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There were no UMSS races during the weekend of May 21-22 but that doesn’t mean that the UMSS drivers weren’t busy racing. UMSS drivers competed in the Jackson Spring Nationals on May 21 as well as with the IRA at Rice Lake and the IMCA at Arlington on May 22. This week’s Inside the UMSS interviews posted at midwestracingtalk.com include Brooke Tatnell who tells us about his trip to Australia this week for the Australian Sprint Car Championships and about the local track he calls the “hidden secret.” In addition to Tatnell we caught up with 2009 UMSS competitor Jason Tostenson, IMCA Hotshoe Chris Graf, former Jackson track Champion and UMSS regular Jerry Richert Jr. and 1998 WISSOTA National Sprint Car Champion Mark Toews. We’ll also take a look at race results to see how some of our favorite drivers fared and take a look ahead to the double header this weekend at Kopellah and Arlington.
For more information about the UMSS you can visit their website at umsprints.com.
Stan Meissner
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I'm really looking forward to Kopellah and Arlington this weekend, and then the following weekend, Kopellah and North Central. From what I have heard in recent days, we should have a good field of 360 sprints at Kopellah on May 28. It is hard to say for sure, but we might very well have in the 16-20 range. At Arlington the next night, it is quite possible that we will have in excess of 20 cars. Let's just hope for a safe and successful night on Friday, so all of the cars can survive and head to Arlington where a couple of GRP Bonuses will be in effect. Also Ron B will be helping to prepare the track at Kopellah for ALL sprint car shows. Ron has helped on two occasions so far this season, and hands down, they have had their two best tracks when he has been there. The "Master" Swampman knows how to work a track and get it in decent racing condition!
The following weekend of June 4-5 is also shaping up to be a very good one for the UMSS. The Friday night Kopellah show pays $1,000 to win. The next night for the Kouba Memorial at North Central Speedway near Brainerd, thanks to a solid base purse from North Central Speedway (Cliff and Tim) and some generous sponsorship help, that race will pay $1,500 to win, $1,000 for second and $700 for third with $240 to start based on a 20 car field. I will be working on a UMSS press release for the Kouba Memorial tonight, as I now have most of the necessary information.
So far, and his plans could change, Sioux Falls, SD driver Greg Gunderson is planning on racing with the UMSS on the weekend of June 4-5. Most fans are aware that Greg is deaf, but that does not stop him whatsoever from being a very competitive and talented sprint car driver. Greg typically draws several hearing-impaired fans to each track he goes to, as they are there to help "cheer" him on and support his racing efforts. Word has it that another sprint car owned by a veteran driver that has been sitting in a garage and collecting dust may be coming out for the June 4-5 weekend as well. In its second season of operation, the UMSS is generating interest in open wheel racing in and around the Twin City metro area. There will be several new cars/drivers making their 2010 season debut over the course of the next two weekends. Let's hope for some nice weather, as Mother Nature got the upper hand during the early season. It's time for the UMSS to "even the score" a bit. 
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