With all of the uncertainties of this past race season, there were still a lot of positives on the racetrack. The delay of the opening race until June did not damper the number of participants ready to compete. The Showdown originally scheduled for April was held on June 14th with 45 USAC/MSCS sprint cars in attendance. Stephen Schnapf took home that first 2020 victory.

As the month of June progressed, a doubleheader World of Outlaw Sprint event was held on the weekend of June 19/20. Carson Short was Friday night’s winner and Carson Macedo sat in victory lane on Saturday evening. This event was televised and shown live on CBS Sports Network. The scheduled June 27th Class Track Mania race was rained out.

The only race held in July was the American Classic and local favorite Kyle Cummins was the MSCS feature winner, UMP Modified winner was Brandon McDowell and Brandon Coffey took home a win in the MMSA Mini-Sprints.

The annual USAC Indiana Sprint Week battled with Mother Nature throughout the week. The scheduled race on August 1 was washed out so new plans were made to finish up the week on Sunday, August 2nd. Kyle Cummins took home the checkers and Chase Stockon was the week-long victor and became the 2020 USAC Sprint Week Champion.

The Hoosier Sprint Nationals held on August 15th saw three divisions in action with MSCS driver Kyle Cummins once again celebrating in victory lane. The IMCA Racesaver feature was won by Bradley Sterrett and the UMP Modified winner was once again Brandon McDowell.

September brought the Labor Day Weekend Challenge with none other than MSCS driver Kyle Cummins finishing first followed by a victory once again in the UMP Modifieds for Brandon McDowell. The Haubstadt Hustler race held on September 19 held a few surprises for many as the original feature winner Kendall Ruble was disqualified later because of altered tires. The $10,000 prize eventually was awarded to Chase Stockon. Justin Jones was the UMP Modified winner.

As the season wound down, The Harvest Cup on Oct. 10 was a night filled with over 100 participants. The MSCS finale saw Kyle Cummins take home the top prize of $5000. Thomas “Tmez” Meseraull was the USAC Midget winner and first- time winner Jaylon Mills topped the field of MMSA Mini-Sprints.

Congratulations to Chase Stockon who was awarded the title of 2020 MSCS Champion at the conclusion of the season. Chase finished out 95 points ahead of second-place finisher Kyle Cummins. Stan Beadles was awarded the 2020 MSCS Rookie of the Year award. He was involved in a fiery crash at the Haubstadt Hustler race in September but was in attendance in October to accept the award much to the delight of the fans.

It was a race season like no other with Covid restrictions in place, high anxiety, and anticipation of unknown limitations to be placed upon us. We look forward to 2021 with plans for a new year, new outlook, and once again, great expectations!

With the year 2020 going down as one of the most historical in our lifetime, here at Tri-State Speedway we continue on as our season winds down to the final three events.  With guidelines set forth by the Governor of Indiana for raceways to reopen, we are still limited to 50% capacity. Sanctioning groups have stepped up their plans to comply with online sales for several events. Even with an abbreviated schedule starting in June instead of the anticipated April opening, we have witnessed some extraordinary racing.

The June 14 Showdown saw 45 MSCS – USAC drivers signed in with one of our hometown favorites, Stephen Schnapf, taking home the win. Also rounding out the month was the unexpected hosting of a two-day World of Outlaw Sprint show.  Fans enjoyed a double header with local favorite Carson Short of Marion, IL picking up his first Outlaw feature win on night #1 and California native Carson Macedo winning night #2 which was broadcast live on CBS Sports Network. Even with limited fans permitted, those in attendance were witnesses to epic racing.

The first “Class Track Mania” event set for June 27 was rained out with no plans for rescheduling this year.

The month of July started with the July 5th American Classic. The MSCS feature winner was Kyle Cummins who has once again proven he knows his way around this Class Track. UMP Modified driver Brandon McDowell posted a win here along with MMSA driver Brandon Coffey. The July 18 Sprint Stampede race was cancelled as the Covid-19 cases ramped up in this area. It was time for a break from racing as we took several weeks off to regroup and clear the air.

The long awaited USAC Indiana Sprint Week scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1 was postponed because of rain but Mother Nature cooperated on Sunday, Aug. 2 and 41 USAC sprint drivers were ready to finish up this week plagued by rain. Kyle Cummins won the feature race but the driver crowned the Sprint Week Champion was Chase Stockon of Fort Branch, IN. His consistency paid off and he was awarded the coveted rocking chair as he capped off the week.

