MARTIN, Mich. (August 5, 2010) – Amid all the flashy show elements and high-stakes nitro racing that will be featured at this year’s Northern Nitro Jam at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park lies the real reason that Martin, Michigan’s annual summer tradition holds a special place in the hearts of fans and drivers – the Moser Engineering Axle-Mania Sportsman Showdown.
Easily the richest sportsman race of the year, the Moser Axle-Mania competition pits 32 of the best sportsman racers in the country against one another in an inter-class battle for a share of the $51,000 purse generously offered by the people at Moser Engineering. Of that purse the winner will walk away with the single largest payday of the year, a hefty $22,500 for just five rounds of work.
2009 winner Bruce Thrift took home his share of the $51,000 purse presented by Moser Engineering
“The Moser Engineering Axle-Mania program is one of the most anticipated sportsman events of the summer. These are some of the best racers in the country and, unlike other racing programs where there are multiple winners, there will be only one winner at the end of the night in Michigan,” said Skooter Peaco, VP of Race Operations. “That gives these guys extra incentive to put fourth their best effort to be the last man standing in front of the huge Saturday crowd. That and the $22,500 that is at stake. It is one heck of a race and one heck of a show.”
Featuring racers from all seven IHRA classes and one wild card group, the Moser Engineering Axle-Mania Sportsman Showdown places racers from multiple divisions and classes together on a single ladder with the winner walking away with the top prize of $22,500 during Saturday’s “Night of Fire” at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.
Always a huge part of the summer schedule, this season marks the ninth year for this prestigious event as a part of the Nitro Jam tour.
Moser Engineering has a strong presence in the IHRA
To be eligible a racer must run a set of Moser axles and have the proper Moser Axle-Mania decals on their car. All IHRA drivers on the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour who meet the eligibility requirements will have the opportunity to qualify for the $51,000 purse. From that group of eligible drivers the top four racers in each of IHRA’s seven sportsman classes plus the “wild card” group will comprise the 32-car field.
Points are accumulated at Summit Pro-Am races throughout the season.
Once the field is set the participants will compete throughout the weekend during the pro rounds of the Northern Nitro Jam. The Moser Axle-Mania will be run with a full tree on an eighth-mile standard.
“One of the best parts about this unique format is that this is the only time during the season where drivers from every class compete against each other. It’s very cool to watch a Stock racer against a Top Sportsman racer,” Peaco added. “Add in the element of the 1/8th mile format for this event and just about anything can happen.”
Bruce Thrift, last season’s winner, is one of those drivers that got a taste of winning the richest purse of the season when he cruised to an easy victory over Scott Macy during the 2009 edition of the Moser Axle-Mania Showdown.
Bruce Thrift defeated Scott Macy in the 2009 Moser Axle-Mania final
“This is the most awesome stuff in the world; especially the way times are right now. For them (Moser Engineering) to step up and give away $51,000 with the way the economy is it is amazing,” Thrift said following his victory last year. “They make you feel like you are just one of the family and that is what is so great about it all.”
This year’s edition features three reigning champions and a collection of drivers with hundreds of wins logged over the course of their careers making for one of the toughest competitions yet. In round one the drivers will be matched up in their respective classes with the winner of each class and the wild card moving on until a winner is crowned.
Below is a list of the participants in the 2010 Moser Engineering Axle-Mania Sportsman Showdown, their groupings and the first round pairings
1. STOCK
Myron Piatek vs. Jody Simoneaux; Nick Folk vs. Terry Taylor
5. SUPER ROD
Brian Folk vs. Jacob Elrod; Billy Smith vs. James Lintner
3. SUPER STOCK
Gil Carty Jr. vs. Brandon Peterson; Slate Cummings vs. Larry Cummings
7. TOP DRAGSTER
Britt Cummings vs. Brian Folk; Ricky Adkins vs. Wesley Washington Jr.
2. QUICK ROD
Bo Upton vs. Stuart Smith; Jacob Elrod vs. Allen Constantine
6. TOP SPORTSMAN
Mark Payne vs. Gilmer Hinshaw; Michael Sowards vs. Allen Firestone
4. WILD CARD
Chris Carpenter (HR) vs. David Elrod (QR); Jarrod Grainer (STK) vs. Bernard Weaver (SR)
8. HOT ROD
Patrick Forster vs. Chip Johnson; Edward Bolton vs. Keith Mayers
