Becker, Balog, Bollinger, Soppe and Weisser Are The "Best of the Midwest" for 2017

With the completion of the Gateway Dirt Nationals the book is now closed on the 2017 racing season here in the Midwest and over the past two months you have seen the state by state point standings all using the same 5-point scale here on the Back Stretch. Now it is time to combine those points across all thirteen states tracked including Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Indiana and Michigan to list the "Best of the Midwest" in the four divisions that are common across most, or all of these states.

Of course to do this we must mash together all kinds of different Late Model rules into one and the same can be said for the Modifieds and Limited Modified. For the Sprint Cars, all Winged classes (305, 360 & 410) are included. As always we remind you that our points are only as good as the results that are provided and they are just for fun so please, no wagering.

The top Late Model driver for 2017 is the South Dakota champion Chad Becker who also earned points in both North Dakota and Minnesota. In the Modifieds it a took a win at the Dome on Saturday for Ray Bollinger to edge out Mike Harrison by a mere three points and All Iowa Points champion Tyler Soppe is the class of the Limited Modified division. In the Winged Sprint Cars Wisconsin's Bill Balog edged out Missouri's Jonathan Cornell and we must also recognize the driver that actually scored the most points overall this season, Allen Weisser who you will find ranked seventh on the Late Model list and fourth on the Modified rundown.

Coming up soon, the updated Cumulative Point Standings for all nine All Iowa Points divisions so continue to check in on the Back Stretch as you enjoy the Holidays!

		Combined State Points
		Late Model
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Chad Becker	Aberdeen SD	192
2	.	Ryan Unzicker	El Paso IL	173
3	.	Don Shaw	Ham Lake MN	169
4	.	Denny Woodworth	Mendon IL	166
5	.	A.J. May	Peoria IL	161
6	.	Matt Ryan	Davenport IA	152
7	.	Allen Weisser	Peoria IL	151
8	.	Tommy Elston	Keokuk IA	144
9	.	Jake Little	Springfield IL	142
10	.	Justin Kay	Wheatland IA	142
11	.	Josh Leonard	Gibbon NE	136
12	.	Todd Cooney	Des Moines IA	135
13	.	Eric Spangler	Lake City MI	134
14	.	Bobby Pierce	Oakwood IL	123
15	.	David McDonald	Huron SD	121
16	.	Myles Moos	Lincoln IL	120
17	.	Ryan Vanderveen	Six Lakes MI	119
18	.	Scott Ward	Watertown SD	114
19	.	Brandon Sheppard	New Berlin IL	108
20	.	Tad Pospisil	Norfolk NE	106
21	.	Michael Kloos	Trenton IL	99
22	.	Rob Toland	Hillsdale IL	99
23	.	Dona Marcoullier	Houghton Lake MI	98
24	.	John Kaanta	Eau Claire WI	97
25	.	Jeremiah Hurst	Dubuque IA	96
26	.	Gordy Gundaker	St. Charles MO	94
27	.	Jay Brendle	Kirkland IL	93
28	.	Darrel DeFrance	Marshalltown IA	91
29	.	Lance Hofer	Cochrane WI	89
30	.	Rich Neiser	Fruitport MI	89
31	.	Kent Arment	Aberdeen SD	87
32	.	Joe Zrostlik	Long Grove IA	80
33	.	Tommy Sheppard Jr.	Berlin IL	80
34	.	Jim Johnson	Plainview NE	75
35	.	Brandon Thirlby	Traverse City MI	74
36	.	Mike Spatola	Manhattan IL	74
37	.	Darrell Nelson	Hermantown MN	74
38	.	Robert Osborne	Norfolk NE	73
39	.	Curt Gelling	Aberdeen SD	71
40	.	Marty O'Neal	Spencer IN	71
41	.	Chase Osborne	Norfolk NE	70
42	.	Jason Feger	Bloomington IL	70
43	.	Logan Martin	West Plains MO	70
44	.	A.J. Diemel	Eau Claire WI	68
45	.	Shannon Babb	Moweaqua IL	68
46	.	Dustin Strand	Grand Forks ND	67
47	.	Nick Anvelink	Navarino WI	67
48	.	Zack Olger	St. Johns MI	66
49	.	McKay Wenger	Fairbury IL	63
50	.	Todd Bennett	Peoria IL	63
51	.	Travis Stemler	Ionia MI	63
52	.	Chad Zobrist	Highland IL	62
53	.	Scott Baker	Ionia MI	61
54	.	Zach Zentner	Cedar Rapids NE	61
55	.	Zach Johnson	Kensington MN	60

