By Kevin Kovac
EVANSVILLE , IN – Oct. 27, 2006 – The United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) Late Model circuit was very, very good to Randy Korte this season.
That will be abundantly clear to the 2006 UMP Late Model national champion when he cashes the $30,000-plus in points-fund awards he’ll receive at the DIRT MotorSports-owned organization’s awards banquet on Jan. 20 in Springfield, Ill.
The money will make the winter months more comfortable for Korte, a 41-year-old racing veteran from Highland , Ill.
“This is how I live,” said Korte, who lists ‘dirt Late Model driver’ as his fulltime occupation. “If I’m not racing and making money, I have nothing coming in. So the (UMP) points fund helps a bunch at the end of the year.”
The lion’s share of Korte’s earnings will come from his second career UMP Late Model national title, worth a cool $20,000.
But he has more dead presidents coming – a lot more.
From a UMP Late Model points fund that tops $200,000, Korte will also receive $5,000 for winning the North Region points race; $5,000 for finishing fourth in the ’06 UMP Summernationals standings; $1,000 for capturing the Illinois State points; $500 for placing second in the Iowa State points; and $350 for finishing eighth in the South Region battle.
Throw in the $5,000 he’ll pick up for winning the championship of the ’06 Northern All-Stars Late Model Series, and Korte will bank a whopping $36,850 after running his final race of the season.
It’s a wonderful reward for Korte’s spectacular campaign.
“This was the best year I’ve ever had by far. Ninety-seven wasn’t nothing compared to this,” said Korte, whose previous UMP Late Model national crown came in 1997. “To win the UMP as well as the Northern All-Stars deal, and all the other titles and races we’ve won this year – it’s just been incredible.”
Korte registered 25 UMP-sanctioned victories in 2006, making him one of the country’s winningest dirt Late Model drivers. His ‘Big Nasty Tour 2006’ was triumphant at nearly a dozen tracks across the Midwest, including Illinois ’s Godfrey Speedway, Mount Vernon Raceway, Tri-City Speedway, Kankakee Motor Speedway, Quincy Raceway, Spoon River Speedway and Highland Speedway; Missouri ’s Bolivar Speedway and I-55 Raceway; and Indiana ’s Kamp Motor Speedway.
UMP’s new-for-’06 points system, which ranks drivers based on their best 50 finishes in sanctioned events, was a perfect fit for Korte. It allowed him to emerge as a national champion without altering his racing schedule, which he focuses on the most lucrative regional events each weekend.
Korte didn’t set a goal of winning the UMP national title when the season began – he doesn’t like being locked into a points battle – but he soon realized that the new points system, which also factors in the car counts at each event, naturally put him in the mix.
“You don’t even feel like you’re running for points” in the traditional sense, Korte said of the ’06 UMP championship chase. “I like the way it is now. You can race where you want to race.
“Some guys are gonna like (the system), some guys aren’t. I love it, and I think people like Dennis and Rodney are gonna like it eventually too.”
The drivers Korte mentioned are Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville , Ill. , who finished second (144 points behind Korte) in the national standings, and Rodney Melvin of Logan , Ill. , a close friend of Korte’s whose three-year reign as UMP Late Model national champion ended with a sixth-place finish in the standings.
Korte, who drives Mike Dargee-powered Rocket Chassis cars owned by Mid-Continental Fuels, Inc.’s Don Goddard, was so dominant in his 70-plus starts that he clinched the title before even starting the 40-lap UMP Nationals event which closed the points season on Oct. 7 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg , Ohio .
But just because he was certain of leaving Eldora as champion didn’t mean the ultra-competitive Korte would be satisfied with anything less than another feature win. That was evident from his demeanor following a disappointing 24th-place finish in the race.
Korte said a setup experiment made his car “terrible” in his heat, which ultimately forced him to use a provisional spot to start the feature. He then blew a right-rear tire while working his way forward in the main, ending his night early.
“I wish it would’ve ended a little better,” Korte said while accepting congratulatory handshakes on his title in Eldora’s pit area. “It would’ve been nice to cap off the championship with a good run, but you always want more I guess.”
Will Korte’s thirst for more success lead him to a second consecutive UMP Late Model national crown in 2007?
“We’ll just start the year like we did this year and however it plays out, it plays out,” said Korte. “We’ll what happens just like we did this year.”
For a complete rundown of the 2006 UMP Late Model point standings and more information on UMP, visit www.umpracing.com.
