October 23, 2024 – Must See Racing officials today announced another date from their yet to be released 2024 schedule for their 410 National Series. The series has announced that they will be competing in the Empire state of New York for the first time since 2012, nearly 12 years ago.
The series is set to invade the ½-mile Lancaster Motorplex in Lancaster, New York on Saturday June 1, 2024, for an event that will pay the winner $5,000 with $700 to start.
Must See Racing last competed in New York in 2012 with an event on July 5 at Shangri-La II Speedway that saw Aaron Pierce pick up the win. Two nights later Jimmy McCune was victorious at Oswego Speedway. The Lancaster event will mark only the third time ever that 410 asphalt winged sprint cars have competed in the state of New York.
Lancaster Motorplex first opened in 1959 as a dirt track. It was paved in 1963 and has raced as a pavement track ever since. Lancaster is 14 miles east of downtown Buffalo. Although winged sprint cars have never competed at Lancaster Motorplex, it has been a regular stop for winged Supermodifieds over the years.
Speedway owner Scott Nurmi wanted to bring in something new and exciting and the wicked fast winged 410’s of Must See Racing grabbed his attention.
“I called Jim Hanks with Must See Racing and told him I wanted to bring them to Lancaster Motorplex” explained Nurmi. “They are fast, incredible cars, and the fans love them on top of it. We’re just trying to do something different every year. We wanna bring in good quality shows. We’re hoping this is popular with our fans and we can bring in Must See Racing for years to come.”
With the announcement of this event, Lancaster Motorplex can claim bragging rights to have the only 410-winged pavement sprint car event in the state of New York thus far for 2024. The 2024 MSR schedules are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. For more info on the series like and follow us on Facebook or visit http://www.mustseeracing.com.
Photo: The field prepares for the start of a 2023 MSR event in 2023. David Sink Photo
October 17, 2023 – Holly, Michigan – Must See Racing today announced two more dates from its yet to be released 2024 schedule. The series will compete at Birch Run Speedway in Birch Run, Michigan on two occasions in 2024.
Both the 410 National Series and Midwest Lights Series will come together for a double-header on Friday May 4. This could very well be the season opener for both series. The 410’s will be on the 4/10-mile while the Midwest Lights will be on the inner ¼-mile oval.
The MSR National Series made four visits in 2023 including the two-night American Speed U.S. Nationals. Jimmy McCune was victorious twice while Charlie Schultz and Davey Hamilton Jr. each scored MSR National wins. Birch Run Speedway was also the site of two Must See Racing MAVTV nationally televised events this past season.
Cody Gallogly swept both Maxima Racing Oils Midwest Lights Series events contested at Birch Run Speedway in 2023. His success at Birch Run Speedway helped propel him to a second consecutive series championship.
The final appearance of MSR at Birch Run Speedway in 2024 will occur on Friday July 19 when both series will join forces once again for a double-header. The 410’s will be on the 410-mile and the Midwest Lights will be on the ¼-mile oval.
Birch Run Speedway has historically drawn great crowds for MSR events in the past and 2024 looks to be much the same. The 410 National Series will be chasing a winner’s share of $4,000 and $600 to start in both of these events. This would now mean that it will pay $4,000 to win all four of the recently announced 2024 MSR dates at Birch Run Speedway and Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Michigan.
The 2024 MSR schedule is nearly complete and is expected to be finalized and released before the end of the month. For more information on Must See Racing please like and follow us on Facebook or visit http://www.mustseeracing.com.
October, 9, 2023 – Holly, Michigan – The Must See Racing Sprint Series Presented by Engine Pro released an early glimpse of their 2024 schedule for both the 410 National Series and Maxima Racing Oils Midwest Lights Series.
Both series are set to invade Owosso Speedway as part of a twin bill of racing action beginning June 22 with a follow up return date on August 31. Both series will be action with both events awarding full points.
Owosso Speedway provided the perfect venue for winged sprint car action in 2023. With a new resurfacing, a new track record fell to Rick Holley on the second and final visit of the year when he toured 3/8-mile oval at 12.520 seconds. Holley bested an 18-year-old record previously held by the late Cameron Dodson.
The 410 National Series teams will be competing for $4,000 to win both nights and $600 to start.
