News

Front Row Challenge/Ultimate Challenge “Best of Both Worlds” Remaining Tickets on Sale 4/3!

OSKALOOSA, IA (4/2/12) by DarinShort.com. Now that existing ticket holders have had a chance to renew their 2012 requests, all remaining tickets will go on sale Tuesday April 3rd to both the 17th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge® (August 6th) and 11th Annual Casey’s General Stores Ultimate Challenge™ (August 7th) presented by Searsboro Telephone Company at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa Iowa.

Fans can purchase tickets to each of these blockbuster events by contacting the Front Row Challenge Enterprises office at 515-957-0020. The office is open weekly from 10AM-4PM (Central time) on Tuesday through Thursday.

Tickets to each event are reserved, and are $25 for adults (ages 13 and up). Ages 12 and under is $15 per event. The wildly popular “Infield Party Pass” is sold in advance for $20 for adults and just $5 for kids. The day of each event you can purchase an Infield Party Pass for $25.

In case you missed out on the recent announcement of the format changes, here’s what’s on tap for this year’s must-see events, held during the Cox Design and Metal Fabrication Inc. Southern Iowa Sprintweek:

Monday, August 6th – 17th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge (FRC) featuring a complete racing program for the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series competing for $5,000 to win – or $50,000 to win from the back! And for the first time, the Monday program will also feature a preliminary night for Tuesday’s Ultimate Challenge for non-winged Sprint Cars – so race fans will get to see the best of both worlds of 410 Sprint Car divisions for the price of one! The top two finishers of the non-winged feature will lock into the Tuesday night Ultimate Challenge feature race. Sammy Swindell has won the FRC the past three years in a row – is it possible he can become the only 4-time winner, or will someone dethrone him in 2012?

Tuesday, August 7th – 11th Annual Casey’s General Stores Ultimate Challenge (UC) presented by Searsboro Telephone Company, with the winner of the non-winged USAC Sprint Car feature race taking home a whopping $15,000! A complete program will be on tap for the USAC Sprint Cars; plus for the first time, the Hinchman Racewear Winged 305 Sprint Cars will join the night’s racing program and will run heats and a championship feature. Young Kyle Larson took home the UC honors in 2011, and fans can expect another top-flight group of the world’s best non-winged sprint drivers for 2012.

Please click www.OskyChallenges.com for more information about these two stellar events, including an event poster (link located in the navigation bar towards the top of the page). By clicking www.darinshort.com/osky.html you can view a seating chart for Southern Iowa Speedway.

Don’t miss out on any of the action! Order your tickets to the Front Row Challenge and the Ultimate Challenge – as we’re expecting a spectacular edition of both events in 2012!

Front Row Challenge/Ultimate Challenge “Best of Both Worlds” Ticket Renewals Kick Off February 7!

OSKALOOSA, IA (2/1/12) by DarinShort.com. ***3/13/12 UPDATE: All remaining tickets will now go on sale Tuesday, April 3rd, instead of March 13 as stated earlier. 2011 ticket holders that haven't yet purchased their 2012 renewal can do so until that date.***

News of this year’s format changes to both the 17th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge® (August 6th) and 11th Annual Casey’s General Stores Ultimate Challenge™ (August 7th) presented by Searsboro Telephone Company have resulted in record ticket inquiries to the Front Row Challenge Ent. LLC office.

And on Tuesday, February 7th existing ticket holders can renew their requests to both of these blockbuster events by contacting the Front Row Challenge Ent. LLC office at 515-957-0020. The office is open weekly from 10AM-4PM (Central time) on Tuesday through Thursday.

For those race fans wishing to purchase tickets to the 2012 event that didn’t have tickets in 2011, remaining ticket sales will officially open on Tuesday, March 13th.

Even with the announced format changes, there are no increases in ticket pricing.

Tickets to each event are reserved, and are $25 for adults (ages 13 and up). Ages 12 and under is $15 per event. The wildly popular “Infield Party Pass” is sold in advance for $20 for adults and just $5 for kids. The day of each event you can purchase an Infield Party Pass for $25.

