CARLSON CONTINUES TO MAKE HISTORY

By: Kari Shear-Carlson
(Monday, June 14, 2010) The American Speed Association® Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment and grandstay.net completed the third event of the season on a very hot and very humid Friday night at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, IA. All three ASA Midwest Tour divisions competed on Friday night and all three quick qualifiers in each division won their respective features.

CARLSON WINS SEVENTH KEITH FLECK/MILLER 100
Steve Carlson wrapped up yet another victory at Hawkeye Downs Speedway, his second ASAMT feature win in 2010, fourth consecutive and seventh overall Miller 100 victory. The driver of the #66 Chevrolet also took home the “ECHO Chain Saws and Oregon Chains Quick Cut Qualifier” award. Carlson started in the 12th position and took over the lead from pole sitter Jeff Storm on lap 22.

SWISS COLONY TOURING STARS SHINE
ASA Midwest Tour Swiss Colony Touring Stars took home the top seven spots on Friday night. Nick Murgic and Jeff Storm both had season best finishes and incredibly strong cars. Murgic moved up 11 positions to finish fourth in the event. Jeff Storm led the first 22 laps and continued to battle in the top five the entire night, finishing fifth overall. Dan Fredrickson also had his best night of the season, finishing second to Carlson and the only one who was able to close in on the leader. Both Nathan Haseleu and Tim Schendel had their second consecutive top seven finishes. Third place finisher and current point leader, Chris Wimmer is the only driver to have finished in the top five in all three events so far this season.

ESWEIN OVERCOMES ENGINE WOES FOR TOP TEN FINISH
Mark Eswein had not intended to run the full ASAMT series in 2010. However, after only three events, the driver of the #71E is tenth in points. What started out as a frustrating day turned into a great run for Eswein. After suffering from spark plug issues, Mark did not know if he was going to start the feature. But after help from Steve Setzer of Performance Concepts in Cedar Rapids, IA, Eswein started the feature in his original starting spot and came home with a solid top-ten, finishing in the 8th position.

HAMPTON, MINNESOTA DRIVER INJURED IN LATE RACE INCIDENT
ASA Midwest Tour Swiss Colony Touring Star, Jonathan Eilen of Hampton, Minnesota made hard contact on the driver’s side with the backstretch wall on lap 96 Friday night during the ASAMT 38th Annual Keith Fleck/Miller 100 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, IA. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital after complaining of lower back pain. An MRI indicated that Eilen fractured the L3 vertebrae in his lower back, has several broken ribs and bulging discs. The 24 year old driver will need to be in a lower back brace as well as under go physical therapy for an undetermined amount of time.

WOOD TAKES HOME THE ASA OREGON MIDWEST TRUCK TOUR DEBUT AT HAWKEYE DOWNS
John Wood took home his first victory of the season in the ASA OREGON Midwest Truck Tour on Friday night. The quick qualifier moved up through the field after starting in the ninth position, battling Tom McClintock until the checkered flag flew. McClintock finished second with John’s brother Jerry rounding out the top three.

CHRIS MAREK SETS THE PACE IN THE ASA MIDWEST SPORTSMAN DIVISION
Fast qualifier, Chris Marek started tenth in the 35-lap Sportsman feature and and quickly moved through the field. After battling lap after lap, Marek was able to take home the victory followed by the #7 of Mark Paulson and the #8 of Mike Heelein.

To learn more about the American Speed Association® Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment and grandstay.net, log on to www.asamidwesttour.com or call the ASA Midwest Tour office at (262) 514-3880 or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@asamidwesttour.com or Steve Einhaus at steve@asamidwesttour.com.

If you would like to learn more about the ASAMT series title sponsors, please visit their websites: Kwik Trip, Inc. (www.kwiktrip.com), ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment (www.echo-usa.com), and GrandStay Residential Suites Hotels and Crossings by GrandStay Inn & Suites (www.grandstay.net).

To learn more about the Midwest Sportsman Tour log on to www.asamidwestsportsman.com.

To learn more about the ASA OREGON® Midwest Truck Tour log on to www.asamidwesttrucks.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.

ASA®, ASA Racing®, and American Speed Association® are registered trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC. ASA International, LLC or Racing Speed Associates, LLC are not related to or affiliated with the ASA Late Model Series, LLC.