Both events provided stellar racing this past season. In the event earlier in the season Jimmy McCune held off late race challenges by Davey Hamilton Jr. to capture the feature event. In the final MSR appearance over Labor Day Weekend Ryan Litt and Hamilton Jr. waged a ferocious battle through lapped traffic to see Hamilton Jr. emerged victorious in front of the cameras of MAVTV in the nationally televised event.
These are the first two dates officially announced from the 2024 MSR schedule. MSR hinted that additional dates will be released in the coming weeks revealing the 2024 schedule for both the 410 National Series and Midwest Lights Series.
For more information on Must See Racing please like and follow us on Facebook or visit www.mustseeracing.com.
Henes did everything within his power to erase a 15-point deficit, leading all 30 laps of the Steve Sexton Memorial feature at the three-eighths-mile oval en route to victory, but Gallogly’s third-place finish was more than enough to secure his second series title in as many years.
Gallogly’s final championship margin was 10 points. He becomes the first back-to-back and first multi-time champion in Midwest Lights history.
“It’s what you work for all season, and we had to work for this one, especially with the crash at Owosso (Speedway in Michigan) during the summer that set us back,” noted Gallogly. “We never gave up, though; we just dug down deep and got it done. I feel like we’ve had one of the best cars all season and it’s nice when you can see that consistency and performance rewarded when it’s all said and done.”
Gallogly kicked off the night by setting the fastest time in group qualifying, a lap of 13.343 seconds (101.177 mph), with Bob Komisarski and Sawyer Stout topping the pair of 10-lap heat races held prior to the start of the main event.
A five inversion originally put Stout on the pole, but after he spun coming to the start of warm-ups and had to relinquish his scheduled grid spot as a result, Joshua Sexton led the field to green in an emotional moment – the first race for the series since the passing of his father and car owner, event namesake Steve Sexton.
Henes took over from that point on, however, charging from third to first in the opening lap and never looking back en route to a 1.471 second victory over runner-up Andrew Bogusz.
Though Gallogly didn’t come into the night looking for a third-place finish, he knew that this was the one night he had to protect his points position in pursuit of the bigger picture.
“I don’t like racing for points; when it’s in the back of your mind that’s just not the most fun feeling as a racer, but we knew tonight was the one night we might have to do that in order to bring home this championship,” Gallogly said. “We always race to win, but we knew a top three would get it done tonight and once I got there, I made sure nothing crazy was going to happen toward the end of the race.
“It’s special, to be the first two-time champion with this series; I’m glad my family was able to be here to celebrate with us tonight and we’ll head home, regroup and try for a three-peat next season.”
Stout rallied back to finish fourth and Sexton closed out the top five.
In a special tribute, series officials planned for an extra lap at the conclusion of the feature, during which all cars came to a stop in turns three and four and allowed Sexton’s silver No. 51s to come to the checkered flag alone in honor of his late father – one of the staunchest supporters of Must See Racing over the years.
The 2024 Must See Racing Midwest Lights schedule and championship banquet details will be released in due course. For more information, visit www.mustseeracing.com.
September 19, 2023 – the Maxima Racing Oils Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series will conclude their 2023 season this Saturday night September 23 at Lorain Raceway Park in South Amherst, Ohio. The MSR Lights event will be part of a huge weekend of racing that will include several different classes of cars as part of the ‘Steve Sexton’s Halloween Festival of Speed’.
Sexton was a car owner in the series who recently passed away on September 9. Sexton fielded cars in the series with son Joshua as the driver. Sexton was well respected and assisted many racers in Northeast Ohio over the years. He played an important part in helping racers with parts and set-up knowledge. LRP decided to name the event in his honor due to his huge popularity.
In honor of Sexton, an extra $51 will be given to MSR Lightsheat race winners. In addition, $51 will be added to each payout position in the feature event. #51 was the number carried on all of Sexton’s cars.
The event will conclude the 2023 season for the MSR Lights. Defending champion Cody Gallogly holds a 15-point advantage over former series champion JJ Henes. Gallogly will be looking to seal his second straight series championship with a solid night.
Gallogly has maintained the series points lead all season on the heels of his series leading three feature victories and three Fast Time awards in 2023.
One of the biggest car counts of the season is expected. In addition to Gallogly and Henes, other drivers expected include Joshua Sexton, Bob Komisarski, Charlie Baur, Andrew Bogusz, Parker Corbin, JD Evans, Brandon Tregembo, Matt Double, Dale McQuillen, Todd McQuillen, and Sawyer Stout.
