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.
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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 29, 2023 – Holly, Michigan – The Must See Racing Sprint Series Presented by Engine Pro finds itself yielding thee most competitive season in the fourteen-year history of the series. Already there have been 6 different winners in 2023.
Currently, atop the point standings, there is a virtual tie between Jason Blonde and Charlie Schultz who each have 814 points. Jimmy McCune lurks back in third place with 798 points.
The trio has waged back-and-forth points battle all season long with Blonde holding the top spot since his season opening win at Berlin Raceway on May 20. But by virtue of 5 fast times, Schultz has managed to close the gap and make the final 2 races of the 2023 season very interesting.
Schultz set quick time last weekend at Birch Run Speedway and enjoyed a brief lead of the point standings, but his DNF in the feature event allowed Blonde the chance to share the lead with Schultz with only 2 races left in the 2023 MSR season.
Interestingly McCune has 5 feature victories in 2023, most by any driver in the series by a long shot, but he finds himself sitting in third place, 16 points out of the lead. McCune hasn’t been able to close the gap to more than 15 points at any time during the season. MSR awards a substantial number of points for qualifying, and qualifying isn’t one of McCune’s strengths. He is the only diver of the 3 at the top of the standings who has not been a fast qualifier in 2023. This single stat is the primary reason he hasn’t been able to close the gap.
Owosso and Plymouth Speedway’s are tracks that McCune has won at in the past. It will be interesting to see if he can close the gap and make a run at a sixth MSR championship.
The last time MSR visited Owosso Speedway, site of Saturday’s next MSR event, Rick Holley surprised everyone and set quick time on the new Owosso asphalt.
Davey Hamilton Jr. picked up his first career MSR victory the last time the series raced last Friday at Birch Run Speedway.
With only 2 races left in the 2023 season, it is all but certain the championship chase will go right down to the wire beginning with Saturday’s return to Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Michigan.
BIRCH RUN, Mich. (Aug. 25, 2023) – A month earlier, Davey Hamilton Jr. said he needed to work on his restarts in order to win with the Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series.
Hamilton bested open-wheel pavement veteran Bobby Santos III on a mid-race restart and then drove away from Ryan Litt down the home stretch, ending the night in Must See Racing victory lane for the first time.
The third-generation driver wheeled his Kirk Morgan-owned, blue No. 14 to a 2.5-second margin of victory over Litt, leading all 30 laps after passing polesitter Jason Blonde on the initial green flag.
“It feels fantastic to finally be in victory lane with this tour; we’ve worked hard for this,” said Hamilton. “I’m not really a dirty driver … but I know the squeeze I put on Bobby there on that restart was a bit tight. I knew we had the car, though, and that it was my turn to win in this series, and I’m glad we finally conquered that challenge.”
After finishing second multiple times earlier in the season, Hamilton tipped that his motivation was high to get “one more spot” and show that he belonged among the best drivers in the series.
“I just had to stay in the throttle longer, I guess,” he chuckled. “Restarts this year have been my Achilles heel, but tonight showed that we made a big step in the right direction, I think.”
While a five inversion placed incoming point leader Blonde on the pole, his time out front was short-lived as Hamilton roared around the outside to lead the race when the green flag waved to begin the 30-lapper.
Santos followed into second by the lap-five benchmark, but had little to be able to match Hamilton’s pace in the early going until Hamilton reached some slower traffic just before lap 10.
The only slowdown of the main event came one lap prior to halfway, when Anthony McCune slowed to a stop at the top of turns one and two with a mechanical issue.
That led to the double-file restart where Hamilton elected the outside groove for the restart, a decision that ultimately propelled him into the winner’s circle.
Litt snuck past Santos for second on the restart, but could do nothing in the second half but watch Hamilton drive into the distance with what the Canadian termed as “a better car” than what he had.
“My car got super tight in the middle of that race, and then we got lucky with that restart where I could send it down into [turn] one on the high side,” explained Litt. “It stuck well enough, and I almost made the pass … but we were a tick to tight to get it done. Hats off to Davey and his guys on a job well done.”
Santos closed out the podium finishers ahead of Jimmy McCune, who drove from the back of the field to fourth after a damaged tire necessitated a tire change prior to the main event.
Blonde finished fifth after starting on the pole.