In case you missed out on the recent announcement of the format changes, here’s what’s on tap for this year’s must-see events, held during the Cox Design and Metal Fabrication Inc. Southern Iowa Sprintweek:

Monday, August 6th – 17th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge (FRC) featuring a complete racing program for the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series competing for $5,000 to win – or $50,000 to win from the back! And for the first time, the Monday program will also feature a preliminary night for Tuesday’s Ultimate Challenge for non-winged Sprint Cars – so race fans will get to see the best of both worlds of 410 Sprint Car divisions for the price of one! The top two finishers of the non-winged feature will lock into the Tuesday night Ultimate Challenge feature race. Sammy Swindell has won the FRC the past three years in a row – is it possible he can become the only 4-time winner, or will someone dethrone him in 2012?

Tuesday, August 7th – 11th Annual Casey’s General Stores Ultimate Challenge (UC) presented by Searsboro Telephone Company, with the winner of the non-winged USAC Sprint Car feature race taking home a whopping $15,000! A complete program will be on tap for the USAC Sprint Cars; plus for the first time, the Hinchman Racewear Winged 305 Sprint Cars will join the night’s racing program and will run heats and a championship feature. Young Kyle Larson took home the UC honors in 2011, and fans can expect another top-flight group of the world’s best non-winged sprint drivers for 2012.

Please click www.OskyChallenges.com for more information about these two stellar events, including an event poster (link located in the navigation bar towards the top of the page). By clicking www.darinshort.com/osky.html you can view a seating chart for Southern Iowa Speedway.

We’d like to thank all of the fans, race teams and sponsors for their past and continued support of the Front Row Challenge and the Ultimate Challenge throughout the years – and we’re looking forward to spectacular edition of both events in 2012!

(Bill W) August 9, 2011 – Kyle Larson doesn't consider himself a "non-wing" driver, but the Elk Grove, California 19 year old won't convince the fans who have seen him in action lately. His latest win came at the Casey's General Stores Ultimate Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa Tuesday night.

Larson hooked up with the Hoffman Racing #69 team and it immediately paid dividends as the winner of last week's Belleville Midget Nationals swept his heat, his qualifier and the 30-lap main event handing the team their first win since May of 2010. The wait was worth it as the win paid $15,000.

Starting outside of row one, Larson took the early lead in the feature beating fellow front row starter, Robert Ballou, to the low side of turn one. With two laps in the books, Justin Grant took a nasty set of flips down the backstretch bringing out the red flag. He was uninjured. At the time, Larson led Ballou, Brady Bacon, Dave Darland and Levi Jones back to green flag racing.

Bacon moved by Ballou into second on lap three, and slowly reeled in the leader. On lap fourteen, as Larson was riding the high side of turns three and four, Bacon found the rubber on the low side to shoot by.

Dustin Morgan brought out the second red flag period of the race with sixteen laps in the books when he flipped hard into the turn three wall. Morgan was taken in for observation. Ten teams took the open red flag opportunity to change rear tires and go the rear of the field. Those driver included third place running Ballou, fifth place Jerry Coons Jr., sixth place Jones, and eighth place driver, Chris Windom.

Bryan Clauson who was slated to start in row two, elected to take a challenge to start at the back paying $5,000 to win, $1,000 for a top three, and $100 per car passed. He elected to change tires as well.

Once the lineup was set, Bacon was out front leading Larson, Darland, Hunter Schuerenberg and Shane Cottle back to green flag racing. Larson shot around Bacon and shut the door heading low into turn one on the restart. When he slid high, Bacon briefly took it back, but Larson carried his momentum into turn three to reclaim the point for good.

Larson seemed to be cruising to victory before seeing a caution fly after he saw the white flag. Clauson had suffered a flat tire and went pitside. Larson held off Bacon on the green, white, checker finish to claim his first Ultimate Challenge win.

Bacon was second, followed by Darland, Cottle and Coons, up from changing a tire. Schuerenberg, Coleman Gulick, Tracy Hines, Hud Cone and Damion Gardner rounded out the top ten.

Hoosier Right Rear Tires were awarded to heat and qualifier winners. The lucky drivers included Larson (2), Clauson, Ballou, Bacon, Jones, Windom and Darland. A foot race was contested by the winners, with Bacon coming out on top and winning a new Winters rear-end valued at $2,000. Cottle picked up a set of Schoenfeld Headers for winning the B, and a KSE Steering Pump for Keith Hutton Hard-Charger honors in the main event. Numbers were drawn during the driver's meeting for two left rear Hoosier Tires (Gary Taylor and Larson) and 1000 Autograph cards from DriverWebsites.com (Tony Everhart). Don Droud Jr. picked up $100 from John Lemon for being the first non-qualifier in the B.

