Six rookies and one California transplant will all be vying for 2010 Rookie of the Year honors during the upcoming 24-race season of the Upper Midwest Sprint Car Series (UMSS).  Charly Cropp, Ronnie Erickson, Jared Gorges, Andy Jones, Anna Kouba, Mark Yetter, and California transplant, Jack Clark, have all indicated they will be following the UMSS tour in 2010.  
 
"I am overwhelmed with the number of new teams and drivers the UMSS has attracted in its second season," beamed Ron Bernhagen.  "This is another piece of the puzzle in bringing open wheel racing back to the Twin Cities area."
 
All of these rookie drivers have previous racing experience and have their cars ready for the season:

Jack Clark, moving to Knapp, Wisconsin - 30 years' experience in non-wing sprint cars 
Charly Cropp, Menomonie, Wisconsin - previous experience in Cage Karts
Ronnie Erickson, Twin Cities - previous experience in Karts
Jared Gorges, Brainerd - previous experience in Cage Karts
Andy Jones, Princeton - previous experience in Midwest and "A" modifieds
Anna Kouba, Twin Cities - previous experience in Karts
Mark Yetter, Rochester - previous experience in Midwest and "A" modifieds

The 2010 UMSS season gets underway Friday, April 23rd at Kopellah Speedway and on Saturday, April 24th at Cedar Lake Speedway.  For more information on the UMSS, go to www.umsprints.com or call Ron Bernhagen at 612-363-5302.
 
The UMSS is a value-based sprint car organization bringing open wheel racing back to the Twin Cities area by establishing reasonable rules for the participant, an economical purse structure for the race tracks, and an affordable race ticket and fan-friendly program for the race fan.

Stan Meissner Photo
L to R: Jared Gorges, Andy Jones, Ronnie Erickson, Anna Kouba, Charly Cropp.  Not pictured: Mark Yetter and Jack Clark.