ASA Midwest tour at Elko Speedway

By     Jason D Searcy     7-5-11       www.speedtalkon1360.com
 
Minnesota race fans are excited, the ASA Midwest tour is finally back in our home state on Friday and Saturday July 8th & 9th in Elko (MN).

In the past few years, Elko Speedway has hosted an ASA Midwest tour event in April or May.  Now this year its the 7th race of the 2011 13 race schedule.  Racing begins at 7pm on Friday and at 6pm on Saturday night.

 Matt Kenseth's 18yr old son Ross (photo above) has had a great season thus far, he has 3 wins (Illiana, Grundy & Madison) but finished a season low 14th in last weekends race in Marshfield (WI).  Ross is the "Real Deal," sure he has top-notch equipment, but he is patient and smart behind the wheel, he drives like a veteran at the age of 18.  He also won the Elko race in 2010, battling with Chris Wimmer most of the race.  Ross is currently second in points, 18 behind Andrew Morrissey who is winless but is ultra consistent this year.

Minnesota driver Jacob Goede (photo above) is 4th in points thus far.  Goede ran up through the field at Illiana passing cars left and right and finishing third.  He has been in the "top 5" three times this year.  Jacob finished third in this race in 2010.  He won an ASA Midwest tour race at I-94 Raceway in Sauk Centre (MN) back in 2007.  Matt Goede just won his first Super Late Model feature two weeks ago at Elko Speedway with Jacob turning wrenches for his brother in the pits.  

Danny Fredrickson (photo above) has won as many Super Late Model races at Elko Speedway as anyone, he win this event in 2009 and took home a bar of gold.  2008 tour champion Fredrickson is not running the full ASA Midwest tour schedule this year giving him even more track time at Elko Speedway adding motivation to this intense competitor.

Six time Elko Champion Donny Reuvers (photo above) is also in the field, he is not racing the full ASA Midwest tour schedule this year, he is racing Elko full-time, he is the current point leader at Elko Speedway in 2011.

Tim Schendel is quietly having a great season, he is currently 3rd in points and won a race at Kaukauna earlier this year.  Schendel is also racing part-time in the NASCAR Nationwide series and is the class favorite when the ASA Midwest tour travels to Iowa Speedway on Friday August 5th.  MN driver Jonathan Eilen won this race in 2007, you can't count him out at Elko Speedway.  Former NASCAR Truck series star Erik Darnell will also be in the hunt for a win at Elko.

For Minnesota fans, this is your opportunity to see Ross Kenseth one of the few true rising stars before he makes his move to the NASCAR schedule. In the last dozen years or so I've seen ASA races in Minnesota with: Kyle Busch, Reed Sorenson, David Stremme and Joey Logano.  This guy might be just as good as any of those drivers, but he will have to prove it at Elko Speedway this weekend.

This is an endurance 8 tire, 250 lap event for the Super Late Models sponsored by Grandstay, they will have an intermission at half-way and change tires.  The ASA Midwest Trucks and Sportsmen will also be racing feature events on Saturday night.

Dean Reller and I will be interviewing as many ASA Midwest tour drivers as possible and will broadcast those interviews Saturday morning from 10-11am on KRWC radio, "Speedtalk on 1360."  You can listen on-line at www.krwc1360.com

We also will be doing some youtube video's with race hi-lights and interviews with the winners.  Stay tuned to www.speedtalkon1360.com for more details.