Ticket information on the 2006 UMP Awards Banquet, scheduled for Jan. 20, 2007, at the Hilton in Springfield , Ill. , will be sent out to UMP members in early November.
Official Final 2006 UMP Late Model National Point Standings (Rank/Driver/Hometown/Number of Races Counted/Points/Points-Fund Award):
1. Randy Korte/Highland, IL (50) 3,820 ($20,000)
2. Dennis Erb Jr./Carpentersville, IL (50) 3,676 ($10,000)
3. Rusty Schlenk/Jackson, MI (50) 3,630 ($5,000)
4. Steve Sheppard Jr./ New Berlin , IL (50) 3,461 ($3,000)
5. Wes Steidinger/Fairbury, IL (50) 3,287 ($2,000)
6. Rodney Melvin/Logan, IL (50) 3,286 ($1,500)
7. Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL (44) 3,284 ($1,400)
8. Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL (50) 3,273 ($1,300)
9. Ryan Dauber/Tonica, IL (50) 3,213 ($1,200)
10. Kevin Weaver/Gibson City, IL (50) 3,142 ($1,100)
11. Jason Feger/Bloomington, IL (50) 3,129 ($1,000)
12. Brad Looney/Republic, MO (50) 3,127 ($900)
13. Ed Dixon/Washington, MO (50) 3,098 ($800)
14. Terry English/Benton, KY (44) 3,086 ($675)
14. Jeep VanWormer/Piconning, MI (43) 3,086 ($675)
16. Richie Hedrick/Urbana, IL (50) 3,040 ($600)
17. Brian Dively/ Springfield , IL (50) 2,989 ($550)
18. Wendell Wallace/Batesville, AR (44) 2,956 ($500)
19. Kevin Cole/Christopher, IL (49) 2,814 ($490)
20. Frank Heckenast Jr./Orland Park, IL (50) 2,796 ($475)
21. Matt Taylor/Springfield, IL (48) 2,789 ($470)
22. Rusty Griffaw/Festus, MO (50) 2,773 ($465)
23. Chad Zobrist/Highland, IL (50) 2,758 ($460)
24. Mike Schulte/Summerfield, IL (50) 2,724 ($455)
25. Mike Hammerle/ St. Charles , MO (50) 2,617 ($450)
EVANSVILLE , IN – Oct. 27, 2006 – The United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) Late Model circuit was very, very good to Randy Korte this season.
That will be abundantly clear to the 2006 UMP Late Model national champion when he cashes the $30,000-plus in points-fund awards he’ll receive at the DIRT MotorSports-owned organization’s awards banquet on Jan. 20 in Springfield, Ill.
The money will make the winter months more comfortable for Korte, a 41-year-old racing veteran from Highland , Ill.
“This is how I live,” said Korte, who lists ‘dirt Late Model driver’ as his fulltime occupation. “If I’m not racing and making money, I have nothing coming in. So the (UMP) points fund helps a bunch at the end of the year.”
The lion’s share of Korte’s earnings will come from his second career UMP Late Model national title, worth a cool $20,000.
But he has more dead presidents coming – a lot more.
From a UMP Late Model points fund that tops $200,000, Korte will also receive $5,000 for winning the North Region points race; $5,000 for finishing fourth in the ’06 UMP Summernationals standings; $1,000 for capturing the Illinois State points; $500 for placing second in the Iowa State points; and $350 for finishing eighth in the South Region battle.
Throw in the $5,000 he’ll pick up for winning the championship of the ’06 Northern All-Stars Late Model Series, and Korte will bank a whopping $36,850 after running his final race of the season.
It’s a wonderful reward for Korte’s spectacular campaign.
“This was the best year I’ve ever had by far. Ninety-seven wasn’t nothing compared to this,” said Korte, whose previous UMP Late Model national crown came in 1997. “To win the UMP as well as the Northern All-Stars deal, and all the other titles and races we’ve won this year – it’s just been incredible.”
Korte registered 25 UMP-sanctioned victories in 2006, making him one of the country’s winningest dirt Late Model drivers. His ‘Big Nasty Tour 2006’ was triumphant at nearly a dozen tracks across the Midwest, including Illinois ’s Godfrey Speedway, Mount Vernon Raceway, Tri-City Speedway, Kankakee Motor Speedway, Quincy Raceway, Spoon River Speedway and Highland Speedway; Missouri ’s Bolivar Speedway and I-55 Raceway; and Indiana ’s Kamp Motor Speedway.
