Posted by Madison Speedway on 2/6/2005, 11:26 pm
Board Administrator

MIS Press Release February 5, 2005 by John Wells Rewind and Fast Forward: Madison International Speedway Banquet Honors the Accomplishments of 2004 and Looks Ahead to 2005 Madison (WI)- The Concourse Hotel in downtown Madison was the site for the Madison International Speedway racing banquet held on Saturday, February 5. Over 300 people were in attendance for the banquet that not only recognized the many accomplishments of the 2004 season but included a look to the future as well. Scott Bleecker of Madison was honored as the top driver in the Rockweiler Insulation Midwest Truck Series. Finishing with 1001 points, Bleecker added five fast times, twelve top fives, and two victories enroute to his first ever track championship. Runner-up honors went to Gary Cerny of Janesville who finished with 962 points and notched three victories in 2004...his first at MIS. Fred Oswald of Lake Mills took home the third place trophy after finishing the season with 857 points and one feature win. Also recognized were Garrett Goth of Cottage Grove, Todd Schmitz of Verona, John Wood of Sun Prairie, and Tom Meyers of Machesney Park, Illinois. Goth was recognized as the Rookie of the Year. Charlie Cottam of Janesville, the all-time feature leader in the truck series with 32 checkered flags, received a plaque for being selected "Favorite Driver" by the fans. Division sponsor Gary Rockweiler was on hand to hand out the point fund checks and trophies to the drivers. A total of fourteen drivers earned points in the Rockweiler Insulation Midwest Truck Series in 2004. John Wood, a long-time competitor in the truck division, presented Rockweiler with a gift in recognition for all of his support of both the Midwest Truck Series and Madison International Speedway. Dale Nottestad topped off a very successful season in the CarQuest Super Late Model division by taking home top honors and joining an elite list of past champions. Nottestad finished the season with 1248 points which included ten top five finishes, four fast times, and a division high seven victories. He found his way to victory lane a remarkable five times in a row from July 31 until September 4. Nottestad now has twelve super late model victories at MIS to his credit which ties him for fourteenth on the all-time win list. Finishing a mere fifteen points behind Nottestad was Orfordville's Bobby Wilberg. Logging more laps than any other driver at MIS in 2004, Wilberg completed the season with 1233 points that included a division high eight fast times, thirteen top five finishes, and two wins. Receiving the third place trophy was Andrew Morrissey of DeForest who totaled 795 points for 2004. Highlighting the season for Morrissey was his establishment of a new track record with a lap of 17.413 set in April. Frank Nitzke of Berlin, Wisconsin, was also recognized for bringing two cars to Madison each week being one of three drivers who raced in two divisions per night. Wilberg was also recognized as the "Favorite Driver" by the fans in the super late model division. A total of 78 drivers earned points in the CarQuest Super Late Model division in 2004. The Weaver Auto Parts ASA Late Model division at Madison International Speedway exceeded expectations in 2004. Highlighted by very competitive racing and solid car counts, the groundwork has been put in place for a division that will continue to grow and proser. Capturing the track championship was 1995 super late model champion Ron Breese Jr. of DeKalb, Illinois. Driving for car owner Dave Bailey, Breese led the division with six feature wins, twelve top five and fourteen top ten finishes. Bobby Wilberg of Orfordville, who pulled double duty each night, took home second place honors. Wilberg finished with 1022 points which included a division high seven fast times. Wilberg notched one victory in the ASA Late Model division giving him a total of 22 career feature wins at MIS in the ASA Late Models, Super Late Models, and Midwest Modifieds. Bobby Weiss of Montello, Wisconsin, finished the season with 989 points good for third place. Despite not reaching victory lane, Weiss proved that consisteny pays off as he finished in the top five on ten occasions. Rounding out the top ten were Jared Ziegler, Adam Shackelford, Nick Schumacher, Jason Tyler, Nitzke, Jesse Saunders, and Jeff Watters. Breese Jr. was honored as the "Favorite Driver" as voted on by the fans, and the car of Bobby Weiss claimed the honor of "Best Appearing Car" for the 2004 season. Wayne Forsyth of Wayne's Custom DIECAST presented Breese Jr. with a beautiful diecast replica of his car for winning the ASA Late Model "Hard Charger" award for 2004. Forsyth has been building diecast replicas of stock cars for many years and indicated that he will be sponsoring a three race "Dash" series for the Weaver Auto Parts ASA Late Models in 2005. Track owner Terry Kunes reviewed the past season as well as looked ahead to 2005. He also presented several awards including "Track Supporter" awards to Doug Hornickel and Jake Roth for all of their photo and video work at MIS. Gary Rockweiler and John Matthews were recognized as "Sponsors of the Year," Bobby Wilberg as "Driver of the Year," Bob Schmelzer as "Employee of the Year," and Jim Steinke as "Fan of the Year." Several drivers also received special recognition certificates. Kunes also took time to thank many track supporters as well as the loyal employees who make racing at MIS a success. Earlier in the program, the audience was entertained with a video recap of the 2004 racing season compiled by Jake Roth of Stoughton. A four minute video segment was also included before the introduction of each of the track champions. MIS promoter Steve Einhaus also addressed the group by outlining his goals for 2005 and unveiling a very "aggressive and ambitious" schedule. Einhaus highlighted changes in the Midwest Truck Series that will allow Mid-American Super Trucks to join the program. Three Mid-American races, visits from the Wisconsin Challenge Series, Big Eight Limited Late Model Series, MARS Series, Hoosier Outlaw Sprints, and Hooters Pro Cup were also mentioned. A fourth division, the Area Sportsman, will be joining the weekly program for 2005. Over 150 door prizes and numerous contingency awards were also handed out during the course of the evening. The staff at Madison International Speedway would like to thank the nearly thirty businesses who donated items for the banquet. The 2005 racing season at Madison International Speedway opens on Sunday afternoon, May 1 when the Wisconsin Challenge Series and Big Eight Limited Late Model Series visit Wisconsin's Fastest Half-Mile. Weekly Friday night racing returns to MIS on May 6.