		Combined State Points
		Winged Sprints (All)
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Bill Balog	Brookfield WI	130
2	.	Jonathan Cornell	Sedalia MO	117
3	.	Kerry Madsen	St. Marys NSW	96
4	.	Jarrod Schneiderman	West Burlington IA	83
5	.	Ian Madsen	St. Marys NSW	77
6	.	Austin Pierce	Grand Forks ND	76
7	.	Brad Sweet	Grass Valley CA	76
8	.	Wade Nygaard	Fargo ND	76
9	.	Brian Brown	Grain Valley MO	75
10	.	Terry McCarl	Altoona IA	75
11	.	Sam Hafertepe Jr.	Sunnyvale TX	72
12	.	Donny Schatz	Fargo ND	71
13	.	Trevor Serbus	Olivia MN	71
14	.	Eddie Gallagher	Olive Branch MS	69
15	.	Jason Martin	Lincoln NE	69
16	.	Brad Loyet	Sunset Hills MO	67
17	.	Scotty Thiel	Sheboygan WI	67
18	.	Thomas Kennedy	Winnepeg MB	62
19	.	Jack Dover	Springfield NE	61
20	.	Mark Dobmeier	Fargo ND	61
21	.	Andy Shouse	Mustang OK	59
22	.	Randy Martin	California MO	58
23	.	Brandon McMullen	Plymouth WI	55
24	.	Dusty Ballenger	Sioux Falls SD	55
25	.	Jeremy Campbell	Wichita KS	55
26	.	David Gravel	Waterford CT	53
27	.	Doug Zimmerman	Montgomery MI	53
28	.	Kyle Bellm	Nixa MO	53
29	.	Brad Bowden	Hernando MS	52
30	.	Clint Garner	Sioux Falls SD	52
31	.	Alex DeCamp	Locust Grove OK	49
32	.	Alex Sewell	Broken Arrow OK	49
33	.	Ken Mackey	Brooklyn MI	49
34	.	Ryan Ruhl	Coldwater MI	47
35	.	Zach Blurton	Quinter KS	47
36	.	Jared Horstman	Colverdale OH	46
37	.	Joey Montgomery	Fredericktown MO	45
38	.	Tyler Blank	California MO	45
39	.	Casey Mack	East Grand Forks ND	44
40	.	Derek Hagar	Marion AR	44
41	.	Tyler Drueke	Eagle NE	44
42	.	Paul Nienhiser	Chapin IL	43
43	.	Cody Ledger	Omaha NE	42
44	.	Jamie Ball	Knoxville IA	41
45	.	Joe Wood Jr.	Oklahoma City OK	41
46	.	Ben Wagoner	Emden IL	39
47	.	Lee Grosz	Harwood ND	39
48	.	Joe Swanson	Etna Green IN	38
49	.	Michael Stien	Ceylon MN	38
50	.	Mike Moore	Des Moines IA	38
51	.	Shane Stewart	Bixby OK	38
52	.	Tyler Thompson	Des Moines IA	37
53	.	Kent Buckley	Farmington MO	36
54	.	Neil Stevens	Bingham Lake MN	36
55	.	Kaleb Johnson	Sioux Falls SD	35
56	.	Brian Bell	Gallaway TN	34
57	.	Gregg Bakker	Sioux Falls SD	34
58	.	Sheldon Barksdale	Norman OK	34
59	.	Howard Moore	Memphis TN	33
60	.	Jeremy Schultz	Beaver Dam WI	33
61	.	Tim Crawley	Benton AR	33
62	.	Zach Chappell	Talala OK	33
63	.	Andy McElhannon	Nesbit MS	32
64	.	Kade Higday	Pleasant Hill	32
65	.	Taylor Velasquez	Turpin OK	32
66	.	Toby Chapman	Panama  NE	32
67	.	Ayrton Gennetten	Gravois Mills MO	31
68	.	John Lambertz	Sioux Falls SD	31
69	.	Bill Johnson	St. Peter MN	30
70	.	Bob Dvorak	Stuart NE	30
71	.	Danny Schlafer	Sussex WI	30
72	.	Gary Owens	Pauls Valley OK	30
73	.	Keith Deseive	Atkinson NE	30

