KISS Sprint Cars Roar Into Lawrenceburg Speedway Saturday

May 16, 2012 – With two races behind them and three still ahead, the King of Indiana Sprint Series converges on the very quick Lawrenceburg Speedway this Saturday evening. In its twelfth year, the KISS tour crisscrosses the state, scheduled to compete at seven tracks in as many weekends. With two complete events and an unfortunate pair of rainouts, the KISS racers travel to the southeastern corner of the state, just outside of Cincinnati, for their next program.

Coming off his first KISS victory, in the opening race at the Terre Haute Action Track, Robert Ballou leads Dave Darland, the Gas City race winner, by just 24 points. Coleman Gulick is only six points behind Darland, with five-time KISS King Jon Stanbrough four points further back. It's a situation where no point lead is safe, and there are a number of drivers who could capture their first crown, or second, and one who could still earn his sixth.

However they will need to contend with gritty Thomas Meseraull, who has already tallied two consecutive victories at the 'Burg this spring. Previous KISS feature winners at the popular oval include Brandon Petty (2005), AJ Anderson (2006), Jon Stanbrough (2007), Nic Faas (2009), Brady Short (2010), and Daron Clayton in a rain-shortened event last year.

KISS sprint car features pay $2,500 to win, and $250 to start. This year, the KISS promoters have also included tow money, where any car that does not transfer to the feature will collect at least $100. Additionally, the point fund has increased to $4,200, with the series champion earning $1,200. Second in points will collect $900, and third through fifth will receive $800, $700 and $600.

Saturday is Scout Night at Lawrenceburg and the front gate will open at 5:00 pm, the pits at 4:00, with hot laps beginning at 6:00 and the opening ceremonies at 7:00. All Scouts in uniform will receive free general admission. Adult tickets are $20, tickets for kids 7 to 12 are just $7, and ages 6 and under are admitted free. Pit passes are $30. In addition to the KISS sprint cars series, the racing program includes UMP modifieds and pure stocks.

Lawrenceburg's 3/8 mile high banked oval is also host to the World of Outlaws on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28. More information about the Lawrenceburg Speedway, including directions and the 2012 schedule is available at www.lawrenceburgspeedway.com.

The next KISS series event will compete at Tri-State Speedway, in Haubstadt on May 27. This year's King of Indiana will then be crowned after the finale, at Paragon Speedway on June 2.

KISS Points: 1. Robert Ballou 374, 2. Dave Darland 350, 3. Coleman Gulick 344, 4. Jon Stanbrough 340, 5. Jerry Coons Jr. 331, 6. Hunter Schuerenberg 318, 7. Wes McIntyre 316, 8. Thomas Meseraull 297, 9. Justin Grant 285, 10. Jonathan Hendrick 282

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Darland Earns Thrilling KISS Victory at Gas City

May 12, 2012 -- The defending King of Indiana, Dave Darland scored a thrilling win in the King of Indiana Sprint Series feature at the Gas City I69 Speedway, Friday. Grabbing the lead from Scotty Weir on the 24th circuit, Darland outran Jerry Coons Jr., Bobby East, Tracy Hines and Coleman Gulick over the final laps for the victory.

When the promoters of several Indiana tracks formulated the King of Indiana Sprint Series, they may have had a vision of what the ideal KISS race would be like. It's easy to believe that Friday's event at the Gas City I69 Speedway was very close to that vision. The skies were clear, grandstand full, 33 teams were in the pits, and the track was racy. By the end of the 30-lap feature, the fans had been amply rewarded.

“It was a great night for me, driving Jeff Walker's Maxim with the Claxton,” Darland said with a grin after the victory ceremonies. “The race track was great. You could run high or low, either one. You could do what you had to do to get by if you were faster. It was just a fun night.”

With Walker's Jam It In Storage Claxton-powered Maxim starting fifth, Darland worked past Hunter Schuerenberg and Nic Faas to claim third as pole-starter Scotty Weir beat Bobby East off turn two on the first lap. Weir had opened a half straightaway lead when Darland took second from East on the sixth circuit.

The track was good no matter where drivers chose to run, but the bottom was still the shortest way around and most of the cars stayed on the inside line. Although Weir appeared to have everything under control early, when they caught the tail of the field Darland quickly closed the gap. For the next five laps they darted through the pack of backmarkers, Darland ready to pounce on the error that Weir never made. Then a caution on lap 18 bunched the field and gave the leaders a clear track again.

