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The Night Belongs to the Stars Drivers Honored at MIS Banquet By John Wells Saturday, January 23, 2010 (Verona, WI)-- The Heights Convention Center in Verona, Wisconsin, was the venue for the annual Madison International Speedway banquet which honors the racing accomplishments of the drivers in the five weekly divisions in the 2009 season. A crowd of over 300 gathered for what proved to be a night not only to look back but to look ahead to the 2010 racing season.
Miller Takes Home Second MIS Track Championship Jeremy Miller of Rockton, Illinois, was crowned 2009 champion in the Rockweiler Insulation Late Models. For Miller it was his second title at MIS after winning top honors in 2006. Miller, who finished third overall in the ASA National Points championship, totaled 1,154 points at MIS in 2009. This included two feature wins and eight fast times, but it was Miller’s consistency that drew the most attention. Out of sixteen feature events in 2009 Miller finished in the top five fourteen times. Even more impressive is that this came from starting fields that averaged twenty-five cars. “I want to thank Madison International Speedway for the opportunity to race here. I want to thank Gary Rockweiler for sponsoring our division and also my car owners, Tom and Carol Atchison. My crew is great especially when you consider some weeks we’re at the shop four nights not including Friday nights. We had some great sponsors including Joe Hunter and Swiss Colony,” said Miller. “In 2010 Swiss Colony and Joe Hunter will be our car owners so we’re looking forward to this opportunity.” Miller also took the opportunity to thank the sponsors of the other drivers. “Without everyone’s sponsors we wouldn’t have the great field we do every week at Madison.” Runner-up honors went to Bobby Wilberg of Beloit, Wisconsin, who had 987 points that included two feature wins, eleven top five finishes, one heat win, and two fast times. “My crew and sponsors make all this possible. We just do the best we can. Congratulations to Jeremy. We’ve raced with you a lot of years and it’s good to see you get the championship. We hope to be back in 2010, but we aren’t sure what we’ll be doing at this time.” Zack Riddle of Brooklyn, Wisconsin, finished third in the points race with 934 including one feature win and ten top five finishes. Riddle took time to thank his sponsors and all of those who helped him weekly. “I really need to thank everyone who’s helped me especially those who did a lot before we even go to the track. I also want to congratulate Jeremy (Miller) and his crew. They are true champions.” Riddle also announced his plans for 2010 that will find him teaming up with Urban Force Racing. Mike Storkson, Brad Becker, JD Leonard, Vern Fagerberg Jr., Shaun Scheel, Tyler Kelley, Jason Hicks, Brady Liddle, Nathan Oppliger, Kevin Knuese, John Ovadal Jr., Ryan Goldade, Chad Stevens, Dave Feiler, John Baumeister Jr., and Scott Broughton received point fund checks. A total of sixty-eight drivers earned points in 2009 with eighteen different drivers winning heat races and eleven different drivers winning features- statistics that only reinforce just how competitive this division is and will be in the future.
Kalbus Rocks the Area Sportsman Jay Kalbus of Watertown, Wisconsin, was the Brown Heating and Air Conditioning Area Sportsman track championship for the second year in a row. Kalbus won the crown with 951 points that included four feature wins, ten top five finishes, two heat wins, and five fast times. “I had an awesome time racing with these guys this year. This is a great division and I am glad MIS has us there each week. This has been a very fulfilling year for us. Having a student ASA Educational Series member on our team win a $25,000 scholarship meant a lot to me,” said Kalbus. The champion also went on describe what his final points night at MIS looked like. “They said all I needed to do was show up. I wish it would have been that easy.” Second place in the Area Sportsman division went to Bobby Wilberg of Beloit, Wisconsin. Wilberg earned three wins in 2009 along with ten top fives, two heat wins, and a division high seven fast times. “I want to thank Jerry Brown for sponsoring the division and me personally. I want to thank all of the guys I race with. It’s a lot of fun with good young drivers and good old drivers. We’ll see all of you in 2010.” In his first full season at MIS, Kurt Kleven of Utica, Wisconsin, finished in third place. Kleven totaled 860 points including one feature win and nine top five finishes. “I had a lot of fun this year at MIS and didn’t know what to expect. We had a great car and had lot of fun,” said Kleven. John Handeland, Don Wickstrum, Team Hansberry, Stephen Scheel, and Team Goldade were rewarded with point fund money. TJ Goldade, who won his first feature on August 28th but did not get interviewed after his win, had his opportunity in a mock victory lane tonight. “It was pretty exciting to get a win and this is what it’s all about,” said Goldade. Twenty-three drivers earned points in 2009 with seven different drivers notching feature wins.