For more info on the Maxima Racing Oils Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series please like and follow us on Facebook or visit www.mustseeracing.com.
PLYMOUTH, Ind. (Sept. 16, 2023) – After years of trying, Jason Blonde finally ascended to the pinnacle of the Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series on Saturday night.
Despite finishing second in the tour’s season finale at Plymouth Motor Speedway, Blonde’s effort was more than enough to secure his first Must See Racing championship over title rival Charlie Schultz.
Blonde outperformed Schultz in all facets of the night at the quarter-mile paved oval. He was one position faster than the defending champion in qualifying, won his heat race and then finished two spots ahead of Schultz in the title-deciding 40-lap feature.
Despite the championship battle being tied at one point during the closing stretch of the season, Blonde never officially trailed from start to finish after winning the season opener back in May.
The final margin of Blonde’s maiden Must See Racing title – the eighth major pavement sprint car championship of his storied career – was 24 points over Schultz.
“Second isn’t what we come to the racetrack for, but a points title still makes this a sweet night,” said Blonde, whose championship also marked the first Must See Racing crown for car owner Tony Nosal. “Thanks to Tony and all my guys for everything they do and have done all year to get us to this point. We’ve run this series off and on for a long time, but to finally put everything together and win a championship is something that we’ve wanted to achieve as a group, and we’ve finally done that.
“Charlie gave us fits all year; he’s a great competitor and he made us work for it,” Blonde added. “He was right there at the door knocking and it really could have gone either way at several moments. I just tried to not let it get to me – it’s hard not to think about it – but being able to be consistent helped out.”
Though Blonde started from the pole of Saturday’s main event, it was Davey Hamilton Jr. who ended the season on a tear, winning his third straight feature to close out the season.
Hamilton used a crossover sweep entering turn three to take the lead from Blonde on the third lap, then drove away to a commanding 10.228 second victory in a caution-free feature.
“Even in warmups, I knew we had a good car,” Hamilton tipped. “I tried the outside then just to see what it could do, and I felt like we had something for Jason if we could just hang on for the first couple of laps. He overdrove turn one a bit there and I was able to get by him on the other end, and from that point we just had a great race car. I can’t thank Kirk Morgan and all my guys enough for that.
“I saw the scoreboard at one point, and I knew Jason was still running close to the front … but I saw him in front of me at the end, so I couldn’t believe we almost lapped the whole field. This was a special one, for sure.”
From start to finish, Saturday’s race took eight minutes and 21 seconds to complete.
Behind Hamilton and Blonde, Tyler Roahrig completed the podium for his best finish of the season in the Ken Statham-owned No. 36, with Schultz crossing the line fourth in his IBT Motorsports No. 9s.
Joe Liguori was fifth, while fast qualifier Bobby Komisarski – who started sixth but drove up to second using the outside lane of the racetrack – ended up back where he began after a mechanical failure in the final corner of the race caused him to spin in turn four just 100 yards from the finish line.
In his first-ever race in a full-size sprint car, rookie Brady Allum put together a solid effort and scored a top-10 finish, earning hard charger honors after advancing from 13th to ninth.
Komisarski kicked off the night with his first Must See Racing fast time, setting a lap of 11.486 seconds (84.625 mph) in qualifying. Tommy Nichols and Blonde split the pair of eight-lap heat races.
The night also featured a missing-man three-wide salute to late Must See Racing car owner Steve Sexton, who passed away suddenly on Sept. 10 following the series’ Labor Day weekend visit to Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Mich.
With the Must See Racing national sprint car season complete, the Must See Racing Midwest Lights will conclude their season and crown a champion on Sept. 23 at Ohio’s Lorain Raceway Park.
For more information on Must See Racing, visit the series website at www.mustseeracing.com.
September 12, 2023 – Holly, Michigan – The Must See Racing Sprint Series Presented by Engine Pro is set for its final race of the 2023 season this Saturday Night at Plymouth Motor Speedway in Plymouth, Indiana. The stage is set for a thrilling final to the 2023 championship chase.
Going into Saturday’s final event, current point leader Jason Blonde holds a 15-point lead over defending champion Charlie Schultz. Blonde’s 15-point margin is anything but safe. MSR awards a significant number of points for qualifying and heat races. If Blonde intends to win his first MSR championship, he must qualify well and run good in the heat race and feature event.
