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Graf Edges Richert For Thrilling Victory At North Central Speedway

Brainerd, MN

By: Greg Parent (6-11-11)

If race fans could write a script, the most thrilling and dramatic lap of the feature likely would be the final one. Such was the case on Saturday night June 11 at the North Central Speedway for the Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series (UMSS) sixth event of the season. Talented sprint car racers Chris Graf of Glencoe and veteran driver Jerry Richert, Jr. of Forest Lake brought the crowd to their feet with an exciting last lap battle for the win in a race that ran nonstop to the checkers. With Richert closing quickly on the leader, JR poked his nose under Graf exiting turn two on the final lap and the pair raced side by side down the back stretch. In a tight battle entering turn three, neither driver gave an inch. Contact resulted and the lead duo slid up the track in turn four, as the two cars rubbed just a bit. The sprint to checkers saw Graf earn his second UMSS feature victory of the season by defeating Richert by less than a car length at the line.

Commenting after the dramatic final lap, a smiling Chris Graf stated, "I saw Jerry underneath me in turn two, and I told myself I cannot lose this race on the last lap. We raced tight in turn three and four, had a little contact, and I was barely able to get to the finish line first. We certainly put on a show for the fans in that one." Also coming off turn four on the final lap, the third place position changed hands with Scott Broty slipping past Cody Hahn to add some additional excitement to an already thrilling last lap.

For the second race in a row, the high point driver drew the zero pill after the usual double round of qualifying races used by the UMSS to determine the feature lineup. This put 2010 UMSS Champion and Mighty Axe winner Cody Hahn on the pole with Scott Broty outside for the Precision Tool 20 lap main event. Broty raced to a slim lead on the opening lap ahead of Hahn. Hahn hurried by Broty on lap two for the lead, and fourth starter Chris Graf gained second a lap later. Graf tracked down Hahn during the next few laps and the race for first was on. Meanwhile, Richert moved by Broty for third on lap five.

As the leaders approached lapped traffic, Graf grabbed the lead from Hahn right at the halfway mark. On lap fourteen, Richert raced under Hahn for second and began to chip away at Graf's lead. During this time, Jared Goerges, Scotty Thiel and Andy Jones were having a good battle for the fifth spot. As the laps rolled by quickly under green on the 1/3 mile oval, Richert kept closing on Graf. With two to go, Richert had erased the margin. The white flag waved and the leaders entered turn one with Richert on the bottom and Graf to his outside. Richert briefly nosed ahead of Graf exiting turn two, as the leaders shot down the back stretch side by side. With both drivers giving it all they had, Richert and Graf raced very close together with the result being some contact in turn three. Both cars drifted up the track, separated in turn four, and each driver made a frantic dash to the finish line. Graf edged out Richert by less than a car length for the win. Broty got Hahn for third coming off the final corner on the last lap. Scotty Thiel topped the race for fifth.

Rounding out the top ten finishers were Andy Jones, Jared Goerges, Ronnie Erickson, rookie Anna Kouba, and Joseph Kouba. Goerges did a complete 360 spin on lap 19 but kept going, dropping a couple spots in the process. Erickson was making his first race of the season and ran well. Anna Kouba passed her brother Joseph with two to go to earn family bragging rights for the night. Anna Kouba continues to lead the GRP Motorsport/BP Trading Company rookie standings. Jerry Richert, Jr. earned the GRP Hard Charger Award, coming from sixth to second. By virtue of a top five finish, Cody Hahn raced to another GRP Past Champions Bonus. Chris Graf earned $1,000 for his win plus a Hoosier Racing Tire certificate making it about a $1,200 victory.

Cody Hahn raced ahead of Jerry Richert, Jr. to win the Alpha Apparel & Promotions Ultimate Sprint Race #1. Scott Broty came from third to first on the opening lap and took the top spot in the Meeks Video Ultimate Sprint Race #2. Cody Hahn got by early leader Scotty Thiel and went on to win the Driverwebsites.com first Challenge Race. Chris Graf led all the way in the Mastell Brothers Trailer Service Challenge Race #2 for the win. The UMSS drivers also took part in the popular Kids Night autograph session on the track during intermission where North Central Speedway and many drivers gave away a total of 60 bikes to the kids. Throughout the entire sprint car racing program, including the TSCS nonwinged cars, their were no cautions as all races ran green to checkers.

After taking a weekend off, the UMSS returns to action on Saturday night June 25 for their second appearance of the season at the Princeton Speedway. The UMSS will be running as the companion division with the popular World of Outlaws sprint car series at Princeton. This will be a big night for the UMSS, and their feature race will pay $1,000 to win thanks to some bonus money from GRP Motorsports. A good field of UMSS sprint cars are expected to be on hand at Princeton along with all of the travelling WoO stars. Be sure and check out the UMSS website at www.umsprints.com for all the latest news or visit the UMSS Facebook page and become a friend. The UMSS has been presenting fans with some very entertaining feature races during the 2011 season, so come on out and join us at the 1/4 mile bullring known as the Princeton Speedway on June 25 for our seventh event of the season.

