just a tad bit of time. As Shane blew past Stan M in the flagstand, he checkered in with an electrifying 47 point run. It was Shane's personal best in the contest so far. Based on tiebreaker rules, Michael P had survived a serious attempt to dethrone him from the top spot. Make that Wisconsin and Minnesota one and two in the Open Wheel Division after four days.
Long-time contestant and fan favorite John Lackmann from Long Prairie MN was the first to field an entry on day 4 in the Stock Car Division. John has been to MDTR for nine out of the ten contests. He has a loyal fan following that gathers each and every year to watch him. John is also a three-time champion in the Modified Division. With a change in format this year, John decided to bring a combo car along. His reworked Made Late Mod sponsored by Bazooka and Oildripper Enterprises was a unique creation. John certainly knows his way around the high banks, but this would be a bit of challenge for the modified guru. John experienced some handling problems in the early going, but he managed to get rolling very well in the last half of his run. John jumped past the finish line with a 34 point tally to his credit. His typical smile in the pits following the races is a trademark along with his yellow Ski-Doo jacket. There was plenty of Bazooka Bubble Gum to hand out to the young fans in the crowd.
Coming off a successful run in the Open Wheel ranks the day before, Mark Schreiner returned to contest action on Tuesday with his Stock Car effort. The "Hutchinson Hustler" had another new Fegers car for this try with sponsorship by Towmaster Trailers. With a monster Ford motor under the hood, Mark (aka Tireguy) was set to give Scott Paulson a run for the lead. Some last minute setup advice from Les Duellman helped Mark dial-in his run. Mark made several solid tours before running into a few bumps around laps 14-17, but he quickly changed lines and was near perfect after that. Tireguy brought his #17L house car home with a tremendous 46 point score, causing Stan M to nearly fall from the flagstand when he scraped the wall right underneath Stan on the final lap. Mark would now sit atop the standings. He was also the first contestant to complete runs in both divisions, so his 89 point combined score puts up a "Mark" for others to shoot for in the Grand Champion Standings.
With quite a lot of commotion in the pit area, Vinster arrived today with his VMAX all-girl pit crew. They immediately went to the autograph area by the stands and were swamped with requests for photos. No word on whether Vinster will actually bring out his old Matthews Chassis for a run in the Open Wheel class or not. Vince's band will be performing following contest action on Friday night, featuring his dad Lester as lead guitarist. Plenty of fun times still to come at MDTR during the contest.
Current Standings January 20 (Day #4):
Stock Car Division:
1. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 46
2. Scott Paulson, Kimball MN = 42
3. Nikki Ellis, Fargo ND = 39 ROY
4. John Lackmann, Long Prairie MN = 34
Open Wheel Division:
1. Michael Pietrowski, Edgerton WI = 47
2. Shane Trondson, St. Paul MN = 47
3. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 43
4. Kristi Hoffman, Dell Rapids SD = 43
Grand Champion Standings:
1. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 89
Note: ROY denotes Rookie of the Year contender.
|