		Combined State Points
		Modified
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Ray Bollinger	Kewanee IL	219
2	.	Mike Harrison	Highland IL	216
3	.	Kelly Shryock	Fertile IA	200
4	.	Allen Weisser	Peoria IL	167
5	.	Jason Wolla	Ray ND	166
6	.	Mitch Keeter	Webb City MO	154
7	.	Clint Luellen	Minburn IA	146
8	.	Tyler McDonald	Huron SD	142
9	.	Steven Bowers Jr.	Topeka KS	141
10	.	Kevin Adams	Cameron WI	140
11	.	Jason Cummins	New Richland MN	139
12	.	Kenny Wallace	St. Louis MO	135
13	.	Cayden Carter	Oskaloosa IA	131
14	.	David Mielke	Gladwin MI	128
15	.	Tyler Limoges	Redwood Falls MN	128
16	.	Michael Long	Fowler IL	125
17	.	Randy Lines	Marion IN	123
18	.	Kent Arment	Aberdeen SD	122
19	.	Tyler Frye	Belleville KS	120
20	.	Darron Fuqua	Mayetta KS	119
21	.	Hunter Marriott	Brookfield MO	118
22	.	Jeffrey Ledford	Pontiac IL	117
23	.	Cody Bauer	Farwell MI	116
24	.	Shane Sabraski	Rice MN	116
25	.	Dave Cain	Corcoran MN	113
26	.	Drew Armstrong	Alexander AR	113
27	.	Tim Johnson	Brainerd MN	113
28	.	Chris Abelson	Sioux City IA	112
29	.	Mike McKinney	Plainfield IL	112
30	.	Jamie Lomax	Lake Village IN	111
31	.	A.J. Ward	Ionia MI	110
32	.	Jeff James	Stanton IA	110
33	.	Brian Haben	Appleton MN	107
34	.	Jackie Dalton	Carthage MO	104
35	.	Jordan Grabouski	Beatrice NE	103
36	.	Clint Hatlestad	Glencoe MN	102
37	.	Mike Chasteen Jr.	Creve Couer IL	102
38	.	Mike Anderson	Colfax WI	101
39	.	Ryan Middaugh	Fulton MO	101
40	.	Justin Kay	Wheatland IA	100
41	.	Rick Conoyer	Wentzville MO	99
42	.	Rodney Standerfer	Germantown IL	99
43	.	Don Eischens	Richmond MN	98
44	.	Ricky Stephan	South Sioux City NE	97
45	.	Brandon Beckendorf	Danube MN	96
46	.	Chad Bauer	Farwell MI	95
47	.	Nick Deal	Walnut IA	95
48	.	Greg Smith	Montague MI	92
49	.	Tim Ward	Gilbert AZ	90
50	.	Jeff Waterman	Quincy IL	89
51	.	Dennis Elliott	Mount Ayr IA	88
52	.	Shawn Fletcher	Brainerd MN	88
53	.	Nick Hoffman	Mooreville NC	87
54	.	Anthony Roth	Columbus NE	86
55	.	Dalton Magers	Redwood Falls MN	86
56	.	Myron DeYoung	Stanton MI	86
57	.	Ricky Thornton Jr.	Chandler AZ	86
58	.	Cole Traugott	Woodward OK	86
59	.	Johnny Broking	Grand Rapids MN	85
60	.	Darrell Nelson	Hermantown MN	84
61	.	Travis Hagen	Williston ND	84
62	.	Zack VanderBeek	New Sharon IA	84
63	.	Dustin Sorenson	Rochester MN	83
64	.	Jacob Poel	Spring Lake MI	83
65	.	Rob Toland	Colona IL	83
66	.	Steven Brooks	New Lenox IL	82
67	.	Cade Dillard	Robeline LA	81
68	.	Jake Timm	Winona MN	81
69	.	Johnny Saathoff	Beatrice NE	81
70	.	Lucas Schott	Chatfield MN	81

