:: MISSISSIPPI THUNDER SPEEDWAY News - 2010 Awards Banquet Coverage ::

12.18.10

MISSISSIPPI THUNDER SPEEDWAY SEALS THE 2010 SEASON WITH ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET

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By Tracy Hager
Winona, MN (Saturday, December 18, 2010) - Mississippi Thunder Speedway officially concluded its 2010 Racing Season with its Awards Banquet held at the Riverport Inn in Winona, Minnesota. Not only were the top in each class honored, but also track champions as well as two National Champions.

Social hour started off the festivities as drivers, fans, employees, and crews chatted about what went wrong, what went right, and what is to come in 2011. Promoter Bob Timm shared his view about the season as a positive turn in the speedway operations. Car counts exceeded the average car counts of many other tracks while the promoters learned more about running this still new racetrack.

National points in both the WISSOTA and USRA sanctions were well covered as two National Champions were regular runners at MTS in 2010. Brandon Hare won the USRA B-Mod title while Danny Hanson hit the top of the food chain in the WISSOTA Street Stocks. MTS had good representation in all classes for both sanctions nationally. The fan base is improving as well with average weekly fans increasing.

All regular classes will return to MTS in 2011 including WISSOTA Street Stocks, WISSOTA Super Stocks, USRA B-Mods, USRA Modifieds, Redbox+ A and B Mini Mods, and the 600 Mini Mods. Hornets made a couple appearances this past season, but that will be the last as they will not return in 2011. Late Models will return for specials in 2011 including a Cornbelt Clash event as well as a WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series event.

The Street Stock Nationals was a big hit and will return again in the upcoming season on June 30th. May 20th will showcase the IRA 410 Sprints, and USMTS will roll into town on July 15th. The 3rd Annual Rivercity Rumble will return in July also.

WISSOTA Super Stocks will be all the hype again for a special the last point night of the season sponsored by Jay Oricchio and his sponsor Coordinated Business Systems Ltd of Minnesota. The USRA Nationals will return in September with a slightly different format, and the season finale Fall Festival will close out October 6-8.

Raceceivers and transponders will be mandatory again and enforcement will be prevalent this year. The 2011 Car Show for MTS will again be held at Sugar Loaf Ford in Winona with pit passes going to drivers who participate. The car show will be held in the Spring prior to the April 22nd season opener.

A point fund increase in the USRA Modifieds went to $1500 for the track champion and up to $10,000 to the National Champion. The USRA B-Mods will see an increase to $500 for the track champion and $2,000 for the National Champion. MTS is also working on a bonus program with Decorah, Iowa which races on Saturday nights for drivers who race MTS and Decorah.

A change in the pits will be that all parts sales will be provided by Les Duellman Racing. Hank Rollinger, Sr., who has provided this service for a long time, has opted to join his family again on the racing side. Many thanks go to Hank and Nancy for their service to the drivers. Duellman has also taken over the Mini Mod dealership and can be counted on to provide parts to those drivers as well. As the evening rolled into hardware time, Duellman continued his support as he provided $50-75 gift certificates to drivers in each class.

The Redbox+ B Mini Mod Champion was Jackson Hale. Spencer Ihrke finished second followed by Matthew Stevens in third. Keegan Einck finished fourth, and Matthew LaDuke rounded out the top five.

Alex Williamson topped the Redbox+ A Mini Mods for his first championship. Mike Stevens finished second while cousin Alex Stevens finished third. Dylan Buckland reeled in fourth place while Brady Keefe hooked fifth.

Charlie McNally rolled to his first track championship in the Oak Ridge Fabrication 600 Mini Mods. Joe Jasnoch zipped to a second place finish followed by Jeff Matejka. Don Werner hit the fourth place spot followed by Joe Provinzino in fifth.

The Jailhouse Saloon WISSOTA Street Stock Track Champion Danny Hanson was followed by Dan Bork, Danny Richards, Shaun Mann, and Fred Prudoehl in the season points. This class continues to be a highlight as a competitive and entertaining division.

Ben Anderson finished ahead of the National Champion in the Enginestore.com USRA B-Mods to win his first USRA B-Mod track title. Brandon Hare was that second place finisher. Troy Langowski and Chad Kosidowski finished 3rd and 4th places respectively while Tyler Creeley had his best season finishing fifth.

Jeff Brauer made his inaugural season in the Winona Auto Sales WISSOTA Super Stock division worth the trip from Rochester as he locked in his first track championship at the track. Gary Wiersgalla finished a solid second place ahead of Bob Fort. Jon Duffy took home fourth place honors followed by Kevin Hager in fifth place.

Rivercity Manufacturing USRA Modified track champion Josh Angst continued to be a strong contender where ever he raced this past season. Jay Ihrke of Dover, Minnesota sealed up the runner-up spot while Andy Bohnstengal locked in third place. Rookie Chris Gilberston had a stellar first year as he finished fourth in track points. Adam Stockhausen finished up the top five in points.

It takes everyone to make a racetrack successful. Thanks to all supporters, and cheers to a great season of dirt! Until spring…

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