[BrianBSU23]

Bill Miller Photo

Montpelier Motor Speedway Midget Series Returns For Saturday, August 2 Event

The Montpelier Motor Speedway Midget Series will make it third stop of the season at the Montpelier Motor Speedway this Saturday night, August 2nd. The series' schedule and competition will heat up for the remainder of the season with 6 different events scheduled through early October (August 2, August 30, September 13, September 20, September 27, and October 11) heading towards the culmination of a series champion. The Leaders Edge of Indianapolis is the presenting title sponsor for the Midget series. The Montpelier Motor Speedway was able to complete the July 26th event even with major storms surrounding the speedway for the entire evening. The speedway staff was able to get the entire 5 division program completed on a smooth and hammer down track by 10:00 even with a rain delay during the UMP Modified feature.

Monrovia, Indiana's Justin Peck picked up his first career dirt Midget win bouncing back from a Midget week flip that had kept him sidelined. Peck rocketed from the 2nd row to grab the lead leading Tate Martz (#2 Steele),Chett Gehrke (#10 Moore), Travis Berryhill (#16 Sandy), and Cole Custer (#00 Custer) to the finish line. Heat race winners were Peck and Berryhill. Alex Watson was the Sportsman Bonus award winner. Midget and MTQRL Montpelier Midget winner, Tate Martz, will enter the weekend as the points leader virtue of back to back 2nd place finishes.

The series' schedule and competition will heat up for the remainder of the season with 6 different events scheduled through early October (August 2, August 30, September 13, September 20, September 27, and October 11) heading towards the culmination of a series champion. The Leaders Edge of Indianapolis is the presenting title sponsor for the Midget series.

The event will feature the Montpelier’s Midget Series which features full size Midgets and power plants and allows a platform for other engines including Focus, Ecotech, and Motorcycle powered entries to compete utilizing an unlimited weight break and additional tire width. The Montpelier Motor Speedway Midget Series features an open tire brand and compound rule.

Watson Racing after winning the Bonus the previous week is sponsoring a $100 cash award for the highest finisher powered by Focus, Ecotech, or Motorcycle power plants. The Sportsman winner of this award on August 2nd will be guaranteed to make a minimum of $200/$250(with 21 Midgets).

General Admission will be a great value for fans at only $12 with Kids (12 and Under) - FREE!

Full Series Information and Payout can be found on our website at:
www.MontpelierMotorSpeedway.com

Top 10 Points
1. 2 Tate Martz
2. 41 Alex Watson
3. 5 Gary Gipson -*R
4. 97 Jim Jones *R
5. 6RR Lynsey Liguori
6. 5X Justin Peck
7. 10 Chett Gehrke
8. 10 Nick Lucas
9. 16 Travis Berryhill
10. 52 Isaac Chapple

Rookie of the Year Award Leaders
1. Gary Gipson
2. Jim Jones
3. Austin Nemire
4. Tyler Kendall

2014 Series Winners
April 26 - Lynsey Liguori
July 26 - Justin Peck

Overall Series Winners
85 Shane Hollingsworth - 4 Wins
6RR Lynsey Liguori - 2 Wins
21 Nick Speidel - 1 Win
7 Critter Malone - 1 Win
10 Brandon Matus - 1 Win
17 Michael Koontz - 1 Win
3 Darren Hagen - 1 Win
10 Billy Wease - 1 Win
52 Isaac Chapple - 1 Win
9P Parker Price-MIller - 1 Win
2 Tate Martz - 1 Win
17E Blake Edwards - 1 Win
5X Justin Peck - 1 Win

Upcoming Midget Dates
August 2
August 30
September 13
September 20
September 27
October 11

Upcoming Sprint Car Dates
September 6th - BOSS Non Wing Sprints

Upcoming MTQRL TQ Midget Dates
August 9
August 16
September 13 ( with MMS Midget Series)

Times
Gates Open - 3:00 PM
Hot Laps – 5:00 PM
Racing - 6:30 PM

Admission
General Admission - $12
Kids (12 and Under) – Free
Pit Pass - $25

Location
East Central Indiana
Montpelier Motor Speedway
700 South Jefferson
Montpelier, Indiana 47359
I69 Exit 264

Web & Media
Official Website: www.MontpelierMotorSpeedway.com
Facebook – “Home of the Montpelier Motor Speedway: www.facebook.com/MontpelierMotorSpeedway
Twitter - www.twitter.com/MontpelierTrack

[BrianBSU23]

We have received some questions with the Watson Racing Sportsman Bonus. The highest finishing entry powered by Focus, Echotech, or motorcycle power will receive their full normal payout plus an additional $100 cash. The series pays $100/$150 (w/ 21 entries) to just start the feature. This should produce a race within race. Thanks to Watson racing for sponsoring this award.

[WBR 3E]

The Sportsman Award was originally intended as a one-time deal to 1) provide a financial incentive for Focus, Ecotec and Motorcycle based racers to participate, and 2) provide some publicity for those racers. Since Alex was the top sportsman last week in the Wally Sexton #41 Focus after a great battle with Johnny Heydenreich and Tyler Kendall, we decided to go 'double or nothing' and roll it over to this Sat, along with another $50 for a total of $100 to this week's top sportsman driver. Hopefully this will add some excitement for the fans as well - they may not realize these guys have a 150 horsepower disadvantage over the full midgets, but are still racing hard for bragging rights among their group. Thanks to Harold and his crew for working with me on this - I know there are Focus and Mini's who want to run non-wing, lets show our support to Montpelier this weekend, and somebody will take home $200+ and have a great night at the races.