Teamwork Pays Off for Ambrose and Luck The duo of Todd Ambrose and Brad Luck of Sauk City, Wisconsin, paired up to win the Weaver Auto Parts Hobby Stock championship in what is believed to be the first team to ever win a title at Madison. For Ambrose it was his second track championship at Madison as he is also a past Sportsman champion. Ambrose and Luck teamed up for 1,030 points powered by three feature wins, twelve top fives, three heat wins, and six fast times. “Brad asked me about a month before the season if we wanted to do this deal in 2009. It worked out well and he’s become a good friend,” said Ambrose. He also went on to thank his crew members and his family. Luck added, “I couldn’t ask for a better guy to race with than Todd. I also want to thank Weaver Auto Parts for sponsoring the division and for MIS who put us on the big track.” Don Fassett of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, finished in second place with 915 points which included two feature wins, nine top five finishes, one heat win, and five fast times. “I want to thank my wife for letting me drive in circles every Friday night. We had a lot of fun this year,” said Fassett. Bobby Selsing Jr. of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, finished in third place with 860 points fueled by four feature wins and nine top five finishes. “This division is a lot of fun and we put on a great show,” said Selsing Jr. Ken Au, Chad Knaus, and Terry Ciano Jr. collected point fund money. A total of fourteen drivers earned points in 2009 with seven different drivers picking up feature wins.
Ace Does It Again in Bandits Chester Ace of Oregon, Wisconsin, made it back to back championships in the Roto Rooter Bandits. Ace tallied 929 points with five feature wins, eleven top five finishes, a pair of heat wins, and seven fast times. “I have a lot of people to thank for making this possible. I couldn’t do this without my family and my sponsors,” said Ace. Kyle Padfield of Janesville, Wisconsin, finished second overall with 845 points including five feature wins and ten top five finishes. “This was a very fun year at MIS in 2009 and I am really looking forward to 2010,” said Padfield. Rounding out the top three was Jody Schmidt of Belleville, Wisconsin, who tallied 810 points and two feature wins. Schmidt was unable to attend the banquet. Ryan Slater, Teresa Verburgt, Jason Coker, Jonathon Coker, Brandon Skolaski, Lee Haag, and Cory Skolaski received point fund checks. A total of thirty drivers earned points in the Bandits in 2009.
McNamara Makes it Two in a Row Max McNamara of Ingleside, Illinois, became the third driver in 2009 to repeat as he won the Pelliterri Waste Systems Legends crown. McNamara’s championship found him earning 883 points based on a division high seven feature wins, eleven top five finishes, three heat victories, and nine quick times. “This past season was my biggest up and down season so far. We had some great luck at Madison but not as good of luck at other places,” said McNamara who indicated he will be going for a “three-peat” in 2010. Aaron Moyer of Eden, Wisconsin, finished in second place in 2009 thanks to his four feature wins. Moyer also finished with ten top five finishes, two heat wins, and two fast times. “I want to thank Madison for being loyal to the Legends. It’s a great place to race,” noted Moyer. Hermann Greinig took home third place honors after earning 553 points and finishing in the top five on nine different nights. “It certainly has been a pleasure racing at MIS this year. I want to thank MIS because it is truly a great time every night we come to race,” said Greinig. Kyle Vergata, Dave Wastak, Brandon Heisler, and Tim Narr also earned point fund checks. A total of twenty-one different drivers earned points in the division in 2009. Miller Adds Wayne’s Custom DIECAST Hard Charger Award Donna Forsythe presented the Wayne’s Custom DIECAST Hard Charger Award for the Late Models to Jeremy Miller in memory of her husband, Wayne. “This program meant a lot to Wayne,” she said. “It’s a honor to win this award. Wayne was a great guy,” added Miller.
