Tough Sledding Getting The 2013 UMSS Season Underway
By: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director (5-3-13)
With winter weather still persisting, the first four shows on the 2013 Upper Midwest Sprint Car Series (UMSS) winged sprint schedule have fallen victim to rain, snow and cold that has plagued the Midwest area during the past month. The popular winged sprint car series will now attempt to kick off their season with a double header weekend on Friday May 24 for the running of the 2nd Annual Davey Tabor Memorial at the St. Croix Valley Raceway and on Saturday May 25 at the Rice Lake Speedway. The UMSS Traditional non-winged sprints will also be part of each program, as they make their first-ever appearance at the Rice Lake Speedway.
Following a weekend off for the much-anticipated IRA Sprint Tour at St. Croix Valley Raceway on Friday May 31, Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday June 1, and at the Eagle Valley Raceway on Sunday June 2, the UMSS winged sprints will be back in action again on Friday June 7 at the Princeton Speedway for the 12th Annual Billy Anderson Memorial paying the winner $1,200 courtesy of some sponsorship help from GRP Motorsports. The lone appearance of the season at the Ogilvie Raceway will see the winged warriors at the fast 3/8 mile track on Saturday June 8 for the Big O Sprint Showdown. The month of June will round out action for the UMSS sprints with the two-day Open Wheel Nationals at St. Croix Valley Raceway. The Friday night preliminary feature will pay $1,000 to win, and if 40 or more cars are on hand there will be two features each paying $1,000 to win. The Saturday night championship feature will pay a whopping $5,000 to win and $500 to start. This will be the largest payout at a UMSS race so far, as the 2nd Annual Open Wheel Nationals will be one of the premier races on the UMSS schedule as well as one of the top shows here in our area along with other long-standing and traditionally great events like the Kouba Memorial and Richert Memorial.
"Last year we got off to a tough start as well, as we were only able to complete two full shows by the end of May," stated UMSS President Ron Bernhagen. "The weather straightened out rather nicely after that and we went on a run of eighteen straight races to finish out our season, so I am hopeful we will see a similar type of streak put together this year," concluded Bernhagen. So far, no additional races have been added to the schedule. The UMSS schedules about two dozen shows knowing that some will fall victim to the weather. If the weather woes continue, one or two additional shows may have to be added to the schedule, as the series would like to race about 20 events during the season. Fans can always keep track of the UMSS on their website at www.umsprints.com or by becoming a friend of their Facebook page.
2013 UMSS Winged Sprint Schedule (as updated 5-1-13)
Friday, May 24 St. Croix Valley Raceway - 2nd Annual Davey Tabor Memorial*
Saturday, May 25 Rice Lake Speedway - Double Dare Sprint Special
Friday, June 7 Princeton Speedway - 12th Annual Billy Anderson Memorial*
Saturday, June 8 Ogilvie Raceway - Big O Sprint Showdown
Friday, June 28 St. Croix Valley Raceway - 2nd Annual Open Wheel Nationals
Saturday, June 29 St. Croix Valley Raceway - 2nd Annual Open Wheel Nationals*
Saturday, July 6 Hibbing Raceway - 3rd Annual Rumble on the Range
Sunday, July 7 Proctor Speedway - 2nd Annual Twin Ports Sprint Special
Friday, July 26 St. Croix Valley Raceway - Thunder in the Valley
Saturday, July 27 Cedar Lake Speedway - Summer Sprint Special
Thursday, August 15 KRA Speedway - King of KRA Sprint Challenge
Friday, August 16 Princeton Speedway - Kouba Memorial Night 1*
Saturday, August 17 St. Croix Valley Raceway - 21st Annual Kouba Memorial*
Saturday, August 24 Viking Speedway - Viking Sprint Special
Saturday, August 31 North Central Speedway - 12th Annual Mighty Axe Nationals
Sunday, September 1 North Central Speedway - 12th Annual Mighty Axe Nationals
Monday, September 2 Granite City Speedway - 2nd Annual Granite City Sprintacular
Saturday, September 7 Cedar Lake Speedway - 13th Annual Richert Memorial with IRA Sprints*
Friday, October 4 Elko Speedway - 3rd Annual Fall Dirt Nationals
Saturday, October 5 Elko Speedway - 3rd Annual Fall Dirt Nationals*
*UMSS Six Pack Series Race.
