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Topic: Congrats to Andy Jones & Robby Caho on their St. Croix Valley Raceway Wins!
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July 30, 2011 at
04:03:45 AM
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This message was edited on
July 30, 2011 at
04:04:45 AM by grp
Congrats to Andy Jones, Robby Caho and Flyin Ryan Olson on their feature wins at the reopening of the St. Croix Valley Raceway (formerly Kopellah Speedway) on Friday night July 29. It turned out to be a fantastic summer evening for racing action at the little 1/4 oval nestled between St. Croix Falls and Centuria, Wisconsin. Also congrats to the pure stocks and future Iv (hornets) feature winners. A couple of 500cc karts were also on hand for an exhibition race. The Micro Sprints will need to get some cars together before they will be on the program.
Jones led all the way for his third UMSS feature win of the season and fourth of his brief sprint car racing career. One yellow slowed the pace with 14 laps in the books, and that put veteran sprint car racer Brooke Tatnell in the Nelson Motorsports #14 entry right on Andy's rear nerf bar for the restart. Jones went about his business like a veteran running smooth, consistent laps and was able to keep Tatnell behind his #73 Mastell Brothers Trailer Service/GRP Motorsports car over the final six lap sprint to the checkers.
Kevin Bradwell led the first five laps of the TSCS nonwinged sprints car exhibition feature race when the red flag flew for Tommy Kamrath who got upside down in turn 3 after contact with another car. On the restart, Bradwell spun in turn four and collected Jospeh Kouba who was piloting the other Reactor Racing car for Johnny Parsons III who was unable to make it to SCVR. Caho got the lead on the restart and held off Cody Hahn for his first win of the season in just his second start aboard his GRP Motorsports sponsored entry. Hahn was driving Jeff Pellersels #1 Foot & Ankle Clinics/Anytime Fitness sprinter in his first-ever nonwinged race.
Ryan Olson captured the special GRP Motorsports $100 bonus that was in place for four current or former drivers sponsored by GRP in the Pro Mods. Eligible drivers included Olson in his family-owned #21, Josh Bazey in his #55, Andy Jones driving Lance Holk's #22 and A. J. Roschen in his #7. The first three finished in the top three while Roschen broke a rear end in his mod during the early laps of feature race action. The 20 lap feature was only slowed once under caution for the 21 car starting grid with I believe 15 cars still running at the end.
Overall it was a very good first night for a group of owners, dedicated track workers and numerous helpers who just 10 days ago began tackling the enormous task of making this facility ready to hold a race. Congrats to all involved and thanks to the drivers, pit crews and fans who supported the rebirth of what track announcer Terry Lehnertz dubbed several seasons ago "St. Croix's Secret." The Secret is out and this track has a bright future under the current ownership and management group. Were there a few glitches and speedbumps on opening night? Yes indeed, but from nothing a week and half ago to putting on a decent show that concluded a few minutes before 10:30 isn't too bad at all. Next Friday night the Pro Stocks make their 2011 debut at SCVR while the winged sprint cars will not return until Friday night August 26 for their second tour of duty on the bullring.
I will have a UMSS racing report prepared and posted a bit later on today.
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July 30, 2011 at
04:08:05 AM
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This message was edited on
July 30, 2011 at
11:19:45 AM by grp
Andy Jones Opens St. Croix Valley Raceway With Third UMSS Win
St. Croix Falls, WI
By: Greg Parent UMSS Media Director (7-29-11)
On a warm summer evening, the Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series (UMSS) along with several weekly racing divisions and a strong turnout of fans helped welcome the rebirth of a dirt track back amongst the living. In just a short ten day period since the sale of the former Kopellah Speedway, a host of volunteers and the new ownership team accomplished a tremendous amount of work to reopen the 1/4 mile dirt oval under its new name, St. Croix Valley Raceway, on Friday night July 29. Racing for car owner Rick Mastell, one of the new owners of the western Wisconsin facility, Andy Jones put his name in the record books as the first UMSS feature winner. For Jones, it was his third UMSS victory of the season and fourth over all in his brief sprint car racing career.