After hustling from tenth to fourth, Shane Cottle's race came to an end three laps back into the green. East looked under Darland in turn two, and was jammed when Darland quickly closed the door. Cottle couldn't avoid East and got turned around, suffering front end damage.

On the next restart, both Coons and Hunter Schuerenberg went to the top immediately while Weir and Darland opened several car lengths. Billy Puterbaugh passed Coons for fourth as Darland also tried the top a lap later, but another caution slowed the action on lap 24.

Liking what he had found, Darland quickly charged past Weir, using the cushion in turn one on the restart. “It got slicker and slicker off of two on the bottom and you couldn't run down there anymore,” Weir said later. “Leading the race, I wasn't going to just volunteer to the top first. I wish we could have stayed green after that because I just got my momentum built up on the top and was coming back to him.”

While Weir chased Darland, and Coons worked past East for third, another caution re-stacked the cars again on lap 27. This time Darland opened eight car lengths after the green, working the top at one end and the bottom at the other, while Coons charged around Weir on lap 28. Darland had a half straightaway lead at the checkers, as East and Weir fought for third on the last turn, with Weir scrambling through the infield to cross finish line, losing several more positions.

It was Darland's first KISS victory since a 2010 win at the Gas City facility. He had been able to use the top and bottom of the oval to his advantage, and knowing when to go where was crucial.

“I followed him through one and two on the restart before I got him and he was just kind of protecting the bottom so much that he was getting kind of slow down through there,” he explained. “If you got just a little bit wide, you got out of the slick and you were kind of hanging for a long time and you had a good possibility of getting passed. So I kind of set him up and talked myself into going to the top in one and two on the next restart and try to get back to the bottom on three and four. Everything worked out great for me and I was just back and forth to keep him behind me.”

“You can see where it was getting blacker and slicker on the bottom. But leading the race the whole time, you don't want to just take off to the top for no reason. I guess I should have,” the disappointed Weir offered. He had led much of the race, but only delivered seventh. Not what he had expected.

Coons was the first of the front runners to go to the top, and it had paid off. He said, “I didn't have a lot of choice. We were just really tight. The track was better than I thought it was going to be. They ran the Thunder Cars out first and it did kind of bring the track back. So we were just a little bit tight for the race track I think and just couldn't run the bottom very well. I pretty much had to run the top. It was a good race. On one yellow I tied the shocks down tight and tried to get the car freer, and that worked. And late in the race the top started to kind of slicken off, so I was able to back off a little bit and keep up with it. So, sixth to second, Darland was obviously very fast and there for awhile I figured we were about a fifth or sixth place car. I'm very happy with second.”

The battling was hard nosed, but that's what the KISS promoters had envisioned. Almost unnoticed, Gulick ran a marvelous race from 17th to fifth. Although he had missed the Bloomington show, and didn't get the “show up” points when it rained out, Darland closed within 24 points of Robert Ballou, who ran ninth after transferring through the B-Main.

The KISS series will continue with the next event at Lawrenceburg Speedway, Saturday, May 19, followed by Tri-State Speedway, in Haubstadt on May 27. This year's King of Indiana will then be crowned after the finale, at Paragon Speedway on June 2.

A-Main (30 laps): 1. Dave Darland (5), 2. Jerry Coons Jr. (6), 3. Bobby East (2), 4. Tracy Hines (12), 5. Coleman Gulick (17), 6. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (7), 7. Scotty Weir (1), 8. Ryan Pace (8), 9. Robert Ballou (18), 10. Hunter Schuerenberg (3), 11. Nic Faas (4), 12. Thomas Meseraull (20), 13. Justin Grant (13), 14. CJ Leary (9), 15. Jon Stanbrough (11), 16. Wes McIntyre (15), 17. Adam Brykett (19), 18. Travis Welpott (14), 19. Jonathan Hendrick (16), 20. Shane Cottle (10)

Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Bobby East 2b (2), 2. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. 16 (4), 3. CJ Leary 30 (6), 4. Justin Grant 40 (8), 5. Adam Brykett 78 (5), 6. Chris Windom 5 (7), 7. Casey Shuman 22 (9), 8. Brandon Petty 42g (3), 9. Logan Jarrett 29j (1)

Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Scotty Weir 10e (2), 2. Ryan Pace 44 (4), 3. Shane Cottle 2e (6), 4. Travis Welpott 18 (1), 5. Coleman Gulick 14 (7), 6. Jon Sciscoe 57 (5), 7. Todd Gnat 51g (3), 8. Jamie Fredrickson 58 (8)

Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. Dave Darland 11 (4), 2. Nic Faas 53 (2), 3. Jon Stanbrough 21x (3), 4. Wes McIntyre 83 (7), 5. Andrew Elson 27a (5), 6. Ted Hines 12 (8), 7. Matt Goodnight 39 (1), 8. Travis Hery 21 (6)

Heat 4 (8 laps): 1. Hunter Schuerenberg 35 (1), 2. Jerry Coons Jr. 71p (3), 3. Tracy Hines 24 (2), 4. Jonathan Hendrick 68 (6), 5. Thomas Meseraull 41 (7), 6. Robert Ballou 12 (4), 7. Joshua Clemons 71c (5), 8. Nick Drake 55 (8)

B-Main (12 laps): 1. Gulick (2), 2. Ballou (8), 3. Brykett (1), 4. Meseraull (4), 5. Windom (5), 6. Shuman (9), 7. Elson (3), 8. Clemons (12), 9. Ted Hines (7), 10. Goodnight (11), 11. Fredrickson (14), 12. Gnat (10), 13. Drake (16), 14. Hery (15), 15. Jarrett (17), 16. Petty (13), 17. Sciscoe (6)

KISS Points: 1. Robert Ballou 374, 2. Dave Darland 350, 3. Coleman Gulick 344, 4. Jon Stanbrough 340, 5. Jerry Coons Jr. 331, 6. Hunter Schuerenberg 318, 7. Wes McIntyre 316, 8. Thomas Meseraull 297, 9. Justin Grant 285, 10. Jonathan Hendrick 282

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1st Annual Davey Tabor Memorial Race Set For May 25

Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series

By: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director (5-11-12)

It is with great pride that both the Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series (UMSS) and the St. Croix Valley Raceway announce the running of the 1st Annual Davey Tabor Memorial for the UMSS winged sprint cars on Friday night May 25 at the St. Croix Valley Raceway near St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin.  As we honor and celebrate the life of sprint car fan, mechanic and car owner Davey Tabor, this evening will prove to be a very special night for the sprint car racing community.

As a tribute to Dave and Margaret Tabor's car number, the winner of the feature race will earn $1,034 courtesy of some sponsorship from GRP Motorsports.  The Tabor family has generously added an extra $100 in positions two through five in the feature race plus an extra $50 to positions sixth on back.  The UMSS will run their usual double round of qualifying races that evening with drivers earning passing and finishing points in both the Ultimate Sprint Heats and Challenge Races.  The feature race is scheduled for 25 laps in distance around the 1/4 mile dirt oval, but it could be expanded to 34 laps should participants agree.

Please join the racing community on Friday night May 25 at the St. Croix Valley Raceway on what will prove to be a great evening filled with wonderful memories of our friend, Davey Tabor.  The following tribute was prepared by Margaret Tabor for DAVID L. TABOR, 11-21-1951 TO 3-17-2012.

*** ****
Davey Tabor was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota and was interested in all types of racing from a very early age.  He was working at Suburban Tire and wrenching on his father's stock car before he was 16 years old.  He loved being in the garage and began welding at an early age with help from his father and the "gear heads" he was always around.  Being under 16, he was not allowed in the pits at the Minnesota State Fair, but in true Davey fashion, he proceeded to sneak in to be a part of the racing action.

After High School, Dave entered the US Army at the age of 18.  He proudly served his country in Vietnam during 1971 and 1972.  He believed in learning, improving and giving his all in everything he did from his military service to his civilian life to his passion for racing.

Davey welded and fabricated NHRA Pro Stocks for Don Ness Racecraft in Blaine, Minnesota for about 11 years.  During this time, he perfected his craft of welding and became one of the best welders that many have ever seen.  During his time at Racecraft, he learned and studied to prepare himself for the type of racing he enjoyed most, his true love - Sprint Cars!
Davey became involved in sprint car racing with the Kouba family about 30 years ago.  He traveled with them, wrenched in the pits, did welding for them, and learned everything that he could about sprint cars to help prepare him for his goal, what he wanted even then - a sprint car of his own.  After Davey attended a driving school in New York, he was totally hooked!  An injury prevented him from driving the car himself, so he decided the next best way to be involved was to build his own sprint car and become a car owner.  Anything to be in the garage or in the pits working on his car, and to be part of the sprint car racing community truly was Dave's passion.