UMP’s new-for-’06 points system, which ranks drivers based on their best 50 finishes in sanctioned events, was a perfect fit for Korte. It allowed him to emerge as a national champion without altering his racing schedule, which he focuses on the most lucrative regional events each weekend.
Korte didn’t set a goal of winning the UMP national title when the season began – he doesn’t like being locked into a points battle – but he soon realized that the new points system, which also factors in the car counts at each event, naturally put him in the mix.
“You don’t even feel like you’re running for points” in the traditional sense, Korte said of the ’06 UMP championship chase. “I like the way it is now. You can race where you want to race.
“Some guys are gonna like (the system), some guys aren’t. I love it, and I think people like Dennis and Rodney are gonna like it eventually too.”
The drivers Korte mentioned are Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville , Ill. , who finished second (144 points behind Korte) in the national standings, and Rodney Melvin of Logan , Ill. , a close friend of Korte’s whose three-year reign as UMP Late Model national champion ended with a sixth-place finish in the standings.
Korte, who drives Mike Dargee-powered Rocket Chassis cars owned by Mid-Continental Fuels, Inc.’s Don Goddard, was so dominant in his 70-plus starts that he clinched the title before even starting the 40-lap UMP Nationals event which closed the points season on Oct. 7 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg , Ohio .
But just because he was certain of leaving Eldora as champion didn’t mean the ultra-competitive Korte would be satisfied with anything less than another feature win. That was evident from his demeanor following a disappointing 24th-place finish in the race.
Korte said a setup experiment made his car “terrible” in his heat, which ultimately forced him to use a provisional spot to start the feature. He then blew a right-rear tire while working his way forward in the main, ending his night early.
“I wish it would’ve ended a little better,” Korte said while accepting congratulatory handshakes on his title in Eldora’s pit area. “It would’ve been nice to cap off the championship with a good run, but you always want more I guess.”
Will Korte’s thirst for more success lead him to a second consecutive UMP Late Model national crown in 2007?
“We’ll just start the year like we did this year and however it plays out, it plays out,” said Korte. “We’ll what happens just like we did this year.”
For a complete rundown of the 2006 UMP Late Model point standings and more information on UMP, visit www.umpracing.com.
Ticket information on the 2006 UMP Awards Banquet, scheduled for Jan. 20, 2007, at the Hilton in Springfield , Ill. , will be sent out to UMP members in early November.
Official Final 2006 UMP Late Model National Point Standings (Rank/Driver/Hometown/Number of Races Counted/Points/Points-Fund Award):
1. Randy Korte/Highland, IL (50) 3,820 ($20,000)
2. Dennis Erb Jr./Carpentersville, IL (50) 3,676 ($10,000)
3. Rusty Schlenk/Jackson, MI (50) 3,630 ($5,000)
4. Steve Sheppard Jr./ New Berlin , IL (50) 3,461 ($3,000)
5. Wes Steidinger/Fairbury, IL (50) 3,287 ($2,000)
6. Rodney Melvin/Logan, IL (50) 3,286 ($1,500)
7. Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL (44) 3,284 ($1,400)
8. Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL (50) 3,273 ($1,300)
9. Ryan Dauber/Tonica, IL (50) 3,213 ($1,200)
10. Kevin Weaver/Gibson City, IL (50) 3,142 ($1,100)
11. Jason Feger/Bloomington, IL (50) 3,129 ($1,000)
12. Brad Looney/Republic, MO (50) 3,127 ($900)
13. Ed Dixon/Washington, MO (50) 3,098 ($800)
14. Terry English/Benton, KY (44) 3,086 ($675)
14. Jeep VanWormer/Piconning, MI (43) 3,086 ($675)
16. Richie Hedrick/Urbana, IL (50) 3,040 ($600)
17. Brian Dively/ Springfield , IL (50) 2,989 ($550)
18. Wendell Wallace/Batesville, AR (44) 2,956 ($500)
19. Kevin Cole/Christopher, IL (49) 2,814 ($490)
20. Frank Heckenast Jr./Orland Park, IL (50) 2,796 ($475)
21. Matt Taylor/Springfield, IL (48) 2,789 ($470)
22. Rusty Griffaw/Festus, MO (50) 2,773 ($465)
23. Chad Zobrist/Highland, IL (50) 2,758 ($460)
24. Mike Schulte/Summerfield, IL (50) 2,724 ($455)
25. Mike Hammerle/ St. Charles , MO (50) 2,617 ($450)