Super Late Model Trophy to Haseleu Nathan Haseleu won the three event point race for the super late models in 2009. Andrew Morrissey and Dave Feiler finished second and third respectively. None of the drivers were able to attend the banquet due to other commitments.
Rookies and Fan Favorites Honored Five drivers were recognized as Rookie of the Year in their respective divisions: Brad Becker of Elkhorn, Wisconsin (Late Models), Stephen Scheel (Area Sportsman), Chad Knaus (Hobby Stocks), Lee Haag (Bandits), and Kyle Vergata (Legends). During the season the fans were able to vote for their favorite drivers with Zack Riddle (Late Models), TJ Goldade (Area Sportsman), Don Fassett (Hobby Stocks), Chester Ace (Bandits), and Max McNamara (Legends). The Challenger of Bobby Wilberg (Area Sportsman) was selected as the Best Appearing Car.
Other Awards Ryan Goldade and Bob Hansberry won certificates for Five Star stock car bodies. Dozens of door prizes and gifts were also handed out over the course of the evening.
Promoter’s Announcements Earlier in the evening MIS General Manager Dave Grueneberg took time to recognize the many track employees who were in attendance. “This wouldn’t be possible without all of your efforts,” said Grueneberg. He also acknowledged all of the sponsors who supported MIS in 2009. “You guys have been great and we appreciate all of you. Some of you have been with us for a lot of years and we value your support of racing at MIS.” Grueneberg also introduced the new marketing manager at MIS, Kelli Kunes. She will be responsible for working with sponsors. “I am really looking forward to working with the sponsors, teams, and fans in 2010,” she noted. Pete Raskovic of Urban Force Racing was also thanked by Grueneberg for his efforts in bringing the ASA Educational Series to MIS. “This is a great program and wouldn’t have been possible were it not for the efforts of Pete. We also need to thank you (the teams) for being willing to make this happen for our high school kids.” “There are some really exciting things happening with the ASA Educational Series in 2010 as it expands to a national program. But it all started here and you guys were the pioneers in making this something really special,” said Raskovic. Track owner Terry Kunes also thanked all of those in attendance for their support of MIS over the years. “You guys are a great group and I just want to thank each and every one of you for supporting this race track.” Kunes also outlined plans for a ticket program for race teams that will attract new fans in 2010. “We want to help you go out and get new fans to this track.” Jake Roth of Miracle Video did an outstanding job putting together the 2009 highlight video which was shown to those in attendance during the meal and prior to the start of the banquet. The staff from Phast Photos and Phan Cards was also on hand taking pictures. Track chaplain Todd Christopherson gave the invocation at the beginning of the evening. The 2010 racing season at MIS will once again feature five weekly divisions: Late Models, Area Sportsman, Hobby Stocks, Bandits, and Legends. Two practice sessions will open the year on April 24th and May 1st with the season opener set for Sunday, May 2nd with the ASA Midwest Tour Super Late Models and Sportsman coming to MIS. For more information on MIS please check out our website at madisoninternationalspeedway.com and sign up for the weekly MIS E-News and join the MIS Facebook page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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2009 Madison International Champions included (L to R): Legend Champion - Max McNamara, Bandit Champion - Chester Ace, Area Sportsman Champion - Jay Kalbus, Late Model Champion - Jeremy Miller, and Hobby Stock Champion - Team Todd Ambrose/Brad Luck. | ||
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