7/20/2014
It's Mike Mueller Again At Granite City Speedway
Sauk Rapids, MN
Sunday nights are certainly proving to be the night for Mike Mueller of Stacy, Minnesota. For the third time in four tries on Sunday nights within the past year, Mueller has driven his #87 Traditional sprint car to victory. On Sunday night July 20 at the Granite City Speedway, Mueller passed race leader Rob Caho, Jr. coming to the white flag and went on to record his fourth career UMSS Traditional sprint car feature win. Mueller emerged from his car, jumped up on the roll bars, and raised his hands in jubilation. He then celebrated with his father Herb and crew in Anderson's Pure Maple Syrup Victory Lane to cap off a thrilling charge forward from the fifth starting spot.
Young Chase Viebrock earned high point honors following the heat races with the best passing and finishing point total. During the driver autograph session at intermission, Viebrock saw the #7 pill pulled for the feature race invert. Fellow rookie driver Mike Walters was on the pole with two-time and defending series champion Rob Caho, Jr. outside of him. Walters narrowly led the opening lap before Caho took control up front. Caho was working the high side. By lap seven, Mueller was up to third running his usual low line around the bottom while Viebrock had made an impressive charge forward from seventh to second running up top. The Granite City track had top and bottom lanes to pick from.
On lap 11 of the feature, Mueller raced past Viebrock into second place. Caho had built up a bit of a lead by this time, as the race was caution-free. Slowly but surely Mueller began closing the gap on Caho as the laps clicked off under green flag racing. With about three laps to go, Mueller was within striking distance. Suddenly Cam Schafer was closing at a fast rate as well from his third place running position. Coming to take the white flag, Mueller edged past Caho for the lead and sped to victory. Schafer finished a close third behind Caho. Viebrock rode home in fourth. Brian VanMeveren, driving Jeff Pellersel's car, completed the top five with a steady performance in a race that ran 25 laps nonstop to the finish. Schafer and Viebrock won the heat races.
The UMSS Traditional sprints have a double header weekend ahead them with their usual Friday night race at the St. Croix Valley Raceway on July 25 followed by a Saturday night appearance at the Cedar Lake Speedway on July 26. The UMSS winged sprints will be at both tracks as well. Mike Mueller won the feature at SCVR on July 11, but so far he is still looking for his first Saturday night win in a Traditional sprint car. Come on out and enjoy the excitement of non-winged sprint car racing, as this division certainly has been providing some very entertaining racing action this season.
UMSS TSCS Race Results - Granite City Speedway July 20, 2014 (Race #15)
Hoosier Racing Tire Heat #1 (10 laps): 54 Cam Schafer, 87 Mike Mueller, 27 Mike Walters, 78 Rob Caho Jr, 2K Jake Kouba, 7N Brad Nelson.
Driverwebsites Heat #2 (10 laps): 50 Chase Viebrock, 21 Jimmy Kouba, 1 Brian VanMeveren, 55 Joseph Kouba, 69S Jon Lewerer.
GRP Motorsports A Main (25 laps): Mueller, Caho, Schafer, Viebrock, VanMeveren, Joseph Kouba, Jake Kouba, Walters, Jimmy Kouba, Nelson, Lewerer.
Lap Leaders: Walters 1, Caho 2-23, Mueller 24-25.
No Cautions!
Photo courtesy of Vince Peterson at Track Rat Photos.
Article Credit: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director
