Photo courtesy of Vince Peterson At Track Rat Photos. (The Official UMSS Photographer)by Greg Parent
With a quality 24-car field on hand to compete in the first Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series (UMSS) event of the season, Brooke Tatnell drove the Craft #86 sprinter to victory on Friday night April 20 at the Elko Spring Dirt Nationals. Tatnell passed early race leader Cody Hahn on lap 7 and drove through lapped traffic to record his tenth career UMSS victory.

Tatnell's victory came with some drama though. On lap two, Tatnell and Andy Jones made contact in turn one with Jones' car spinning. Jennifer Eriksen was unable to avoid the stalled car of Jones and made contact, sending both cars to the pits and out of the race. Tatnell and Jones were battling for second at the time behind race leader Cody Hahn.

The feature race had some problems getting underway, as the first attempt to bring the 24-car starting grid to the green was called off. On the second attempt, contact between Tommy Barber and Sye Anderson entering turn one caused a multi-car crash. Barber and Anderson started in row three, so a good share of the field scattered in an attempt to avoid the melee. Chad Patterson made contact with Barber's car which knocked Barber on his side and brought out the red flag. Several other cars were involved.

The third time was the charm, as 2010 UMSS Champion Cody Hahn bolted into the lead from his pole starting position on the opening lap. The yellow light blinked on for the incident involving Tatnell and Jones with one lap scored. The race then went 15 laps green until the final yellow flew for a James Broty spin in turn one. During this green flag run, Tatnell drove under Hahn for the lead on lap seven and never looked back while working lapped traffic. Eastern Wisconsin driver Scotty Thiel worked past Hahn on lap 9 for second and challenged Tatnell briefly for the lead over the course of the next couple of laps. Thiel finished a strong performance with a runner-up finish in the feature.

A late-race pass with two laps to go saw 2011 and defending UMSS Champion Jerry Richert, Jr. move by Cody Hahn for third. Hahn finished fourth ahead of Scott Broty. Completing the top ten finishers were 23rd starter Cam Schafer with an incredible drive forward, 22nd starter Tony Norem with a hard charge towards the front, Casey Heser in his first UMSS race, Austin Johnson also running his first UMSS show, and Billy Johnson who was the inaugural UMSS winner at Elko in July 2010.

by Big 8 Series Media PR
The Big 8 Late Model Series presented by Gandrud Chevrolet will be part of the 4th annual Thunderstruck 93 event at Elko Speedway this September 21 and 22. Top Big 8 Series competitors as well as numerous weekly feature winners from Illinois and Wisconsin will be invited to this invitational non-points event. The weekly Elko Big 8 competitors will be protecting their home turf as the out of towners invade the state of the art facility for the first time.

by Kari Shear-Carlson
The American Speed Association® Midwest Tour joins Elko Speedway for the 4th annual Thunderstruck 93 event on Saturday, September 22nd in honor of Dan Ryan Sr. who lost his life to ALS. This race will be 125 laps with a break at lap 93 in memory of Dan.

The credibility of the ASA Midwest Tour combined with one of the most prestigious short tracks in the Midwest will bring power to an event that draws people out for a great night of racing and more importantly for a great cause.

"Tom Ryan reached out to us a few years back about sanctioning this event but our schedules just couldn't line up. With some recent changes to our 2012 schedule, it opened up an opportunity for us to find a date and make it happen. Everyone on the tour loves to race at Elko, its continually one of our best races of the year and a race that adds power to the current season schedule. To be able to be a part of such a great charity foundation (ALS) and to honor Dan Ryan is going to be special to everyone involved and we are proud to be able to bring the stars of the ASAMT to Elko twice this year,” said Steve Einhaus, ASAMT Vice President.

The race is hosted by the Ryan Family in conjunction with ARWW-ALS. Thunderstruck 93 was named after one of Dan’s favorite songs and includes his nickname “Thunder” and his racing number, 93. Fans can get involved and be a part of the event by becoming a lap sponsor. Half of the sponsorship dollars will directly benefit those with ALS, while the other half goes to the driver leading that lap.

Local drivers and ASA Midwest Tour competitors, Jacob Goede and Dan Fredrickson are previous winners of the event and are both looking forward to the ASAMT being a part of it. “It’s great that Thunderstruck will be part of the ASAMT schedule. This is a race the fans won’t want to miss,” said Goede. “Bringing the tough competition of the ASAMT to Thunderstruck is something that I imagine would make Dan proud,” added Fredrickson.

Elko Speedway Media PR Photoby Jim Burns
Officials at Elko Speedway have announced the dates, times and competing classes for the 2012 SPRING DIRT NATIONALS at the 3/8ths mile speedplant! The opening action of the 2012 racing season will be held on Friday and Saturday April 20th and 21st and includes GREAT RACING action in the UMSS Winged Outlaw Sprint Cars along with the Elko Modifieds, IMCA style Stock Cars, Legends and Hornets both nights!

The racing schedule for each night is the same with Pit Gates set to open at 2pm, Spectator Gates opening at 5pm with a Drivers Meeting set for 5:30pm, Hot Laps at 6pm and the Green Flag flying at 7pm. Of special note for Legends drivers, the Saturday night racing will be a National Dirt Qualifying event, so expect big car counts and awesome side by side action in all divisions!

