6/25/2017
Midwest Power/GRP Series Kicks Off At Britt June 30
The nine race Midwest Power Equipment/GRP Motorsports series announced back on April 1 is set to kick off this coming Friday night June 30 at the Hancock County Speedway in Britt, Iowa. It will be the inaugural appearance for the UMSS winged sprint cars at Britt, as drivers begin their quest for the 2017 Midwest Power Equipment/GRP Motorsports Series title. Point fund money from GRP Motorsports will see the top five drivers receive $2,000, $1,200, $700, $600 and $500 respectively at the conclusion of the nine race series. Points for the nine races will be calculated using the standard UMSS feature race point system. No races will be thrown out. Should the weather cancel one or more events, the series title will be determined using the remaining races.
The winner of the 25 lap feature at Britt will take home $1,500. Every race in the series will pay a minimum of $1,500 to win with several paying more than that. The payout at Britt is as follows: 1) $1,500, 2) $1,000, 3) $700, 4)$600, 5)$500, 6)$400, 7)$300, 8)$275, 9)$250 10-20)$200. Cars unable to start the feature will receive $100 tow money. The regular UMSS race format will be in effect with heats, challenge races and the feature. Randy Grages from Midwest Power Equipment has indicated that he expects some Knoxville, Jackson, Sprint Invader and other area cars to participate in a few of the series shows, as all 360 winged sprints are welcome and typically would have no problems meeting UMSS rules. The UMSS uses Hoosier tires on all four corners with any Hoosier front tire, the Hoosier 105/16-15 Medium on the right rear, and the Hoosier RC1, H12 or D12 on the left rear. Several cars in previous years that only occasionally run with the UMSS have popped in and picked up feature wins in the Midwest Power Series. The Britt race along with several others has $1,500 added purse money from Midwest Power Equipment and GRP Motorsports. A couple of the memorial races along with the big series and season ending show at Deer Creek have added money beyond that for an even stronger purse payout. Watch for separate press releases for each race in the 2017 Midwest Power Equipment/GRP Motorsports Series.
As an added bonus, Ryan Bowers Motorsports and K1 Race Gear will award a custom 2-layer drivers suit to the winner of the Midwest Power Equipment/GRP Motorsports Series. A 50% off coupon will also be awarded to another driver who competes in 75% or more of the races and will be determined by a random draw amongst all eligible drivers. "We are really excited to partner with the UMSS, Midwest Power Equipment and GRP Motorsports. Driver safety is extremely important and we want to help out a couple of drivers in this special nine race series," stated Ryan Bowers. In order to be eligible, drivers will only need to display a K1 Race Gear and Ryan Bowers Motorsports decal logo side-by-side on their race car. Ryan Bowers is the 2015 & 2016 UMSS Champion and is planning on competing in the nine race series driving the Seidenkranz Brothers sprint car.
Chris Graf of Glencoe, Minnesota will return in 2017 in his bid to earn a third Midwest Power Series title. Graf, who is also sponsored by Midwest Power Equipment and GRP Motorsports, won the title in 2015 and 2016 during the first two seasons and is also the 2013 UMSS Champion. With Randy Grages at Midwest Power Equipment agreeing to expand his series to nine races this season and team up with GRP Motorsports, Graf, Bowers and several other strong competitors will need to be on their "A Game" each night in order to sit atop the standings at the end of the nine races series.
Five of the series races will also have the UMSS Traditional sprint cars on hand, the July 8 show at CLS will have the WoO Sprints, and the final three shows on the schedule will have the IRA Outlaw 410 Sprints on the program. Make plans to attend one or more of the shows in the nine race series, as Midwest Power Equipment and GRP Motorsports are looking forward to kicking things off at the Hancock County Speedway in Britt, Iowa this Friday night. Fans and drivers can follow the series action on the UMSS website at www.umsprints.com by clicking on the red logo or on the UMSS Facebook page.
2017 Midwest Power Equipment/GRP Motorsports Series Schedule:
June 30 - Hancock County Speedway (Britt, IA)
July 8 - Cedar Lake Speedway (New Richmond, WI)
July 22 - Ogilvie Raceway (6th Annual Davey Tabor Memorial)
August 18 - Granite City Speedway (Sauk Rapids, MN)
August 19 - Madison Speedway (Madison, MN)
August 26 - Upper Iowa Speedway (Decorah, IA)
September 9 - Cedar Lake Speedway (17th Annual Richert Memorial)
September 15 - Clay County Fair Speedway (Spencer, IA)
September 16 - Deer Creek Speedway UMSS Sponsor Showdown
Previous Midwest Power Equipment Series Champions:
2015 - Chris Graf
2016 - Chris Graf
Photo courtesy of Vince Peterson at Track Rat Photos.
Article Credit: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director
