by Jeff Adams
<B>2003 UMP Summernationals preview</b>
My favorite racing series of the year will begin in Shawano, WI next Monday when the “Month of Mayhem” begins with the 16th running of the UMP “Summernationals”.
The 26 race series will cover 9 different Midwestern states, and will run for 24 consecutive nights from June 23-July 16. Twelve of the 26 races will pay $10,000 to the feature winner, with the “Gopher 50” at Owatonna, MN paying $20,000 to win. Scott Bloomquist is the defending champion of the series, but he will not defend the title due to his chase for the XTreme DirtCar Series points title.
What makes the series so special is you just never know who will show up to race. Every night, it is a battle between the local drivers and the touring pros. The extreme heat and grueling travel schedule lead to some weary crew members and drivers by the end of the tour.
Here is a look at the 2003 version of the “Summernationals”:
-the winner of the 26 race grind will get $30,000, with second
paying $12,000, third $7,000 and 4th $5,000. “We’re still trying to raise some more money for the series points fund”, said UMP co-owner Bob Sargent.
-Billy Moyer has won more series races than any other driver,
collecting 56 wins in the 16 years of the series, and also won the $100,000 bonus in 1999 for winning half of the races. Scott Bloomquist and Rick Aukland are tied for 2nd in number of wins with 23. Kevin Weaver and Bob Pierce have 13 wins apiece. 43 different drivers have won “Summernationals” races, including defending NASCAR Winston Cup champ Tony Stewart, who won the opener in 1998 at Clarksville, TN.
-new tracks to the series in 2003 are Florence, KY, Eldora, OH, 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA, Montgomery County Speedway in Missouri, and Kamp Motor Speedway in Indiana.
-the minimum winners share has been increased to $6,000, but look for all of the races to pay $10,000 to win in the next few years.
-Steve Francis will compete in several series events, driving for
Iowa car owner Larry Moring. Francis replaces Gary Webb in the “Desert Storm” car.
-according to the Macon Speedway website, the “95Q/Behind the Pit Wall 100” (formerly the “Herald and Review 100”) will pay $7,000 to win.
The Macon event is a must-see, as the nations’ best drivers negotiate the tiny 1/5 mile Macon oval.
-look for the biggest car counts at the opener at Shawano, WI,
LaSalle, Eldora, Spoon River, Farmer City, Burlington, Farley and Oakshade, OH.
-the most diverse field of cars usually is at the Iowa swing of
Burlington and Farley. Between the UMP regulars, the Iowa posse, the touring pros, and the WISSOTA crowd, along with the fact that both races pay $10,000 to win, fans will get terrific fields of cars.
-if the XDCS “Ohio Speedweeks” go off without rain, look for a
record number of cars at Eldora on July 12. Track time at the “Big E” is always at a premium, and the XDCS regulars will all be in Ohio anyway. The 12th is listed as a rain date for the XDCS.
-for the food connoisseur, I recommend the steak sandwiches at Macon and pork chop sandwiches at Farley.
-the biggest scheduling mess is the Farmer City-Eldora-Brownstown, IL swing on July 11-13. It would make sense for Eldora to have the race before the finale at Oakshade, but that is the weekend for the “Kings Royal” sprint car race.
See you at the “Summernationals”!
<B>2003 UMP Summernationals preview</b>
My favorite racing series of the year will begin in Shawano, WI next Monday when the “Month of Mayhem” begins with the 16th running of the UMP “Summernationals”.
The 26 race series will cover 9 different Midwestern states, and will run for 24 consecutive nights from June 23-July 16. Twelve of the 26 races will pay $10,000 to the feature winner, with the “Gopher 50” at Owatonna, MN paying $20,000 to win. Scott Bloomquist is the defending champion of the series, but he will not defend the title due to his chase for the XTreme DirtCar Series points title.
What makes the series so special is you just never know who will show up to race. Every night, it is a battle between the local drivers and the touring pros. The extreme heat and grueling travel schedule lead to some weary crew members and drivers by the end of the tour.
Here is a look at the 2003 version of the “Summernationals”:
-the winner of the 26 race grind will get $30,000, with second
paying $12,000, third $7,000 and 4th $5,000. “We’re still trying to raise some more money for the series points fund”, said UMP co-owner Bob Sargent.
-Billy Moyer has won more series races than any other driver,
collecting 56 wins in the 16 years of the series, and also won the $100,000 bonus in 1999 for winning half of the races. Scott Bloomquist and Rick Aukland are tied for 2nd in number of wins with 23. Kevin Weaver and Bob Pierce have 13 wins apiece. 43 different drivers have won “Summernationals” races, including defending NASCAR Winston Cup champ Tony Stewart, who won the opener in 1998 at Clarksville, TN.
-new tracks to the series in 2003 are Florence, KY, Eldora, OH, 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA, Montgomery County Speedway in Missouri, and Kamp Motor Speedway in Indiana.
-the minimum winners share has been increased to $6,000, but look for all of the races to pay $10,000 to win in the next few years.
-Steve Francis will compete in several series events, driving for
Iowa car owner Larry Moring. Francis replaces Gary Webb in the “Desert Storm” car.
-according to the Macon Speedway website, the “95Q/Behind the Pit Wall 100” (formerly the “Herald and Review 100”) will pay $7,000 to win.
The Macon event is a must-see, as the nations’ best drivers negotiate the tiny 1/5 mile Macon oval.
-look for the biggest car counts at the opener at Shawano, WI,
LaSalle, Eldora, Spoon River, Farmer City, Burlington, Farley and Oakshade, OH.
-the most diverse field of cars usually is at the Iowa swing of
Burlington and Farley. Between the UMP regulars, the Iowa posse, the touring pros, and the WISSOTA crowd, along with the fact that both races pay $10,000 to win, fans will get terrific fields of cars.
-if the XDCS “Ohio Speedweeks” go off without rain, look for a
record number of cars at Eldora on July 12. Track time at the “Big E” is always at a premium, and the XDCS regulars will all be in Ohio anyway. The 12th is listed as a rain date for the XDCS.
-for the food connoisseur, I recommend the steak sandwiches at Macon and pork chop sandwiches at Farley.
-the biggest scheduling mess is the Farmer City-Eldora-Brownstown, IL swing on July 11-13. It would make sense for Eldora to have the race before the finale at Oakshade, but that is the weekend for the “Kings Royal” sprint car race.
See you at the “Summernationals”!