On August 15 the Hoosier Sprint Nationals was once again loaded with MSCS Sprint car talent. The winning driver was Kyle Cummins as he makes another great run for this year. Rounding out the Modifieds was once again Brandon McDowell with Bradley Sterrett winning the IMCA Racesaver feature.

Three big events remain on our 2020 schedule with the Labor Day Weekend Challenge up next on September 6 with the MSCS Sprints and UMP Modifieds. The annual Haubstadt Hustler paying $10,000 to the winner of the MSCS-USAC feature is scheduled for Saturday, September 19. Closing out this year will be The Harvest Cup on October 10 with the MSCS Sprints, the USAC Midgets, and the MMSA Mini-Sprints in action.

With all of the uncertainty and restrictions put in place this year, it has been a season of challenging times for everyone. We take this opportunity to thank everyone involved which includes the other sanctioning groups such as Dirt Motorsports, USAC, and MMSA who assisted in helping us schedule races. The drivers, owners, fans, and sponsors who stood by us knowing we were doing our best to get the season started are to be commended. Last, but not least, are all of our employees who make it all possible – we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Now let’s enjoy the rest of this race season and keep our fingers crossed for a better 2021!

For the first time in the history of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, “The Greatest Show on Dirt” will run a doubleheader weekend at Tri-State Speedway on June 19-20.

The Haubstadt, IN track has played host to some of the most exciting World of Outlaws races for 30 years, starting in 1979. In just the past few years at the quarter-mile track, NASCAR-star Christopher Bell won a thriller last year, David Gravel won twice, and Parker Price-Miller earned his first career World of Outlaws win in 2017. It’s also one of the rare tracks on the schedule where 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz is still seeking a victory.

Limited tickets will be available for the two events and you can get them by clicking here. Single day and two-day packages will be available. Fans will also get to choose to sit in either the East or West grandstands.

Upon arriving, fans and participants will have their temperatures taken. Social distancing will be required and CDC guidelines recommend wearing face covers, but they are not mandatory.

Please visit worldofoutlaws.com to order your tickets.

We have all seen it – we have all lived it – but now we want to move forward in this new world and experience a sport that has taken a back seat for a few months. On Sunday, June 14, there will be racing at Tri-State Speedway but with seating restrictions placed at 50% capacity. For this reason, all tickets sales (general admission and pit passes) must be ordered in advance online.

It is an easy process to follow by going to usactickets.com. After logging in, you will need to scroll down to find the June 14 event at Tri-State Speedway. The entire process is quick and simple if you follow it through and submit.  You will then receive a confirmation which you will bring to the track to exchange for your ticket(s) at either the ticket booth or pit entrance.

This inaugural Showdown race for 2020 will feature the USAC Sprints along with the MSCS Sprint drivers for a top prize of $5000. With very little racing completed so far this year, there will be many anxious drivers ready to hit the track.  Also in action will be the MMSA MIni-Sprints to complete the program.

We have updated our schedule to reflect the changes made necessary by the Covid-19 pandemic. All of the previously scheduled races in April and May were canceled with the World of Outlaw Late Model race postponed from May 30.  Discussions are taking place to find another possible date for that event.

The July 5th date dubbed the American Classic featuring the MSCS Sprints, Modifieds, and MMSA Mini-Sprints is a new addition. This year more than ever, there could still possibly be changes or dates made to our schedule.

As we return to racing, please be assured we want to do all that is necessary to keep you and your family safe. We will do our best to meet all state-mandated guidelines and look forward to seeing so many familiar faces.

BRANDEIS MIDWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES –

32 cars and stars signed into the pits from 9 different states (IN, IL, KY, TN, MO, IA, NM, AL, CA) to do battle for the Brandeis Midwest Sprint Car Series Harvest Cup.

Chayse Hayhurst from Evansville, IN was crowned 2019 MSCS Rookie of the Year.

Kyle Cummins from Princeton, IN was crowned series Champion for the 5th time in his career (07, 08, 09, 14, 19).

Steven Schnapf from Newburgh, IN set Addiction Solutions fast time with a lap of 13.576 and received $100 for his efforts.

4 heat races were contested as 4’s were wild. Each heat race winner came from the 4th starting spot. Kyle Cummins (Princeton, IN), Kent Schmidt (Owensville, IN) Steven Schnapf (Newburgh, IN) and CJ Leary (Greenfield, IN) all won heat races.

Dakota Jackson (Elizabethtown, IN) won the B main also from the 4th starting spot.

