By Greg Parent
Often times in the world of motorsports, the weather has a direct impact on various racing events throughout the course of a season. Such was the case back on August 16 at the St. Croix Valley Raceway when the 22nd Annual Earl Kouba Memorial was rained out. The opening night of the Kouba Memorial on Friday August 15 at the Princeton Speedway played before a large crowd with Brooke Tatnell and Mike Mueller earning victories in the Ethel Kouba Memorial feature races. The makeup date for the second night of this event has set up a spectacular opportunity and tremendous weekend for race fans. On Friday September 5 at the St. Croix Valley Raceway, the 22nd Annual Earl Kouba Memorial will take place with both the UMSS winged sprints and Traditional non-winged sprints in action along with the NVRS Vintage Cars, micros, pure stocks and Future IVs on the program. Then following night just a half hour drive to the south, the 14th Annual Jerry Richert, Sr. Memorial will be held at the Cedar Lake Speedway featuring the IRA 410 Outlaw sprints and the UMSS 360 winged sprints in addition to the NVRS Vintage Cars. Racers and fans will certainly want to be on hand for what is shaping up to be one of the biggest sprint car racing weekends seen in this area in a long time.
Purse information for the UMSS 360 winged sprints shows a very strong payout for the 22nd Annual Earl Kouba Memorial feature on Friday September 5 with the winner taking home $2,400. The 14th Annual Richert Memorial purse for the UMSS sprints is also a very good one, as the top finisher will earn $1,500. On Friday night at SCVR, the UMSS Traditional sprint car feature will pay $500 to win thanks to some additional help from GRP Motorsports. GRP is also putting up a $600 Clean Sweep Bonus in the UMSS 360 sprint division for Friday and Saturday, meaning if a driver should happen to win both UMSS features he or she will take home $4,500 for the weekend. The UMSS feature race purse and other information is listed below.
Payout for Friday September 5 at St. Croix Valley Raceway:
22nd Annual Earl Kouba Memorial UMSS Feature: 1st $2,400; 2nd $1,200; 3rd $1,000; 4th $800; 5th $700; 6th $575; 7th $500; 8th $425; 9th $400; 10th $350; 11th $340; 12th $330; 13th $330; 14th $320; 15th $310; 16th $310; 17th $310; 18th-22nd $300.
22nd Annual Earl Kouba Memorial UMSS Feature: 1st $2,400; 2nd $1,200; 3rd $1,000; 4th $800; 5th $700; 6th $575; 7th $500; 8th $425; 9th $400; 10th $350; 11th $340; 12th $330; 13th $330; 14th $320; 15th $310; 16th $310; 17th $310; 18th-22nd $300.
22nd Annual Earl Kouba Memorial TSCS Feature: 1st $500; 2nd $300; 3rd $250; 4th $200; 5th $175; 6th $150 7th $125; 8th-20th $100. (Note: GRP Motorsports added some additional money to the original purse.)
Payout for Saturday September 6 at Cedar Lake Speedway:
14th Annual Jerry Richert, Sr. Memorial UMSS Feature: 1st $1,500; 2nd $1,000; 3rd $750; 4th $600; 5th $500; 6th $400; 7th $325; 8th $300; 9th $275; 10th $250; 11th-20th $200.
Challenge Race winners on Sautrday will recieve $100.00 DMI Certificates.
A random draw for a top wing courtesy of Mastell Brothers Racing will be held on Saturday night.
GRP Motorsports will have $200 Hard Charger Awards in the IRA and UMSS divisions.
14th Annual Jerry Richert, Sr. Memorial UMSS Feature: 1st $1,500; 2nd $1,000; 3rd $750; 4th $600; 5th $500; 6th $400; 7th $325; 8th $300; 9th $275; 10th $250; 11th-20th $200.
Challenge Race winners on Sautrday will recieve $100.00 DMI Certificates.
A random draw for a top wing courtesy of Mastell Brothers Racing will be held on Saturday night.
GRP Motorsports will have $200 Hard Charger Awards in the IRA and UMSS divisions.
UMSS Tire Rule: ASCS Med. Right Rear. RC1, H12, or D12 Left Rear. More info can be found in the Rules/Forms section of the UMSS website at www.umsprints.com by clicking on the red UMSS logo to enter the winged sprint car division site.
Friday September 5 SCVR Event Info:
Grandstand Prices: Adults 19+ $17, Teens 13-18 $10, 12 and under are free.
Pit Pass: $30
Tickets and Pit Passes from the rain out on 8/16/14 can be used for this event.
Grandstand Prices: Adults 19+ $17, Teens 13-18 $10, 12 and under are free.
Pit Pass: $30
Tickets and Pit Passes from the rain out on 8/16/14 can be used for this event.
Event Times: Pit Gate Opens at 4:30pm, Grandstands Open at 5:30pm, Hot Laps 6:20-6:45pm, Drivers Meeting 6:50pm, Draw Cutoff 6:50pm, Racing 7:10pm.
Additional Bonuses for the fans on Friday night:
1) Anyone who brings a front grandstand ticket from the August 16 Saturday night rain out AND someone with them that does NOT have a ticket they will EACH get a free hot dog and chips. If there are 6 people in a car and 3 have tickets and 3 do not, that is 6 free hot dogs and 6 free chips!
2) Someone in the stands on September 5 will win a 19” flat screen TV.
3) We will have a drawing during the heat races for three groups/families to watch the features from the infield.
4) Many driver t-shirts will be given away.
1) Anyone who brings a front grandstand ticket from the August 16 Saturday night rain out AND someone with them that does NOT have a ticket they will EACH get a free hot dog and chips. If there are 6 people in a car and 3 have tickets and 3 do not, that is 6 free hot dogs and 6 free chips!
2) Someone in the stands on September 5 will win a 19” flat screen TV.
3) We will have a drawing during the heat races for three groups/families to watch the features from the infield.
4) Many driver t-shirts will be given away.
Saturday September 6 CLS Event Info:
Grandstand Prices: Adults $25, Kids age 6-16 $12, 5 and under are free.
Pit Pass: $30
Grandstand Prices: Adults $25, Kids age 6-16 $12, 5 and under are free.
Pit Pass: $30
Event Times: Pit Gate Opens at 3:00pm, Grandstands Open at 5:00pm, Hot Laps at 6:00pm, Racing at 6:30pm.
Note: The IRA sprints time trial, run heats, a B Main, and a Feature. The UMSS sprints will run their usual double round of qualifying races (heats and challenge races) plus their Feature event.
Note: The IRA sprints time trial, run heats, a B Main, and a Feature. The UMSS sprints will run their usual double round of qualifying races (heats and challenge races) plus their Feature event.
With an opportunity to see the UMSS winged sprints run two full shows including their season finale on Saturday, the Traditional Sprints complete their season on Friday, and a tremendous IRA 410 Outlaw sprint program on Saturday, area sprint car racing fans will have a tremendous weekend of winged and non-winged sprint car racing at two tracks located only about 30 minutes apart from each other. The 22nd Annual Earl Kouba Memorial and the 14th Annual Jerry Richert, Sr. Memorial on the same weekend at these two western Wisconsin dirt ovals is shaping up to be a weekend that you don’t want to miss.