Local Headlines

(6/9/2014) June 9, 2014 For Immediate Release By Todd Rose, UPIR Co-Announcer and Race Reporter Upper Peninsula International Raceway, Escanaba, MI. contact: upinternationalraceway@gmail.com Mother Nature Wins at UPIR Rain Forces Cancellation of Feature Races With a roaring amount of momentum from the Week One Races, UPIR hoped to continue the 2014 Bay de Noc Convention and Visitors’ Bureau season’s excitement this past Saturday evening. However, mother nature had other plans in store, as only a half night of action was completed before the skies opened and rain poured down. Prior to the night-ending storm, the action was hot as ever, with several down to the wire races, and side by side battles. The racing, sponsored by WRUP Real Classic Rock 92.7, got under way with the Street Stock heats. The first heat was won by Jeff Sullivan, with Kurt Schwalbach in second, and current points leader Rob Willis in third. The second heat was won by Eric Mathieson, followed in second by Paul Wagner, and third by Ron Jenshak. Current points leader Kyle Getchell just barely snuck into the top 5, finishing in the 5th position. Second on to the track were the 500 Micro Sprints for their heat race. After a close battle, Kristy Peterson took the win, with the impressive rookie Jesse Liss coming home second in only his second race on dirt in the 500 Sprints. Third place went to Paul Hosking, who also was part of the battle for the lead for the majority of this exciting race. The more powerful 600 Micro Sprints came out for their heats next. The first of three heats was won by Gregg Brayak, with Jared Cech second, and Jeff Ives third. Heat 2 was won by Jay Baumler Jr., with Josh Bartel in second, and Jim Groleau third. The final heat was won by Scott Degnan, with second place being taken by Bart Kostreva, and coming home third was Steve Miller. Defending UPIR Track Champion, and current points leader, Matt Peterson, had a rough night. After experiencing mechanical trouble early in his heat, Matt pulled off the track, returning later in the race, but finishing last. After the 600 Sprints exited the track, the kids of UPIR came out in the Junior Micro Sprint division. The race was won by points leader Logan Getzloff , with Dylan Larsen second, and Ty Springer in third. Springer had a very scary moment in turn one with two laps to go when his car launched into the air and spun sideways. After almost being hit, Ty righted the car, and somehow worked his way back to third in the final two laps. Undoubtedly the loudest division came out next, which would be the UPIR Modifieds. Two heats were run, with the first being won by Matt Valiquette. Second and third went to John Ostermann and Fran Berube respectively. The second heat race was won by defending UPIR Track Champion Dale Peterson, followed in second by Lonnie Dalgord, and in third Pat Richer. The last division to race before the rains came were the Sport Fours, running four heats. Heat 1 was won by Bryon Stemick, with Cory Corwin second, and David Martin third. Points leader Erik Marenger won the second heat continuing his dominance, with Chris Olson second, and Elliot Reid third. Heat 3 was won by Robbie Iverson, who also won the late model asphalt feature night before at Norway Speedway. Second place went to Justin Lauscher, followed in third by Joe Ostermann. The final race of the night was won by Randy Degrave, with Hattie Bourdeau second and Gerald Lanaville third. All feature races will be made up over the next two weeks. We know the races will happen, but the question now is, who is going to win? Will the points leaders continue on a roll, or will someone new pull an upset? The next race at the UPIR Action Track is going to be held Saturday, June 14. Gates will open at 5 PM EST, with racing starting at 6 PM EST. www.upirtrack.com

This article posted by Upper Peninsula International Raceway. Click here for more track information.