This message was edited on
January 21, 2009 at
11:22:46 PM by grp
As we worked past the halfway mark in the 10th Annual GRP Racing Trivia Contest yesterday, the leaderboard in the Open Wheel Division was crowded with 40+ point scores. On Wednesday, a couple of heavy hitters from South Dakota made their 2009 contest debut in hopes of taking over the top spot while a real-life sprint car driver returned to MDTR to test the high banks again. Another rookie contestant took aim at the ROY Award with an entry in the Stock Car Division. Let's review Day #5 contest action at MDTR.
Our first entry of the day came from a rookie competitor in the Stock Car Division. Chris Hecht from Somerset, WI unloaded a fine looking #27 Mastersbilt by Mars for contest action. It was Chris' first try in the contest, having worked as a pit crew member at MDTR for several seasons. With fresh Wegner power under the hood, Chris brought his entry trackside. Chris was off to a fine start until lap 13 caused him some trouble following a brush with the turn 2 wall. Chris gathered things up, but it took until the second half of his run to really find a fast line again. During contest action, MDTR has been known to throw more than one competitor for a loop. Following a great recovery though, Chris crossed the finish line with a strong 35 point effort. His stacker trailer also includes an open wheel entry, so he'll turn his attention in that direction in hopes of accumulating addtional points for the Rookie of the Year Award.
In the Open Wheel Division, the 2005 Rookie of the Year Mark Toews from Spirit Lake, IA was making a return trip to the MDTR Speedway to once again test his skill on the high banks. Mark brought an immaculate looking #5T sprinter along for contest action with a familiar retro-looking Northern Tool & Equipment paint scheme. Mark certainly knows how to wheel a winged wonder, and he immediately blasted into turn one. It took Mark several laps to find the quick way around, but when he got going he was stellar. Mark turned in a personal contest best with a fine 38 point performance, as he sped under Stan's checkered flag. Although Mark will always be a Minnesotan at heart, he is our first official entrant from the Hawkeye State.
As the large R19 toter and stacker rig pulled through the back gate, that could only mean one thing. The Top Two from Tea were in the house. Yes fans, I'm referring to the top two finishers from the 2008 contest. Runnerup Chris Timmerman and four-time champion Todd Boots unloaded their entries for Open Wheel competition. A large crowd gathered around to take a look at what the South Dakota heavy hitters had brought along this year. Indeed, there would be a bid for the lead with these two at MDTR.
Chris Timmerman was the first to take to the track. Chris, the 2003 Rookie of the Year, has several top ten finishes to his credit. After sitting out the 2006 & 2007 contests, Chris returned last year with a vengeance and finished in second place with the same score as his fellow Tea native had. Chris wheeled the sleek #83 Maxim sprinter on to the track and mashed the gas. He was off to a strong start, and the South Dakota fans knew it. Chris worked high and low to find the fast away around MDTR. A little slip here and there added up though, as he had guessed on just a couple of set-up items. Blazing past Stan M to finish his run, Chris tallied up a super 45 point effort. After climbing from his car, Chris stated "this was the toughest contest I've been in so far." A little extra work on some WISSOTA history might have made the difference. Nonetheless, Chris was in the hunt for a podium finish. Well, that was until the other half of the Top Two from Tea made his appearance.
A roar went up from the large crowd on hand, as veteran contestant Todd Boots pulled his Citywide Owens Corning R19 Capetta powered Maxim on the track. Todd is the ONLY contestant to have participated in all 10 contests. He is a four-time Champion in the sprint car division and has never finished outside of the top ten. MDTR fans are very familiar with his capabilities, as he usually runs right up near the front of the pack. Todd was up on the wheel and hauling! The South Dakota fans were confident they would see a new leader. A minor brush of the turn 3 wall in the early going did nothing to impede his progress. Todd was on his way to the front. As the laps clicked by, it appeared the SD fans would at last have their way. But wait, a slight loss of tire pressure slowed his pace by just a tad bit. Todd tooled past Stan M in the flagstand enroute to a 47 point score. He had tied the leaders, but by virtue of earliest entry Michael Pietrowski and Shane Trondson had fended off one of the best. Badger and Gopher State fans shook their heads and breathed a sigh of relief. Who would be the next South Dakota hot-shoe to take a shot at the their favorites atop the leaderboard? There are still three full days of action left, so the anticipation and excitement builds.
Zimmy has been busy the past few days snapping some contest photos. It is always a pleasure to have him on hand. Southern Minnesota race fan, track reporter, columnist and track announcer Todd Narveson stopped by MDTR. Todd, who has in the past signed into the pits to do battle at MDTR, was doing some research. Since he was in the house, GRP asked Todd to call the action today. It was fun listening to Todd on the microphone, as he entertained the large MDTR crowd on hand. Maybe Chris Stepan will call some race action following his contest effort. It was reported that Chris was still prepping his CLSracer entry, as he is always a threat for the win in any of the stock car divisions during past contest action.
Current Standings January 21 (Day #5):
Stock Car Division:
1. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 46
2. Scott Paulson, Kimball MN = 42
3. Nikki Ellis, Fargo ND = 39 ROY
4. Chris Hecht, Somerset WI = 35 ROY
5. John Lackmann, Long Prairie MN = 34
Open Wheel Division:
1. Michael Pietrowski, Edgerton WI = 47
2. Shane Trondson, St. Paul MN = 47
3. Todd Boots, Tea SD = 47
4. Chris Timmerman, Tea SD = 45
5. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 43
6. Kristi Hoffman, Dell Rapids SD = 43
7. Mark Toews, Spirit Lake IA = 38
Grand Champion Standings:
1. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 89
Note: ROY denotes Rookie of the Year contender.
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