The 30 lap $5,000 to win Harvest Cup was next on the slate. Kyle Cummins started on the pole and led all 30 laps in dominant fashion and made history as he went  a perfect 8-8 on the season at Tri-State Speedway in non wing competition. Steven Schnapf, Shane Cottle, CJ Leary, and Chris Windom rounded out the top 5.

Critter Malone was the Certified Rental Hard Charger starting 14th and finishing 6th.

USAC MIDGET FEATURE –

As friends and former roommates, Jason McDougal and Kevin Thomas, Jr. have a bond that extends further than the racetrack.  On the racetrack, though, each are routinely tough customers regularly waging battle against one another, giving no quarter in pursuit of triumph.

Nowhere was that more evident than Saturday night’s Harvest Cup at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. where the series made its return following a seven-year absence.  The stage allowed the two to slug it out for a majority of the 30-lap main event, exchanging the lead seemingly every single lap on both ends of the track, delivering slider after slider until the final bell tolled.

The baton for the lead was passed between Logan Seavey, Thomas, McDougal and Thomas Meseraull officially speaking, six times at the line (26 times unofficially) until McDougal emerged with the lead for good 10 laps from the finish to score his second career series win and the second of the 2019 season.

The feast of sliders began right from the initial green when reigning series champ Logan Seavey bolted to the lead from the pole position into turn one.  Fourth-starting Thomas made his initial bid for the lead in turn three on the opening lap before Seavey cut back under off the fourth turn to lead the opening lap.

Meanwhile, back in the pack, Tucker Klaasmeyer endured a Tommy Tipover in turn four that brought out the night’s only red flag.  Klaasmeyer restarted after changing a flat left rear tire and made an impressive charge from 22nd to a 7th place finish at the checkered.

Following the restart, Seavey commanded the lead up front while Thomas and the emerging McDougal, who started 5th, began swapping the runner-up spot by lap five when McDougal moved into the spot.  Two laps later, McDougal steered it deep into turn three, sliding past Seavey on the bottom and riding up over the cushion.  That allowed Seavey to drive back by under McDougal while Thomas got past McDougal then took over the spot from Seavey on the eighth lap.

McDougal raced back to 2nd on lap nine, then turned up the wick on Thomas with a run off turn 4 under Thomas that moved him back to the lead by a half-car length on the 10th lap, but only momentarily, as Thomas powered back to the lead with a pair of crossovers of McDougal in turns one and three to sustain his grasp of the top spot.

Back and forth, the two attacked the quarter-mile dirt oval throughout the middle portion of the feature with McDougal repetitively diving to the bottom in turn three to nab the lead, but each time, Thomas answered by driving underneath McDougal exiting four and leading into turn one.

McDougal brought the hammer into the first turn each time, arching his car above the cushion before driving straight as an arrow down off the turn two banking with a run to the inside of Thomas in turn four.  A lap 17 caution for Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Qualifier and 8th running Gio Scelzi, who slowed to a stop in turn one, put a brief hiatus to the chaos ensuing at the head of the pack.

On the restart with 13 to go, a new contender emerged in 12th starting Thomas Meseraull, himself a 3rd place finisher in the 2011 Hut 100 at Tri-State.  Meseraull was in position to capitalize when Thomas slid by McDougal in turn two. McDougal and Thomas made slight bumper to bumper contact, both chocked it up, and Meseraull drove underneath both down the back straightaway and into the lead.

Meseraull withstood McDougal’s relentless pursuit over the next few laps, countering each turn three slider delivered to him on laps 18-19-20 to retain the lead at the stripe.  On the 21st lap, McDougal went into action with a slider under Meseraull in turn one.  This time, Meseraull launched off turn two and entered turn three side-by-side under McDougal.  The two aimed to occupy the same piece of ground at the same moment at the top of turn four with Meseraull’s right front tire and McDougal’s left rear meeting face-to-face, sending Meseraull backwards into the outside wall, thus ending his bid for victory, although he did return to finish 8th after restarting from the tail.

On the lap 21 restart, McDougal was gone, opening up a full-straightaway lead over Thomas and, for all intents and purposes, putting this one on ice as he ran his preferred line in the middle.  With a clear track in his sight, McDougal set the fastest lap of the race on the 24th circuit and all was right in his world.

However, a caution on lap 25 involving Karsyn Elledge and Jerry Coons, Jr. erased McDougal’s advantage and put him in the position of having to deliver the same restart performance once again and avoid a potential race-changing slider from Thomas and now 3rd running Kyle Cummins who, earlier in the night, wrapped up his undefeated Tri-State season with his 8th sprint car win in as many appearances at the track in 2019.