10th Annual Ultimate Challenge Results

A main (started), 30 laps: 1. 69, Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA (2) 2. 99, Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, OK (3) 3. 21x, Dave Darland, Lincoln, IN (6) 4. 11, Shane Cottle, Kokomo, IN (16) 5. 2B, Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, AZ (7) 6. 35, Hunter Schuerenberg, Sikeston, MO (8) 7. 14, Coleman Gulick, Binghamton, NY (11) 8. 4, Tracy Hines, New Castle, IN (18) 9. 21, Hud Cone, Oakland City, IN (19) 10. 71, Damion Gardner, Concord, CA (21) 11. 81, Robert Ballou, Rocklin, CA (1) 12. 5x, Chris Windom, Canton, IL (13) 13. 20, Levi Jones, Olney, IL (4) 14. 53, Jon Stanbrough, Avon, IN (14) 15. 37, Casey Riggs, Shelbyville, IN (12) 16. 10T, Bill Rose, Plainfield, IN (22) 17. 7K, Gary Taylor, Houma, LA (23) 18. 71P, Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA (20) 19. 27, Keith Bloom Jr., Anderson, CA (10) 20. 29, Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA (5) 21. 10, Blake Fitzpatrick, West Terre Haute, IN (15) 22. 7, Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN (24) 23. 2x, Dustin Morgan, Owasso, OK (9) 24. 40, Justin Grant, Bloomington, IN (17). Lap Leaders: Larson 1-13, Bacon 14-16, Larson 17-30. Keith Hutton Hard-Charger Award: Cottle.

Heat one (started), 8 laps: 1. Bryan Clauson (6) 2. Mike Spencer (4) 3. Hud Cone (3) 4. Coleman Gulick (8) 5. Tracy Hines (5) 6. Justin Grant (1) 7. 1x, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (7) 8. 1, Mitch Wissmiller, Saybrook, IL (2)

Heat two (started), 8 laps: 1. Robert Ballou (4) 2. Casey Riggs (1) 3. Hunter Schuerenberg (3) 4. Jerry Coons Jr. (7) 5. Shane Cottle (5) 6. Gary Taylor (2) 7. 3*, Joey Moughan, Springfield, IL (8) 8. Bill Rose (6)

Heat three (started), 8 laps: 1. Brady Bacon (2) 2. Jon Stanbrough (1) 3. Levi Jones (3) 4. Dustin Morgan (5) 5. Damion Gardner (7) 6. 23s, Stu Snyder, Waverly, NE (4) 7. 2, Daron Clayton, Sikeston, MO (6) 8. 83, Wes McIntyre, McCordsville, IN (8)

Heat four (started), 8 laps: 1. Kyle Larson (2) 2. Keith Bloom Jr. (3) 3. Bud Kaeding (7) 4. Dave Darland (5) 5. Blake Fitzpatrick (1) 6. Chris Windom (4) 7. 55, Tony Everhart, El Cajon, CA (6)

Qualifier one (started, *qualified for feature), 8 laps: 1. Kyle Larson (5*) 2. Hunter Schuerenberg (3*) 3. Jerry Coons Jr. (4*) 4. Bryan Clauson (6*) 5. Damion Gardner (2) 6. Joey Moughan (1) 7. Don Droud Jr. (7) 8. Wes McIntyre (8)

Qualifier two (started, *qualified for feature), 8 laps: 1. Levi Jones (3*) 2. Robert Ballou (6*) 3. Tracy Hines (2) 4. Justin Grant (7) 5. Casey Riggs (4*) 6. Bill Rose (8) 7. Stu Snyder (1) 8. Mike Spencer (5)

Qualifier three (started, *qualified for feature), 8 laps: 1. Chris Windom (1*) 2. Dustin Morgan (3*) 3. Shane Cottle (2) 4. Bud Kaeding (6*) 5. Jon Stanbrough (4*) 6. Coleman Gulick (5*) 7. Daron Clayton (7) 8. Mitch Wissmiller (8)

Qualifier four (started, *qualified for feature), 8 laps: 1. Dave Darland (3*) 2. Blake Fitzpatrick (2*) 3. Brady Bacon (6*) 4. Keith Bloom Jr. (5*) 5. Gary Taylor (1) 6. Hud Cone (4) 7. Tony Everhart (7)
B main (started), 12 laps: 1. Shane Cottle (2) 2. Justin Grant (3) 3. Tracy Hines (1) 4. Hud Cone (6) 5. Mike Spencer (5) 6. Damion Gardner (4) 7. Bill Rose (8) 8. Gary Taylor (7) / 9. Don Droud Jr. (10) 10. Joey Moughan (9) 11. Stu Snyder (12) 12. Wes McIntyre (13) 13. Tony Everhart (11) 14. Mitch Wissmiller (14) DNS – Daron Clayton

Front Row Challenge/Ultimate Challenge Tickets Up for Grabs Tuesday!

