Mississippi Thunder Closes Out Inaugural Season with 2009 Awards Banquet

December 12, 2009

By Tracy Hager
FOUNTAIN CITY, WI (December 12, 2009) –
Champions were crowned and announcements were made, and in the end, Mississippi Thunder Speedway called it a successful, informative, and building year for the new owners. Promoter Bob Timm gave accolades to his family and many others for their continued support throughout the season. Many others who helped on a nightly basis were mentioned before moving on to the many sponsors who were big components of the track this season including but not limited to The Engine Store, Lou Fegers Racing Equipment, Les Duellman Racing, Jailhouse Saloon, O’Reilly Auto Parts, NAPA, River City Manufacturing, Hank Rollinger Racing Supply, Winona Auto Sales, Redbox+, Winona Auto Sales, and Bud Stevens.

The decision was made to eliminate the Hornets as a class on a regular basis, however, the WISSOTA Late Models have been added to the regular schedule. All other classes will be determined just after the first of the year. Transponders will be mandatory at the speedway and will help the program along with the intent of getting the show in by 10:30-11 p.m. each night. Although MTS has no curfew, it is ideal to give the fans quality in a reasonable timeframe.

A slideshow was presented prior to each class being awarded their trophies and checks. Trophies were awarded to the top five in the Mini Mod classes and to the top ten in all other divisions. Mathew Schliesman of Rochester took top honors in the Redbox+ B Mini Mods topping out with seven feature wins. Dylan Buckland followed in second place with six feature wins. Alex Stevens, Rachel LaDuke, and Matt Stevens rounded out the top five. Jake Timm clinched the title in the Redbox+ A Mini Mod division with five feature wins. Mike Stevens finished second while Alex Williamson followed in third. Brandon Reutzel and Gary Kellner finished fourth and fifth. Jeff Matejka topped the field of Oakridge Fabrication 600 Mini Mods with nine feature wins. Don Werner finished only 15 points behind Matejka in second place. Charlie McNally, Brett LaDuke, and Dave Frueuchte finished third, fourth, and fifth respectively.

LaCrosse, Wisconsin’s Johny Severtson capped the field of Hornets with a whopping ten feature wins. Mike Krause reeled in a strong second place on the season followed by Kevin Laufenberg of Alma Center. Shawn Applen and Leonard Hicks completed the top five.

Danny Hanson topped the Jailhouse Saloon WISSOTA Street Stocks for the second year in a row. Donny Ganz fell into second place followed very closely by Kellogg’s Kevin Hager a mere five points back in third. Fred Prudoehl and Dan Bork finished out the top five.

The Engine Store WISSOTA Midwest Modified track champion was youngster Kyle Jumbeck. Jumbeck logged ten feature wins on the season. Chris Gilbertson’s consistency set him up in second place followed by Dalton Yohnk in third. Jared Happel and Erik Kanz completed the top five.

The Winona Auto Sales WISSOTA Super Stock class proved to be the most diverse class with seven different feature winners during the regular season. Gary Wiersgalla won the track championship in a very close race as he nipped Troy Langowski by four points. Bob Fort settled for third only seven points back from Langowski. Winona’s Jon Duffy notched fourth place 12 points ahead of Kevin Hager in fifth place.

John Doelle sealed the River City Manufacturing USRA Modified championship 13 points over Josh Angst. Hank Rollinger Jr. finished third followed by Paul Hamernik in fourth. Adam Stockhausen trailed Hamernik by one point to finish fifth on the season.

There are many things to look forward to in 2010. The scheduled season opener will be April 16th and will include WISSOTA Late Models on the weekly program. USMTS Modifieds will blow into the speedway June 25th and again in the fall as one of the first three Hunt races will be at Mississippi Thunder. The WISSOTA Late Model Dart Challenge Series event will be July 2nd. The second annual Fall Festival will return as will the River City Rumble. One if not two Corn Belt Clash Late Model shows will also be a part of the 2010 schedule.

Be sure to check the track website for updates to the season after the first of the year. Have a great winter, because the season opener is right around the corner!