CUMMINS CAPTURES THE MEMORIAL WEEKEND CLASSIC
Haubstadt, IN – May 26, 2019 – The feature race Sunday night at Tri-State Speedway lived up to its name, The BRANDEIS Midwest Sprint Car event would conclude as advertised – a Memorial Weekend Classic.
Kyle Cummins of Princeton, IN, was on the move and would be the victor. It was his second MSCS win in two opportunities to race at Tri-State Speedway this season.
Kyle Cummins started the evening by setting the fastest overall time during group qualifications. The Princeton, IN, driver followed that initial effort with a winning performance in the third heat race with Stephen Schnapf his closest rival. The two would match speeds again during the feature. Schnapf led the early portion of the event with Cummins in hot pursuit. He kept the pressure on in the Rock Steady 3R and completed the task with a pass midway through the race.
C.J. Leary and Kevin Thomas Jr. advanced to finish second and third in the feature. Schnapf held fourth place at the finish. Carson Short moved up 13 positions to finish fifth. The superb effort was tops for the field thus the defending series champion was the Certified Rentals Hard Charger of the race.
Robert Ballou also made a charge from the back of the field in finishing sixth. Ballou needed a long visit to the work area after being involved in the incidents in turn three on the first lap of the original start. It was the first of at least 4 caution flags needed during the feature. Critter Malone was seventh followed by Donny Brackett, Dakota Jackson, and Brady Short. Kendall Ruble picked up the Wilwood Tuff Brakes Award.
Three heats and a B Main were held during the BRANDEIS Midwest Sprint Car Series preliminary events. Teammates Kent Schmidt and Chase Stockon won the first two heats with Cummins the victor in the final heat. Collin Ambrose of Owensboro, KY, was the winner in the B Main which consisted of a 13 car field.
UMP Modified driver Brandon McDowell swept that portion of the racing program Sunday night. He turned in the fastest time with a 15.672 seconds lap as one of the drivers qualifying in the first group. He then won the first heat race in a close duel with Dustin Beck. The 25lap feature also became a final contest between McDowell and Beck. McDowell took the victory. That was the first feature win for McDowell at the speedway this season. Will Krup finished third behind Beck. The modifieds driven by Michael Hussman and Jason Kibby rounded of the top five. Krup had won the second heat held during the preliminary events.
Cody Trammel drove the 34T numbered mini-sprint to victory in the MMSA feature. The 20 lap event provided the closest main event finish of the night. Brad Strunk was just two seconds behind in finishing second. Jeff Schindler was third. Dylan Moan and Keith Langley were next as 11 of the 22 starters finished on the lead lap. Heat races went to winners Jaylon Mills, Brad Strunk, and Ethan Rutherford.
The entire racing program was completed following noontime and mid-afternoon showers. The track crew evaluated the situation, made the call, and then quickly prepared the track so racing could go on as scheduled.
The next event booked for Tri-State Speedway is one of the top dollar MSCS shows of the season. The Summer Showdown is scheduled for Saturday June 8th. It will pay $5,000 to win the BRANDEIS MSCS feature. The UMP Modifieds and MMSA Mini Sprints will also be competing in the program.
