   Haubstadt, IN – October 6, 2013 – The Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series has one more race left on this season’s schedule. That event is the Harvest Cup which will be held at Tri-State Speedway on Saturday night October 12th. The program will include a 30 lap event for the sprints. Then a 25 lap feature for the UMP Open Wheel Modifieds, paying $1,000 to the winner, will close out the season at the speedway.
The MSCS Sprint cars will be competing for a top prize of $4,000.
The overall purse is one of the five biggest to be offered this season. Twenty sprint cars will earn starting spots for the feature.
There will be twenty-one starters if a provisional is needed by one of 12 eligible drivers. A passing points system will be used in the heat races to transfer cars into the A or B Main. The A Main will pay $225 to start. Drivers not transferring to the A Main will receive $100 tow money.
The purse is set to attract a very competitive field of cars. The race to the front for the $4,000 first prize will be foremost in the MSCS driver’s minds. But only one will succeed. Of the eight features held this season Kevin Thomas Jr. has taken four. The other four features were won by Daron Clayton, Chris Windom, Robert Ballou, and most recently Blake Fitzpatrick. All of the Thomas wins were at Tri-State Speedway. So he would have to rate as a favorite to win the race.
Another big prize is also in the offering. The Harvest Cup has served as the final race for MSCS Series Championship since 2011. It is the last night that drivers can earn points. The series has a tradition of presenting the MSCS Championship Driver and Champion Car Owner trophies at the final event. Each year the Rookie of the Year also receives that award trackside with the fans in attendance to watch.
As race teams prepare for the Harvest Cup there are still a number of drivers in the running for the series championship. A perfect night at the wheel in earning points would total 70. The top six drivers are separated by 69 points in the standings. The top three are 38 points apart. The top two drivers are just 12 points apart. Heat races award 10 or less points. So the championship is not likely to be decided until the feature is held.
Jon Stanbrough took over the MSCS Points lead after the September 28th race in which he ran second in the feature. He won the first Harvest Cup held in 2011. Brady Short is now second in points and he finished third in the last feature held. Both are former champions with MSCS. Kevin Thomas Jr. is third in MSCS points. He had led the standings since May but relinquished the lead in missing the Fall Roundup. MSCS drivers with 100% participation at the end of the season do receive 40 bonus points and this will also have an effect on the final totals.
Bradley Sterrett of Bloomington, IN, is the Hoosier Tire Midwest Rookie of the Year for 2013. He has moved up to fourth in the current MSCS points standings and already has a lock on the Rookie of the Year Award. He and Carson Short are the two highest ranking rookie drivers. Short is now ninth in the overall standings. Both have shown steady improvement during the season.
Besides winning a race, a lot is on the line for the final night.
The MSCS Champion will be crowned. The runner-up driver, top five drivers, top ten drivers, and the Hard Charger of the Season will be finalized. A single point separates Chase Stockon and Kyle Cummins for fifth spot. Stockon won the Harvest Cup last season. Robert Ballou and Chase Briscoe are seventh and eighth in points. Wes McIntyre rounds out the top ten for MSCS. The top ten drivers in MSCS will share in the points fund which is sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tire.
Racing begins at 7:30 P.M. A few hours later the realization will set in that the season is over. The final cheer will be for what has been accomplished and then it will be quiet until Spring. Hot laps are held an hour earlier. The pit gate for the Harvest Cup opens at
3:30 P.M. Times listed are for the Central Time Zone.
Provided as News and Information for MSCS
Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series
CURRENT POINTS STANDINGS
TOP 12
Current as of Oct. 6, 2013
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No.   Driver                 Points
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(1)   66    Jon Stanbrough            510
(2)   11p   Brady Short               498
(3)   17rw  Kevin Thomas Jr.          472
(4)   90x   Bradley Sterrett          454
(5)   32    Chase Stockon             442
(6)   21x   Kyle Cummins              441
(7)   12    Robert Ballou             378
(8)    5b   Chase Briscoe             345
(9)   21    Carson Short              315
(10)  83    Wes McIntyre              288
(11)   3x   Dakota Jackson            281
(12)  35    Daron Clayton             279