By Greg Parent
The “Oak Grove Outlaw” Mike Mueller added his name to the win list this season when the defending UMSS POWRi Lucas Oil Traditional Sprint Car Series champion drove to victory at the Ogilvie Raceway on Saturday August 18 during the running of the 7th Annual Davey Tabor Memorial on Mastell Brothers Trailer Service 30th Anniversary Night at the popular central Minnesota track. Mueller recorded his 11th career TSCS feature win and added the Big O to his track win list in TSCS competition. Mueller has now won TSCS point races at eight different tracks dating back to his first season behind the wheel of a non-winged sprint car in 2013. The win paid Mueller $410, as GRP Motorsports added some money to first place for what was termed the Tom Harris 410 Award by GRP. Mueller and his team celebrated in Rock Auto Victory Lane in front of a packed grandstands and then again in the pit area following the races. Mueller currently sits in second in the season point standings behind his good friend and fellow competitor Cam Schafer.
A decent field of (18) Traditional sprint cars signed into the pits on a pleasant summer evening for the second of two appearances at the Big O. Racing with a heavy heart following the recent passing of a long-time friend and crew member, Steve Steinkraus, Johnny Parsons III won the Pirtek Fluid Transfer Solutions first heat. Mike Mueller won the Rock Auto second heat while Harry Hanson picked up the win in the GRP Motorsports third heat. All three heats ran caution-free and each heat winner received $34 from Margaret Tabor. When all eighteen teams came up to draw for their heat race starting spots, envelopes containing $34 were given to each of them in honor and memory of Davey Tabor and his 34TW car number.
Brad Peterson drew the pole position for the 25 lap feature with Parsons outside of him in row one. Peterson led the opening lap, but it was Mike Mueller from his inside row two starting spot quickly moving past Peterson on lap two for the lead. A few laps later, Parsons retired to the infield with apparent mechanical woes. Mueller opened up a bit of a lead until he encountered lapped traffic. The battle for the lead then got very interesting, as Joseph Kouba and Harry Hanson closed in on Mueller and began to challenge him for the top spot. At one point, the race for the lead was three wide coming off turn two with Mueller just barely able to fend off the challengers. Mueller finally was able to regain a bit of a margin when he cleared the group of lapped cars. The race ran 25 laps green to checkers with Mueller picking up his first win of the season. Harry Hanson, Joseph Kouba, ninth starter Scott Brandt and current point leader Cam Schafer completed the top five. Rounding out the top ten finishers were 13th starter Jon Lewerer, Brad Peterson, Rob Caho, Sr. Bryan Roach and Cody Emmans. Fifteen cars were still running at the finish.
It was great to see Jon Lewerer back out racing again following a hard crash at the Spring Lake Speedway back on July 13. Bryan Roach got a car for Jon and with a team effort type of attitude it all came together for Jon’s return at Ogilvie. Lewerer earned the $100 GRP Motorsports “Dean Reller” Hard Charger Award for his effort. A shout out also goes to Rocket Rob Caho, Sr. who made his TSCS debut in his son’s #78 sprint car with his motor under the hood. Rob certainly has not lost his touch behind the wheel of a sprint car, racing forward from 11th to finish 8th. The elder Caho has been, in recent years, running in a vintage sprint car class on several occasions.
The POWRi Lucas Oil Traditional sprints will be in action on Friday and Saturday August 24-25 at the Cedar Lake Speedway for the 1st Annual Traditional Challenge highlighted by twin features each night with the hope that all cars that participate from five different sanctioning bodies will be able to run a feature race. Following the heats, which have passing and finishing points, the field will be put in order of points and all odd cars in the points will race in the first feature while all even cars in the points will race in the second feature. Each feature pays $500 to win on Friday and then they will do it all over again on Saturday and race for $600 to win each feature. If a driver wins a feature on both Friday and Saturday, a $250 bonus will be added to their winnings. The UMSS winged sprints will join the program on Saturday night. Keep tabs on all of the POWRi UMSS Lucas Oil Traditional sprint car action by visiting our website at www.umsprints.com or by following the series on Facebook and My Race Pass.
TSCS Race Results – Ogilvie Raceway August 18, 2018 (Race #14)
7th Annual Davey Tabor Memorial
POWRi Lucas Oil A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 87-Mike Mueller, [3]; 2. 7-Harry Hanson, [6]; 3. 55-Joseph Kouba, [5]; 4. 7B-Scott Brandt, [9]; 5. 14-Cam Schafer, [7]; 6. 69S-Jon Lewerer, [13]; 7. 93-Brad Peterson, [1]; 8. 78-Rob Caho, [11]; 9. 99-Bryan Roach, [4]; 10. 33C-Cody Emmans, [17]; 11. K1-Kevin Lear, [12]; 12. 48-Neal Matuska, [8]; 13. 19-Gary Mueller, [10]; 14. 2J-John Lowe, [15]; 15. 5-Troy Gessner, [14]; 16. (DNF) 12-Johnny Parsons III, [2]; 17. (DNF) 19B-Jack Berger, [16]; (DNS) 77E-Bob Englund,
Lap Leaders: Peterson 1, Mike Mueller 2-25. No cautions! Mueller earned the “Tom Harris 410 Award” from GRP Motorsports for his victory.
