UMSS Photo (Courtesy of Stan Meissner)Since the Upper Midwest Sprint Car Series (UMSS) was formed in September 2008, it has taken many steps toward bringing sprint car racing back to the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, including a very successful inaugural 2009 season.

The UMSS is pleased to announce the next step for the series is to be sanctioned by the re-created IMCA (International Motor Contest Association) sprint car program. This partnership between the UMSS and IMCA will create the opportunity to have consistent rules between the two groups and enable them to race together on numerous occasions during the 2010 season.

"I am excited for everyone involved in sprint car racing around the Twin Cities area because I believe this is yet another step in making sprint car racing stronger in our area," stated Ron Bernhagen of the UMSS.

"IMCA realized they needed to redefine their sprint car program to fit in with what is accepted and popular in today's sprint car world," announced Bob Allen, IMCA's national sprint car director and operator of Arlington Raceway in Minnesota. "Signing the UMSS to be an IMCA-sanctioned series is a great first step to bringing the IMCA sprint car program back to prominence."

A tentative schedule of combined UMSS and IMCA sprint car shows will be announced soon with races at Arlington Raceway, Elko Speedway, and possibly one or two other tracks. In the meantime, contact Ron Bernhagen at 612-363-5302 or Bob Allen at 507-327-8416.

The UMSS is a value-based sprint car organization bringing open wheel racing back to the Twin Cities area by establishing reasonable rules for the participant, an economical purse structure for the race tracks, and an affordable race ticket and fan-friendly program for the race fan. For more information, please visit our website at www.umsprints.com.

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UMSS Introduces Feeder Program

With an eye toward the future, the Upper Midwest Sprint Car Series (UMSS) is excited to announce the formation of a new series that will be known as the Micro Sprint League of the UMSS, which will enable potential open wheel racers to get involved in racing at a very affordable price.

Known as "small sprint cars," micro sprint cars are based on a 60 inch wheel base, use a 600 cc motorcycle engine, and weigh about 750 pounds. These open wheel cars race with or without wings and can reach speeds up to 100 mph. Micro sprints can be purchased used starting around $3,000 and up, or new for about $15,000.

"These are real race cars," exclaimed Ron Bernhagen of the UMSS. "We are going to develop this program wih the same value-based philosophy as the UMSS, which is to bring open-wheel racing back to the Twin Cities area of Minnesota by establishing reasonable rules for the participant, an economical purse structure for the race tracks, and an affordable race ticket and fan-friendly program for the race fan."

The Micro Sprint League of the UMSS will have a presence on the UMSS website with its own page that will have all the necessary information. Look for this addition within the next month.

The 2010 schedule will be announced soon and will include races at Elko Speedway, Kopellah Speedway and Copper Creek Motorsports Park in Superior, Wisconsin.

For more information, please contact Ron Bernhagen at 612-363-5302 or John Morris at 763-923-1031.