Parsons Remains Perfect In TSCS Sprints At Elko
Elko, MN
By: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director (5-10-13)
Making their second-ever appearance at the Elko Speedway, the UMSS Traditional Sprint Car Series (TSCS) raced in front of one of the largest crowds in track history as the support division during the World of Outlaws program on Friday night May 10. As he had done in July of 2011, Johnny Parsons III from Owatonna stayed perfect in feature race action to grab the season opening victory for the TSCS non-winged sprints and his second career sprint car win at Elko. Parsons led all 20 laps in the feature, topping 2011 series champion Kevin Bradwell by 4/10ths of a second for the victory. Parsons earned $500 for his season opening win and his series leading 12th career TSCS victory.
A series high car count of 15 TSCS sprints were on hand on a beautiful spring evening. Two 10-lap heat races were run using passing and finishing points to determine the lineup for the feature event. Kevin Bradwell raced ahead of the field in the first heat and held off Parsons for the win. Jeff Pellersels got by 2012 TSCS Rookie of the Year Denny Stordahl with three laps to go for the win in the second heat with 2012 champion Rob Caho, Jr. in third. Katrina Sautbine saw her hopes go up in flames in the first heat in a spectacular-looking fireball when a broken rod blew a hole in the oil pan on her non-winged sprinter. Following the heats, Pellersels was the high point driver and some early season good fortune saw him pull the zero pill for a straight-up feature race start. This put Pellersels and Parsons on the front row with a pair of series champions, Bradwell and Caho, behind them in row two.
The first attempt to start the 20 lap feature race saw the yellow light inadvertently come on, so a complete restart was in order. The next attempt was good, as Parsons beat Pellersels into turn one and exited turn two with the lead. Parsons began slowly pulling away from the field with laps clicking by under green. At the halfway point, Parsons held the top spot over Pellersels and Bradwell. The leaders encountered lapped traffic at this point. A few laps later, Pellersels got a bit low on the track exiting turn four allowing Bradwell to get by. With Parsons working lapped traffic, Bradwell began to narrow the margin in the closing laps. Bradwell closed in on the leader with three laps to go and made a hard charge into turn one on the final lap, but Parsons was up to the challenge and held off Bradwell by a couple of car lengths in what turned out to be an entertaining nonstop main event. Pellersels rode home in third ahead of Jared Goerges, who was making his first non-winged sprint car start, and Lucas Milz. Caho, Cam Schafer, rookie Mike Mueller, Brad Nelson, and Denny Stordahl completed the top ten. Tom Porter, the only driver in the pits to race a sprint car on the asphalt and dirt at Elko, was 11th as all starters finished the race. Mechanical grelims of various sorts plagued veteran racer Jack Clark, rookie driver Brian VanMeveren, and Rick Kobs, who was subbing for Ryan Olson in the Mastell Racing sprinter, throughout the night.
Traditional sprint car fans can continue to follow the growth of this exciting series throughout the course of its third season on the UMSS website at www.umsprints.com by clicking on the blue logo to enter the TSCS home page. TSCS news and results are also on the UMSS Facebook page. Several more Traditional sprints are under construction and a number of new cars and drivers should make their debut during the upcoming weeks. Early indications would point to about 25-30 cars that are out there, so the opening night series car count record very likely will be broken in the not-so-distant future, as this series continues to gain in popularity amongst competitors and fans.
UMSS TSCS Race Results - Elko Speedway May 10, 2013 (Race #1):
Mora Motorworks Heat #1 (10 laps): 95 Kevin Bradwell, Luck WI; 12 Johnny Parsons III, Owatonna MN; 9 Jared Goerges, Brainerd MN; 60 Lucas Milz, Cambridge MN; 54 Cam Schafer, Glenwood MN (DNF); 13k Katrina Sautbine, Superior WI (DNF); 21 Rick Kobs, Deer Park WI (DNS); 24 Brian Van Meveren, St. Paul MN (DNS).
Mora Motorworks Heat #2 (10 laps): 1 Jeff Pellersels, Woodbury MN; 34 Denny Stordahl, Milltown WI; 78 Rob Caho Jr, Wyoming MN; 87 Mike Mueller, Stacy MN; 7N Brad Nelson Brainerd MN; 2 Tom Porter, Blaine MN; 41s Jack Clark, Knapp WI (DNS).
GRP Motorsports A Main (20 laps): Parsons, Bradwell, Pellersels, Goerges, Milz, Caho, Schafer, Mueller, Nelson, Stordahl, Porter, DNS: Kobs, Sautbine, Clark, Van Meveren.
Lap Leader: Parsons 1-20.
Cautions: (1) on initial start, then 20 laps nonstop to the checkers.
Victory Lane Photo courtesy of Track Rat Photos.