(Bill W) April 5, 2011 – Remaining tickets for the Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge presented by Casey’s General Stores and the USAC Casey’s General Stores Ultimate Challenge presented by Don Long’s Searsboro Telephone Company are up for grabs Tuesday, April 5! You can purchase your tickets for both events by calling McTwo Promotions at 515-957-0020, Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Infield party passes will be $20 in advance, and $25 the day of the show.

The events are held at the ½ mile Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and along with the Nationals events at Knoxville are vital parts of Southern Iowa Sprintweek. “(Wife) Lori and I love the Challenges,” says McTwo Promotions’ Terry McCarl. “It is just an ideal fit for the fan, and that’s what we’re in this for. As always we’ll be taking care of fans young and old. We’re already lining up giveaways for our event. We are fans at heart, and that’s what the Challenges are all about!”

FRC

The 16th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge is one of the “must see” events on any race fans calendar, and will take place this year on Monday, August 8. The event will again be sanctioned by the All Stars, and you never know who will show up for the big money! Entertainment, as well as great racing is always a part of the “FRC”, and this year the winner’s share will again be $10,000! Of course, if a driver chooses to start at the tail of the feature and comes through the pack to win, they will pocket $50,000!

Sammy Swindell won last year’s edition for the second straight year ahead of Paul McMahan, David Gravel, Brad Sweet and Brooke Tatnell. You know the field will include the best in the sprint car business again this year! “The great thing about the Front Row Challenge is you never know who is going to tow in down that side street by the fairgrounds,” says McCarl. “As a fan, I think that is one of the most exciting things about this event. I had countless fans telling me the ‘King of the Hill’ race between Joey Saldana and Tyler Walker last year was worth the price of admission alone.”

UC

The best drivers in the “traditional” non-wing sprint car world battle it out in a “One night stand for 15 grand!” on Tuesday, August 9. The 10th Annual Casey’s Ultimate Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company will again be sanctioned by USAC, ensuring that the best drivers in non-wing sprint car racing will be on hand. Last year’s event was won by Bud Kaeding, who had taken the USAC Knoxville Non-wing Nationals two nights before. Bryan Clauson, Levi Jones, Damion Gardner and Dave Darland trailed Bud to the finish line. The action is always intense from the first green thrown to the last checkered flag at the Ultimate Challenge!

“I can’t tell you how many people have told me that the Ultimate Challenge is their favorite race all season,” says McCarl. “It seems that several heats and qualifiers come down to the line every year too. As a fan, that just gets me excited thinking about it.”

Don’t miss either event…order your tickets by calling 515 957-0020 today!

To keep updated and get more information on the FRC or UC, including historical data, ticket information and photos from last year’s events, log on to www.OskyChallenges.com!

(Bill W) March 4, 2011 – Ticket renewals for the Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge and the USAC Casey’s General Stores Ultimate Challenge have been extended until April 1! You can purchase your tickets for both events by calling McTwo Promotions at 515-957-0020, Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Note the office will not be open March 10 through March 21.

The remaining tickets will be up for grabs starting on April 1! Infield party passes may also be purchased at that time! Infield passes will be $20 in advance and $25 the day of the race. Kids are again $5!

The events are held at the ½ mile Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and along with the Nationals events at Knoxville are a vital part of Southern Iowa Sprintweek. “We think we offer a great event for people of all ages, without raising the prices every year,” says McTwo Promotions’ Terry McCarl. “We always have plenty of giveaways for the kids, and try to make an ‘event’ out of it. We want these races to be an ideal retreat for any race fan, and we do our best to make this thing bigger and better every year!”

The 16th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge has quickly become one of the “must see” events on any race fans calendar, and will take place this year on Monday, August 8.

