By Kari Shear-Carlson
October 8, 2012 – The ASA Midwest Tour presented by SCAG Power Equipment and Lester Buildings wrapped up the 2012 season this past weekend at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in the 43rd Annual Oktoberfest Championship Weekend.
JONATHAN EILEN CLINCHES THE ASAMT SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP
Twenty-two points separated ECHO and ECHO Bear Cat Touring Stars, Jonathan Eilen and Nathan Haseleu as they entered the final weekend of the season. It was a huge surprise when Eilen did not qualify nor race into the event and had to take his only provisional of the year. This allowed Haseleu to gain 13 points going into the feature. With Haseleu starting in eighth and Eilen 26th, the championship was still up for grabs. But Eilen did what he needed to do going from 26th to a fifth place and clinching the 2012 Championship.
TRAVIS SAUTER MAKES IT FOUR FOR SIX IN THE ASAMT
Necedah, WI driver, Travis Sauter has raced in six total ASAMT events in 2012. Four of those have ended in victory lane. Sauter was crowned the Oktoberfest Champion after taking home the win in dominating fashion. Sauter qualified second for the race, started eleventh and methodically made his way to the front. Sauter led 45 of the 100 laps and came away with the win over Skylar Holzhausen.
JAMES SWAN WINS THE ASA MIDWEST SCAG TRUCK TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
James Swan entered Friday night’s Truck event with a 51 point lead over John Wood. While it seemed a long shot, the way the ASAMT points system works, mathematically John Wood and his brother Jerry Wood who was in third 57 points out, still had a chance. However when James Swan topped the qualifying charts and backed it up with the victory, there was no shot left for anyone else. This was Swan’s first season in the Truck Tour in a truck borrowed from QKA Racing.
JAMES SWAN WINS THE OKTOBERFEST CROWN
Swan came into the weekend with two goals in mind; a championship and a win. He accomplished both. Swan was the fastest qualifier and after an almost full truck invert, he started in the eleventh spot. By lap seven Swan was already up to second. A few laps later he was in the lead and never looked back.
STORM SHATTERS TRACK RECORD IN QUALIFYING
If anyone deserved good luck this season, it was Jeff Storm. Storm’s second half of the season was on the up swing and when he earned his first ever ECHO Bear Cat Quick Cut Qualifier Award on Saturday afternoon, it put the icing on the cake. Storm turned an 18.527 setting a new track record. Unfortunately the bad luck came back on Sunday afternoon, but Storm still proudly displays his Oktoberfest Faster than a Speeding Bullet Award.
ECHO AND ECHO BEAR CAT TOURING STARS FINISH UP THE SEASON
The ECHO and ECHO Bear Cat Touring Stars topped six of the top ten finishers on Sunday afternoon. After a huge wreck on lap two, many of them were done for the day. Chris Weinkauf, Brandon Hill, and Jeff Storm all only put one lap in the record books. Cardell Potter also had mechanical problems on the same lap while running in second and also only completed one lap in the day.
Skylar Holzhausen finished second while Champion Jonathan Eilen finished sixth followed by Andrew Morrissey in sixth. Nathan Haseleu, Jason Weinkauf, and Chris Wimmer rounded out the top ten. Rookie of the Year Matt Tifft finished in 12th while Chris Weinkauf finished 21st after also being caught up in the lap two incident.
MATT TIFFT AND JACOB VAN WAZER CLAIM ROOKIE OF THE YEAR HONORS
ECHO and ECHO Bear Cat Touring Star, Matt Tifft of Hinckley, OH won the ASAMT Rookie of the Year honors. Tifft had a stellar year and ended up finishing fifth in the final point standings.
Jacob Van Wazer walked away with the ASA Midwest SCAG Truck Tour Rookie of the Year honors. Van Wazer finished in the top ten in all but one event in the 2012 season.
ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICIALS, SPONSORS, COMPETITORS AND TEAMS, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT DURING THE 2012 SEASON. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN 2013!
Be sure to follow the ASA Midwest Tour on Facebook (asamidwesttour) and Twitter (@asamidwesttour).
To learn more about the ASA Midwest Tour presented by SCAG Power Equipment and Lester Buildings, log on to asamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ASA Midwest Tour office at (630) 212-6022 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@asamidwesttour.com or Steve Einhaus at steve@asamidwesttour.com.
To learn more about the Daytona Beach, Florida-based Racing Speed Associates or the American Speed Association® Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from racetracks and regional tours involved in the American Speed Association®, visit www.asaracing.com.