Around 2001, Davey and his partner since 1983 (now wife, Margaret) began the adventure he had longed for since his youth.  They formed a team, 34TW Motorsports, and together built their first sprint car.  The excitement never wavered for Dave.  He continued to build and improve his sprint car (one year he ran two of them). He tried successfully to stay competitive with some very high budget teams and the 34TW team was at every race possible for the next 10 years.  On a limited budget, they brought their sprint car to North Central Speedway in Brainerd, MN one night and gave Davey's cousin, successful stock car racer Tim Johnson, his first ride in a sprinter.  While competing with more experienced drivers in the sprint car ranks and against several more well-financed race teams, Tim ran an impressive seventh in a field of over 20 cars.  As indicated by the party which followed in the pits, you'd have thought we all won the Indy 500!

Davey continued to plan for the 2012 season, even during his illness. He would not give up! His favorite expression was always, "we need more power!"  Even with some limitations, sprint car racing was always his obsession. The 34TW cars were often times right in the mix up front with the best of them. Over the years, the 34TW team had some very fine drivers wheeling for them including Brad Barickman, Alan Gilbertson, Jimmy Kouba, Jack Zweber, Blake Anderson, the infamous Roger Rager, Tim Johnson,  Jason Tostenson, Ronnie Erickson, Greg Gunderson and Chad Cummings.  Davey was never afraid to give a new driver a shot, or give an accomplished driver one more opportunity to wheel a fire-breathing sprinter.

Thank you to all of those drivers mentioned, our sprint car family, Davey's family and friends everywhere, and the die-hard sprint car fans who gather at their favorite tracks to watch this thrilling form of open wheel racing.  Because of all of you and your help, wisdom, and love, David got to live his dream, which is a blessing some never get to realize.  He loved every minute he spent working on the cars and running the safest and most exciting races possible for the fans watching.  As long as he was at the track, he was a very happy man!  He loved living in the fast lane and wouldn't have changed a thing!  He was extremely dedicated to sprint car racing and on May 25 at the St. Croix Valley Raceway we are going to make the Davey Tabor Memorial Race a reality.  Special thanks to Ron Bernhagen with the UMSS and St. Croix Valley Raceway, John Zweber, Greg Parent, Ron Erickson and the Kouba family for their devotion and help.  (Respectfully, Margaret Tabor)

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MESERAULL IN VICTORY LANE AT LAWRENCEBURG

Lawrenceburg, IN - May 5, 2012.  Thomas Meseraull took a hard fought feature victory Saturday night at Lawrenceburg Speedway as the Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series completed its second event of the 2012 season.  Meseraull was in the seat of the bright orange Baldwin Brothers Racing Maxim/Claxton powered sprinter.

Meseraull led most of the event but his effort came under increasing pressure from Jon Stanbrough.  Meseraull led laps 4 through 10, 12-20, and all important lap 25.  Stanbrough led laps 11 and 21 through 24.  There were 6 lead changes between 3 drivers!  Stanbrough was quick to challenge for the lead on the restarts!  Restarts after laps 10 and 20 became renewed opportunities for Stanbrough. Meseraull would have to once again fight back to stay in contention.

The last lap was a duel to the finish with both drivers coming off turn four and racing side by side to the finish line.  Transponders in use of the speedway recorded one of the closest finishes in track history.  After 25 exciting laps, Meseraull had edged Stanbrough by a fraction of a second.  It was a .019 second margin to be precise.

In victory lane Meseraull was elated.  The Waveland, IN, resident  described the amount of effort the drive took, concentrating on those final turns.  "The tires were going away."  Visibly the victory  was one of grit and determination.  "I thought I was going to turn over!" But the resourceful move did not upset the car.  Instead it produced a victory! The victory was MSCS victory number one for Meseraull.

Kevin Thomas Jr. had started on the outside pole for the feature, led the first 3 laps, and then battled Coleman Gulick from the 10th lap on before capturing the third spot.  Gulick finished fourth. Defending Lawrenceburg Speedway Champion Chad Boespflug was on the move working through the pack to take fifth.