Greg Watson

[DAD]

Harold

I have watched your series since the first organizational meeting held in Indy several years ago. We even got the chance to race our first and last Midget race in your first event. We have also raced several time with the MMSA when they traveled up there to race. You might call us Midget racers wana-be's.

Let me throw out a what if now.

I have gone over your rules a dozen times or so looking for that "Smokey" well you didn't say we couldn't rule about engine design.>>> The cost of a 10year old purpose built midget motor let alone the upkeep of one of these motors is out of our price range. Last year I was beginning to thinking that Mini Sprint motors were also getting out of price range.

The National Groups have gone out of their way to design a rule package to keep the purpose built Midget $25,000.00 + Motor in place by designing their rules to OutLaw the Modern Stock engine Displacement motors with 4 valve heads from competing in their race cars. Auto makers have not used 2000cc 4 valve head motors in Modern performance cars. They have however designed several V6 motors in the 3000cc-3500cc displacement range that are capable of developing some serious Horsepower with very little work and still keep the stock head and block.

I have located one of these motors in a local Junk Yard for $400.00. It has 200,000 + miles on the odometer. I could buy this motor install aftermarket rods and pistons new lighter valves and springs, and with the addition of a good fuel injection system and maybe dry sump oiling, could build a 400 Horsepower Motor that would fit right in a Midget Chassis. The cost with some help on the Motor work would be much less than the cost of a Honda Spec engine.

The head design on these motors is much better than the Echo tec or Focus, being much closer in design to the late model motor cycle engine in design, the crankshaft and crank case were designed for 200,000+ miles. Because of the engines design freshen up might stretch out to several years or more.

There is no way that USAC or for that matter Poweri would allow such a motor to race with them because of alliances with the major engine builders and manufacture's.

My question to you would be.. If a guy was to show up with such a motor would it be considered legal and would you allow it to race in your group?

Honest Dad himself

[badcoupe]

Dad I'm interested to know as well, being a former visteon engineer and now a auto repair business owner I always look or think about such loophole motors. How about even one of the synergy motors, would one of those be allowed, They've always intrigued me.

[Midget18]

Let's be honest dad.... Would you show up? You always talk about the price of gas, not being close enough to you, etc... Don't mean to start anything just asking because you have been to 1 race in the 2-1/2 years

[BrianBSU23]

Overnight Rains and Forecast Has Cancelled August 2nd Racing Program at the Montpelier Motor Speedway.

The Montpelier Motor Speedway regrets to announce several rounds of storms throughout the night has cancelled racing for August 2nd. The rains coupled with a track that was prepped for racing throughout the week has left the crew unable to get track equipment onto the surface until at least midday. Also, the forecast and radar projections unfortunately for the remainder of the afternoon and evening does not show a window to complete the program..

[jjones752]

Originally Posted by BrianBSU23 Overnight Rains and Forecast Has Cancelled August 2nd Racing Program at the Montpelier Motor Speedway. The Montpelier Motor Speedway regrets to announce several rounds of storms throughout the night has cancelled racing for August 2nd. The rains coupled with a track that was prepped for racing throughout the week has left the crew unable to get track equipment onto the surface until at least midday. Also, the forecast and radar projections unfortunately for the remainder of the afternoon and evening does not show a window to complete the program..

Dang. I was SO ready to run. I really felt like I was ready to mix it up with the guys,maybe even have a shot at Greg Watson's hundred bucks. On the "glass-half-full" side, thanks for the early notice; at least we aren't loaded up yet. Any chance of a make-up date? I don't think I can wait 3 more weeks before I start Jonesin'.
Then again, I guess I'm always Jonesin'...

[DAD]

Originally Posted by Midget18 Let's be honest dad.... Would you show up? You always talk about the price of gas, not being close enough to you, etc... Don't mean to start anything just asking because you have been to 1 race in the 2-1/2 years

Midget

Best I can remember we outrun you that night you are speaking of and then blew the motor up right at the checkered flag?

It is about a 300 mile trip for us to drive up there. Do you all travel that far to race? Gas and Money does seem to be a problem with us and many other Americans at this point in time. I might and might not show up to race. We had planed to drive up to Montpelier tonight to race with AJ and You guys but guess mother nature put an end to that deal.

I really wasn't thinking about us only. There are a ton of racers that would love to race Midgets. If someone could come up with stock block head program for a Midget that would be less expensive than a purpose built Midget motor and be cheaper to maintain it MIGHT JUST ENCOURAGE A FEW MORE MIDGET RACERS TO BUILD RACE CARS>> that is the purpose of my little discussion. You guys with the older purpose built Midget motor know the cost of racing on the cheap and there is no way you could expect to run with a newer motor. These little V6's have the potential to out run those old archaic designs.

Harold with his rule package as it is now seems to be encouraging experimentation with motor packages and if that is the case >>>who knows we might ride up there to race with youall.

Honest Dad himself

[BrianBSU23]

Originally Posted by jjones752 Dang. I was SO ready to run. I really felt like I was ready to mix it up with the guys,maybe even have a shot at Greg Watson's hundred bucks. On the "glass-half-full" side, thanks for the early notice; at least we aren't loaded up yet. Any chance of a make-up date? I don't think I can wait 3 more weeks before I start Jonesin'. Then again, I guess I'm always Jonesin'...

We looked at August 9 or 16 but we are not sure if we can get enough cars together with that short of notice or if it's fair to add a points race that short of notice.