Jones started on the pole and led the entire distance, but the race got very interesting when the lone caution waved with fourteen laps in the books. Veteran racer Brooke Tatnell had worked his way forward from his sixth starting position and suddenly found himself right behind Jones on the restart. Commenting after the race, Jones stated, "I knew Tatnell was behind me on that caution. I just needed to keep running a smooth consistent line and not overdrive the car. My crew gave me a strong car for the feature, and I'm really happy to win this first race at St. Croix Valley for them and my car owner to help reopen the track." Not bad for a modified driver turned sprint car racer, as Jones narrowed the points lead on Jerry Richert, Jr. who finished fourth. Coming into the weekend, Chris Graf had held the top spot in the point standings. Graf, who was unable to race this weekend due to being in a family wedding, slipped to fifth behind Scott Broty and Cody Hahn.
With the traditional double round of qualifying races back in use, high point driver Brooke Tatnell pulled the six pill for the feature race invert. Earlier in the night Tatnell had captured victories in the Meeks Video second Ultimate Sprint Race and the Mastell Brothers Trailer Service second Challenge Race. Defending UMSS Champion Cody Hahn won the Alpha Apparel & Promotions first Ultimate Sprint Race while Scott Broty defeated Hahn in the Driverwebsites first Challenge Race. The invert for the feature put Andy Jones and Brad Barickman on the front row.
Jones immediately jumped into the lead at the drop of the green with Barickman a solid second. It only took the "Awesome Aussie" Tatnell two laps to move up to third and five more laps to get by Barickman for second. The leaders encountered lapped traffic at this point and Tatnell began closing the margin lap by lap. When rookie racer Anna Kouba looped her car in turn two fourteen laps into the race, the margin shrank down to nothing. Many fans wondered if Jones would be able to hold off Tatnell, and a quick six lap dash to the checkers answered that question with Jones picking up the $1,000 top prize and trophy. Finishing behind Jones and Tatnell in the top five was Barickman, Richert and Hahn. Completing the top ten finishers were Broty, Mike Luks in his second night out, Joseph Kouba, Ronnie Erickson and Anna Kouba.
Anna Kouba maintained her lead in the GRP Motorsport/BP Trading Company rookie standings with her top ten finish. Cody Hahn earned a $100 GRP Past Champion bonus for his fifth place finish. Jones' first place pay was boosted $200 by GRP Motorsports. Jones also raced to a third place finish in the Pro Mod feature following his sprint car victory. Once again, the very popular driver autograph session was held during intermission, several kids bikes were given away, and some free t-shirts and caps were given out by Alpha Apparel. All in all, it was a very successful opening night for a track that had been dormant all season up until just ten days prior to hosting their first event of 2011. The future looks bright for the St. Croix Valley Raceway. The UMSS winged sprints will return for a second appearance on Friday August 26 to kick off another doubleheader weekend this time with the Rice Lake Speedway on Saturday night August 27.
The UMSS will make their first appearance of the season at the legendary Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday night July 30. The first scheduled show at CLS back in April fell victim to the weather. 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 continues to entertain fans with open wheel sprint car racing action throughout the season. The UMSS is around the halfway mark of their season, so there are still plenty of great races left on the schedule over the course of the next 2-3 months.
UMSS Race Results - St. Croix Valley Raceway July 29, 2011 (Race #9):
Alpha Apparel & Promotions Ultimate Sprint Race #1 (7 laps): Cody Hahn, Jerry Richert Jr, Scott Broty, Andy Jones, Mike Luks, Kevin Bradwell DNF, Jared Goerges DNS.
Meeks Video Ultimate Sprint Race #2 (6 laps): Brooke Tatnell, Brad Barickman, Joseph Kouba, Anna Kouba, Greg Gunderson DNF, Ronnie Erickson DNS.
Driverwebsites.com Challenge Race #1 (9 laps): Broty, Hahn, Barickman, Luks, A Kouba, Erickson, Goerges DNS.
Mastell Brothers Trailer Service Challenge Race #2 (9 laps): Tatnell, Jones, Richert, J Kouba, Gunderson, Bradwell DNF.
GRP Motorsports A Main (20 laps): Jones, Tatnell, Barickman, Richert, Hahn, Broty, Luks, J Kouba, Erickson, A Kouba, Gunderson DNS, Bradwell DNS, Goerges DNS.
Lap Leader: Jones 1-20.
Cautions: (1)
Andy Jones in Victory Lane following his third UMSS feature win of the season during the reopening of St. Croix Valley Raceway (formerly Kopellah Speedway) On July 29.
Photo courtesy of Stan Meissner of Minnesota Dirt Track Racing.