The second five for the feature included MSCS Points leader Robert Ballou, Jonathan Hendrick, Hunter Schuerenberg, Wes McIntyre, and Damion Gardner.  Gardner was in the top five before a tire problem sent him to the work area following a yellow flag.  He restarted at the back of the field and moved up quickly to claim the top ten spot.  Brett Burdette was the Wilwood Tuff Brakes Award winner by virtue of an 11th place finish.

Three heat races were held under series passing points.  Jon Stanbrough, Thomas Meseraull, and Nic Faas won those events with green flag conditions prevailing.  Stanbrough earned the most passing points.  Wes McIntyre won the B Main after starting on the pole for the 13 cars vying for the final 4 transfer spots.  McIntyre then started 17th in the feature and in finishing 9th became the Hard Charger of the Race.

The next scheduled event for the Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series is the Spring showdown at Tri-State Speedway on Saturday May 12. The race will be co-sanctioned with the United States Auto Club and will pay $5,000 to win and $500 to start.

Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series A Main (25 Laps) - Thomas Meseraull, Jon Stanbrough, Kevin Thomas Jr., Coleman Gulick, Chad Boespflug, Robert Ballou, Jonathan Hendrick, Hunter Schuerenberg, Wes McIntyre, Damion Gardner, Brett Burdette, Kyle Cummins, Blake Fitzpatrick, Brady Short, Chase Stockon, Dickie Gaines, Braylon Fitzpatrick, A.J. Hopkins, Landon Simon, Nic Faas

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Gas City I69 Speedway Hosts KISS Racers This Friday

May 6, 2012 – The top sprint car racers in the Midwest will head north to Gas City I69 Speedway for Friday's King of Indiana Sprint Series program. The fast quarter-mile has earned the reputation as one of the best prepared and most competitive racing facilities in the state.

With a pair of rainouts the last two weekends, Robert Ballou heads the KISS standings, with some of the hardest drivers close on his tail. Five-time KISS King Jon Stanbrough trails by only 15 points, and Damion Gardner is 20 behind. Just behind these hard chargers sit four of the best young drivers in the area, Wes McIntyre, Blake Fitzpatrick and Coleman Gulick and Hunter Schuerenberg. Veterans Bud Kaeding, Dave Darland and Jonathan Hendrick fill out the top ten. With four races remaining and only 61 points separating them, the door to the throne is still wide open.

One reason for the popularity of the KISS series is the variety of tracks that the series competes on, and thus the range of challenges facing the drivers. The four ovals still ahead provide a good example of the differences that the racing teams face. While all four are classic banked dirt tracks, there are critical differences in not only the length of the straightaways, the angle and radius of the turns, and the composition of the clay surface that define the racing at that track.

In the northeastern part of the state, Gas City is the shortest and the racing is always wheel-to-wheel throughout the pack. With the well-groomed surface and fan-friendly track operation, it remains one of state's most popular racing facilities. The next two venues, Lawrenceburg Speedway and Tri-State Speedway, are high-banked and much faster, and always provide several good lines for racing. The fourth track, Paragon Speedway, is known for it's long, fast straightaways and tight, but quick turns. As each of these powerplants require different approaches and provide unique challenges, they showcase the skill of both the crew and the drivers.

Jon Stanbrough is the only driver to have earned more than one KISS victory at Gas City I69 Speedway, having won in 2007 and 2008. While Tony Elliott, John Wolfe, J.J. Yeley and Michael Burthay claimed wins during the first four KISS years, the most recent events have been claimed by Bryan Clauson (2009) and defending KISS champion Dave Darland (2010).

Gas City I69 Speedway is located 1/4 mile west of I-69 at Exit 59, on Highway 2. Grandstand admission for the KISS program is only $20 and kids 12 and under are free with a paying adult; pit passes are $30. The program will include Gas City's modifieds, street stocks and thunder cars. The track opens at 4:00, with the draw closing at 6:30 and racing beginning at 7:30. More information is available at www.gascityi69speedway.com.

All KISS main events pay $2,500 to win, and $250 to start. This year, the KISS promoters have also included tow money, where any car that does not transfer to the feature will collect at least $100. Additionally, the point fund has increased to $4,200, with the series champion earning $1,200. Second in points will collect $900, and third through fifth will receive $800, $700 and $600.

