Midwest Nitro Series 2013 Finals report from River City Raceway

 

 

The Midwest Nitro Series 2013 Finals was scheduled for October 5th, however heavy rain moved in and the finals event had to be moved to the following weekend October 12th. One year in the making and 5 events later, all the points possibly earned and the finals were at hand. River City Raceway in Peoria, Illinois had this seasons honor for declaring the overall winners in six 1/8 scale classes.
 
On the morning of the finals Mother Nature gave us a big surprise with an unwelcome watering bright and early. However this was a big advantage for us since we were expecting a sprinkle around noon. The rain was done and all we had to do was clean up the puddles and start qualifying for the mains. RCW purchased a truckload of peat moss to soak up any excess water and with the sun out we were on our way to declare overall winners.
 
Over 275 racers entered to race this season at 6 different tracks. Many of the classes had several drivers a few points apart, so every point at finals was necessary to keep top spots. However for a few lucky racers it was a lock, making the A main was all that was needed.
 
Before I go on any further I want to thank all the tracks that held a MWNS event. RJD in Lincoln IL, Thunder Road Hobby in Moline IL, Clark RC Park in Reeseville WI, Cheese City in Monroe WI, and Granger Offroad in Granger IN. Each and every track did a flawless job hosting MWNS and made every race something special to remember. Every track went the extra mile to make each race better, bigger, and most importantly FUN!!!
 
A big thanks goes to all the sponsors this season for all the great prizes they donated over the summer. Without them we simply would not have a great sport to race. Advantage Racing Products, M2C Racing, 92Zero Designs, PT RC Racing, Boca Bearings, JConcepts, AKA, Team AE, Panther, VP-Pro USA, Competition Racing Products, VP Power Master Fuel, Buku Performance Products, and Thunder-Road Hobbies. Thank you all again for your sponsorship, from me and all the racers this season we greatly appreciate everything you do.
 
In E-Truggy we awarded the top 5 in this class. Going into the finals Mike Aschliman had first place locked in with a 12 point lead, all he had to do was qualify and finish in the A main. The big battle was for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place between Rick Seffrood, Kamil Persaud, and Steve Codding. All these drivers were only one point apart. Qualifying and finishing positions in the 10 min main was huge. Plus finish ahead of any racers that had not raced the series. Rick Seffrood took TQ going into the main giving him the extra 2 points towards his points; all he had to do was finish the main ahead of Kamil and Steve to lock 2nd place overall. Not only did Rick finish ahead but he won the A main, wire to wire! Kamil finished second in the main with Nathan Meyers in 3rd.
 

E-Buggy class had one of the highest amounts of drivers over the summer. The man going into the finals top spot was Allan Richards. Making the podium at 3 events 1 TQ, 1 First place finish and 2 second place finishes this summer showed he had the right stuff.
 
The rest of the top 10 going into the finals would have no choice but to battle it out in the mains. Everyone was a few points apart. And with a few extra top drivers this would be a challenge to even make the A main.
 
Jason Hudson received TQ honors by winning all 3 qualifiers followed by Matt Lust and Collin Weatherholt. These 3 guys battled back and forth in the A main. Jason and Collin traded 1st place half way in giving Collin the win. Jason took second, Matt 3rd. All 3 on the same lap. The rest of the field also finished one lap down! Talk about a tight race!


Intermediate Truggy I think we had the closest points and definitely a make or break A main. The top 7 drivers going into the finals were only separated by a point or two. Anything could happen, AND IT DID!!

Going into the finals Anthony Patyk was ahead by 2 points followed by Travis Stensrud and Brian Scott who were only 1 point apart. The rest of the field seemed to copy the top 3.
 
Brian looked to be the man to beat by winning 2 of the 3 qualifiers receiving TQ and 2 bonus points, followed by Anthony and George N, with Travis in forth on the poll. Early in the 25 min main Travis took the lead forcing the rest of the group to catch up. Half way in Brian Scott caught up and took the lead for a few laps only to give it back to Travis. Anthony fell back early and struggled to catch back up. 5th place was as far as he could get. George and Brian raced neck and neck for the last 2 spots. It seemed Brian would take 2nd however in the last minute of the race George passed Brian on the last lap. This changed everything for the overall points!

 

 
Intermediate Buggy, Matt Cockrum showed us all summer he was the man with 2 TQ’s and making the podium at 4 events this summer which include 2 wins, a 2nd & 3rd place finish. With Jessie Wolkenheim only 4 points back all Matt had to do was finish ahead of Jessie. No one else could get enough points to take his near perfect domination away. Jessie was a real possible threat!
 
Brian Scott once again took TQ by winning 2 of the 3 qualifiers and getting a valuable 2 point bonus almost securing this 3rd place overall spot. Alex Kahne was on the poll in second and George N 3rd on the poll. During the 25 min A main Alex held the lead wire to wire. Everyone else in the main traded places many times. Dave Nichols took 2nd after bumping from the B main, Brian Scott finished 6th, Jessie Wolkenheim got 8th in the A main, and Matt followed up in 12th.
 
With Matt’s 12th place finish and Jessie getting 8th this ended up as a tie in overall points! This was a shocker to me! We had a tie for first! However with the tie breaker rule the winner is declared by the racer with a higher finish in a previous event.

 

Pro Truggy, Sonny Ochoa had a one point lead over Greg baumel, Jeff Wood was not far behind with 2 other hot on the trail. However Jeremy Whiting and Josh Karl were unable to make the finals so that created a little breathing room for Sonny and Greg.
 
Sonny O took TQ honors winning 2 of 3 qualifiers, got a nice buffer 2 point bonus, Greg Baumel was on the poll 2nd followed by Jeff Wood in 3rd on the grid. In the 30 min main Sonny and Jeff would traid spots several times for the first half. Jeff Wood eventually got a bit of a lead and held ot till the end. Greg fell back to 5th, Chris Ashliman took 3rd, bump up from the B main Jay Dogg 4th and Greg Baumel 5th.
 

Pro Buggy class was dominated by Jason Hudson all season. 3 TQ’s two 1st place finishes, a 2nd place finish and a 3rd during the points race this summer. Jason built up a 12 point lead over the group. First place overall was a sure lock!
Derek Weatherholt took TQ honors by winning 2 out of three qualifiers, Jason Hudson on poll second, Collin Weatherholt 3rd, and Sonny Ochoa 4th was the starting grid.
 
Derek W showed everyone why he is considered one of the top racers in the Midwest by leading the entire 30 min main wire to wire and putting down the fastest laps of the day breaking into mid/low 29sec laps! Sonny O and Collin battled back and forth for 2nd and 3rd several times. Ultimately Sonny pulled ahead and took 2nd. Jason Hudson and Collin battled for the remaining spot till the very end. However with Jason’s blown rear shocks Collin would finish ahead of Jason by 3 sec.
  
 
With this season wrapped up I want to congratulate everyone for a great job all summer. We had the pleasure to race at some of the best tracks in the Midwest, watch some of the greatest finishes we have ever had, eat some great food, and make some new friends! We have also had the opportunity to be part of the new RC Documentary being filmed by Logan Hall.
  
As I look back on this season one thing comes to mind. I miss racing with you guys…I’ve got to get me a new buggy!
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did!

  

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