6/22/2019
Midwest Power Series
Thomas Kennedy Sweeps To Tabor Memorial Victory at Ogilvie Raceway
Thomas Kennedy of Winnipeg, Manitoba has come close on a couple of occasions this season to winning a Midwest Power Series feature race. On Saturday night June 22 at the Ogilvie Raceway during the running of the 8th Annual Davey Tabor Memorial, Kennedy kicked the proverbial “monkey off his back” and went on to sweep the evening’s activities in the 360 winged sprint car division. Kennedy dominated the 25-lap main event, leading the entire distance. The race was only slowed once at the halfway mark on a track that was fast yet racy, as the Ogilvie track crew took advantage of the overcast conditions and gave the drivers a great racing surface all night long. Kennedy earned $3,000 for his first Midwest Power Series win of the season, his second career Midwest Power Series victory, and he also became the first driver to win the Tabor Memorial twice. Kennedy also won the dash and his heat race, picking up an extra $300 in the process from Al Parker Engines of Newton, Iowa.
A strong field of nineteen Midwest Power Series sprint cars signed into the pits for the evening. The program moved along quickly with the chance of rain increasing later in the evening. The three 8-lap heat races were won by Lee Grosz of Harwood, ND, Kennedy and Gregg Bakker of Sioux Falls, SD. Each driver earned $100 from Al Parker Engines. As mentioned, Kennedy topped the 4-lap dash. With the preliminary events completed, it would be Kennedy and Grosz on the front row for the feature. Eighteen cars took the green flag, as Dusty Zomer of Brandon, SD was a scratch in the Guy Forbrook car. Zomer reported that they had injured the engine in the dash.
Kennedy wasted no time in blasting into the lead at the drop of Brian Riedemann’s green flag. Kennedy set a quick pace and was soon lapping cars about one-quarter of the way into the race. The caution light blinked on for the only time with twelve laps in the books when Sye Anderson got sideways exiting turn two with several cars bearing down on him. Although Sye was able to recover, the yellow waved for safety reasons due to the high speeds involved.
On the restart, Kennedy picked up right where he left off and left the rest of the field to battle for positions from second on back. Kaleb Johnson of Sioux Falls was having a great run in third place and made a move to try and get by Grosz for second on lap 15. Johnson was not successful, as young Chase Viebrock of New Richmond, WI was able to take over the third place position. Johnson recovered to hold down the fourth spot. At the checkers it was Kennedy, Grosz, Viebrock, Johnson and two-time and defending Midwest Power Series Champion Derrik Lusk of Jackson. Wade Nygaard of Grand Forks, ND rode home in sixth followed by another two-time Midwest Power Series Champion, Chris Graf of Glencoe. Graf had moved forward from his 13th starting spot, and his +6 effort earned him the $120 GRP Motorsports/Minnesota Mafia Hard Charger Award in the feature. Another young and talented driver, Brendan Mullen from Grand Forks finished eighth. Bakker finished ninth, and rounding out the top ten finishers was James Broty of Lonsdale. Random draws prior to the start of the feature for the BOXO USA Bonus money saw the 5th and 9th place finishing positions selected. Derrik Lusk earned an extra $200 for fifth while Gregg Bakker picked up $100 for 9th from BOXO USA, makers of tool boxes for all uses and a series sponsor on selected race nights for these great bonus awards. Lusk also picked up an extra $300 from GRP Motorsports for the highest finishing Past Champion Bonus.
The next Midwest Power Series event will be a dandy for the running of the 2nd Annual Boss Hogg/Daisy Duke Tribute Night. On July 6 the Midwest Power Series returns to the Cedar Lake Speedway to join with the World of Outlaws and the UMSS sprints on a three division racing program at the legendary western Wisconsin facility paying $3,000 to win and $350 to start along with the usual heat race and dash winner bonuses from Al Parker Engines, the Hard Charger Award from GRP Motorsports/Minnesota Mafia and once again another BOXO USA Bonus night.
Midwest Power Series thanks it 2019 sponsors Midwest Power Equipment, GRP Motorsports, Mastell Brothers Trailer Service, Dekalb Asgrow Seeds, Al Parker Engines, BOXO USA, Donnohue Designs, AO Coolers, Grandview Buildings, LIFAN USA, Eagle and Vortex Racing Products.
Victory Lane Photo courtesy of On Point Photography.
Article Credit: Greg Parent
Submitted By: Greg Parent
