USRA RHS Modified top five (left to right): champion Bob Timm, runner-up Josh Angst, third place Ben Mattick, fourth place Jay Ihrke. Not pictured: fifth place John Doelle.

WINONA, Minn. -- Mississippi Thunder Speedway officially concluded its 2011 season with the awards banquet which was held at the Riverport Inn & Suites in Winona. Considering it was only a week before Christmas, a great crowd was on hand to celebrate the drivers and sponsors who made the season a success.

Tons of door prizes were up for grabs for everyone in attendance at the banquet, not just the drivers.  The drivers though were also eligible for a congratulatory gift certificate from Les Duellman Racing Equipment. This was not only to the top five drivers either.

In addition to thanking the drivers, sponsors and fans, promoter Bob Timm clarified that the same classes that competed weekly at the track will run again in 2012. This includes the USRA RHS Modifieds and USRA Karl Performance Parts B-Mods, plus five other classes including a new Pure Stock division.

Timm briefly talked about the tentative 2012 schedule of events which will include a big event to start the season off. The USMTS National Championship Series will run a $4,000-to-win event right out of the chute with supporting classes tentatively as USRA Karl Performance Parts B-Mods and Wissota Street Stocks.

Timm also mentioned that truckloads of new surface were laid down to allow for more banking, more racing surface and promote multi-groove racing.

The Wissota Street Stock Nationals will return on Thursday, July 5, and will see the USRA RHS Modifieds as the support class. The USMTS Modifieds return Aug. 17 and the season championships will be Labor Day weekend. The USRA Nationals, which has taken place the weekend after Labor Day for the last two seasons, will become a multi-car event for USRA classes rather than just a Modified show. That event’s dates are yet to be decided.

The 2012 season will kick off with the car show at Sugar Loaf Ford in Winona sometime in early spring, so watch the website for those details as well.

USRA Karl Performance Parts B-Mod top five (left to right): fifth place Erik Kanz, fourth place Shaun Walski, runner-up Brandon Hare, champion Ben Anderson. Not pictured: third place Troy Langowski.

USRA Karl Performance Parts B-Mod driver Jack Baehman stepped up big in 2011 to provide an individual Baehman Law points fund to the class he also competes in. From $350 going to 15th-place driver Patrick McCarthy to $3,000 for the division winner, Ben Anderson, over $10,000 was given to the USRA Karl Performance Parts B-Mod drivers’ points fund.

And that rolls into the awards of the night where Anderson topped the USRA Karl Performance Parts B-Mods. National champion Brandon Hare took second place followed by Troy Langowski, Shaun Walski and Erik Kanz.

The USRA RHS Modified division was topped by Timm. Josh Angst reeled in second place followed by Ben Mattick, Jay Ihrke and John Doelle.

And so comes the official ending to the season. May your sheet metal be hung by the chassis with flair, in hopes that your new firesuit and helmet also be there. Merry Christmas to all … and that’s a wrap!