As the 9th Annual GRP Racing Trivia Contest winds down, action on the sixth day heated up during week #2 activity at the MDTR Speedway. Once again, the lead changed hands in one of the divisions. The modified divison saw five entries arrive while the super/street/stock car class had two contestants complete their four-division run during the 2008 version of the contest. We'll start off with the super-streeter-stock cars first and then wrap up this report with the modifieds.
Ray Beste returned to MDTR for two more attempts today in order to complete all four divisions. His first run came with his converted DDS Chassis from last week's late model entry. Ray moved a few bars around, cut a little here, chopped a little there, and pretty soon he had himself an I-94 Super Guesser Chassis. Now Ray just needed to stand on the gas and show the MDTR fans that his I-94 experience from years ago would come in handy. Ray proceeded to complete a solid run with a 26 point score in his third attempt in this division. By the way, Ray was the first contestant to correctly answer the I-94 question. No surprise there.
The other super/street/stock car entry today made the long haul back to the MDTR track. Tony Steuck was returning with his South Dakota Race Reports/ATD super and mod entries in the big stacker trailer. Sharp looking as usual, Tony's cars always catch the attention of the fans. Like Ray, Tony had to make several guesses on the setup. There were a few laps that he nearly spun out, but Tony regained control and went on to score a fine 26 point run. Same score as Ray, but Ray had his entry in earlier in the day. Both of our final two Four Score Award contestants would return with their mod entries a bit later on.
The modified division was active today. Our first contestant in the mods hailed from Barron, WI. The fans soon picked up on this and dubbed him "The Barron." Scott Erickson brought his #15E MWM to MDTR to try his luck against those big block entries. Scott was looking at moving past fellow Wisconsin competitor Jason Richert for the lead in the VFC Rookie of the Year standings. Scott worked both the high and low lanes, as he struggled to find the fast way around. As Scott raced past flagman Stan M to complete his run, Jason had withstood his challenge. Scott scored 18 points in his black #15E MWM. Scott summed it up well...next year I need more horsepower. Thanks for bringing the MWM Scott.
Ray Beste was back at it again in his mod. Ray was making his third attempt in this popular division as well. Ray had one of them new Mule Kicker Chassis powered by a Zim Master Motor. Modchaser shook his head when he saw the thing appear, and figured it ain't no Oil Dripper! Ray was quick right from the start though, and he worked the various grooves on the track well. Some tricky spots in the middle stages kept Ray from catching up to the leaders. With Stan M waving the checkers, Ray raced to a fine 29 point score. This was his best performance in the modifieds so far in contest action. Modchaser was seen looking over the MKC car in the pits following the races. Maybe a change is in store for next year? We shall see. Thanks to Ray for competing in all four contest divisions.
It didn't take the fans long to recognize our third contender today in the modified division. In his first three attempts, Chris Stepan had finished second three times. Last year Chris put it all together to claim top honors in the modifieds. Chris was looking to repeat again this year, but Mark Schreiner would be tough to overtake. Chris worked hard to get his CLSracer FYE J-car tuned to perfection. Would it be enough though? The famous modified announcer jumped into his racer and sped out on to the MDTR track, a track he knows plenty well. Just like with his super entry, Chris only bobbled on three laps enroute to a 37 point score. The result was the same for Tireguy though, as he was relegated back one spot in the running order. There was a new leader in the mods...the sheriff was in town! Several fans figured that only the "mafia" could unseat Chris from his top perch. Time will tell with one day to go.
Leading the VFC Rookie standings in the newly expanded super/street/stock car division, Scott Paulson decided to take the fenders off his street stock, make a few modifications, and give the modified division a try. Scott returned to MDTR today for his rookie run in the modified class. He certainly did not look like a rookie though. Not good news for Jason Richert. Scott's "modified street stock" turned the heads of fellow competitors and fans alike. Scott blasted around the high-banked 3/8 miler. Tireguy even remarked that he was as "smooth as Tennessee whiskey" on many laps. Scott bettered his street stock score by one point, as he sailed under Stan's checkered flag with a 35 point run. There would be more trophies given away in the pits to young race fans today. Scott now leads the VFC ROY standings in both divisions this week while holding down the third place spot in each division behind the lead duo of S&S.
The final mod entry today saw Tony Steuck park the super and jump into his SDRR #1 modified. Tony was also finishing his final run in 2008 contest action. Tony knew his modified entry would be stronger than his super stock. It was soon apparent that Tony had a very good setup in his mod. The middle stages did not go as well as he hoped, but Tony put together a string of perfect laps in the end to close out his stay at MDTR with a solid 31 point performance. The fans gave Tony a standing ovation when he headed to the pits following his run, showing their appreciation for his long tow effort to get here and compete in all four divisions.
All five contestants who started out last week by voluntarily competing in both the late model and sprint car divisions have now finished out there run for the Four Score Award. In recent years, contest promoter GRP has not announced any prizes ahead of time. This year GRP has decided to make the same payout for these five competitors as any other division in the contest. That means Mark Schreiner earned an additional $100 for topping the Four Score standings. Congrats to Mark, Kevin, Tony, John and Ray.
Current Standings through Feb 1 (Day #6)
Super/Street/Stock Car Division:
1. Chris Stepan, St. Cloud MN = 37
2. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 36
3. Scott Paulson, Kimball MN = 34 ROY
4. Kevin Mudrak, Superior WI = 31
5. Ray Beste, Sauk Centre MN = 26
6. Tony Steuck, Watertown SD = 26
7. John Lackmann, Long Prairie MN = 24
8. Roger Koth, Pierre SD = 12 DNF (handling)
Modified Division:
1. Chris Stepan, St. Cloud MN = 37
2. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 36
3. Scott Paulson, Kimball MN = 35 ROY
4. John Lackmann, Long Prairie MN = 32
5. Kevin Mudrak, Superior WI = 32
6. Tony Steuck, Watertown SD = 31
7. Ray Beste, Sauk Centre MN = 29
8. Jason Richert, Cadott WI = 25 ROY
9. Renee Fehlen, Star Prairie WI = 21 ROY
10. Roger Koth, Pierre, SD = 21
11. Scott Erickson, Barron WI = 18 ROY
*ROY denotes Victory Funding Connection Rookie of the Year contender.
Final Four Score Award Standings-9th Annual GRP Racing Trivia Contest:
1. Mark Schreiner, Hutchinson MN = 142
2. Kevin Mudrak, Superior WI = 130.5
3. Tony Steuck, Watertown SD = 118
4. John Lackmann, Long Prairie MN = 107
5. Ray Beste, Sauk Centre MN = 102
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