FIRST EVER ASA MIDWEST SPORTSMAN TOUR CHAMPION TO BE CROWNED NEXT SATURDAY NIGHT
September 20, 2010 – Next Saturday night, October 2nd, the American Speed Association® Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment and grandstay.net will crown its first ever ASA Midwest Sportsman Tour Champion. This inaugural year has been a wild and crazy start to the Sportsman division, with some of the most exciting races and finishes witnessed by fans.
The ten race season started at Madison International Speedway on May 2nd with 13 Sportsman drivers making the trip. Bobby Wilberg, former MIS track Champion, finished in the top spot followed by Jay Kalbus and Scott Reidner. Lakeville, MN driver, Chris Marek finished in the fourth spot, while season regular, Aaron Cain finished sixth. Jay Kalbus found himself on top of the point standings heading into event number two.
Next up on the schedule was the “Cabin Fever 50” at Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells, WI. Seventeen Sportsman drivers qualified for the event with Chris Marek and Jay Kalbus qualifying in the top two positions and followed it up with a one and two finish in the feature event. Marek led the point standings over Jay Kalbus at the end of the night.
The “38th Annual Keith Fleck Miller 35” was next on tap for the ASA Midwest Sportsman Tour. Once again Chris Marek led the way with the top qualifying spot out of the 12 drivers attending the event. He backed up his quick qualifying run by winning his second feature event in a row. Scott Paulson and Mike Heelein rounded out the top three.
All three divisions headed back to Madison International Speedway on June 29th for the Swiss Colony All-Star Challenge. Chris Marek and Jay Kalbus continued their domination leading the 17 drivers in qualifying once again. However it was previous MIS winner, Bobby Wilberg, taking home the trophy in the 35-lap event. Scott Null and Chris Marek rounded out the top three.
On July 18th, the ASA Midwest Tour along with the ASA Midwest Sportsman Tour headed to Raceway Park in Shakopee, MN. A record 27 Sportsman drivers qualified for the Kwik Trip Stores 40-lap event. This time Brent Kane and locals Jeremy Wolf and Ted Reuvers took the top three qualifying spots. Twenty-three cars started the main event with Jay Kalbus, Jeremy Wolf, and Lakeville, Minnesota’s, Conrad Jorgenson finishing in the top three spots.
For the second time in 2010, the ASA Midwest Sportsman Tour headed back to Dells Raceway Park where Chris Marek and Jay Kalbus dominated earlier in the season. Well they proved it was not a fluke the first time around, once again qualifying in the top two positions. However this time it was Kalbus leading the way over Marek. As the checkered flag fell, it was Chris Marek once again crossing the finish line first. He was followed by Lake Mills, WI driver, Scott Null, while Jay Kalbus rounded out the top three.
As they continued to trek throughout the Midwest, the next stop on the schedule was Marshfield Motor Speedway in Marshfield, WI. With one of the smallest car counts of the year, Kalbus and Marek remained on top, qualifying one and two respectively. While one would expect the duo to lead the way to the finish, this time it was Jason Thoma from Fort Atkinson, WI finding victory lane, followed once again by Scott Null for his second consecutive podium finish. Jay Kalbus followed in third with Chris Marek in fourth.
Tying the record number of cars, 27 drivers returned to Elko Speedway after being rescheduled earlier in the year due to rain. The fierce battle between Chris Marek and Jay Kalbus continued with the two taking first and second in qualifying. Local driver, Steve Anderson qualified third while Ted Reuvers and Brent Kane rounded out the top five. One of the most exciting finishes of the year took place as Chris Marek made a last lap move for his fourth victory of the 2010 season. Brent Kane and Jack Paulson rounded out the podium in the top three. Jay Kalbus finished an uncharacteristic 13th after having mechanical problems.
For the ninth event of the season, drivers returned to Dells Raceway Park for the third and final time. It was deja’ vu as Chris Marek and Jay Kalbus once again qualified first and second. Jason Thoma qualified third with Stephanie Losiniecki and Brad Moller rounding out the top five. Jay Kalbus came out on top in the 35 lap event followed by Beloit, WI driver, Scott Lawver, Jason Thoma, Scott Null and Shawn Utphall rounding out the top five. This time it was Marek who finished outside of the top five in sixth.
As the ASA Midwest Sportsman Tour heads into its tenth and final event of the season, the battle between Marek and Kalbus is not over. After swapping the top two points positions race after race, it all comes down to one. Chris Marek is the current point leader only 28 points ahead of Jay Kalbus. Who will be crowned the first ever ASA Midwest Sportsman Tour Champion? After seeing one of the most unbelievable finishes earlier at Elko Speedway, the 40 lap Thunder Car Nationals will certainly be a hard fought battle to the finish.
Practice begins at 4:00PM, qualifying is at 6:00PM with racing to follow. Be sure to make your plans to witness the first ever ASA Midwest Sportsman Tour Championship event next Saturday, October 2nd and Elko Speedway.
To learn more about the American Speed Association® Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment and GrandStay Residential Suites Hotels and Crossings by GrandStay Inn & Suites, log on to http://www.asamidwesttour.com or call the ASA Midwest Tour office at (262) 514-3880 or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@asamidwesttour.com or Steve Einhaus at steve@asamidwesttour.com.
To learn more about the Midwest Sportsman Tour log on to http://www.asamidwestsportsman.com.
If you would like to learn more about the ASAMT series sponsors, please visit their websites: Kwik Trip, Inc. (http://www.kwiktrip.com), ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment (http://www.echo-usa.com), and GrandStay Residential Suites Hotels and Crossings by GrandStay Inn & Suites (http://www.grandstay.net).
To learn more about the Daytona Beach, Florida-based Racing Speed Associates or the American Speed Association® Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from racetracks and regional tours involved in the American Speed Association®, visit http://www.asaracing.com.
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