The next try saw McDougal escape with an eight car length lead on the restart, but only briefly as Elledge spun to a stop on the bottom of turn four on the 26th lap, forcing yet another restart and putting him in a slightly precarious position, but he knew his FMR Racing/Panther Graphics South – TRD – Mobil 1 – FK Rod Ends/Beast/Speedway Toyota was working solidly, giving him the utmost confidence to finish the job.

The final, final restart was just as peachy for McDougal as he pulled away once, twice and third and for all, pulling out to a half-straight advantage on initial lap following the restart and securing the victory by a 2.752 second margin over Thomas, Cummins, point leader Tyler Courtney and Justin Grant.

Of note, Tanner Thorson’s time of 2:59.89 set during the night’s semi-feature, established a new 12-lap USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget track record at Tri-State, eclipsing the mark set by Jerry Weeks 40 years earlier, in 1979, by nearly 17 seconds.

MMSA SEASON FINALE…

Brad Strunk piloted his lightning sprint to yet another win for 2019 to put the wraps on another season.

Twenty-two entries made their appearance to the famed Tri-State Speedway Saturday night. Strunk would have a perfect night, he won his prelim in dominate fashion and then went to pace the field of 22 to the checkers for the final time in 2019.

Brandon Smith and Anthony Haas would lead the field to green. Haas would get the jump on the field and lead the first section of the main event followed closely by Rod Henning and Brad Strunk. The trio would catch lap traffic early to help Rod Henning take the top spot, Strunk would move to second. Strunk would eventually get the better of the lap traffic to over haul Henning for the lead to cruise to the final MMSA event of 2019.

Top ten were Strunk, Henning, Trammell, Haas, Jeff Schindler, Jaylon Mills, Brandon Coffey, Brandon Smith, Cindy Chambers and Ethan Rutherford.
The feature evert went from green to checkers in a matter of less then 5 minutes.

Heat race winners were Strunk, Trammell, and Haas.

MMSA crowned their 2019 Champion also with the conclusion of this event.
Cody Trammell had a great year to win back to back series titles. Strunk would finish second, with Brandon Coffey, Keith Langley and Anthony Haas rounding out the top five for 2019.

After winning $100,000 in April through NASCAR’s Dash 4 Cash Christopher Bell already knew what he would like to do with the money: purchase his own Sprint Car.

Six months later the Norman, Okla. driver parked his self-owned No. 21 car in Victory Lane for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series’ Sunday night event at Tri-State Speedway.

The victory was his fifth career World of Outlaws win – first as an owner in the Series – and first win at the speedway.

“So, I had four Outlaw wins coming into today and I promise you those four Outlaw wins would be in my, arguably top-five, definitely top-ten of my favorite wins of my life,” said an elated Bell. “To get number five here with my own race car and a group of friends working on this thing is really special.”
The Indiana race was Bell’s fourth time in his own car, which he built with friend Chad Boat. He already had one win in it, too. However, throughout the night, you would’ve thought he’d been racing it for years. Bell even claimed he wasn’t good at the quarter-mile track.

He first dispelled that allegation with strong runs in his Drydene Heat race, where he finished second, and the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, where he finished third. In both races he had a car capable of charging to the lead but ran out of laps to do so.

In the Feature, Bell had 40 laps to accomplish his mission.

Sweet jumped to the lead at the start of the race with Brent Marks and Bell in tow. However, five cautions – which separately involved drivers such as David Gravel, Sheldon Haudenschild and Donny Schatz – in the first 12 laps hindered the top three from finding a rhythm.

Bell highlighted his speed in that time span, sliding by Marks for second during a short run in between cautions.

After the accident on Lap 12, the race went caution free for the remaining 28 laps. With Schatz mired in the back of the field, Sweet was poised to have a strong points day, especially if he could secure the win. However, Bell wasn’t sympathetic to his cause.

Both almost saw their winning desire vanish on the restart with 28 laps to go. Third-place Kerry Madsen dove underneath Bell and Sweet in turn three, eyeing the lead. The Australian couldn’t find the grip to exit the corner ahead of them and fell back to third by turn one.

The battle was then Sweet versus Bell. Sweet ran high, while Bell slung his car around the bottom of the track, creeping closer and closer to the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 car every lap. And Sweet knew it.

On Lap 16 the Californian stole Bell’s line running the bottom in turns three and four. Bell countered his move and switched to the high side of the track.

