MOWA opens ‘second season’ Aug. 24 at LaSalle Speedway
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. (August 24, 2013) – After a very successful Illinois Sprint Week, the cars and drivers of the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA), have spent the last few weeks preparing for what turns out to be more than half of their season, if Mother Nature cooperates the rest of the year.
To this point in 2013, the series has gotten 9-of-14 events in the books, as the group – like most everyone else – struggled with rain early in the year.
Excluding further weather problems, MOWA will conclude the year with 11 races in the final eight weeks of the racing season.
The string kicks off, Saturday, Aug. 24, with a co-sanctioned event with the IRA series at LaSalle Speedway. It is the third year the two series have met for the event at the iconic speedway in north central, Illinois. Bill Balog has won both events, with Jimmy Hurley finishing second in 2011 and Danny Smith taking the runner-up spot in 2012.
Labor day weekend is a two day weekend for the MOWA series, as it makes its third stop of the year at Montgomery Motorsports Park, New Florence, MO, Saturday, August 31. A.J. Bruns and Joey Moughan both have wins at the track in action earlier this season, while Jimmy Davies had his first career heat race win with the series during the second stop in June.
Quincy Raceways will host the series for the first time in 2013, after its Memorial Day weekend event was washed out earlier this year. The Sunday, Sept. 1, show should be a good one at the fast ¼ mile bullring. Jimmy Hurley has a win at the Broadway Bullring in the series’ only appearance at Quincy Raceways.
The biggest two day payout in series history, to date, is set up for 34 Raceway Sept. 6 and 7. 34 Raceway, who has hosted the series five times in its two plus years, will have $10,000 possible for a single winner of the two complete shows. The Friday night event will pay $4,000 to win, and $250 to start, while the Saturday finale will pay $5,000 to win. If one driver can with both nights, there is a $1,000 bonus to line their pockets. Ian Madsen won the season opener at 34 Raceway, April 13, while Terry McCarl was second and Lucas Wolfe finished third. Other feature winners at 34 Raceway include Danny Lasoski (2), McCarl, and Danny Smith.
MOWA follows up that big pay day weekend with another great three day weekend starting Sept. 13, with the MOWA series’ rained out Sprint Week show at Jacksonville rescheduled for that night. This means a return to the POWRi/410 sprint car twin bill that used to open the Tom Knowles weekend in years past. Jacksonville Speedway has hosted the series two times this year with Smith and Hurley each getting a win. Like every trip for the MOWA series to Jacksonville Speedway, it is expected to be a “Big Show,” with a lot of extra fun for the fans.
Night two of the weekend, Sept. 14, moves to Spoon River Speedway for the aforementioned Tom Knowles Memorial, which will also be a MOWA/POWRi twin bill. MOWA will again headline one of the most popular events on Illinois’ sprint car racing calendar. The Tom Knowles Memorial has for many years been a can’t miss event, and MOWA will be the headliner for the third straight year. Jerrod Hull won the event in 2011, and was a repeat winner in 2012. Brian Brown also has a MOWA feature win at Spoon River Speedway, as he won a Sprint Week show there in 2011.
Vermillion County Speedway, Danville, IL, wraps up the weekend, with a show Sept. 15. It will be the series’ third stop over the past two years at the track, which saw Jac Haudenschild win there earlier this year. Hull picked up a win at VCS in July of 2012.
Other events remaining on the MOWA schedule include a stop at Tri-City Speedway, Pontoon Beach, IL, during the Gold Crown Midget Nationals, as well as Lincoln Speedway, Lincoln, IL, Oct. 11. The season will conclude with the season championship race at Jacksonville Speedway, Oct. 12. More info to come on those events very soon, but for more information about anything MOWA related, please visit www.midwestopenwheel.com.
