3/23/2011
UMSS Releases 26 Race Schedule for 2011
By: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director
Stillwater, MN
Entering their third year of providing exciting sprint car racing action, the Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series (UMSS) has put together a 26 race schedule for the winged sprint car division. Stated series CDO Ron Bernhagen, "This is the largest and most diverse schedule we have had so far with several special events featuring strong purses. Many sprint car teams and fans are making plans and looking forward to attending our shows. The 2011 season should have plenty of variety, as we are expanding to four new tracks for the UMSS and a total of ten different tracks."
Beginning and ending at the Elko Speedway, the 2011 UMSS schedule is filled with great sprint car racing events at ten tracks. The series expands out to the north at Hibbing Raceway and to the south at Chateau Raceway. Traditional tracks like North Central Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, and Kopellah Speedway will see the UMSS for the third season while tracks like Rice Lake Speedway, Elko Speedway and Ogilvie Raceway have expanded their 2010 involvement to include more race nights in 2011. In addition to Hibbing and Chateau, Princeton Speedway and Dodge County Speedway join the UMSS 2011 racing schedule. The popularity of UMSS sprint car racing continues to grow.
The season is scheduled to get underway on April 15-16 with two complete shows at Elko Speedway. Weather permitting, Elko Speedway will lay down the dirt for their first-ever Spring Dirt Nationals. The UMSS will make three appearances for a total of six race nights at Elko Speedway in 2011, as they return for the popular Summer Dirt Nationals in mid July. The July 15-16 weekend will see the UMSS sprints run with the IRA Outlaw Sprints at Elko. A new event, the Fall Dirt Nationals, will round out the UMSS season in mid October.
Cedar Lake Speedway will also host three shows culminating with the very popular 11th Annual Jerry Richert Sr. Memorial where the UMSS sprints run with the IRA Outlaw Sprint Cars. Cedar Lake Speedway has been on the UMSS schedule every year since the UMSS was formed, and the famous western Wisconsin 3/8 mile oval will also host events on April 30 and July 30.
After making a successful debut last October at the Big "O" Fall Showdown, the UMSS Sprints return for the first of three shows at the Ogilvie Raceway on Saturday May 7. Following a June 4 event, the UMSS will be back for their third 2011 appearance at Ogilvie Raceway with a full program for the Fall Showdown on Saturday night October 1.
New to the schedule this year is a Friday night May 13 appearance at the Chateau Raceway near Lansing, MN. Chateau Speedway has not hosted a sprint car event for several decades, and the UMSS is looking forward to bringing the winged 360 sprints to this popular SE Minnesota speedway. The first of three shows at the Kopellah Speedway will kick off the Memorial Weekend on Friday May 27. The Kopellah Speedway is currently in the process of being sold, so look for a new name for this track to be released soon. Teaming up with Kopellah Speedway for back-to-back shows on two different weekends, the Rice Lake Speedway will host two UMSS shows in 2011. The first is on the Saturday on Memorial Weekend while the second is in late August. Last year, Rice Lake Speedway had one of their largest crowds of the season for the UMSS sprint car race on the final Saturday in August.
Two prominent events will take place at a track new to the UMSS schedule in 2011. The Princeton Speedway has a tradition of providing exciting racing action, and the sprint cars have raced on numerous occasions throughout the long and storied history of this popular 1/4 mile dirt track. The first UMSS event of 2011 at Princeton will feature the Billy Anderson Memorial on Friday night June 3. On the last Saturday in June, the UMSS sprint cars have been invited to run with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in what should be an outstanding program for open wheel fans.
North Central Speedway in Brainerd has hosted sprint car racing events for many years and has always been willing to provide several dates each season. In 2011, a solid four-race series is in place at North Central Speedway for the UMSS sprint cars highlighted by the 19th Annual Kouba Memorial on Saturday July 23 as well as two shows at the Mighty Axe Nationals on Labor Day Weekend. Kicking off the four race series at North Central Speedway on Saturday June 11, the UMSS sprint cars will race for $1,500 in bonus money during the four race series. Details on exactly how the $1,500 four race point fund will be distributed will be released later. North Central Speedway is also working on reconfiguring and resurfacing their track to provide even better racing action and entertainment for fans in 2011.