For competitors and crew members, a special 2 DAY pit pass is available for $55 or $30 per day. Spectator tickets are available for $15 per day general admission or $20 per day for a reserved seat. For directions or other event questions, feel free to visit the Elko Speedway website at www.elkospeedway.com or call the Racing Office (Saturdays only in the off season) at (952) 461-7223. Join us for "down and dirty" action at the Midwest Center for Speed as we kickoff the 2012 racing season!

Addendum by Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director
The UMSS Sprints put on two fantastic racing programs last fall at the inaugural Fall Dirt Nationals, and area fans can expect more exciting UMSS action this spring on the dirt at Elko. Each night will feature a complete racing program high-lighted by a 25-lap feature event. Purse details will be released as soon as they become available. Contact Elko Speedway for further information regarding the Spring Dirt Nationals or UMSS CDO Ron Bernhagen at 612-363-5302 for questions pertaining to the UMSS portion of the event. Visit the UMSS website at www.umsprints.com for more info about the series. A tentative schedule should be available at the UMSS banquet on January 28. See you at Elko Speedway on April 20-21 under what will hopefully be favorable weather conditions!

Photo Courtesy Naomi Winters of Winters Motorsports/Scott Winters Racingby Greg Parent
Scott Winters topped the 26 car starting grid in what turned out to be another incredible feature race at the Elko Fall Dirt Nationals to wind up the Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series (UMSS) season. Although the 2011 campaign was extended a while longer due to a rain delay, the track was fantastic for the 20 lap sprint car feature. Winters led the first 15 laps before Friday night victor Kaley Gharst got by, but Gharst and Davey Heskin made contact in turn four on their way to the white flag and crashed to bring out the only red flag of the weekend. Winters raced ahead of Brooke Tatnell during the final two lap dash to the checkers for the victory to end his season on a winning note.

The largest turnout of the season for the UMSS sprints saw 28 cars sign into the pits on Saturday October 15 for the final night of the Fall Dirt Nationals at the Elko Speedway. As the skies turned overcast in the late afternoon hours and light rain was on the radar, the program moved along quickly. The UMSS ran three ten lap qualifying heat races with passing and finishing points. Scott Broty ended up being the top pointer earner and redrew the #4 pill for the feature race invert. The front row was stout with Winters and Heskin followed by Gharst and Broty in the row two. Several other heavy hitters were scattered throughout the next several rows.

Following the rain delay prior to the final four features of the evening, the Elko track crew worked their magic on the 3/8 mile temporary dirt surface to make sure the program could get in. With the legends cars up first after the rain, the track was in great shape for the UMSS main event which followed. Winters immediately blasted into the early lead on the fast racing surface with Heskin and Gharst close behind. It did not take long to encounter lapped traffic, as the leaders began the task of working through the tail end of the field just four laps into the race. An incredible race unfolded at this point under the green, as the top five cars were running fairly close together. At the halfway mark, 8th starter Brooke Tatnell in the Kouba #5 sprinter suddenly edged into the mix in third place. Gharst, Tatnell and Heskin waged an exciting battle just behind Winters.

Vince Peterson at Track Rat Photosby Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director
Despite cool, windy weather conditions, the largest UMSS sprint car field of the season was on hand during the opening night of the Fall Dirt Nationals at the Elko Speedway on Friday October 14. A very strong group of 27 winged sprint cars signed into a packed pit area, and with track owner Tom Ryan deciding to start all cars in the feature, it set a record for the Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series event for the largest starting grid. Making his first appearance with the UMSS, Kaley Gharst from Decatur, Illinois thrilled the crowd with a last lap pass of Scott Broty to capture the $1,000 top prize at the conclusion of the 25 lap feature race. Only two cautions slowed the pace and 23 of the starters were still running at the end on what turned out to be a well-prepared temporary dirt surface at the popular 3/8 mile oval facility located on the southern fringe of the Twin City metro area.

Driving the Scadden Construction/CNS Homes #6 J&J sprinter with Brad Sparks turning the wrenches, Gharst was impressive in his run forward from his 12th starting position. "I saw a small opening on the bottom lane in turn one on the last lap, and I squeezed underneath Broty. There was a lot of traffic out there tonight, but it was a fun deal to race here," commented Gharst following his victory in his first trip to Elko. Scott Broty shrugged his shoulders, smiled and said, "I sure wish it had been a 20 lap feature tonight. My car was real good. I had to make the openings to get through the lapped traffic and sometimes that holds you up a bit. Congrats to Kaley. I'll see if I can improve by one spot tomorrow night."

With the large field of cars and four divisions on the program, the UMSS did not utilize their typical double-round of qualifying races. Instead they ran three 10 lap heat races with passing and finishing points. When no B Feature was necessary after track owner Tom Ryan decided to allow all cars to start the feature, drivers and teams expressed some concern. As it turned out, the drivers did a great job and put on a very entertaining feature race for the fans. Heat race wins went to Davey Heskin, Scott Broty, and Cody Hahn. Sye Anderson was the high point driver following the heats and he drew a zero pill for a straight-up start. This put Brad Barickman to his outside on the front row.