MIS E-News

It was a great night of racing last Friday with action in the Weaver Auto Parts ASA Late Models, Bryden Motors Super Late Models, and the Port A John Mid American Stock Car Series. When all was said and done, Ryan Hanson, Andrew Morrissey, and Jonathon Eilen would be going home with victories.

Great to see Ryan Hanson back in victory lane. He's been close to the top each week especially last week. This night belonged to Ryan as he picked up his first ever victory in the ASA Late Models. After settling for second a week ago, Ryan would not be denied as he cruised to victory lane. Ryan has a loyal group of supporters and it's great to see them back at the speedway.

Great performances were also turned in by rookies Nick Hammer and Matt Byrne. Hammer led many laps and keeps getting stronger each week. Byrne has been qualifying strong and had a solid top ten finish. Rookie Jeff Jesberger won the semi-feature for the second week in a row.

This division has some great talent and some very young and up and coming stars. Look for big things from the ASALM division in 2006 as the list of drivers moving to this division is continuing to grow.

Andrew Morrissey won the Bryden Motors Super Late Model feature event. Several drivers were out for the first time in 2005 including Dennis Prunty, Brad Dahmer, Jim Olson, and Chad Davidson. Davidson, who hails from Lodi, is going to be another one of our young drivers to keep an eye on. He has solid experience in a variety of divisions before moving up to the super lates. Unfortunately two of our super late drivers were unable to race due to mechanical problems: Brian Johnson Jr. and Terry Patnode, the latter racing at MIS for the first time in 05.

Bobby Wilberg continues to lead the points in both the ASALM and Super Late Models. When, if ever, was the last time a driver won two weekly divisions in one year at MIS? Bobby has a solid point lead in the super lates, but will have to hold off Nathan Haseleu if he wants to take home top honors in the ASALM.

Round three of the Mid Am Triple Crown Series also took place with Jonathan Eilen of Hampton, Minnesota, winning his second race at MIS this season. Despite winning two of the three legs of the Triple Crown, Eilen was not the overall winner due to a last place finish due to mechanical problems in the second race last month. Jeremy Spoonmore of Somonauk, Illinois, who won the second race and finished second on Friday night is the Triple Crown champion.

A couple of drivers made some long hauls to MIS. The first driver at the speedway on Friday arrived in the early afternoon coming from Virginia, Minnesota. When I asked the Ruthenbeck team exactly where Virginia was they told me it was 90 miles south of International Falls! It was nearly a seven hour drive for them and ended a long week which included 27 hours of repairs after crashing at WIR on Tuesday. The long haul award went to Scott Rueschenberg who hails from Mesa, Arizona, according to Mid Am President Gary Vercautern.

Laborer's Local 464 sponsored the races and brought a large group of their members to the speedway. We are very pleased to have the loyal support of Local 464.

If you would like to bring your group out to the speedway for an outing please make your plans for next year now. Contact the track office either via email or phone (608.835.9700)

Friday was also our first annual "Racer's Reunion." Promoter Steve Einhaus coordinated this event in an effort to recognize those who made Madison what it is today. Our special guests included the man responsible for the installation of the half-mile, Sam Bartus, the first half-mile track champion Jim Back, two time track champions Johnny Ziegler and Tom Reffner, and drivers Myron Harris, Ron Sailing, Ray Kreyer, Ed Nichols, and Vaughn Gerke. A reception was held for these legends and an autograph session followed their introductions during intermission. Plans are already underway for next year's Racer's Reunion.

Barber and DePorter Looking for First Titles Dann Barber of Oregon and Mark DePorter of Fort Atkinson are eying their first-ever titles at Madison International Speedway. Barber is the current leader in the Rockweiler Insulation Midwest Truck Series while DePorter is leading the Bryden Motors Area Sportsman division. Barber holds a 36 point lead over Vince Wilkinson of Sandwich, Illinois, in the race for the truck title. DePorter holds an 836-816 lead over Roscoe, Illinois' Scott Lawver.

Bobby Wilberg 758, Steve Rubeck 556, Jeff Storm 543, Andrew Morrissey 513, Jeremy Miller 469, Brian Johnson Jr 414, Jacob Humphrey 373, Kyle Kinder 355, Kevin Tunks 306, Scott Ollerman 279

Bobby Wilberg 775, Nathan Haseleu 723, Ryan Hanson 627, Troy Hintzsche 514, Dan Lensing 469, Jesse Saunders 465, Dave Gentile Jr. 388, Travis Sauter 381, Tom Gille 378, John Wood 348

For Jeremy Spoonmore of Somonauk, Illinois, winning the first-ever Mid American Stock Car Series Triple Crown event at MIS was as easy as one, two, three. Thanks to consistent finishes in the three events, Spoonmore edged Jonathon Eilen of Hampton, Minnesota, and Bill Prietzel of Franklin, Wisconsin.