In what is turning out to be one of the largest purses of the season for the UMSS, sprint car racing action returns to the Iron Range in NE Minnesota for the first-ever appearance by the UMSS at Hibbing Raceway on Saturday August 20. Billed as the "Rumble on the Range" and boasting a very strong purse already, this night of thrilling winged sprint car racing takes place in an area in Minnesota that does not have many opportunities to see the high-flying sprint cars in action. Coming off a couple of open weekends in the first part of August, UMSS teams should be ready to swing back into action on the 1/3 mile oval which is slated to receive a new surface in 2011.
Rounding out the four new tracks the UMSS is scheduled to travel to in 2011, the Dodge County Speedway under the direction of Stan Gilbertson will host a UMSS event on Saturday October 8. It has been several years since sprint cars circled the 1/4 black dirt oval in Kasson, MN. Alan Gilbertson will be looking to take home the top pay at Dodge County Speedway when the UMSS sprints roll into town in early October.
Be sure and catch the excitement of UMSS winged sprint car racing when the series makes an appearance at a track in your area. Further details on several of the special events and UMSS races listed on the 2011 schedule will be released as the season progresses. A summary of the 2011 UMSS winged sprint car schedule is listed below.
2011 Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series Schedule
Winged Sprint Car Division
Date, Location, Description
Friday April 15 - Elko Speedway, Elko MN Spring Dirt Nationals
Saturday April 16 - Elko Speedway, Elko MN Spring Dirt Nationals
Saturday April 30 - Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond WI
Saturday May 7 - Ogilvie Raceway, Ogilvie MN
Friday May 13 - Chateau Raceway, Lansing MN
Friday May 27 - Kopellah Speedway, St. Croix Falls WI Summer Kickoff Weekend Night #1
Saturday May 28 - Rice Lake Speedway, Rice Lake WI Summer Kickoff Weekend Night #2
Friday June 3 - Princeton Speedway, Princeton MN Billy Anderson Memorial
Saturday June 4 - Ogilvie Raceway, Ogilvie MN
Saturday June 11 - North Central Speedway, Brainerd MN NCS Series 1 of 4
Saturday June 25 - Princeton Speedway, Princeton MN With World of Outlaws
Friday July 15 - Elko Speedway, Elko MN Summer Dirt Nationals with IRA Sprints
Saturday July 16 - Elko Speedway, Elko MN Summer Dirt Nationals with IRA Sprints
Saturday July 23 - North Central Speedway, Brainerd MN Kouba Memorial (NCS Series 2 of 4)
Friday July 29 - Kopellah Speedway, St. Croix Falls WI
Saturday July 30 - Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond WI
Saturday August 20 - Hibbing Raceway, Hibbing MN Rumble on the Range
Friday August 26 - Kopellah Speedway, St. Croix Falls WI
Saturday August 27 - Rice Lake Speedway, Rice Lake WI
Saturday Sept 3 - North Central Speedway, Brainerd MN Mighty Axe Nationals (NCS Series 3 of 4)
Sunday Sept 4 - North Central Speedway, Brainerd MN Mighty Axe Nationals (NCS Series 4 of 4)
Saturday Sept 10 - Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond WI Jerry Richert Sr. Memorial with IRA Sprints
Saturday October 1 - Ogilvie Raceway, Ogilvie MN Big "O" Fall Showdown
Saturday October 8 - Dodge County Speedway, Kasson MN
Friday October 14 - Elko Speedway, Elko MN Fall Dirt Nationals
Saturday October 15 - Elko Speedway, Elko MN Fall Dirt Nationals
*Schedule as of 3/19/11 and is subject to change.