The best drivers in the “traditional” non-wing sprint car world battle it out in a “One night stand for 15 grand!” on Tuesday, August 9. The event will be again be sanctioned by USAC, ensuring that the best drivers in non-wing sprint car racing will be on hand.

Don’t miss either event…order your tickets by calling 515 957-0020 today! Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover cards are welcome!

To keep updated and get more information on the FRC or UC, including historical data, ticket information and photos from last year’s events, log on to www.OskyChallenges.com!

Bud Kaeding Wins Casey's Ultimate Challenge!

From USAC and Bill W, image courtesy of Mike Campbell

Bud Kaeding took the checkers in Oskaloosa, Iowa Tuesday night and won the “Ultimate Challenge”. He was followed by Bryan Clauson, Levi Jones, Damion Gardner and Dave Darland.

Things got off to a ragged start in turn one in the 30-lapper. With several cars checking up in front, Windom got the worst of it and flipped hard. The incident also involved Wolfgang and Urish, and also Rose and Thomas, who were done. No one was hurt. Darland replaced a tire and went to the tail for the restart.

Clauson jumped out to a lead in front of Kaeding, who had a good start and Jones. Kaeding and Jones battled for second the first five laps before Kaeding took control. Larson had a resurgence and took third back from Jones, riding the cushion on lap sevent. On lap ten, Kaeding worked by Clauson for the lead.

The halfway point was unlucky for Larson, who jumped the cushion in turn one and turned the car over while running third. The Golden State Challenge driver who seeks a ride for the Nationals was unhurt. The restart was wicked for Ballou, who flipped violently down the backstretch. He was unhurt. The last restart saw Kaeding leading Clauson, Jones, Gardner and Coons Jr.

The last ten laps went fairly uneventful up front, with Kaeding nabbing his first Ultimate Challenge and $15,000 to go with his Knoxville Non-wing Nationals win on Sunday. Swindell lost three spots with a 360 spin on lap 24, but he kept it going. Darland passed Coons Jr. for fifth on the final go-around. Hmiel was the hard-charger and took home a new KSE Steering Pump.

USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 10, 2010 – Oskaloosa, Iowa – Southern Iowa Speedway – Casey’s General Stores “Ultimate Challenge”

FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Kyle Larson (#2 Yeley), .2. Bryan Clauson (#2B RWB), 3. Robby Wolfgang (#7k Williams), 4. Scotty Weir (#12B RWB), 5. Kyle Cummins (#21x Pollock), 6. Bill Rose (#6 Rose), 7. Steve Thomas (#20T Thomas), 8. Henry Clarke (#67 Kunz), 9. Shane Hmiel (#17s 56 Inc.). NT

SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Dave Darland (#39 Goodnight), 2. Damion Gardner (#71 DG), 3. Robert Ballou (#81 MPHG), 4. Chris Windom (#11 Walker), 5. Keith Bloom (#27 Braund), 6. Brady Bacon (#99 Tel-Star), 7. Chris Urish (#77u Urish), 8. Ricky Williams (#11w Williams), 9. Casey Riggs (#37 Indiana Underground). NT

THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Tracy Hines (#4 Hines), 2. Levi Jones (#20 Stewart), 3. Jon Stanbrough (#53 Fox), 4. Bud Kaeding (#29 BK), 5. Casey Shuman (#4G Cook), 6. Jerry Coons Jr. (#69 Dynamics), 7. Kevin Swindell (#1 Big Game), 8. Russ Harper (#9 Harper), 9. Chris Morgan (#F1 Morgan). NT

FIRST QUALIFIER: (8 laps – no points) 1. Larson, 2. Rose, 3. Clauson, 4. Harper, 5. Weir, 6. Wolfgang, 7. Thomas, 8. Morgan, 9. Ballou. NT

SECOND QUALIFIER: (8 laps – no points) 1. Coons, 2. Bacon, 3. Kaeding. 4. Jones, 5. Windom, 6. Hines, 7. Swindell, 8. Williams, 9. Hmiel. NT

THIRD QUALIFIER: (8 laps – no points) 1. Gardner, 2. Darland, 3. Shuman, 4. Cummins, 5. Riggs, 6. Urish, 7. Stanbrough, 8. Bloom. NT

FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Bud Kaeding, 2. Bryan Clauson, 3. Levi Jones, 4. Damion Gardner, 5. Dave Darland, 6. Jerry Coons Jr., 7. Brady Bacon, 8. Tracy Hines, 9. Kevin Swindell, 10. Shane Hmiel, 11. Casey Shuman, 12. Casey Riggs, 13. Russ Harper, 14. Ricky Williams, 15. Robby Wolfgang, 16. Chris Urish, 17. Kyle Cummins, 18. Kyle Larson, 19. Robert Ballou, 20. Keith Bloom Jr., 21. Scotty Weir, 22. Bill Rose, 23. Chris Windom, 24. Steve Thomas. NT

———————————————–

**Ballou & Morgan flipped during the first qualifier. Bloom and Stanbrough flipped during the third qualifier. Rose and Windom flipped on lap 1 of the feature. Larson flipped on lap 15 of the feature. Ballou flipped on lap 15 restart of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-9 Clauson, Laps 10-30 Kaeding.

The Casey's General Stores Ultimate Challenge presented by Don Long's Searsboro Telephone Co. is scheduled for Tuesday night, August 10, 2010!

Hot laps are scheduled for 7:15 with racing to follow!

Directions: The Southern Iowa Speedway is located 1/2 mile West of US 63 on SR 92, then 1/3 mile North on North I St. (at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds)

From Knoxville - Take SR 92 East 20 miles to Oskaloosa. Turn North on North I St. and go 1/3 mile to Fairgrounds.

From Hwy 163 - Take SR 92 Exit East to North I St. Go North 1/3 mile to Fairgrounds.

Front Row Challenge/Ultimate Challenge Tickets Up for Grabs!

(Bill W) March 31, 2010 – Remaining tickets for the Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge presented by Casey’s General Stores and the Casey’s General Stores USAC Ultimate Challenge presented by Don Long’s Searsboro Telephone Company are up for grabs! You can purchase your tickets for both events by calling McTwo Promotions at 515-957-0020, Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Infield party passes will be $25 and may be purchased in advance as well.

The events are held at the ½ mile Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and along with the Nationals events at Knoxville are a vital part of Southern Iowa Sprintweek. “(Wife) Lori and I love the Challenges,” says McTwo Promotions’ Terry McCarl. “It is just an ideal fit for the fan, and that’s what we’re in this for. As always we’ll be taking care of fans young and old. We’re already lining up giveaways for our event. We are fans at heart, and that’s what the Challenges are all about!”

FRC

The 15th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge is one of the “must see” events on any race fans calendar, and will take place this year on Monday, August 9. The event will again be sanctioned by the All Stars, and you never know who will show up for the big money! Entertainment, as well as great racing is always a part of the “FRC”, and this year the winner’s share will again be $10,000! Of course, if a driver chooses to start at the tail of the feature and comes through the pack to win, they will pocket $50,000!

Sammy Swindell won last year’s edition, ahead of Joey Saldana, Craig Dollansky, Donny Schatz and Lance Dewease.. You know the field will include the best in the sprint car business again this year! The racing in the event was affected by a large downpour early in the evening. “The one thing you can’t control is Mother Nature, but I think we did the best we could with the hand we were dealt,” says McCarl. “As a fan, on one hand, you had cars going faster than any time in history on that track, but we also didn’t have a whole lot of passing. We took some heat for something that was out of our control, but we have every intention of getting back to great racing that has made the FRC an August destination for the race fan.”

UC

The best drivers in the “traditional” non-wing sprint car world battle it out in a “One night stand for 15 grand!” on Tuesday, August 10. The 9th Annual Casey’s Ultimate Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company will again be sanctioned by USAC, ensuring that the best drivers in non-wing sprint car racing will be on hand. Last year’s event was won by Jesse Hockett by a fraction of a second over 2008 winner Dave Darland! The win was retribution for Hockett, who lost by a narrow margin in 2004. The action is always intense from the first green thrown to the last checkered flag at the Ultimate Challenge!

“I can’t tell you how many people have told me that the Ultimate Challenge last year was the best race they had seen in years,” says McCarl. “It seems that several heats and qualifiers come down to the line every year too. Last year, Kevin Swindell was third coming out of turn four and won a qualifier. As a fan, that just gets me excited thinking about it.”

Don’t miss either event…order your tickets by calling 515 957-0020 today!

To keep updated and get more information on the FRC or UC, including historical data, ticket information and photos from last year’s events, log on to www.OskyChallenges.com!

