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GRP Motorsports High Five Bonus

GRP Motorsports High Five UMSS Championship Bonus Announced.
Stillwater, MN
By: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director

The top five in the Upper Midwest Sprintcar Series (UMSS) winged sprint car division season-ending championship point standings will earn additional bonus money at the 2011 UMSS banquet next January courtesy of GRP Motorsports. With the success of the popular GRP Sweet Sixteen Bonus during the 2010 season, GRP decided to tie the 2011 bonus in with the UMSS season point standings when the series decided to allow drivers to throw out their two lowest point scores in determining the final standings at the end of the season. The GRP High Five Bonus will pay the UMSS Champion $2,000 at the banquet next January. The runner-up will earn $1,000. The third place finisher in the points will get $500 while the fourth and fifth place drivers will take home an extra $250 each. UMSS CDO Ron Bernhagen commented on the bonus. "GRP has been a huge supporter of racing in our area for many years. He's been on board with the UMSS from the beginning and has stepped up his involvement each year. With his help, the UMSS is continuing to grow and expand to bring exciting sprint car racing action to area race tracks and fans. With the bonus now tied into the point standings, it adds some extra interest for our fans and some generous bonus dollars for our competitors. The UMSS expresses their thanks to GRP for all he does and for his involvement with the UMSS."

Stated Greg Parent of GRP Motorsports, "We had a great finish last year for the Sweet Sixteen Bonus when it came down to the final laps of the final race at Ogilvie to determine the top driver between Brad Barickman and Jerry Richert, Jr. For 2011, the idea is to have a similar situation play out but this time for the UMSS championship title too. In determining the final 2011 point standings, the UMSS will allow the two lowest point scores to be thrown out. I like this format, and the Sweet Sixteen Bonus last year was predicated on a driver being able to throw out a few shows. It worked very well."

Using an example to illustrate how it works helps put things into perspective. If the UMSS is able to run a total of 22 races in 2011, the top 20 shows would be used to determine the final point standings and the UMSS Champion. If a driver competes in all UMSS events in 2011, their two lowest scores will be tossed out. If a driver misses one or two shows in 2011, those (zero point) shows will be thrown out. This allows a driver to miss one or two shows and still not be out of the hunt for the championship and the GRP High Five Bonus money. Drivers who compete in all shows may have a better chance to improve their point standings position, as they will have the opportunity to score points in all races versus a driver who misses one or more shows. Points go with the driver, not the car.

When the 2011 UMSS racing season is well past the halfway mark, GRP will provide updates after each race so fans can chart the progress of their favorite drivers or keep tabs on how the UMSS point championship is shaping up. With the format indicated above, there is a good possibility that the GRP High Five Bonus and final points battle will come down to the last weekend of racing at the Elko Fall Nationals in mid October. Check out all the UMSS racing related news and information on their website at www.umsprints.com or follow the UMSS on Facebook.

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