Charlie Schultz kicked off the Friday Night Thunder program by setting the fastest time in qualifying around the four-tenths-mile Birch Run oval, turning a lap of 13.602 seconds (105.864 mph) in his familiar No. 9s.
Though he wasn’t able to finish the main event, Schultz accrued enough points in the preliminaries to leave Birch Run unofficially tied with Blonde in the chase for the 2023 Must See Racing sprint car championship.
Rick Holley and Hamilton split the pair of eight-lap heat races held prior to the main event.
The Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series season heads to Michigan’s Owosso Speedway for its penultimate race of the season, competing Saturday, Sept. 2 during Labor Day weekend.
For more information on Must See Racing, visit the series website at www.mustseeracing.com.
RESULTS: Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series; Birch Run (Mich.) Speedway; Aug. 25, 2023
Qualifying (best of two laps): 1. Charlie Schultz, 9s, IBT-13.602; 2. Ryan Litt, 07L, Litt-13.663; 3. Bobby Santos III, 22a, Fieler-13.672; 4. Davey Hamilton Jr., 14, Morgan-13.699; 5. Jason Blonde, 42, Nosal-13.753; 6. Jimmy McCune, 88, McCune-14.086; 7. Kevin Mingus, Z10, Mingus-14.102; 8. Tommy Nichols, 55, Nichols-14.125; 9. Rick Holley, 85, Holley-14.201; 10. Joe Speakman, 72s, Speakman-14.231; 11. Todd McQuillen, 3k, Koyan-14.316; 12. Anthony McCune, 8, McCune-14.561; 13. Andrew Bogusz, 17, Bogusz-15.207; 14. Tyler Roahrig, 36, Statham-NT.
Heat #1 (8 laps, all transfer): 1. Rick Holley [2], 2. Joe Speakman [1], 3. Tommy Nichols [3], 4. Kevin Mingus [4], 5. Todd McQuillen [5], 6. Anthony McCune [6], 7. Andrew Bogusz [7].
Heat #2 (8 laps, all transfer): 1. Davey Hamilton Jr. [1], 2. Bobby Santos III [2], 3. Charlie Schultz [4], 4. Jason Blonde [5], 5. Ryan Litt [3], 6. Jimmy McCune [6].
August 24, 2023 – Holly, MIThe Must See Racing Sprint Series announced today that American Racer will continue as the official and exclusive series tire for the next two years 2024 thru 2025.
Must See Racing president Jim Hanks said, “For the last 12 years MSR has utilized the American Racer tires their management team, engineers and distributor Keyser Manufacturing Co. all have delivered on every commitment and promise enabling MSR to not only meet, but exceed, our objectives of safety, presenting a level competitive playing field for our competitors, and tire costs management for our race teams.”
Tires are one of the most important components in racing, creating a difficult and complex dynamic for competitors and officials alike. As the overall costs of racing continues to challenge race teams the American Racer tire has leveled the playing field between the widespread tire budgets while significantly reducing all competitors tire expenses.
“I really appreciate and respect American Racer’s continued and ongoing commitment to product quality and competitive pricing. Performance has been the foundation of our series and our outstanding relationship. The quality of our first-class race teams, their spectacular record setting performance competing on the American Racer tire objectively speaks for itself,” concluded Hanks.
“We have been working with Jim Hanks and his team for many years. They are a first-class operation along with their teams. It’s very refreshing to work with a series that is willing to work with you to fix any issues and put the best racing package available on the track each week. Supplying tires to the fastest short track race cars in the world is a source of pride for our company. We are looking forward to more great years with Must See” added Specialty Tires of America Director of Racing, Scott Junod.
Visit www.mustseeracing.com for ongoing event information, updates and event ticket information.
August 22, 2023 – Holly, Michigan – The Must See Racing Sprint Series Presented by Engine Pro points chase is heating up as the series enters the final stretch of the season. With only three races left remaining in the 2023 season, the top three drivers are separated by less than 15 points, making it one of the most competitive seasons in MSR history.
Jason Blonde won the season opener at Berlin Raceway on May 20 and assumed the points lead. He has not surrendered the lead at any point this season. But now Blonde finds himself leading by only a single point over Charlie Schultz. Jimmy McCune sits just 14 points behind Schultz.