PIRTEK Fluid Transfer Solutions Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 12-Johnny Parsons III, [2]; 2. 99-Bryan Roach, [3]; 3. 14-Cam Schafer, [5]; 4. 78-Rob Caho, [4]; 5. 2J-John Lowe, [1]; 6. 19B-Jack Berger, [6]
Lap Leader: Parsons 1-10. No cautions. Heat win in memory of Steiny!
Rock Auto Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 87-Mike Mueller, [2]; 2. 55-Joseph Kouba, [4]; 3. 19-Gary Mueller, [1]; 4. 7B-Scott Brandt, [6]; 5. 69S-Jon Lewerer, [5]; 6. 33C-Cody Emmans, [3]
Lap Leader: Mike Mueller 1-10. No cautions.
GRP Motorsports Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 7-Harry Hanson, [1]; 2. 93-Brad Peterson, [3]; 3. 48-Neal Matuska, [5]; 4. K1-Kevin Lear, [4]; 5. 5-Troy Gessner, [2]; 6. 77E-Bob Englund, [6]
Lap Leader: Hanson 1-10. No cautions.
Same winner, different car! Justin Henderson of Tea, SD put on an absolute dominating performance in the 25 lap nonstop UMSS POWRi Lucas Oil Midwest Power Series feature at the Ogilvie Raceway on Saturday August 18 for the running of the 7th Annual Davey Tabor Memorial event on Mastell Brothers Trailer Service 30th Anniversary Night. Henderson had won the previous night at the Jackson Motorplex driving the Seidenkranz Brothers 64 sprint car in Midwest Power Series action. At Ogilvie, Henderson jumped in the potent Donnohue Designs Racing 34DD car and lapped up through fourth place in the main event on his way to an appearance in Rock Auto Victory Lane.
It was planned ahead of time in a cooperative effort between the two race teams to have Henderson drive both cars on this weekend. Geoff Dodge piloted the Seidenkranz sprinter on Saturday night. Having raced and won at Jackson, Henderson was more than eligible for the extra Midwest Power Series bonus money in place and picked up the top bonus prize of $300. Adding in various other bonus money from Midwest Power Series and a strong purse contribution from Margaret Tabor at this popular event, Henderson and his team earned $2,134 at the Big O to cap off a tremendous weekend sweep against some very tough competition. Congrats to Justin Henderson and both teams he drove for this weekend!
Heat race winners included Chris Graf in the Al Parker Engines/Pirtek Fluid Transfer Solutions first heat and Justin Henderson in the Al Parker Engines/Rock Auto second heat. Each 10-lap heat winner earned $100 from Al Parker Engines of Newton, Iowa. Making his second-ever appearance at the Ogilvie Raceway, having run at this event last year, Ramona, South Dakota racer Ryan Bickett won the six lap Al Parker Engines Dash for Cash which earned him the right to start on the pole for the 25 lap main event. Bickett pocketed $200 from Al Parker Engines in the process. The $100 Blaine Brothers Hooked Up Award administered through DDR went to young rookie driver Carter Chevalier after he tagged the turn one wall in his heat and got upside down requiring a tow back to the pits. His team was able to repair the car to the point where he could start the feature, but Carter dropped out immediately.
Bickett brought the field to the green flag for the 25 lap main event and bolted into the early lead. Bickett led the opening lap before Henderson swept past him on lap 2 and never looked back. As Henderson proceeded to literally run away and hide from the rest of the field, his yellow DDR sprint car looked like it was in another time zone. Henderson lapped all the way up through fourth place in a race that went caution-free to the finish.
After a less-than-stellar performance in his heat race, the all-time leading UMSS career feature winner Brooke Tatnell started ninth on the grid in the Protofab 14 car and quickly moved forward. A spirited and entertaining battle in the early stages saw Tatnell and James Broty exchange slide jobs and positions for several laps before Tatnell put Broty behind him for good. Tatnell then set his sights on two-time UMSS and Midwest Power Series champion Chris Graf. After getting past Graf near the halfway mark for third, Tatnell continued his march forward. Soon Ryan Bickett fell victim to Tatnell but the “Awesome Aussie” would need a caution flag in order to erase the margin Henderson had built. No caution was forthcoming in the remaining laps, as Henderson’s margin of victory was nearly 12 seconds over Tatnell. Considering the average time to get around the Big O was around 15 seconds, Henderson’s lead at the checkers was about a straightaway short of a full lap.