UMSS Race Results - North Central Speedway June 11, 2011 (Race #6):Alpha Apparel & Promotions Ultimate Sprint Race #1 (6 laps): Cody Hahn, Jerry Richert Jr, Scotty Thiel, Chris Graf, Jared Goerges, Anna Kouba, Tommy Kamrath DNS.

Meeks Video Ultimate Sprint Race #2 (6 laps): Scott Broty, Andy Jones, Ronnie Erickson, Jopseh Kouba, Kevin Bradwell, Johnny Parsons III DNS.

Driverwebsites.com Challenge Race #1 (8 laps): Hahn, Thiell, Jones, Goerges, J Kouba, Kamrath DNS.

Mastell Brothers Trailer Service Challenge Race #2 (8 laps): Graf, Broty, Richert, Erickson, A Kouba, Bradwell, Parsons DNS.

Precision Tool & GRP Motorsports A Main (20 laps): Graf, Richert, Broty, Hahn, Thiel, Jones, Goerges, Erickson, A Kouba, J Kouba, Parsons, Bradwell, Kamrath DNS.

Lap Leaders: Broty 1, Hahn 2-9, Graf 10-20.

No cautions.

Youth Prevails In Brainerd TSCS Run For Jalen Morris

Brainerd, MN

By: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director (6-11-11)

For the third time during their inaugural season, the UMSS Traditional Sprint Car Series (TSCS) raced an exhibition-style program which produced the third different winner. At the North Central Speedway in Brainerd on Saturday night June 11, it was young Jalen Morris of Elk River defeating racing veteran Johnny Parsons III of Owatonna in a nonstop feature race. Morris led the entire distance on the 1/3 mile oval from his front row starting spot.

Six TSCS non-winged sprint cars were on hand, as the upstart series continues to generate interest. Opening night winner Kevin Bradwell won the eight lap exhibition heat race over Reactor Racing teammates Tommy Kamrath of Maplewood and Johnny Parsons III. Morris finished fourth in the heat, but an invert for the feature race put him outside row one.

Morris, making his third start in a non-winged sprint car and fourth start ever in his young career, immediately bolted into the lead at the drop of the green for the 12 lap exhibition feature. Positions behind Morris swapped around a few times with Parsons eventually settling into second. Parsons slowly began closing the distance on the leader, but Morris was able to maintain his lead throughout the race. Commenting after his victory, Morris stated "Be sure and make mention that this young gun beat the veterans tonight. I'm pumped up about getting my first win. I can't wait until we race again." All six cars finished the feature. Finishing behind race winner Morris was Parsons, Bradwell, Kamrath, series engine builder and sponsor Travis Jehlicka of Mora in Jeff Pellersels car, and newcomer Adam Taubert from Mora. With Taubert's car, there have now been eight different cars at the first three shows with more cars still under construction. Stated UMSS series CDO Ron Bernhagen, "It's possible we could see about twelve different cars by the end of the season. This deal is taking shape and gaining momentum. There have been a lot of inquiries as to rules and cost to put one of these together. With motors around $4,500, it is about as economical as it can get. We have something here."

The next race for the TSCS series is scheduled for the Cedar Lake Speedway on Friday July 8, as the series will run with the World of Outlaws that night. With the sale of Kopellah Speedway slated to take place on June 28 and the season at that track scheduled to get underway on July 22, the TSCS cars will have a weekly Friday night track to race at. Traditional sprint car fans can follow the growth of the UMSS TSCS series throughout the course of its initial 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 will also be on the UMSS Facebook page and highlighted in the free UMSS Report newsletter available at each event. With more cars expected to be out soon and a great deal of interest being generated, the outlook for this new series is bright.

UMSS TSCS Race Results - North Central Speedway June 11, 2011 (Race #3):SprintSource.com Ultimate Exhibition Race #1 (8 laps): Kevin Bradwell Luck, WI, Tommy Kamrath, Maplewood MN, Johnny Parsons III, Owatonna MN, Jalen Morris, Elk River MN, Travis Jehlicka, Mora MN, Adam Taubert, Mora MN.

Mora Motorworks Exhibition A Main (12 laps): Morris, Parsons, Bradwell, Kamrath, Jehlicka, Taubert.

Lap Leader: Morris 1-12.

No cautions.

Victory Lane Photo courtesy of Samantha Laderer at Speed Photography.