Front Row Challenge/Ultimate Challenge Ticket Renewals Begin Today!

(Bill W) February 16, 2010 – Ticket renewals for the Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge and the USAC Searsboro Telephone Company Ultimate Challenge being today! Starting today, you can purchase your tickets for both events by calling McTwo Promotions at 515-957-0020, Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The remaining tickets will be up for grabs starting on March 23! Infield party passes may also be purchased at that time!

The events are held at the ½ mile Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and along with the Nationals events at Knoxville are a vital part of Southern Iowa Sprintweek. “We think we offer a great event for people of all ages, without raising the prices every year,” says McTwo Promotions’ Terry McCarl. “We always have plenty of giveaways for the kids, and try to make an ‘event’ out of it. We want these races to be an ideal retreat for any race fan, and we do our best to make this thing bigger and better every year!”

The 15th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge has quickly become one of the “must see” events on any race fans calendar, and will take place this year on Monday, August 9.

The best drivers in the “traditional” non-wing sprint car world battle it out in a “One night stand for 15 grand!” on Tuesday, August 10. The event will be again be sanctioned by USAC, ensuring that the best drivers in non-wing sprint car racing will be on hand.

Don’t miss either event…order your tickets by calling 515 957-0020 today!

To keep updated and get more information on the FRC or UC, including historical data, ticket information and photos from last year’s events, log on to www.OskyChallenges.com!

Hockett Wins Ultimate Challenge With Ultimate Finish!
by Bill Wright

August 11, 2009 (Oskaloosa, IA) - The throng gathered at the 8th Annual Casey's Ultimate Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company could agree on one thing. They just saw one of the best races they had ever seen. Warsaw, Missouri's Jesse "The Rocket" Hockett edged defending race winner Dave Darland by .045 of a second for $15,000 and put his name on the list of previous champions in the prestigous event held at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA.

Darland took the point from his starting position outside of row one as the 30-lap main event got underway. Hockett followed the leader closely as the pair put some distance between themselves and the third place car of Chad Boat, who had moved up from row four by lap ten. Damion Gardner entered the mix in the battle for third, as a group of cars clustered about a straightaway behind the leaders.

On lap 13, the lead pair approached the lapped machine of Hud Cone, and on lap 16, Hockett made a successful slider count in turn four to take the lead. A lap later, 13th running Travis Rilat brought out the red flag with a flip in turn two. Hockett led Darland, Hunter Schuerenberg, Boat and Robert Ballou back to green flag racing.

The final 14 laps went non-stop, with Darland closely trailing Hockett, who was entering turn one low and sliding to the cushion in turn two, and riding the berm in three and four. With two laps to go, the leader was back in traffic, and Darland saw his opportunity. Entering turn three on the last lap, Hockett encountered the slower car of Henry Clarke. Briefly caught behind him in turn four, Darland saw his opportunity to outdrag the leader to the finish line. In the end, it was Hockett who avenged a close loss to Dickie Gaines in 2004.
"I didn't know what I was going to do that last lap," said Hockett. "The bottom was good, and so was the top. Dave Darland is such a great competitor, I knew he'd be there. My crew and my owners put a great car under me, and I can't thank them enough."
Hockett swept the night by winning both his Heat and his Qualifier to earn the pole position for the feature. Ballou, Shane Hmiel and Gardner all won heats, while Rilat, Darland and Kevin Swindell won Qualifiers. Swindell's win came after he was running fourth in turn four and won a four-wide drag race to the stripe. Gardner won a foot race for a new Winters rear-end that involved the Heat and Qualifier winners. Matt Westfall copped the B main. 42 cars were in attendance.
Joining Rilat as flip victims on the night were Coleman Gulick, who blew a right rear and toppled in hot laps, Josh Wise in heat race four, Dene McAllan in Qualifier One and Brad Sweet in Qualifier Four. No one was injured.
8th Annual Ultimate Challenge Finish (Started): 1. Jesse Hockett 13 (1) 2. Dave Darland 2B (2) 3. Chad Boat 30 (8) 4. Levi Jones 20 (4) 5. Cole Whitt 67K (10) 6. Kevin Swindell 83 (13) 7. Jerry Coons Jr. 69 (14) 8. Josh Wise 37 (22) 9. Robert Ballou 81 (3) 10. Hunter Schuerenberg 11 (7) 11. Bryan Clauson 7 (12) 12. Brady Bacon 99 (15) 13. Damion Gardner 71 (5) 14. Tracy Hines 21 (6) 15. Shane Hmiel 12B (9) 16. Matt Westfall 9x (21) 17. Casey Shuman 1 (20) 18. Johnny Herrera 2 (24) 19. Henry Clarke 67 (18) 20. Hud Cone 7D (23) 21. Nic Faas 17F (17) 22. Travis Rilat 1st (11) 23. Don Droud Jr. 71x (19) 24. Darren Hagen 12 (16)