		Combined State Points
		Limited Modifieds
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Tyler Soppe	Sherrill IA	243
2	.	Matthew Looft	Swea City IA	192
3	.	Skeeter Estey	Kelly Lake MN	177
4	.	Tony Olson	Cedar Rapids IA	172
5	.	Austen Becerra	Carthage IL	168
6	.	Brandon Lennox	New London MO	161
7	.	Lorin Johnson	Miller SD	161
8	.	Shane Halopka	Greenwood WI	151
9	.	Ryan Gillmore	Springfield MO	149
10	.	Dustin Schram	Sterling IL	147
11	.	Cody Jolly	Jasper MO	142
12	.	Jason VandeKamp	Scandia MN	142
13	.	Dan Hovden	Decorah IA	137
14	.	Austin Svoboda	David City NE	130
15	.	Michael Truscott	Chippewa Falls WI	130
16	.	Trey Harris	Hillsboro MO	130
17	.	Jake McBirnie	Boone IA	129
18	.	Trent Roth	Columbus NE	128
19	.	Colby Fett	Algona IA	124
20	.	Shawn Harker	Nebraska City NE	119
21	.	Jesse Skalicky	Fargo ND	118
22	.	Dave Siercks	Princeton MN	115
23	.	Doug Smith	Lake City IA	113
24	.	Jared Boumeester	Ellendale MN	111
25	.	Stephen Muilenburg	Sparta MO	111
26	.	Andy Bryant	Fort Scott KS	110
27	.	Curtis VanDerWal	Oskaloosa IA	109
28	.	Tim Hancock Sr.	Mount Olive IL	109
29	.	Kris Jackson	Lebanon MO	106
30	.	Jonathan Logue	Boone IA	105
31	.	Jake Richards	Edwardsville KS	105
32	.	Colton Livezy	New Sharon IA	104
33	.	Benji Rine	Charleston IL	101
34	.	Nick Koehler	Bloomer WI	100
35	.	Austin Luellen	Minburn IA	99
36	.	Mike Nichols	Watertown SD	98
37	.	Carter Vandenberg	Oskaloosa IA	97
38	.	Erik Laudenschlager	Surrey ND	96
39	.	Lucas Lamberies	Shawano WI	96
40	.	Scott Hansen	Garden City SD	96
41	.	Chris Vanmil	Barnesville MN	94
42	.	Cody Olsen	Omaha NE	93
43	.	Corey Storck	Morris MN	92
44	.	Dan Wheeler	Savage MN	92
45	.	Lance Schill	Langdon ND	92
46	.	Travis Schulte	Clear Lake MN	92
47	.	Kyle Olson	Cedar Rapids IA	91
48	.	Jason Vejtruba	Atwater MN	90
49	.	Tony Dunker	Quincy IL	90
50	.	Jaylon Wettengel	Topeka KS	89
51	.	Dustin Kruse	Brandon SD	88
52	.	Eric Lamm	Zimmerman MN	88
53	.	Lance Borgman	Beatrice NE	88
54	.	Shadren Turner	St. Joseph MO	86
55	.	Cody Thompson	Sioux City IA	85
56	.	Todd Boulware	Jefferson SD	84
57	.	Dakota Sproul	Ellis KS	84
58	.	Jake Hagemann	Fort Ripley MN	83
59	.	Karl Brewer	Vermillion SD	82
60	.	Ty Griffith	Webster City IA	82
61	.	Ben Moudry	Hastings MN	81
62	.	Jason McDaniel	Eldon IA	81
63	.	Sam Petty	Marshfield MO	81
64	.	Colby Langenberg	Norfolk NE	80