2012 Dart Challenge for WISSOTA Late Models schedule is set
ABERDEEN, SD (February 24th) – The Dart Challenge Series for WISSOTA Late Models will kick off 2012 in South Dakota, where two events in two days will be held to start off the season. The 12 race schedule invades 9 different race tracks in 3 different states and more than half of the shows pay $3000 or more to win, led by Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, SD with a $6200 to win show.
The series kickoff will be held the first weekend in June at Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, SD as part of the Challenge Cup XII, where the high profile touring drivers and best local aces will compete in a $6200 to win show. Adam Hensel took home last year’s $5000 to win Challenge Cup prize money, but this year’s Challenge Cup has a rather unique twist to it. Promoter Orville Chenoweth will release more details on his series-opening signature event soon. The following night on Sunday, June 3rd the Dart Challenge Series continues about 100 miles northeast of Huron in Watertown, SD at Casino Speedway with a $2000 to win show, where Marshall Fegers is the defending winner. Fegers outran a strong contingent on South Dakota's raciest little track last year and the quarter mile bull ring's fans really got their money's worth at Casino Speedway.
The series cools down during June and the race teams will stay home to support their home tracks and entertain their hometown fans, but at the close of the month, Dart Series racers will hit the road again, and then July will test the mettle of the series combatants, who will have not only their weekly shows to contest, but also eight high-paying stops on the Dart Challenge Series. The run of big shows on the Dart Series will begin with Deer Creek Speedway’s event on the final day of June; the big guns hope to stop 2011 race winner Jimmy Mars, who took home the $3000 winner's share back to Wisconsin last year. The following night, Sunday, July 1st, the series competitors make their annual stop at Eagle Valley Speedway in Jim Falls, WI for $2000 to win show. Adam Hensel will have a target on his back for this stop because last year, he picked up his second win in the Dart Challenge Series when the traveling troupe invaded EVS.
The series takes a couple weeks off before it ends the busy month of July with six races in 12 days, starting with a back-to-back-to-back nights in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. Starting off on Wednesday, July 18th the series invades Ogilvie Raceway in Ogilvie, MN with $2000 to win on the line once again. Adam Hensel picked up his third win of the series last season when the Late Models competed at Ogilvie Raceway.
The following night, Thursday, July 19th, the series stops at Grand Rapids Speedway in Grand Rapids, MN for a $2000 to win show where Jeff Provinzino defended his home turf and was last year's winner. The final night of the trio concludes on Friday, July 20th at AMSOIL Speedway in Superior, WI, where Brady Smith stole the checkered last season.
One week later the Dart Challenge Series heads west to South Dakota for another three-night swing of thrilling WISSOTA Late Model racing. The first stop on Friday, July 27th is at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, SD for a $3000 to win show. Justin Fegers notched his first Dart Challenge Series win of the 2011 season on the Brown County oval. The second night of the three-night tour is on on Saturday, July 28th, when the series makes its second stop of the 2012 campaign at Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, SD for a $3000 to win show. In 2011, hometown racer Brian Diede took home the series' second stop at DSFS. The third straight night of action will be at Casino Speedway in Watertown for the second time in 2012; two thousand dollars will be on the line this time around, and eventual series champion Jake Redetzke will try to defend his 2011 victory at Casino Speedway.
That will leave two remaining shows on the 2012 Dart Challenge Series docket, and the first will be on Wednesday, August 15th at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen for the Larry Gerlach Memorial show; the show will pay a strong $3000 to win, and last year when the pack rolled into BCS for the second round of series action, Redetzke raced to his third win in the series. The Dart Challenge Series will wrap up in 2012 during the Labor Day weekend at Hibbing Raceway in Hibbing, MN. The Saturday night show will kick off the annual Labor Day Shootout and the Late Model feature will pay $3000 to win.
Dart Machinery, a tremendous partner to grassroots racers and sanctions around the nation, has sponsored the WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series since 2008. Dart Machinery produces the finest in high performance cylinder heads, engine blocks and intake manifolds for both racing and high performance street applications. Manufacturing technologically advanced components for Chevy and Ford performance is their business. For more information about Dart Machinery products, check out www.dartheads.com.
Dart Challenge Series information and sponsorship inquires can be sent to series director Jeff Olson at jolson@wissota.org or Olson can be reached by phone at (507) 251-3852. Late-breaking announcements about the series can be found in All The Dirt! Racing News and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wissotalmcs. Following is the complete schedule of 2012 dates and winning payoff:
Saturday, June 2nd – Dakota State Fair Speedway – Huron, SD – $6200
Sunday, June 3rd – Casino Speedway – Watertown, SD – $2000
Saturday, June 30th – Deer Creek Speedway – Spring Valley, MN – $3000
Sunday, July 1st – Eagle Valley Speedway – Jim Falls, WI – $2000
Wednesday, July 18th – Ogilvie Raceway – Ogilvie, MN – $2000
Thursday, July 19th – Grand Rapids Speedway – Grand Rapids, MN – $2000
Friday, July 20th – Amsoil Speedway – Superior, WI – $3000
Friday, July 27th – Brown County Speedway – Aberdeen, SD – $3000
Saturday, July 28th – Dakota State Fair Speedway – Huron, SD – $3000
Sunday, July 29th – Casino Speedway – Watertown, SD – $2000
Wednesday, August 15th – Brown County Speedway – Aberdeen, SD – $3000
Saturday, September 1st – Hibbing Raceway – Hibbing, MN – $3000