Schultz currently finds himself well within stinking distance due to consistency and his qualifying success. Schultz has set fast time on four occasions in 2023 with a single feature win on May 26 at Birch Run Speedway, site of this Friday’s next event. Shultz is coming off of a second-place finish in last weekends ‘Jerry Caryer Memorial 40’ as part of the Bob Frey Classic at Lorain Raceway Park.
Despite winning 5 feature events in 2023, most by any MSR driver in this season, five-time MSR champion Jimmy McCune is still 15 points behind Blonde for the series points lead. If McCune is going to mount a serious challenge for his sixth series championship, he must find speed earlier in the night, and quickly. MSR awards significant points in qualifying. With only 3 races left on the 2023 calendar, McCune is running out of time.
Blonde may be in the catbirds seat, and in great shape, despite only a single point lead over Schultz. Blonde is regularly a top three finisher and decent qualifier. His wild card may be his heat race success in 2023.
This Friday August 25 will be the third and final visit for MSR to Birch Run Speedway. Both races this year have been fantastic this year and Friday should be no exception.
For more info on Must See Racing please follow us on Facebook or visit www.mustseeracing.com.
SOUTH AMHERST, Ohio (Aug. 19, 2023) – One week after his three-race Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series winning streak was snapped, Jimmy McCune started a new run of success.
McCune rolled to his series-leading fifth win of the season Saturday night during the Jerry Caryer Memorial 40, the headlining act of the second annual Bob Frey Classic at Lorain Raceway Park.
The five-time champion from Toledo, Ohio, started on the outside pole after an eight-car inversion from qualifying and led the entire distance, comfortably besting defending series titlist Charlie Schultz by 2.234 seconds.
It marked the 43rd career feature victory of McCune’s storied Must See Racing career; however, the veteran admitted afterward that it didn’t come easy at the three-eighths-mile paved oval.
“The car started out good this weekend; I thought we were solid on older tires … and then today when we put the fresh rubber on, we were out to lunch for a while,” McCune explained in victory lane. “I think we ended up changing everything but the front bumper and the driver when it was all said and done. We struggled and we fought, just like the ‘Bulldog’ always does, and we didn’t quit until we got it right.
“Traffic was a challenge at the end of the race, but thankfully it all worked out in our favor there.”
Once McCune jumped past polesitter Todd McQuillen on the initial start, he never looked back. A lap-eight caution for the spinning car of Joe Speakman, however, set up one restart for Schultz to try and capitalize on.
But that chance never came, as Schultz spent the balance of the race trying to play defense, fending off the charges of Davey Hamilton Jr. the entire way as the pair raced through slower traffic.
“Hats off to Jimmy; he really had everyone’s number tonight,” said Schultz. “They’re always the ones to beat. … I could somewhat keep pace with him once I got to second, but on the restart, he chose the bottom, had a good start and that was it.
“We didn’t have enough to get it done this time, but we’ll be back next time for another go at it.”
Hamilton completed the podium for his third top-three finish of the season. Point leader Jason Blonde was fourth ahead of McQuillen, who salvaged a strong fifth-place run for veteran owner Dave Koyan.
June Lorain winner Bobby Santos III struggled in the 40-lap main event and finished sixth, one spot ahead of surprise fast qualifier Craig Mintz.
Mintz, a regular dirt sprint car competitor, turned a lap of 12.561 seconds (107.476 mph) in time trials, banking a $750 bonus for his efforts.
Rookie Kevin Mingus and Schultz split the pair of eight-lap heat races held prior to the main event.
Seventeen-year-old Andrew Bogusz starred in the undercard Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series feature, leading the final 27 laps of the 30-lap feature for 602 Chevrolet crate-powered sprint cars.
Bogusz passed fellow teenager Charlie Baur on lap four and held off defending Midwest Lights champion Cody Gallogly through two restarts to secure the win, including a three-lap dash to the checkered flag.
J.J. Henes closed out the podium, followed by Joshua Sexton and Sawyer Stout.
The Must See Racing national sprint cars return to action Friday, June 25 at Michigan’s Birch Run Speedway, while the Midwest Lights take a week off before racing at Owosso Speedway on Sept. 2.
For more information on Must See Racing, visit the series website at www.mustseeracing.com.
RESULTS: Must See Racing Bob Frey Classic; Lorain Raceway Park; South Amherst, Ohio; Aug. 19, 2023