Finishing behind Henderson and Tatnell was the only other car on the lead lap, Ryan Bickett. Graf went down a lap on the final circuit and rode home in fourth. Geoff Dodge rounded out the top five. Current Midwest Power Series point leader Derrik Lusk finished sixth. Broty came home in seventh ahead of Chase Viebrock. Current UMSS point leader Ryan Bowers, who won at Ogilvie back on June 9, finished ninth in a special edition Mastell 30th Anniversary car. Jamey Ogston had won the previous two UMSS feature races back in July at Cedar Lake, one of them a Midwest Powers Series event, but the young Duluth driver could only muster a tenth place finish at Ogilvie.
Tatnell earned the $200 GRP Motorsports/Minnesota Mafia Hard Charger Award in the feature with a gain of seven positions. Ryan Bickett and Chris Graf got the other Midwest Power Series bonus money of $200 and $100 respectively, as each driver raced at the Jackson Motorplex the night before and were eligible for the bonus. Additional Long Tow money of $150 from Mastell Brothers Trailer Service went to Bickett and Dave Glennon from Castleton, ND. Margaret Tabor also awarded some extra tow money to Bickett, Glennon, Dodge, Henderson and Lusk. With the added bonus money in place from all sources, both Tatnell and Bickett earned over $1,000 for their efforts while Chris Graf was just short of the mark with $934 in earnings for the evening. All drivers were very appreciative for the added bonus money that comes along with the Tabor Memorial event and the Midwest Power Series.
The UMSS POWRi Lucas Oil winged sprints will race at the Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday August 25 as they join the program with the Traditional sprints. The UMSS POWRi Lucas Oil Traditional sprint cars will be racing a double header show at Cedar Lake on August 24-25 in the 1st Annual Traditional Challenge. The Midwest Power Series next point race will be at the 18th Annual Jerry Richert, Sr. Memorial event at the Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday September 8 which is also a UMSS point show. The IRA Outlaw 410 sprints and the UMSS POWRi Traditional sprints will be on the program that night in an event that has become extremely popular over the years. Ryan Bowers currently leads Chase Viebrock and Jamey Ogston in the point battle for the UMSS title. Racers and fans can keep track of all the UMSS POWRi Lucas Oil winged sprint car action on our website at www.umsprints.com or on the UMSS Facebook page.
UMSS POWRi Lucas Oil Race Results – Ogilvie Raceway August 18, 2018 (Race #11)
7th Annual Davey Tabor Memorial / Midwest Power Series Event
Midwest Power Series/GRP Motorsports A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 34DD-Justin Henderson, [3]; 2. 14-Brooke Tatnell, [9]; 3. 17B-Ryan Bickett, [1]; 4. 20G-Chris Graf, [4]; 5. 64-Geoff Dodge, [7]; 6. 2-Derrik Lusk, [6]; 7. 33-James Broty, [2]; 8. 50-Chase Viebrock, [8]; 9. 30-Ryan Bowers, [5]; 10. 03-Jamey Ogston, [11]; 11. 5G-Dave Glennon, [10]; 12. 462-Val Urman, [13]; 13. (DNF) 91A-Reed Allex, [12]; 14. (DNF) 15C-Carter Chevalier, [14]
Lap Leaders: Bickett 1, Henderson 2-25. No cautions! Margin of victory 11.913 seconds. Fastest lap turned 14.719 by Henderson. Graf turned the second fastest lap at 14.911.
Al Parker Engines Dash 1 (6 Laps): 1. 17B-Ryan Bickett, [3]; 2. 33-James Broty, [1]; 3. 34DD-Justin Henderson, [6]; 4. 20G-Chris Graf, [2]; 5. 30-Ryan Bowers, [5]; 6. 2-Derrik Lusk, [4]
Lap Leader: Bickett 1-6. No cautions.
Al Parker Engines/PIRTEK Fluid Transfer Solutions Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 20G-Chris Graf, [2]; 2. 33-James Broty, [4]; 3. 50-Chase Viebrock, [3]; 4. 2-Derrik Lusk, [7]; 5. 14-Brooke Tatnell, [5]; 6. 91A-Reed Allex, [1]; 7. 462-Val Urman, [6]
Lap Leader: Graf 1-10. No cautions.
Al Parker Engines/Rock Auto Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 34DD-Justin Henderson, [2]; 2. 30-Ryan Bowers, [1]; 3. 17B-Ryan Bickett, [5]; 4. 64-Geoff Dodge, [6]; 5. 5G-Dave Glennon, [4]; 6. 03-Jamey Ogston, [3]; 7. (DNF) 15C-Carter Chevalier, [7]
Lap Leaders: Bowers 1-2, Henderson 3-10. One red on opening lap when 15c hit turn one wall and flipped over. Driver okay.