Shultz has been a qualifying sensation this year. He currently has 5 Fast Time awards this season. If he could somehow set quick time at Plymouth, he could close the point’s gap ahead of the feature event. If that scenario plays out, we could see a drama filled feature event that would decide the 2023 championship chase.
The 2023 MSR season has been one of the most competitive seen in years. There have been 6 different feature winners thus far including first time winner Davey Hamilton Jr.
Hamilton Jr. enters the Plymouth final as one of the hottest drivers in the country. He is currently on a two-race MSR win streak. He is also on an overall three-race win streak that includes a USAC Silver Crown Series victory.
The lineup for this Saturday’s event will be stout as evidence of the early entry list. In addition to Blonde, Schultz, and Hamilton Jr., several other top drivers are entered. Hometown hero Tyler Roahrig headlines a list that also includes Chris Neuenschwander, Joe Liguori, Brady Allum, Rick Holley, Bobby Komisarski, Tommy Nichols, Joe Speakman, Kevin Mingus, Teddy Alberts, Quintin Saayman, and Jeff Bloom among others.
A huge crowd is expected as this will be the first winged asphalt sprint car race at the track since the dirt was removed from the asphalt prior to last season. Jimmy McCune won the last winged asphalt sprint car race at the track on September 9, 2011.
September 7, 2023 – Holly, Michigan – The Must See Racing Sprint Series Presented by Engine Pro is preparing for its 2023 season finale at Plymouth Motor Speedway September 16. It will be the first-time winged pavement sprint cars have graced the three-eighths mile, semi-banked track in over 13 years.
Due to the length of absence of winged pavement sprint cars at the track, a huge crowd is expected. Dirt has covered the asphalt facility for twelve years but was removed prior to last season. Jimmy McCune won the last winged asphalt event at the track on September 9, 2011.
The 2023 MSR championship will be decided at this event. Currently Jason Blonde has a 15-point lead over defending champion Charlie Schultz. If Blonde can hold onto his points lead, it would be his first career MSR championship in an already storied career.
Hometown hero Tyler Roahrig leads an early field of entrants that already includes Teddy Alberts, Brady Allum, Jeff Bloom, Rick Holley, Joe Liguori, Kevin Mingus, Tommy Nichols, Quintin Saayman, Joe Speakman, and many more.
Davey Hamilton Jr., who is enjoying a two-race MSR win streak, had originally planned to sit this event out to prepare for the upcoming Pink Lady Classic in Meridian, Idaho is now confirmed. Team owner Kirk Morgan revealed the temptation to continue the current win streak was enticing. “It would be nice to continue the streak and it will be good to race against tougher competition one more time before the Pink Lady Classic” explained Morgan. “This will help us prepare for that race and we’re on our way out there anyway. Thats what ultimately changed our decision”.
For more updates on the season final please visit www.mustseeracing.com.
OVID, Mich. (Sept. 2, 2023) – Davey Hamilton Jr. stayed on a roll and collected his second straight Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series victory Saturday night at Owosso Speedway.
Hamilton stayed persistent, and after losing the lead on a mid-race restart to Ryan Litt, re-passed Litt on the bottom of the three-eighths-mile oval with three laps left before driving away to the win.
It marked Hamilton’s third consecutive win in a pavement, open-wheel car, when adding in a USAC Silver Crown Series triumph at World Wide Technology Raceway on Aug. 27.
“Ryan Litt is one of the best in the country … and I knew it was going to take a lot to beat him,” said Hamilton. “Our car was fast, even though I messed up on that restart a bit. We were running about the same lap times, and the lap cars weren’t helping to where he finally made a few mistakes that helped us out.
“Being able to capitalize feels good … and with three wins in a row now, it finally feels like we’re starting to get this bad luck that we’ve had through the summer off our back a bit.”
Hamilton controlled the opening stint of the race, jumping from third starting position to the lead past polesitter Tommy Nichols on the first lap, but it was a lap-13 caution flag that changed the complexion at the front of the field.
After Joe Liguori went spinning through the frontstretch grass, Hamilton chose the outside lane on the ensuing double-file restart and then lost the advantage to Litt when the green flag returned.
However, Hamilton went to work on the inside lane, hounding Litt lap after lap as time ticked away before Litt’s handling went away and allowed Hamilton to the inside in turns three and four coming to three to go.
