Modified hotshoe Tim Setzer and Crate Late Model driver Billy James repeated their performance of 2008, while three other drivers Donnie Timmerman, Jesse Hockett and Brad Smith earned their first championship in the All Missouri Points for 2009.
He may not be a household name to Late Model fans in the Show-Me state, but at the weekly tracks that he raced in western Missouri throughout 2009, Donnie Timmerman was the model of consistency. The veteran from Eldorado Springs won just four feature races, but his twenty-three top-five finishes were eight more than any other Late Model driver in Missouri this year and that was more than enough to earn Timmerman his first All Missouri Points championship. The 2009 champ improved upon his 16th-place ranking in 2008. Runner-up Randy Korte was in the top three eleven times, including seven victories as he moved up the chart after placing 13th in 2008. With seven feature wins and eleven top-fives Johnny Fennewald finished in the third spot, the very same position that he tallied in this year’s Modified rankings as well making him arguably the most successful driver in the state this season. Eastern Kansas resident Randy Zimmerman wound up in the fourth position while Terry Phillips ranked fifth. Jack Simmons, who won the title in 2008, followed up his championship season with a solid sixth-place finish with Justin Wells seventh. Ken Essary’s win at the Turkey Classic in Springfield jumped him up to the eighth spot in the final standings while Eric Turner and Larry Jones tied for ninth.
After a bit of a slow start, Tim Setzer of Archie came roaring back to capture his second straight All Missouri Points Modified championship on the strength of twenty-six top five finishes including twelve feature wins. Curt Rackers made a big move this year as he finished second to Setzer after placing in the 40th position in 2008. Rackers registered thirteen feature wins as part of his twenty-two top five finishes on tracks in the central part of the state. Johnny Fennewald backed up his fourth-place ranking in the Late Models with a third-ranked performance in the Modifieds logging ten feature wins in the division this year. Northern Arkansas driver Shawn Walsh was the early leader in the standings before fading to fourth, still a very impressive accomplishment considering that Walsh only runs at one track in Missouri, West Plains, where he tallied fourteen feature wins this year. Brian Bolin was tenth in the Late Models and he wound up fifth in the Modifieds for 2009 with eleven wins to his credit. Danny Crane finished in sixth, Vance Wilson was seventh, Jackie Dalton was eighth, ninth went to Jesse Stovall while Jason Thompson and Tony Patterson tied for tenth.
The All Missouri Points Sprint Car chase was a three-way battle right to the finish and it was Jesse Hockett of Warsaw who prevailed at the stripe edging out both Josh Fisher and Randy Martin. Hockett used twelve feature wins and three second-place finishes to down Fisher who ended the season with six wins as part of nineteen top-five finishes. Martin was a close third as he picked up eight checkered flags and seventeen top-fives. Last year’s champion Tommy Worley Jr. won eight times and finished fourth this year while Jerrod Hull and Joey Montgomery tied for fifth. The rest of the top ten included Jimmy Hurley, Jonathan Cornell, Curtis Evans and Cody Baker.
Defending Crate/Limited Late Model champion Billy James of Sikeston trailed in the standings for most of the year, but four late season feature wins were enough to vault him to the top of the final standings to make it two All Missouri Points titles in a row. In all James captured fifteen feature wins and had nineteen top-fives on Missouri soil in 2009. Darin Walker and Kyle Berry finished the year tied for second behind James. Walker had twelve wins on the season while Berry had the most top-fives of any driver in this division with twenty. ULMA champion Kevin Kaiser finished in the fourth spot with Shawn Rayfield in fifth. Jeff Schlup, Bobby Dauderman, Todd Hall, Justin Wells and Mike Harris rounded out the top ten.
All Missouri Points for the Limited Modifieds were compiled for the first time this year and the top two drivers accumulated more points than the champions in any other division this year. Brad Smith of Belton was dominant around the Kansas City area as he racked up twenty-six feature wins, three second-place finishes and one third-place run on his way to the inaugural state championship for the division. Mickey Burrell was the runner-up as the Fair Grove resident logged into the top five thirty-six times this season including eleven feature wins. Ozark region drivers J.C. Morton and Colt Cheevers had impressive years as well finishing third and fourth respectively with Morton winning four times and Cheevers thirteen. Eastern Missouri driver Kyle Stolzer used eight feature wins to put him in the fifth position. Billy Street finished the year ranked in sixth while Blake Peeler was the best of the north central group taking seventh. Steve Muilenberg was one-point behind Peeler in eight, Blake David was the best of the central Missouri drivers in ninth while Jeff Albright completed the top ten.
A full rundown of the 2009 All Missouri Points can be found on the "Points" page at www.PositivelyRacing.com
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