Spoonmore won the July event at Wisconsin's Fastest Half-Mile while finishing third in May and coming home in second last week. Spoonmore edged Eilen by eleven points despite Eilen winning two of the three legs of the Triple Crown. Mechanical problems during the July race forced Eilen to settle for a last place finish.

"The Mid Am guys put on a great show. The car counts were great, the cars look good, and the racing was very competitive. I think the Triple Crown Series worked out well for all involved and we are hoping to continue this event in future years," said promoter Steve Einhaus.

Round three of the Triple Crown Series for the Mid Am Super Trucks is scheduled for September 2. Mark Storlie of Elko, Minnesota, is the current leader after winning the first two rounds of the series.

Friday night is Werner Electric Supply Night at Madison International Speedway with racing action in all four divisions. Highlighting the evening's events will be the running of the Swiss Colony 50 for the Weaver Auto Parts ASALM. Fans will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite drivers in all four divisions as well selecting the best appearing car or truck. Hot laps begin at 4:45, qualifying at 6:30, and racing at 8:00. Passes, $2.00 off coupons, and punch cards are all good on Friday night.

This Sunday, August 14, will be "Total Motor Mayhem at MIS" when the Midwest Enduro Series returns to Wisconsin's Fastest Half-Mile. The enduro cars, nearly 60 the last time they were here, will be running the Buddig / Old Wisconsin 250. In addition to the enduro race, we will also be hosting a roll over contest and demolition derby. Anyone interested in participating should contact the track office. Fan gates will open at 2:00 PM with racing set for 4:00 PM. Regular admission prices apply with passes, $2.00 off coupons, and punch cards good.

After this week there will only be two more points shows at MIS: Friday, August 19 and the First Supply Season Championships on Friday, August 26.

Kick off your Labor Day weekend at MIS when the MARS Series returns for their second event in 2005. We are expecting a large field of cars and hope to top last time's total of 38 super lates. The third round of the Mid Am Triple Crown Series for the Super Trucks will also be on the schedule. "This is going to be a great super late model show. We are expecting a large field of cars and are expecting drivers from throughout the midwest to come to Wisconsin's Track of Champions," noted Steve Einhaus.

The first-ever visit by the USAR Hooters Pro Cup will be Friday night, September 9. This series is featured on the Speed Channel and features some of the top racing talent in the country. In addition to the Pro Cup cars, we will be hosting a Sportsman Open for Area Sportsman / Street Stock cars.

Ticket Pricing is as follows- $20 at gate, $18 in advance, $2 off for receipts from last weeks event. Children 12-15 are $12, 11 and under are free.

I just wanted to let everyone know that the statements about the Crate Manufacturers pulling out is incorrect to say the least. Unfortunately, Ford's crate motor division has suffered some mechanical issues during the 2005 season and they have gone back to the drawing board on a complete new design that will be rolled out after the new year.

Dodge has stepped up their design work and all of the engines are coming out of Stanton's shop with much better reliability and performance. GM is in full force and in very high demand/supply to the customers throughout the states. There are tracks all over the United States that have contacted MIS about our success within this division as they plan to implement the same division in 2006.

With the growth of the ASALM series in the North, South, and the Challenge Series it will be a very viable and affordable series. Our Television plans for the Challenge series are moving full steam ahead and you can look for some very exciting news to roll out in the near future.

I am working on a tentative schedule for the North Series and I plan to make that available to all of you as early as September via our new website. The switch to bias tires in the north and south will be an added incentive in making the series the elite traveling series of the Midwest.

Please feel free to contact me about any questions or issues you may have about our 2006 plans. (email- miseinhaus@yahoo.com)

Over $1300.00 has been raised for local charities so far as part of our First Supply Charity Challenge. All of the money will go to local charities that benefit children. Please make your donations at the speedway up through August 26.

Once again we would like to thank Mike Miller of First Supply, Tech Stain Remover, and Quaker Steak and Lube for their support of the charity challenge.

Your suggestions and comments are always welcome. The only way we can become the best we can be is by listening to our race fans and teams. Please email us with your suggestions...mismedia2@yahoo.com or mcfjdw@yahoo.com. This year we implemented many changes that were direct suggestions from our fans.

Remember the next time you are making a purchase or need a service, be sure to support those who support racing. Let them know you appreciate their support of the sport and that you saw them at MIS.