The 2009 MSA Awards Banquet

Posted by SFJim | MSA News | Friday 29 January 2010 1:08 am

By: Bob Stascak

The 2009 Midwest Supermodified Association (MSA) Awards Banquet was held on Saturday January twenty third at the Westlake Holiday Inn. Before the evenings festivities began, there was a general meeting at noon which outlined several rule changes and procedures. Although barely one month into the new year, Kevin Jaycox said that there has been more done already at this point in time than in the past years. The 2010 MSA schedule was also released which has a mix of old and new venues. There will also be an MSA Steak Fry in March with the date to be announced. Sandusky Speedway will be the site of the MSA practice session on Sun. April 25, and the 2010 MSA season opens at Sandusky Speedway on Sat. May 8.

Kevin Jaycox, the MSA founder, was joined on stage by his new MSA management partners Randy and Rhonda Burch. Bob Gangwer made the trek from Oswego, New York to share the emcee duties and conduct interviews. It has been an MSA tradition to start the award ceremony with a trio of light hearted awards and tonight was no exception. The “King For A Day” award went to Bob Dawson, the “Charlie Schultz Hot Lap Award” went to Trent Stephens and the “Crying Towel” award went to Jon Henes.

Between the awards, the 2009 MSA top fourteen drivers were called to the stage. Starting with the fourteenth position the roll call was : Denny Fisher; Mark Sammut; Jim Paller; Jon Henes; Gene Lee Gibson; Matt Palmer; Rich Reid; Jack Smith; Randy Burch; Bob Dawson; Trent Stephens and Tim Ice (tie); Charlie Schultz and the 2009 MSA champion Tim Jedrzejek.

Gene Lee Gibson was the winner of the “Hard Luck” award. Trent Stephens was the winner of the “Brad Squires Rookie of The Year” award. Late Model star Tim Ice was voted “Most Improved Driver” and Todd Ridgeway was named “Media Member Of The Year.” There was a tie for the winner of the “Best Appearing Car” award which went to both Jack Smith (Jack Smith Racing) and Rich Reid (Gillingham/Reid Racing). “Winning Deliveries” awards were presented to Tim Jedrzejek, Mark Sammut, Charlie Schultz and Gene Lee Gibson.

Crystal Gillingham was presented with the “Woman Of The Year” award. Dick Lavati (Reeds Salvage Motorsports) won the “Mechanic Of The Year” award, Randy Burch was presented with the “Sportsman Of The Year” award. The “Crew Of The Year” award went to Acme Racing (Steve Stout). The “Bill Kovacs Owner Of The Year” award was presented to Craig Reed (Reeds Salvage Motorsports). Joe Gillingham won the “Terry Gibson Determination Award”, Rhonda Burch was presented with the “MSA Support Award.” Sharon Jaycox presented the “Ralph Jaycox Memorial Award” to Randy Burch.

10 Questions with Timmy Jedrzejek

Posted by midwestsupers | MSA News | Wednesday 27 January 2010 12:44 am

By: Bob Stascak

While the 2009 Midwest Supermodified Association (MSA) season is now in the record books, the 2010 season is on the horizon. This coming weekend will be the MSA Awards Banquet and before all of the accolades are handed out it is time to hear from the driver who has the most MSA feature wins, and is a five time MSA champion, Tim Jedrzejek from Independence, Ohio.
1.How many years have you been in racing ?
– I’ve been in racing for twenty eight years now. I started racing Go-Karts when I was thirteen years old.

2.You competed in the E-Mod division and then moved into the Supermodified division. For the fans that may not know, what years were these ?
– I raced in the E-Mod division in 1995 and then moved up to the Supermodifieds in 1997.

3.What was the appeal of the Supermodifieds ?
– I knew little about the Supermodifieds. The opportunity came about for me to fill in for Ron Henes. I wasn’t sure if I would be ready for something like this, however, I got more comfortable in a Supermodified with some more time behind the wheel and I’ve been in love with the Supermodifieds ever since.

4.Did you ever think that you would be able to return to racing following the series of concussions that you had ?
A return to being a driver again was always in the back of my mind even though I was content with my time away from racing. Everything changed after having a talk with Supermodified owner Craig Reed. I would be filling in for Jim Paller at Oswego Speedway and Toledo Speedway. We all had a good time and I would be back racing in more shows the following season.

5. You served as the Midwest Supermodified Association President in 2006. What was that experience like?
It was a great experience and it kept me involved with racing even though I couldn’t race at that time. I think that we had a successful year and I would like to thank Kevin Jaycox and Lee Booze for all of their help. While handling the MSA duties, I realized that I wanted to get back in the drivers seat which is why I only served as MSA President for one year.

6.  What would you like to see the Midwest Supermodified Association accomplish ?
I would like to see the Midwest Supermodified Association have a good structure, continue to grow as a series, have good competition with steady car counts and continue to move forward.
7.Do you think that touring divisions are the way of the future for speedways as opposed to having regular weekly divisions ?
Fans should continue to support the weekly divisions along with the E-Mod divison and the Sprints when they are on the schedule. The touring divisions are an exciting draw, but their purse structure has to be  attractive to the speedway promoters.

8. You were the MSA champion in 2002 – 2004 for May Motorsports and again in 2008-2009 for Reeds Salvage. Which of these title runs would you consider to be the greatest ?
– Winning the 2008 MSA championship was the most special. Craig Reed got a championship, it was a new team and a new car which made all of us work that much harder for it.

9. You lead the MSA all time feature win list with twenty two. Dave Shullick Jr. has nineteen feature wins, were you aware that you were closing in on his record ?
Yes, I was aware that I was closing in on Dave Shullick Jr.’s record. Dave is a very good driver and hopefully he can compete in some MSA shows this season.

10.  What are your plans for the upcoming 2010 MSA season ?
I would definitely like to have another MSA championship. I would like to run a flexable schedule this season with some select ISMA shows and there are some other plans that are not yet confirmed.


Changes Announced to Toledo Speedway Fastest Short Track Show in the World

Posted by midwestsupers | MSA News | Monday 25 January 2010 8:02 pm

TOLEDO, Ohio (January 25, 2010)– Due to economic, travel and scheduling issues, Toledo Speedway’s annual “Fastest Short Track Show in the World” featuring an open-wheel doubleheader of supermodified and winged sprint competition will see a change in the lineup of tours participating in the June 11, 2010 event. The International Super Modified Association (ISMA) Series will not return but the Midwest Supermodified Association (MSA)/Oswego Winged Challenge Series will join the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Winged Super Sprints for the popular event.

“ISMA has been a great partner, and we have a lot of respect for Howie Lane, his staff and all the ISMA teams that have supported the event at Toledo over the past several years,” said Ron Drager, Toledo Speedway promoter. “Being able to schedule a second race along with Toledo was crucial for ISMA based on cost and travel, and we couldn’t move off our traditional weekend date. At the end of the day we just couldn’t get matched up for 2010.” The June 11 doubleheader now featuring the MSA/Oswego Winged Challenge Series and the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints also presents the opportunity for Toledo Speedway to offer a $5 reduction in grandstand admission ticket price to fans who purchase their tickets in advance.

More details will be released as they are finalized in the coming weeks.  All updates on this race and all Toledo Speedway information can be obtained at http://www.toledospeedway.com.