YES, UMP DRIVERS, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS

By Jack Taylor and Dan Stewart

(3/7/02) Covington, In. Within a few short months, an old curmudgeon type
man, who's name and profile is easily identified with dirt short tracks
throughout the Midwest, will again climb aboard his motor van which serves
as his June and July home for a hectic span of multi-day racing at what
local race fans feel is- quality racing at a UMP track near you.

Long-time United Midwest Promoters (UMP) President, Bob Memmer, will begin
his rounds of local tracks in a 29-day swing, which will start in Oneida,
Tenn. June 14 and end at Wauseon, Ohio July 13. Included in this tour will
be stops at 26 different tracks located in 10 states. This includes three
new tracks. It is almost tradition that the series visits at least 2 new
tracks each year, and frequently leave behind some old favorites. Through
time, the tiny Macon Speedway, along with Kankakee and Owatonna tracks have
been the cornerstones of the Summernationals, with all three appearing on
the schedules every year, although some rainouts have occured.

This dirt racing tour has grown to become known as the UMP Summernationals
and the success of the traveling show can only be credited to the diligence
of Bob Memmer.  An ongoing yearly summer attraction, the series has
entertained more Midwest dirt fans than any other rival tour with-in the
mid-America area. A few dubious records have been set since 1999, with Billy
Moyer collecting a $100,000 bonus for winning half of the races in the
series that year. The year 2000 saw the unimaginable happen, with 23 races
on the schedule, snaking its way back and forth through 9 states, the whole
series ran without a single rainout. And the last three years, the points
came down to the very last night of the series for the champion to be
decided.

Nightly, drivers in the Midwest, along with fans, flock to these dirt ovals
where local heroes have the opportunity to pit themselves against the very
best drivers who might hail from a different racing sanction or have joined
the UMP tour for the duration. This type of competition can fuel a race fans
appetite more than anything in racing. And the attendance will normally
support any local promoters dream of a big night at the gates. In fact, most
of these tracks have the biggest night of the year during the
Summernationals.

Over the years, the tour has seen the 80's and 90's era produce some of the
best short-track racing ever, with the likes of drivers such as Jack Boggs,
Billy Moyer, Bob Pierce, Scott Bloomquist, Dick Taylor, Terry English, Randy
Korte, Jim Leka, Roger Long, John Gill, Kevin Weaver, Ed Dixon, Bill Frye,
Rick Aukland, Steve Barnett, and Jimmy Mars. Mix in the occasional drivers
from outside the area such as Ray Cook , Kenny Schrader, Freddy Smith,
Ronnie Johnson and Tony Stewart. And countless thousands of other top
quality racers throughout the eleven states that UMP calls the midwest. By
the end of this summer's  marathon of races, the Summernationals will have
competed at over 60 different tracks since 1988, when records started being
kept.

In recent years, the tour has witnessed many rising stars that have etched
their names in the Summernationals record book. Young drivers such as
Shannon Babb, Billy Drake, Matt Taylor, Brian Birkhofer, Tony Izzo, Jr, and
Jay Johnson have drawn their names alongside the grizzled veterans like Rick
Standridge, Jim Curry, Ed Bauman, Bob Hill, Willy Kraft, Pete Parker, Doug
McCammon, Tom Rients, Tom Helfrich and Steve Kosiski.

The nightly purses have reached the $5,000 to win mark in the past few years
and have been known to pay as much as $10,000 to the winner at tracks such
as Fairbury, Davenport, Knoxville, and Oakshade, with Owatonna, MN eclipsing
the $20,000 to win mark. Several other tracks, including Danville, have
boosted their winners share to $10,000 for 2002 also. The lure of the "Dolly
Parton" payoff, as it has come to be known, strangely attracts a lot of
drivers to compete in these shows, knowing that not finishing in the top ten
might not get you gas money to the next track.  There are, however, periods
of the series, where a team can stay in one motel room for three or four
nights in a row, within  two hours drive of several tracks. These are some
of the shows that will typically draw 40-50 teams vying for the coveted 24
or so starting positions. Following through with this series is also a
learning experience like none other for the drivers, and teams alike. If a
driver normally races one night a week, this one month alone, so tightly
compressed in time, will be like running an entire season. And the learning
curve jumps radically, stuffing a whole season of learning into one month.
Also, jumping radically, is the tension involved in maintaining a one, or a
two car operation. Running the bulk of this series requires a lot of help
from those left back home in the form of support, shipping parts to the next
track, making sure engines are available, etc. More than one wife has been
heard to say "never again" to the husband/driver in the family.

The year 2002 will see an influx of drivers vying for the nightly winning
purses as Memmer made good on his previous statement in early January. The
driver who captures the 2002 UMP Summernational championship will be awarded
a $100,000 check based on Summernational points. This announcement came at
the UMP banquet in Mt. Vernon, Illinois on March 2. Memmer also committed to
awarding a $100,000 check to the 2002 UMP Late Model Champion and the 2002
UMP Modified Champion.

Early January rumors were that a sponsor would soon be on board for some big
buck backing for the UMP organization. It seems that this has become a
reality for UMP and a needed shot in the arm for modified and late model
veterans who have devoted years to chasing UMP titles as they represented
their local UMP affiliate tracks. Most fans are not aware that the UMP
member drivers are driving for point accumulation each night they compete at
their local tracks. This announcement will not only increase competition
among UMP modified and late model drivers, but will put increasing pressure
on Mr.Memmer to keep the points updated.

As the summer arrives and racing gets into top gear, many drivers will be
making a decision if they will be competing for points in UMP this year.
And, as for the Summernationals, look for quite a few new faces at the
Midwest tracks as the chase for a $100,000 payout looms on the horizon at
Oakshade Raceway in Ohio on the final night of the series.

For many UMP sanctioned drivers in the Midwest who have worked hard each
season to win a championship, Christmas could arrive early this year.