By: Paul Reichert November 14, 2020
When the situation with COVID-19 first began to disrupt our daily lives back in March, there were concerns about whether or not we would be racing in 2020. We saw a light emerge from the situation after a couple of months and were able to have a competitive racing season. On Saturday night, the weekly competitors from Tomah-Sparta Speedway and the traveling Mid-American Stock Car Series got together to celebrate one of the most unique racing seasons ever. Sharing great racing memories, a delicious meal and recognizing the top compeitiors of the 2020 racing season brought a great crowd out to Club 16 in Sparta.
After gathering for a social hour by the bar at Club 16 and enjoying a delicious meal served by C&C Catering, it was time to recognize the top drivers of the year and hand out some hardware. The champions and the Rookies of the Year not only received trophies for their efforts, but also received a sharp looking Hoosier Tire jacket. Bill Schott was one of the big winners on the evening as he scored a daily double by claiming both the Sportsmen season championship and Rookie of the Year title. No doubt the first time that has even happened at ‘Daytomah’. Schott was also the recipient of the Hard Luck after his house burned to the ground the same night he was trying to wrap up the Sportsmen title. Schott- Rud Racing also had a great night as Alex Rud claimed the Hobby Stock championship, while Austin Schott was named the division’s Rookie of the Year.
It was a terrific night for both Paul Finch and daughter Jordan. They both finished in the top ten in Hornet points, were the receipients of the Social Media Award and were named by Pastor Andy Buhrow as the 2020 Family of the Year. After a great beginning to his season, Zach Oliver stayed competitive despite struggling through the rest of the season. Despite those struggles, Oliver still finished in the top ten in the Hornet point standings and also captured the Rookie of the year crown. He also earned $50 through one of the bonus drawings courtesy of TACU Credit Union. Veteran racer Al Bartels finished 8th in TACU Credit Union Six Shooter points and earned the Sportsmanship Award.
The Mid-American Stock Car Series honored their top five in the 2020 season, including Ron Vandermier, Jr. for claiming his third straight championship. Vandermier, Jr. joins Eddie Hoffman and James Swan as the third driver to score a hattrick of consecutive championships. After the banquet, it was learned that the series will be in new hands for 2021 and beyond as Greg Oliver has sold the Mid-American Stock Car Series to former competitior Tim Scrogham. The night concluded with the annual Sportsman of the Year Award. This year’s recipient of the award was the patriarch of the Oliver clan, Doug Oliver. Oliver has done all sorts of work to maintain the track, from lawn mowing to painting fences to helping out with the new seating and the new hamburger stand this season. Oliver has spent many hours at Tomah-Sparta Speedway keeping up the facility and making it the showplace it is once again.
Greg Oliver wants to thank all the drivers, race teams and race fans for supporting both Tomah-Sparta Speedway and the Mid-American Stock Car Series throughout this most interesting of racing seasons. The first race event of the 2021 season at ‘Daytomah’ will happen on New Year’s Day as the enduro competitors of the Impact Survival Series will invade Tomah-Sparta Speedway for their annual season opening ‘Chill Chaser Enduro’.
GO RACING PROMOTIONS BANQUET AWARD WINNERS
Mid-American Stock Car Seires Top Five–Ron Vandermier, Jr., Andrew Meyerhofer, Steve Blair, Dustin Mann, Rick Corso
$50 Bonus from TACU Credit Union–Bobby Gutknecht
Twisted Tea Modified Top Five–Brad Wildes, Nick Quinnell, Derrin Salo, Rick DeVito, Antonio DeVito
Tiwsted Tea Modified Rookie of the Year–Antonio DeVito
$50 Bonus from TACU Credit Union–Derrin Salo
Coors Light Sportsmen Top Five–Bill Schott, Jake Schiller, Troy Dobbratz, Jason Backus, Mark Challet Coors Light Sportsmen Rookie of the Year–Bill Schott
$50 Bonus from TACU Credit Union–Mark Challet
Hobby Stock Top Five–Alex Rud, Austin Schott, Andy Moore, Shelby Lockington, Aaron Hendricks Hobby Stock Rookie of the Year–Austin Schott
$50 Bonus from TACU Credit Union–Aaron Hendricks
Hornet Top Ten–Shawn McCarthy, Scott Mahlum, Mason Morphy, Bryan Wallace, Jordan Finch, Amelia Marshall, Chandler Turner, Paul Finch, Sammy Linnehan, Zach Oliver
Hornet Rookie of the Year–Zach Oliver
$50 Bonus from TACU Credit Union–Zach Oliver
TACU Credit Union Six Shooters Top Ten–Dan Frye, Dustin McCracken, Matt Moore, Sean Worman, Tim Murphy, Sr., Joshua Zacharias, Jestin DeLap, Sr., Al Bartels, Landon Lockington, Clayton Haessig
TACU Credit Union Six Shooters Rookie of the Year–Joshua Zacharias $50 Bonus from TACU Credti Union–Tory Lockington
Chaos Champion (Captain Chaos)–Jestin DeLap, Sr.
Hard Luck Award–Bill Schott
Sportmanship Award–Al Bartels
Best Appearing Car and Crew Award–Matt Moore
Most Improved Driver Award–Amelia Marshall
Hard Charger Award–Nick Quinnell
Social Media Award–Finch Racing
Comeptition Achievement Awards–Steven Mueller (presented by Dan Deicher) and Matt Moore
(presented by Scott Riedner)
Family of the Year (presented by Pastor Andy Buhrow)–Paul and Jordan Finch Extra Effort Award–Bryan Wallace
Sportsman of the Year–Doug Oliver