KISS Points: 1. Robert Ballou 230, 2. Jon Stanbrough 215, 3. Damion Gardner 210, 4. Wes McIntyre 194, 5. Blake Fitzpatrick 187, 6. Coleman Gulick 184, 7. Hunter Schurenberg 178, 8. Bud Kaeding 175, 9. Dave Darland 170, 10. Jonathan Hendrick 169

2012 KISS SCHEDULE
April 22 - Terre Haute Action Track – Robert Ballou
April 29 - Kokomo Speedway - Rain
May 4 - Bloomington Speedway - Rain
May 11 - Gas City I-69 Speedway
May 19 - Lawrenceburg Speedway
May 27 - Tri-State Speedway
June 2 - Paragon Speedway

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Thunderstorm Interrupts KISS Program at Bloomington Speedway

May 4, 2012 – Bloomington Speedway dodged thunderstorms for several hours Friday evening, but couldn't avoid all of them. A heavy rain, mixed with hail and lightning, struck just as the third heat race concluded, washing out the King of Indiana Sprint Series program. By KISS series rules, rainouts are not rescheduled.

The KISS series will continue with a race scheduled each weekend, the I-69/Gas City Speedway hosting next Friday's program. It will be followed by events at Lawrenceburg, Haubstadt, and Paragon Speedway.

KISS Points: 1. Robert Ballou 230, 2. Jon Stanbrough 215, 3. Damion Gardner 210, 4. Wes McIntyre 194, 5. Blake Fitzpatrick 187, 6. Coleman Gulick 184, 7. Hunter Schurenberg 178, 8. Bud Kaeding 175, 9. Dave Darland 170, 10. Jonathan Hendrick 169

2012 KISS SCHEDULE
April 22 - Terre Haute Action Track – Robert Ballou
April 29 - Kokomo Speedway - Rain
May 4 - Bloomington Speedway - Rain
May 11 - Gas City I-69 Speedway
May 19 - Lawrenceburg Speedway
May 27 - Tri-State Speedway
June 2 - Paragon Speedway

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Plymouth Speedway hosts first dirt track race of 2012

PLYMOUTH, Ind. — Wednesday, May 2, 2012 — Dirt track racing is back in northern Indiana as Plymouth Speedway will host UMP Modifieds, 410
non-wing sprints and Plymouth Speedway Hornets Saturday night at the Bullring!

The 1/5-mile dirt track inside the 3/8-mile asphalt track boasts 65' corners with 5' banking. The straightaway is 50' wide with 2' of banking.

Track promoter Eric Saunders says this one-of-a-kind track is a driver's track, and those practicing for the first time Sunday agree.

Travis Ray of Argos said, "You've got to have finesse,this is going to be a drivers track. The clay has a tremendous about of grip in it. I liked it a lot, it's fast and it's going to be a blast."

"The track's tight, but it'll be fun," said Kevin Atkins of Warsaw, who is excited to have dirt track racing so close to home.

“The track will be just fine when they get more cars on it,” said Joe Gearte. “I have raced all over the country, and every track is different. I'm just glad open wheel racing on dirt is back here at home."

"It's going to be interesting," said Jim Lingar, "I'm looking forward to coming back here."

Lingar had raced at the Plymouth Speedway in the late '60s, he said. "It'll be a little hard to distinguish the pavement from the dirt at the first straightaway, but it will be fun."

Lingar added about his return to Plymouth: "It's amazing how much has changed, but how so many things are the same."

For the first time out in the dirt, this was great," said Eric's dad, Irish. "It's great to see the those sprint cars wheeling down the straight. I haven't seen that in northern Indiana for years and years."

Gates open at 5 p.m. Saturday, free pit party from 5:30 to 6:30, drivers meeting at 7, hot laps at 7:15, racing at 8. Along with the UMP Modified, non-wing 410 Sprint and Hornets, there will be one-on-one spectator drag races.

Regular asphalt stock car racing for Outlaw Late Models, Late Models, Street Stocks and Hornets is Friday night. Gates open at 5 p.m., practice - 5:30, qualifying - 6:30, drivers meeting - 7:30 and opening ceremonies at 8 p.m.

Dirt shows — always Saturdays — include non-wing sprints, UMP Modifieds, USAC Midgets and SOD Sprints with NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart competing June 16. The USAC Midgets will also run an asphalt/dirt double-header, dubbed "Plymouth Palooza" July 6-7.

