This message was edited on
October 03, 2010 at
10:51:31 PM by grp
Barickman Bests Richert For UMSS GRP Motorsports Sweet Sixteen Bonus
By: Greg Parent
Ogilvie MN (10-2-10)
Hollywood could hardly have scripted a better story than what was about to take place at the Ogilvie Raceway during the final UMSS race of the season on Saturday October 2. The GRP Motorsports UMSS Sweet Sixteen Bonus had come down to a battle between the top three drivers in the UMSS point standings. Brad Barickman held a small lead over Jerry Richert, Jr. while eventual 2010 UMSS Champion Cody Hahn was in third. Hahn had a chance at overtaking Richert but could not catch Barickman. Richert had a very legitimate shot at gaining enough ground on Barickman in the standings to overtake him. The final outcome would play out literally right down to the final laps of the feature race.
With Hahn a solid lock in third due to a DNF earlier in the feature, Barickman and Richert would battle it out for the top spot in the GRP Sweet Sixteen Bonus standings. The bonus utilized a drivers best sixteen (16) point shows to determine the final standings. Barickman held a 19 point lead over Richert coming in to the last race, but Richert had a lower score eligible to be thrown out should he better it. With Tony Norem in the lead late in the Ogilvie feature race, Barickman ran second while Richert and Donovan Peterson swapped the third spot. A couple of late race cautions kept the field bunched up, as Richert was back in third and right behind Barickman. Richert made a couple of attempts to get by Barickman, but Barickman was able to hold him off. Barickman finished second ahead of Richert in third. In tabulating up the final points for the best 16 shows for each driver, Brad Barickman had narrowly held on to a slim three point victory over Jerry Richert, Jr. to earn the top bonus of $1,500. Richert's fine effort netted him $1,000 for second while Hahn won $500 for third. The bonus money will be paid at the UMSS banquet early next year. Details on the banquet will be released soon.
Stated Greg Parent from GRP Motorsports, "I could not have asked for a better ending to come down to the final race of the season and have numerous different scenarios that could have played out. To have the bonus literally come down to the final laps in the final feature race of the season and be won by only a slim three points, well that was just plain awesome!" Indeed it was, as the race within a race proved to be interesting and entertaining. It added a little something extra special for the contestants as well as the fans. GRP is planning on bringing back a similar type of bonus for the 2011 UMSS season.
Final 2010 GRP Motorsports UMSS Sweet Sixteen Bonus Standings:
1. Brad Barickman #34, Richfield MN......... 3750 points (Top 16 shows) $1,500
2. Jerry Richert Jr. #63, Forest Lake MN.... 3747 points (Top 16 shows) $1,000
3. Cody Hahn #23, Minneapolis MN............ 3677 points (Top 16 shows) $500
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