SATURDAY'S CORN BELT CLASH BRINGS USAC MWRA CONTINGENT

By: Ray Cunningham

Knoxville, Iowa (July 9, 2021)………The Wholesale Batteries USAC Midwest Wingless Racing Association heads to the Sprint Car Capital of The World, Knoxville Raceway, in Iowa to compete in the 3rd Annual Brandt Corn Belt Clash along with the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprints this Saturday night July 10.

At press time of this story several race teams who have competed with us in the Midwest Wingless Series will head to Iowa’s Mecca of Speed for this special non points event for MWRA drivers.

Leading that group will be Wesley Smith of Nixa, Mo. driving the WSR/John Helm Racing #44. Smith is having his best season in sprint car racing so far winning 5 feature events. Included in that number is two with the  MWRA at Bethany and 81 Speedway. Wesley also leads the Midwest Wingless point standings after 7 events for 2021.

Gladstone, Missouri’s Chris Parkinson is currently running 3rd place in MWRA points for 2021, after finishing 4th place in the Midwest Series in 2020. Parkinson, a third generation racer was also the 2014 WAR Sprint Car Champion and finished on the podium this season with the MWRA at Nevada.

“The Sheriff” Wyatt Burks of Topeka, Kansas, was the 2020 MWRA Champion after winning 7 features in the Don Rumsey #11w. Over the last three seasons Burks has won 20 non winged sprint car races including a win at US 36 in Osborn, Mo. this season with the Midwest Series. Burks is currently running 4th place in MWRA points for 2021.

A foursome of MWRA up and comers racing at Knoxville will include Xavier “The X Man” Doney from Odessa, Mo. Doney, one of the exciting teens racing with the Midwest series in 2021 has already finished on the podium twice with the MWRA running 2nd at Bethany, and 3rd place last time out at 81 Speedway. Doney currently runs 7th place in the Midwest series point standings. 

While Dakota Earls of Independence, Missouri. is running 8th place in MWRA points for 2021, after winning the Midwest Series Most improved driver award in 2020.

Running 10th place in MWRA points for 2021 heading to Knoxville, “Cool Hand Luke” Howard of Overland Park, Kansas, is having a breakout season in non-winged sprints this year driving the Howard 2H wrenched by 3-time WAR winning car owner Rick Smith. In Howard’s last outing at 81 Speedway he delivered a career best 2nd place finish racing with the MWRA.

And Mark Lane of Grain Valley, Mo. the MWRA Rookie of the Year for 2020 returns to action Saturday night at Knoxville driving his red beauty. Lane rounds out this foursome of up and comers running under the MWRA banner at Knoxville Saturday for the Corn Belt Clash.

Other Young Guns include Riley Kreisel the “Buzzsaw from Warsaw” who won in MWRA competition at Lakeside in 2020. The three time POWRi WAR champ is coming off a 9th place finish racing with the USAC National Series last weekend. While Braydon Cromwell a former Jayhusker Micro Champ, and MWRA competitor from Lone Jack, Mo. returns to his home region after racing in Indiana weekly in 2021.

The MWRA will also be represented at the $20,000 to win Corn Belt Clash by veteran open wheel champions, Don Droud Jr. of Lincoln, Neb. and J.D. Black of Grain Valley. Droud a former NCRA 360 winged champion took off the air foil to run with the MWRA in 2020 racing for Mark Burch. Leading to a car owner title for Burch, and a runner up in points finish for the Nebraska legend after losing the tie breaker to Burks for the championship. While Black, a stalwart around the KC area for many years, and the 2013 Allstar Midget Champion, will once again compete in his own black machine.

While Jason Billups,  another of the MWRA contingent from Holt, Missouri, will compete this Saturday night July 10th at the Corn Belt Clash in Knoxville, Iowa, the Sprint Car Capital of the World.