By Matt Pruier
Flint, Michigan (Saturday, November 3rd, 2012): The Inaugural Midwest Indoor Racing Series event became a reality on November 3rd at Perani Arena & Events Center in Flint, Michigan. In just six short weeks, MGM Motorsports, based in Eaton Rapids, Michigan brought the great fans of Michigan and surrounding Midwestern States quality and affordable Indoors Racing to the great race fans throughout the region.
The Winged Mini Sprints and John Belott & Sons Auto Purchasing Non-Winged Mini Sprints highlighted the historic night and they were joined by Arena / Mini Cup Cars, four divisions of Great Lakes Tire Go-Karts and three classes of Lawn Mowers for an action packed night highlighted by 10 separate Feature events. 78 teams answered the call for the maiden race weekend.
Fremont, Ohio invader, Matt Foos was the big winner of the historic night as the 21-year-old Buckeye State driver would be the only competitor to pick up Two Feature Wins! The first Feature victory came in the Great Lakes Tire Go-Karts Open division. Earlier in the evening, Foos set the all-time Perani Arena & Events Center Track Record with an impressive 6.751 second lap around the 1/7 (0.143) mile flat concrete oval. Average speed equaled out to 76.255mph. Aaron Morrison won the Heat Race in the Open Division.
Foos, in his #90 Weaver Performance machine, then went out and picked up the impressive Feature Win in the Great Lakes Tire Go-Karts 360 Flat Head class as well! Rick Dukes set Fast Time in Qualifying with a 7.162 while Alleca Kerker picked up the Heat Race triumph.
The co-premier divisions in the Midwest Indoor Racing Series; the Winged Mini Sprints and the Non-Winged Mini Sprints featured an impressive 19-car field in each division! In the headlining 50-Lap Winged Mini Sprints Feature, Jackson, Michigan driver Tim Neal in his #19 Michigan Cat / Hyper Chassis ride scored the win in what was the final race of the evening. Larry Sroufe won the Fast Qualifier Award with a 6.872 as 13-year-old Chase Ridenour won the Dash while 17-year-old Clay Sanders and Jim Sipe won the Heat Races.
In the John Belott & Sons Auto Purchasing Non-Winged Mini Sprints portion of the program, Sroufe would make the trip from Larwill, Indiana worthwhile as he would bring home the 40-Lap Feature Win in his #211 Sroufe Garage / Sroufe Chassis ride. Jason Ormsby was the Fast Qualifier with a lap measured at 6.937. Neal won the Dash while Sanders and Ridenour collected the Heat Race Wins.
The Arena / Mini Cups 25-Lap Feature would see Scott Quaal in his #1q K-R Metal Engineering / Chevrolet make the most of his debut in an Arena Car as the Bridgeport, Michigan driver would bring home the Feature Win! 14-year-old Steven Nichols set Fast Time with an 8.701 while Todd Cowan scored the Heat Race victory.
15-year-old Sierra Lantz will go down in history as the first ever Feature Winner in Midwest Indoor Racing Series history as the Kent City, Michigan teenager in her #89 Enterprise Iron & Metal entry scored the win in the Great Lakes Tire Go-Karts Gold Plate division. She also scored the Heat Race Win while 12-year-old Joshua Spindelman set fast time for the class with a 9.085 lap in Qualifying.
In the Great Lakes Tire Go-Karts Purple Plate division, the youngest winner of the night would be 10-year-old Victorya Truemner as the Imlay City, Michigan youngster in her #10 Romeo Ford machine would score the Feature Win in dominating fashion as she lapped the entire field! She was also the Fast Qualifier for the series’ beginners division with an 8.182 lap. 12-year-old Hunter Doutre won the Heat Race.
The Lawn Mowers brought three classes to Perani Arena & Events Center and in the premier Super Modifieds division, Matt Kusowski from near-by Millington, Michigan made the hometown fans happy with the Feature victory in his #3x Mid-States Bolt & Screw mower. He also picked up the win in the Heat Race while Jayson Mikula set fast time for the high performance Lawn Mowers with a 7.917.
In the Lawn Mowers Modifieds Feature, 16-year-old Kelsey VanEpps swept the entire night in her #96 VanEpps Racing lawn mower as the Potterville, Michigan teenager started the day off by going a 9.162 in Qualifying. Then later in the evening she won the Heat and capped up the night by lapping the entire field en route to the Feature Win.
Finally in the Lawn Mowers Stock division, Belle River, Ontario / Canada driver, Wade Myers made the trip across the border worthwhile as he steered his #40 Myers Family Racing lawn mower into victory lane after winning the Feature. He also scored the Heat Race win as well while Jayson Mikula set fast time for the second time over the course of race day as he went a 9.588 in Qualifying.
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The second event of the 2012/2013 season is slated for Saturday, December 22nd, 2012 at the Birch Run Expo Center in Birch Run, Michigan as the Winged Mini Sprints and John Belott & Sons Auto Purchasing Non-Winged Mini Sprints will once again headline the race weekend. They’ll be joined by the Arena / Mini Cups, Great Lakes Tire Go-Karts divisions, and Lawn Mowers classes.
In addition, the Legends Cars and Outlaw Shock Company Quarter Midgets will join in on the action as well for an action packed night of racing leading into the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Both divisions were not a part of the inaugural race in Flint, Michigan due to both classes various Regular Season Awards Banquets scheduled for the same day as the event at Perani Arena & Events Center.
The Legends cars are 5/8-scale replicas of American Cars from the 1930s and 1940s, powered by a Yamaha Motorcycle engines. The machines are considered a “spec” series, meaning all cars are mechanically identical and available with 10 types of body styles. The Outlaw Shock Company Quarter Midgets feature a wide range of classes including Junior Honda, Senior Honda, Heavy Honda, Lite 160, and Heavy 160 divisions.
There will also be a Practice Day and Parking for the teams on Friday, December 21st as the Pit Gates Open at 2:00p.m., and Practice for all divisions on a rotating basis will run throughout the afternoon and into the evening from 5:00-9:00p.m.
The Birch Run Expo Center is located right off Exit 136 on I-75 at 11660 North Beyer Road in Birch Run, Michigan. Tickets for the second race of the 2012 / 2013 Winter Racing Season for the Midwest Indoor Racing Series will be Available soon.
As for the remainder of the schedule, one more date has been added on Saturday, January 12th, 2013 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan. Three to Four more events are in the works at several different venues throughout Midwest. As soon as those dates are finalized, completing the 2012 / 2013 Winter Racing Season Schedule, they will be announced.
MGM Motorsports LLC, is a new venture based out of Eaton Rapids, Michigan and features MIRS sanctioned short track racing inside sports arenas throughout the Midwest with a minimum of five events, all the way up to possibly an eight race schedule for the 2012/2013 Winter Racing Season.
For more information about MIRS and to become a sponsor within the series for the entire 2012/2013 Winter Racing Season, please call Jack Gritter at: 1 (616) 813-5965 or Scott Menlen at: 1 (586) 201-0378.
The new website is up and running and new content is being added on a daily basis. Please go to: www.midwestindoorracingseries.com today to learn more. You can also learn more about MIRS and the inaugural 2012/2013 Winter Racing Season, by going to the series’ Facebook Fan Page located at: www.facebook.com/midwestindoorracing