The beneficiary of the swap proved to be Bell. He got a run off turn four, propelling him to Sweet’s rear bumper down the front stretch. He stayed high into turn one, as Sweet went low and, again, charged off the corner with momentum. This time he was able to use it to dart underneath Sweet into turn three and clear him for the lead by turn four, officially taking it on Lap 18.

“I felt good all night long and I knew our car was really close,” Bell said. “Honestly, we didn’t really change very much all night long. We kept getting those short stints and I felt fine. I felt like I just needed to get some time underneath of us and get going.”

The race was then Bell’s to lose. He distanced himself from Sweet, even with lap traffic creating an unpredictable obstacle course in front of him. Sweet began to fade by the halfway point, losing second to Madsen and eventually falling to fifth. Madsen didn’t have anything for Bell, but another threat behind him did.

After finding himself at the back of the field due to being involved in an early caution, Haudenschild moved his way into fifth with 19 laps to go. He was third with nine laps to go and second with five laps to go. The NOS Energy Drink No. 17 was an unstoppable bullet. But time was not in his favor and Bell worked lap traffic with ease.

However, worry did set in for Bell in the closing laps, unsure how his car would handle as the track changed and if he would have enough fuel to finish.

“This track just changes so much,” Bell said. “I’ve never gone good here before in my life. This is the first time I’ve come to Haubstadt and been competitive. I learned a lot today.”

By the time Bell sped past the waving checkered flag, he had a 3.7 second lead over Haudenschild.

“I set us back tonight with qualifying and getting in that mess in four, just really put us behind,” Haudenschild said. “After I did that my goal was to get back to where I was and go from there. On this type of track we know we’re going to have restarts. Just tried to get track position as early and quick as I could on those restarts and just try to pick them off after that.”

Madsen rounded out the podium with his brother Ian Madsen finishing fourth and Sweet ended the night fifth. After being involved in two accidents, Schatz managed a 13th-place finish but is now 30 points behind Sweet.

Wins are all that matter to Bell when it comes to racing with the World of Outlaws. Every one of them he cherishes, he said, especially when they’re with friends.

“Everyone works their tails off on it, but it’s a lot of fun because we’re all friends,” Bell said. “Just very thankful to be here driving this thing.”

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 21-Christopher Bell [3][$10,000]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [18][$5,500]; 3. 2M-Kerry Madsen [4][$3,200]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [10][$2,800]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$2,500]; 6. 99-Brady Bacon [14][$2,300]; 7. 19-Brent Marks [2][$2,200]; 8. 83-Daryn Pittman [13][$2,100]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9][$2,050]; 10. 2-Carson Macedo [15][$2,000]; 11. 5-Shane Stewart [17][$1,500]; 12. 41-David Gravel [11][$1,200]; 13. 15-Donny Schatz [5][$1,100]; 14. 11-Zeb Wise [20][$1,050]; 15. 5X-Justin Peck [16][$1,000]; 16. 32-Chase Stockon [19][$900]; 17. 7-Critter Malone [22][$800]; 18. 7S-Jason Sides [23][$800]; 19. 14X-Jeff Swindell [24][$800]; 20. 39-Hunter Schuerenberg [7][$800]; 21. 96-Parker Price-Miller [12][$800]; 22. 17K-Kendall Ruble [6][$800]; 23. 11K-Kraig Kinser [21][$800]; 24. 99G-Skylar Gee [8][$800]; Lap Leaders: Brad Sweet 1-17, Christopher Bell 18-40; KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[+16]

UMP Modifieds –

25 UMP Modifieds signed into the pits. Brandon McDowell from Boonville, IN was the overall quick qualifier with a 15.574 time.

A total of 3 heat races were contested with Jason Kibby, Brandon McDowell and Dustin Beck taking first place.

The B Main included 8 cars to fill the A-main starting field, with Brent Hudson winning and the other four transfers were Andy Elliott, Mark Cole, John Netherly, and Scott Dunlap.

Brandon McDowell and Dustin Beck put on a fierce battle for the first 21 laps of the A main until the 2 cars got together coming off of turn 4 sending McDowell into the wall and Beck flipping halfway down the front straightaway ending both competitors night. The 91k of Jason Kibby inherited the lead and led the remaining 4 laps to give the Vincennes native his first feature win of the season at the high bank’s.

Next up on the Tri-State Speedway schedule is The Harvest Cup Season Finale. This event features three divisions – the MSCS Sprints, the USAC Midgets, and the MMSA Mini-Sprints. Saturday, October 19th – the action gets started at 5:00 PM (CST) with warm ups followed by racing at 6:30 PM (CST).

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