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July 30, 2011 at
04:11:38 AM
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This message was edited on
July 30, 2011 at
12:18:26 PM by grp
Robby Caho Wins First TSCS Sprint Feature in St. Croix Valley Raceway Opener
St. Croix Falls, WI
By: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director (7-29-11)
In the first race at what will be their home track, Rob Caho, Jr. etched his name in the record books as the UMSS Traditional Sprint Car Series (TSCS) helped reopen the St. Croix Valley Raceway (formerly Kopellah Speedway) on Friday night July 29. The fantastic summer evening drew a large crowd and a field of eight nonwinged sprint cars for their two exhibition style races during the course of the program. Caho, with several years of winged sprint car racing on his resume, drove to his first victory in the TSCS division in just his second night out. Caho, from Wyoming, Minnesota, narrowly defeated defending UMSS winged sprint car champion Cody Hahn by less than a car length at the checkers. Hahn was making his inaugural start in the new division.
A smiling Caho talked about his triumph after the races. "We're not even close to getting the car really dialed in yet, so I am very pleased with how we ran tonight in just our second race of the season. The motor got hot right near the end, so I hope everything is okay under the hood. I knew once I got up to third behind the leaders that I could win the race. Cody made it close at the checkers though." Caho and his crew worked hard from the time they got to the track in order to solve fueling issues with his GRP Motorsports sponsored sprinter. Caho was not able to run the heat race, so he started at the tail of the field for the feature.
Polesitter Kevin Bradwell of Luck, Wisconsin, who won the very first TSCS feature back in May at the Ogilvie Raceway, blasted into the early lead when the green flag flew. Joseph Kouba of North Branch, a veteran winged sprint car driver, was also making his first start in a nonwinged sprinter this season. Kouba put one of the Reactor Racing team cars in second on the opening lap, as three-time TSCS winner Johnny Parsons III was unable to race at the 1/4 mile St. Croix Falls track. Racing in his first-ever sprint car event, modified and stock car racer Aaron Wisch from Arlington held third in Sid Denzer's Mopar sprint car followed by the other Reactor Racing car of Tommy Kamrath from Maplewood. Caho ran fifth after one lap.
Caho moved to fourth on lap three and got by Wisch for third one lap later. With five laps in the books, Kamrath drove hard into the third turn and contacted another car, causing his #32 sprinter to roll over. Kamrath was okay and was expected to be back in action the following night at the Cedar Lake Speedway. When the green replaced the red, Bradwell held the lead but not for a complete lap. While racing into turn four on lap six, Bradwell got sideways and collected Kouba to bring out the yellow flag. Both cars were pushed to the infield. Caho inherited the lead on the restart with Wisch second and Minneapolis driver Cody Hahn in third piloting Jeff Pellersels #1 sprint car.
With two laps to go, Wisch looped his car in turn four resulting in a two lap dash to the checkers. Caho's margin of victory was less than a car length over Hahn. Adam Taubert finished third with Wisch in fourth. Kouba, Bradwell and Kamrath failed to finish while Jack Clark experienced some driveline issues after hotlaps and had to scratch. Clark is expected to be back at CLS as well.
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. The new series, featuring an affordable means of open wheel racing, can now been seen each and every Friday night at the St. Croix Valley Raceway nestled in the countryside between St. Croix Falls and Centuria, Wisconsin. It's great to have the 1/4 dirt oval back in action for the traditional sprint cars.
UMSS TSCS Race Results - St. Croix Valley Raceway July 29, 2011 (Race #6):
SprintSource.com Ultimate Exhibition Heat Race (10 laps): Tommy Kamrath, Maplewood MN, Cody Hahn, Minneapolis MN, Joseph Kouba, North Branch MN, Aaron Wisch, Arlington MN, Adam Taubert, Mora MN, Kevin Bradwell Luck, WI DNF, Rob Caho Jr, Wyoming MN DNS, Jack Clark, Knapp WI DNS.
Mora Motorworks Exhibition A Main (10 laps): Caho #78, Hahn #1, Taubert #8, Wisch #73, Kouba #22 DNF, Bradwell #95 DNF, Kamrath #32 DNF, Clark #41s DNS.
Lap Leaders: Bradwell 1-5, Caho 6-10.
Cautions: (3)
Rob Caho, Jr. captured his first TSCS nonwinged sprint car feature win of the season in just his second night out. Robby is pictured here in Victory Lane at St. Croix Valley Raceway on July 29.
Photo courtesy of Stan Meissner from Minnesota Dirt Track Racing.
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July 30, 2011 at
01:26:26 PM
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Fantastic night last night. I don't think it's a secret anymore.
Stan Meissner
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