The Speedway is once again offering a discount, and by logging on the track's website, spectators can print a $1 off coupon good for any
Friday night race. Check it out here: www.plymouthspeedway.net/friday_night_coupon_offer.htm

Visit www.plymouthspeedway.net or "like" the track's Facebook page: Search Plymouth Speedway.

Follow us on Twitter, Maggie@plymouthspeedway.

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Focus Shifts to Bloomington Speedway With Friday's KISS Event

April 30, 2012 – The racing spotlight turns to Bloomington Speedway Friday night for the second thrilling round of the King of Indiana Sprint Series. Californian Robert Ballou won the opener at the Terre Haute Action Track, and after the weather-related cancellation at Kokomo, leads the KISS racers with a narrow 5-point advantage over another West Coast racer, Bud Kaeding. Defending KISS King Dave Darland and five time champion Jon Stanbrough are close behind, while Damion Gardner holds fifth in the points.

For the first time in a quarter-century, the well respected Bloomington facility is under new leadership. During the off-season, Mike and Judy Miles turned the reins over to a management group that includes local businessman Dan Roberts. With a long-term lease, the new promoters are upbeat after their first couple of weeks at the helm.

“We had a really good night the first night, even though we had some pretty dicey weather with the rain coming,” Roberts said. “The second night it was pretty much inevitable that we were going to get rained out. But we had to try to get it in.”

The new team inherited a full schedule that includes the May 4th KISS event. It is one that they are looking forward to. Roberts, who is co-owner of the Leer Racing sprint car driven by Jon Stanbrough, said that the KISS race has extra importance to him. “One reason is that the KISS series always produces great racing, and for two, we will get to run our own car there that we normally won't run there on local shows. So we are looking forward to a real good turnout on KISS night and hopefully we'll have the track just the way that the guys like it.”

Stanbrough has three KISS victories at Bloomington. Other winners include Tony Elliott and Kevin Briscoe in 2003 and 2004, and more recently, Chris Windom (2009) and last year's winner Brady Short. One of the founding tracks of both Indiana Sprint Week and the KISS series, Bloomington's new promotional team understands the leadership role the facility has been known for, and feels ready for the challenges ahead.

“Basically I'm doing the same thing that Mike Miles did. I'm the competition director and I take care of the track. Mike's been working with me on how to keep it nice and keep the place nice. We intend to improve upon it every chance we get,” Roberts said. The other members of the management group include Bruce Leer, Jack Craig and Dale Dillon, and Roberts explained, “I was pretty much tired of the construction business. I’d been doing it for 31 years and this opportunity became available and we had a really good group of guys that wanted to get involved with us. I never would have done it on my own.”

General admission for the KISS program is only $20 and kids 12 and under are free with a paying adult; pit passes are $30. The racing will include UMP modifieds and street stocks. The main grandstand will open at 5:30, with hot laps at 6:30 and racing beginning at 7:30. The pit gate opens at 4:30. More information is available at www.bloomingtonspeedway.com.

All KISS main events pay $2,500 to win, and $250 to start. This year, the KISS promoters have also included tow money, where any car that does not transfer to the feature will collect at least $100. Additionally, the point fund has increased to $4,200, with the series champion earning $1,200. Second in points will collect $900, and third through fifth will receive $800, $700 and $600.

The KISS series will continue with a race scheduled each weekend, with the I-69/Gas City Speedway the next Friday, May 11, followed by events at Lawrenceburg, Haubstadt, and the finale at Paragon Speedway on June 2.

KISS Points: 1. Robert Ballou 180, 2. Bud Kaeding 175, 3. Dave Darland 170, 4. Jon Stanbrough 165, 5. Damion Gardner 160, 6. Jerry Coons Jr. 156, 7. Brady Bacon 152, 8. Mike Spencer 148, 9. Wes McIntyre 144, 10. Kyle Cummins 140

2012 KISS SCHEDULE
April 22 - Terre Haute Action Track – Robert Ballou
April 29 - Kokomo Speedway - Rain
May 4 - Bloomington Speedway
May 11 - Gas City I-69 Speedway
May 19 - Lawrenceburg Speedway
May 27 - Tri-State Speedway
June 2 - Paragon Speedway

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