6/4/2016
It's James Giossi All The Way At Ogilvie Raceway
After the weather forced the three previous racing events to be cancelled, the UMSS Traditional Sprint Car Series finally caught a break on Saturday June 4 at the Ogilvie Raceway. With several other area tracks rained out, Ogilvie was able to get their show in with only a couple of slight delays for light mist. Later in the evening, the sun made an appearance. Making his first appearance in Rock Auto Victory Lane this season was 2015 TSCS Rookie of the Year James Giossi from New Richmond, Wisconsin. Giossi led the entire 25 lap distance in a feature race that ran caution-free to the finish. For the young driver, it was his second career Traditional sprint car victory having won once last year at Cedar Lake.
A very strong field of (22) Traditional sprint cars were on hand at the Big O for the Sprint Showdown which also featured the UMSS winged sprints. Three ten lap heat races were run with drivers earning passing and finishing points in order to set the starting grid for the feature event. Heat race winners included Giossi, Anna Hippe and Mike Mueller. The top four drivers in points after the heats drew for starting positions in the first two rows of the feature. Jeremy Kerzman, who won last October at Ogilvie in the Topless Nationals event, drew the pole position. Scott Brandt, Giossi and Brian VanMeveren would fill the rest of the top four spots. Only one car would not make it out of the heats to the feature, as Jason Schill encountered mechanical difficulties in his heat race and was done for the night.
Giossi grabbed the lead from his third starting spot on the opening lap and set the pace up front in the feature. Eighth starter and five-time winner already this year, Rick Kobs, moved up top and into second on lap 8. Jake Kouba was another car on the move forward, as he came from seventh to the runner-up position on lap 14. With minimal attrition and only a few lapped cars to contend with, Giossi was uncontested until late in the race. With around five laps to go, Jake Kouba closed in as Giossi was attempting to lap Hunter Custer. Although Jake was less than a car length behind, Giossi was finally able to clear Custer and restore his several car length margin. Jake Kouba stayed fairly close but could not mount a serious bid to overtake Giossi. Kobs finished third. Jimmy Kouba came from ninth to fourth. Mike Mueller rounded out the top five.
Earning the $100 GRP Motorsports Hard Charger Award that was in effect at Ogilvie was fourteenth starter Johnny Parsons III. Parsons finished sixth. It was exactly five years ago to the day that Parsons sat in Rock Auto Victory Lane at Ogilvie. Brian VanMeveren, Scott Brandt, Anna Hippe and Jon Lewerer completed the top ten in the feature. Only two cars dropped out of the race and only two cars were lapped at the end of 25 circuits around the fast, smooth 3/8th mile oval at the Big O. The Traditional sprints are scheduled for two more appearances at Ogilvie this season on August 20 and October 22.
The series will have an off-weekend on June 10-12 before returning to action at North Central Speedway on Saturday night June 18 for the first UMSS Triple Header at the Brainerd track featuring all three divisions on the program. Check out the schedule, results, points and other news for the Traditional Sprint Car Series on our website at www.umsprints.com by clicking on the blue logo or follow us on Facebook.
UMSS TSCS Race Results - Ogilvie Raceway June 4, 2016 (Race #9)
GRP Motorsports A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 11-James Giossi[3]; 2. 6-Jake Kouba[7]; 3. 81-Rick Kobs[8]; 4. 2K-Jimmy Kouba[9]; 5. 87-Mike Mueller[6]; 6. 12-Johnny Parsons III[14]; 7. 24-Brian VanMeveren[4]; 8. 7B-Scott Brandt[2]; 9. 16-Anna Hippe[5]; 10. 69S-Jon Lewerer[12]; 11. 55-Joseph Kouba[17]; 12. 3K-Jeremy Kerzman[1]; 13. 99-Bryan Roach[18]; 14. 95-Kevin Bradwell[13]; 15. 12X-Blake Anderson[19]; 16. 21J-Jori Hughes[16]; 17. 14-Cam Schafer[11]; 18. 29-Hunter Custer[15]; 19. 90-Tony Klose[21]; 20. (DNF) 12W-Kyle Wehking[10]; 21. (DNF) N1-Ty Sampair[20]; (DNS) 22-Jason Schill
Lap Leader: Giossi 1-25. No cautions.
Track Rat Photos Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 11-James Giossi[1]; 2. 3K-Jeremy Kerzman[7]; 3. 81-Rick Kobs[4]; 4. 69S-Jon Lewerer[3]; 5. 29-Hunter Custer[2]; 6. 21J-Jori Hughes[6]; 7. 90-Tony Klose[8]; 8. (DNF) N1-Ty Sampair[5]
Lap Leader: Giossi 1-10. Cautions: (1) yellow for 90 spin turn 2.
Meeks Video Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 16-Anna Hippe[1]; 2. 6-Jake Kouba[3]; 3. 12W-Kyle Wehking[2]; 4. 2K-Jimmy Kouba[6]; 5. 12-Johnny Parsons III[4]; 6. 55-Joseph Kouba[5]; 7. (DNF) 22-Jason Schill[7]
Lap Leader: Hippe 1-10. No cautions. 22 dropped out and was done for the night.
Hoosier Racing Tire Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 87-Mike Mueller[1]; 2. 7B-Scott Brandt[4]; 3. 24-Brian VanMeveren[6]; 4. 95-Kevin Bradwell[2]; 5. 14-Cam Schafer[7]; 6. 99-Bryan Roach[3]; 7. 12X-Blake Anderson[5]
Lap Leader: Mueller 1-10. No cautions.
Rock Auto Victory Lane photo courtesy of Vince Peterson at Track Rat Photos.
Article Credit: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director