Hamilton pounced immediately before driving away to a 1.93-second margin of victory over the final three laps. Litt and Blonde completed the podium, followed by Tyler Roahrig in fourth.
After the race, Litt cited a leak in his right-rear tire as the culprit to why his car changed so suddenly in the closing stages of the race.
“After that restart, the car got really, really tight coming off the corners,” said Litt. “Now, I guess we know why that was. I pushed the thing for all it had, it was making it loose on corner entry, but I could hear him all over me and knew I had to try to hold on. I saw him peek the nose and tried to maintain the fastest pace that I could. It just wasn’t enough in the end.”
The day was wild for many in the Must See Racing field, including defending series champion Charlie Schultz, who had to change teams and cars after his familiar No. 9s lost an engine during practice.
Schultz jumped into a Dave Koyan-owned car for the remainder of the program and salvaged a fifth-place finish in the feature.
However, after coming in tied with Blonde for the point lead, Schultz exited Owosso with an unofficial 15-point deficit to Blonde ahead of the finale at Plymouth Motor Speedway in two weeks.
Rick Holley set the all-time Owosso Speedway track record in qualifying – a lap of 12.520 seconds (mph) – eclipsing the 18-year-old mark of 12.565 previously held by Cameron Dodson and owner Dick Myers.
However, Holley’s car suffered an engine failure at the end of his heat race, leading the fast qualifier to start the 40-lap main in fellow journeyman driver Joe Speakman’s entry.
The finale to the Must See Racing national sprint car season is scheduled for Sept. 16 at Indiana’s Plymouth Motor Speedway, the first time winged pavement sprint cars will return to the track in more than a decade.
Cody Gallogly won the companion 40-lap Must See Racing Midwest Lights crate sprint car feature, passing 17-year-old Andrew Bogusz on a late restart and going on to his third win in five races this season.
It also strengthened his hold on the point lead in an effort to repeat as champion, with one race remaining at Lorain Raceway Park in South Amherst, Ohio, on Aug. 23.
Bogusz and J.J. Henes completed the Midwest Lights podium finishers.
For more information on Must See Racing, visit the series website at www.mustseeracing.com.
August 31, 2023 – For 17-year-old High School Senior and Maxima Racing Oils Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series driver Andrew Bogusz, he’s having a phenomenal second year in the series. He’s coming off an impressive win in the August 19 Bob Frey Classic at Lorain Raceway Park and sits 5th in the current series points. Had it not been for a mechanical issue on May 27, he could very well be challenging for a series championship right now.
Bogusz made his sprint car debut last season with the series as a rookie. He was impressive to say the least. He picked up wins at Kalamazoo and Sandusky Speedway as a rookie and ended up fourth in the final standings. He had hoped to build on his rookie season, and he could still very well do that.
But he scratched for the evening after hot laps at Birch Run Speedway due to a rear end issue. He received no points for qualifying, heat race, or feature event that night. He now finds himself fifth in points, 61 behind points leader Cody Gallogly. That May 27 DNS ultimately took him out of the championship chase. But Bogusz is hopeful he can pick up another feature victory and crack into the top three in points to salvage the season.
His victory in the recent Bob Frey Classic was surprising because LRP is not one of his favorite tracks. “My plan for that race was to save tires in case I had to run somebody down late in the race.” explained Bogusz. “We had those last few cautions and Cody (Gallogly) started working me for position. I told myself at that point I need to hold my position and be aggressive, and that is exactly what I did. Once I got the lead, I told myself, “Now I gotta get away from this guy”.
The victory lane celebration was the scene of utter excitement by Bogusz. He climbed atop the wing to celebrate. You would have thought it was his first career victory, not his third. The Eddie Saches Jr. developmental driver showed that he’s gonna be someone to reckon with from here on out.
“It’s gonna be extremely hard to win the championship at this point. Our goal is to win everything from here on out and try to get a top three finish in the point standings” concluded Bogusz.
The Shelby Township, Michigan driver will get a chance to start a win streak this Saturday when the series joins the MSR 410 National Series at Owosso Speedway for a twin-bill of winged asphalt sprint car racing. He will have to face off against the likes of current series points leader Gallogly, JJ Henes, Joshua Sexton, and Charlie Baur among others.
For more information on the Maxima Racing Oils Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series please follow on Facebook or visit http://www.mustseeracing.com.