Heat one (started): 1. Robert Ballou (1) 2. Tracy Hines (4) 3. Bryan Clauson (6) 4. Hunter Schuerenberg (8) 5. Chad Boat (10) 6. Kevin Swindell (9) 7. Cale Conley z1 (5) 8. Bruce St. James 7K (3) 9. Casey Riggs 37R (2) 10. Mike Moore 69x (7) DNS - Dene McAllan 5

Heat two (started): 1. Shane Hmiel (4) 2. Jerry Coons Jr. (3) 3. Cole Whitt (6) 4. Darren Hagen (5) 5. Nic Faas (10) 6. Casey Shuman (1) 7. Matt Westfall (7) 8. Wayne Johnson G1 (9) 9. Sheldon Leesekamp F1 (11) 10. Kaley Gharst 7x (8) 11. Terry Babb 21x (2)

Heat three (started): 1. Jesse Hockett (1) 2. Dave Darland (4) 3. Brad Sweet (6) 4. Don Droud Jr. (2) 5. Johnny Herrera (3) 6. Hud Cone (8) 7. Chris Urish 77u (9) 8. Caleb Armstrong 11D (7) 9. Robert Bell (5) DNS - Rob Chaney 57B

Heat four (started): 1. Damion Gardner (4) 2. Levi Jones (5) 3. Henry Clarke (6) 4. Brady Bacon (3) 5. Travis Rilat (8) 6. Mathew Shedarowich 8z (2) 7. Zach Chappell 50z (7) 8. Kyle Cummins 4u (1) 9. Josh Wise (9) DNS - Coleman Gulick 14

Qualifier One (started): 1. Travis Rilat (2) 2. Hunter Schuerenberg (3) 3. Tracy Hines (5) 4. Jerry Coons Jr. (4) 5. Shane Hmiel (6) 6. Johnny Herrera (1) 7. Mathew Shedarowich (7) 8. Wayne Johnson (8) 9. Kyle Cummins (9) 10. Mike Moore (10) 11. Dene McAllan (11)

Qualifier Two (started): 1. Jesse Hockett (5) 2. Chad Boat (3) 3. Cole Whitt (4) 4. Damion Gardner (6) 5. Don Droud Jr. (2) 6. Hud Cone (1) 7. Cale Conley (7) 8. Bruce St. James (8) 9. Kaley Gharst (10) 10. Casey Riggs (9) DNS - Rob Chaney

Qualifier Three (started): 1. Dave Darland (5) 2. Brady Bacon (2) 3. Levi Jones (6) 4. Nic Faas (3) 5. Casey Shuman (1) 6. Matt Westfall (7) 7. Robert Bell (9) 8. Brad Sweet (4) 9. Sheldon Leesekamp (8) DNS - Terry Babb

Qualifier Four (started): 1. Kevin Swindell (2) 2. Robert Ballou (6) 3. Darren Hagen (3) 4. Bryan Clauson (5) 5. Josh Wise (9) 6. Henry Clarke (4) 7. Caleb Armstrong (8) 8. Chris Urish (1) 9. Zach Chappell (7) DNS - Coleman Gulick

B main (started): 1. Matt Westfall (4) 2. Josh Wise (3) 3. Caleb Armstrong (2) 4. Johnny Herrera (1) / 5. Kaley Gharst (13) 6. Cale Conley (6) 7. Bruce St. James (11) 8. Chris Urish (7) 9. Mike Moore (15) 10. Zach Chappell (12) 11. Kyle Cummins (14) 12. Robert Bell (9) 13. Mathew Shedarowich (5) 14. Caleb Armstrong (8) 15. Wayne Johnson (10) DNS - Sheldon Leesekamp, Casey Riggs, Brad Sweet, Dene McAllan, Terry Babb, Coleman Gulick, Rob Chaney