6/28/2013
Grosz Gets First UMSS Win In O.W.N. Prelim Feature
Lee Grosz Grabs First UMSS Win In Open Wheel Nationals Prelim Feature
St. Croix Falls, WI
Although it took nearly a full 24 hour period to complete the opening night program at the 2nd Annual Open Wheel Nationals, Harwood, ND driver Lee Grosz waited patiently to pick up his first career Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series feature win on Saturday evening June 29. The Friday night program was plagued by several rain showers and finally after the show had already exceeded the track curfew, series and track officials decided it would be a good move to postpone the preliminary feature to Saturday evening. The weather was much improved the next night, and the 25 lap $1,500 to win feature was the first race on the track.
Following four heat races and two Challenge races on Friday night with drivers earning passing and finishing points, Grosz and current UMSS point leader Chris Graf of Glencoe lined up on the front row. Grosz, behind the wheel of the potent Nelson Motorsports #14 sprinter often times driven by Brooke Tatnell, immediately took the lead at the drop of the green and never looked back on the way to his first win. The win put Grosz atop the event point standings and on the pole for the dash later in the evening. Chris Graf ran a solid race to finish second. Jack Dover crossed the line in third, but he crossed the scales light and was disqualified. Gregg Bakker officially finished third followed by Scotty Thiel and 12th starter Tony Norem. Thomas Kennedy, Jason Tostenson, Cam Schafer, Rick Kobs, and Jerry Richert, Jr. completed the top ten.
The feature race was slowed twice under caution and once under red. The red flag with just two laps remaining was a long delay brought about when something broke on Scott Broty's car at full speed down the back stretch. Broty hit head-on into the large tractor tire in front of the concrete wall at the entrance to turn three right where the cars enter the track. Broty was taken by ambulance to St. Croix Falls hospital where later word came that he had some torn muscles in his back, two broken bones, was very sore, but otherwise was doing okay. Broty was back resting at his home in Webster, MN on Sunday while his son James indicated they may try and make it up north for the UMSS races next weekend with his car.
The Open Wheel Nationals event format was an interesting one, requiring drivers to race hard in every race they were in. A UMSS record car count of 32 winged sprints were on hand Friday evening. This meant there would be heat and Challenge races before the feature. Jared Goerges, Ben Schmidt, Lou Kennedy, Jr. and Gregg Bakker won the heats. Challenge Race wins went to Davey Heskin and Richert. The first Challenge Race saw a couple of crashes eliminate some top runners, forcing them to work their way into the championship feature race the hard way. When the final checkers flew on the preliminary feature the following night, the top six cars in points were locked into the Pole Dash. Those top six drivers were Grosz, Graf, Bakker, Schafer, Schmidt and Tostenson. It was then time to start the regularly scheduled Saturday night program, and it ended up being a great show (see separate race report for details on the final night).
UMSS Race Results - St. Croix Valley Raceway June 28, 2013 (Race #5)
2nd Annual Open Wheel Nationals:
A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 14-Lee Grosz[1]; 2. 20G-Chris Graf[2]; 3. 11X-Gregg Bakker[5]; 4. 64-Scotty Thiel[11]; 5. B1ST-Tony Norem[17]; 6. 20K-Thomas Kennedy[16]; 7. 36-Jason Tostenson[8]; 8. 5-Cam Schafer[4]; 9. 34-Rick Kobs[7]; 10. 63-Jerry Richert Jr[6]; 11. 48-Neal Matuska[12]; 12. 23-Cody Hahn[20]; DNF 33-Scott Broty[18]; DNF 37-Sye Anderson[13]; DNF 10X-Jennifer Eriksen[9]; DNF 7-Dave Becker[10]; DNF 20-Jordan Wilmes[15]; DNF 35-Ben Schmidt[3]; DNF 27-Carson McCarl[19]; 20. 53-Jack Dover[14]Lap Leader: Grosz 1-25, Cautions: (3), 53 finished 3rd but was light at the scales.
Challenge Race 1 (12 Laps): 1. 91-Davey Heskin[4]; 2. 20G-Chris Graf[8]; 3. 14-Lee Grosz[10]; 4. 37-Sye Anderson[1]; 5. 36-Jason Tostenson[7]; 6. 10X-Jennifer Eriksen[14]; 7. 48-Neal Matuska[13]; 8. 20-Jordan Wilmes[15]; DNF 3TK-Tony Kaus[3]; DNF 5-Eric Lutz[5]; DNF 27-Carson McCarl[6]; DNF 53-Jack Dover[9]; DNF 21K-Lou Kennedy Jr.[11]; DNF 31-James Broty[16]; DNF 34TW-Gunner Cummings[2]; DNF 9-Jared Goerges[12]
Challenge Race 2 (12 Laps): 1. 63-Jerry Richert Jr[2]; 2. 7-Dave Becker[1]; 3. 34-Rick Kobs[6]; 4. 5-Cam Schafer[8]; 5. 11X-Gregg Bakker[7]; 6. 35-Ben Schmidt[12]; 7. 64-Scotty Thiel[9]; 8. 33-Scott Broty[4]; 9. 20K-Thomas Kennedy[14]; 10. 23-Cody Hahn[5]; 11. B1ST-Tony Norem[10]; 12. 77-Brandon Allen[3]; 13. 29-Leigh Thomas[11]; 14. 5-Anna Kouba[13]; 15. 91A-Reed Allex[15]; DNS 24-Terry McCarl
Ultimate Sprint Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 9-Jared Goerges[2]; 2. 14-Lee Grosz[7]; 3. 20G-Chris Graf[5]; 4. 27-Carson McCarl[8]; 5. 91-Davey Heskin[6]; 6. 34TW-Gunner Cummings[1]; 7. 48-Neal Matuska[3]; 8. 20-Jordan Wilmes[4]
Ultimate Sprint Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt[4]; 2. B1ST-Tony Norem[3]; 3. 5-Cam Schafer[7]; 4. 34-Rick Kobs[2]; 5. 33-Scott Broty[6]; 6. 63-Jerry Richert Jr[8]; 7. 29-Leigh Thomas[1]; DNF 5-Anna Kouba[5]
Ultimate Sprint Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 21K-Lou Kennedy Jr.[2]; 2. 53-Jack Dover[6]; 3. 36-Jason Tostenson[4]; 4. 5-Eric Lutz[8]; 5. 3TK-Tony Kaus[3]; 6. 37-Sye Anderson[5]; 7. 10X-Jennifer Eriksen[1]; 8. 31-James Broty[7]
Ultimate Sprint Heat 4 (10 Laps): 1. 11X-Gregg Bakker[1]; 2. 64-Scotty Thiel[2]; 3. 24-Terry McCarl[5]; 4. 23-Cody Hahn[6]; 5. 77-Brandon Allen[4]; 6. 7-Dave Becker[3]; 7. 20K-Thomas Kennedy[7]; 8. 91A-Reed Allex[8]
Victory Lane photo courtesy of Vince Peterson at Track Rat Photos.
Article Credit: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director
