Final Michigan Points for 2018

I will once again make my annual point of emphasis regarding the Late Model class as I share with you the final state point standings for Michigan in the three divisions that are tracked. When you go to one of the several tracks that feature weekly Late Model racing you will typically find car counts of twenty or above with a few tracks having to run a B-Main each week in order to determine the starting field. Why do you suppose that is? Could it be the fact that the state has just one "class" of Late Models all running under the same set of rules? A driver doesn't have a choice of running a Super Late Model, a Crate Late Model, a 9:1 Late Model, a 2 barrel Late Model or a Spec Head Late Model. Nope, just one class running under one set of rules. Yes they are UMP sanctioned, but does that matter? It is the fact that there is JUST ONE set of rules that makes it work.

After finishing twelfth in the 2017 standings Nick Kurtz rises to the top of the list this year on the strength of twenty-six top five finishes, three more than any other driver. Only two of those were feature wins so it was truly consistency that took Kurtz to the top. Brandon Thirlby is second just three points back boasting four wins this season and last year's champion Eric Spangler ranked third with eight wins and twenty-one top fives. Last year's Modified state champion David Mielke added a Late Model to his shop in 2018 and ranked fifth as a rookie in the division.

A similar point can be made about the Modified division in Michigan as the B-Mod and Sport Mod class has not yet infiltrated the state thus spreading out the car counts. They do have two classes of Mods with UMP and IMCA rules packages, but the IMCA class seems to be gradually taking over. As we do in other states we merge these two into one for points tracking and while Mielke's UMP Mod was the champ in 2017, IMCA drivers take the top four positions this year with A.J. Ward the champion. Twenty-one feature wins as part of thirty-seven top five finishes added up to 150 points for Ward using the same 5-point scale that we use for the All Iowa Points, and this point total should land the Ionia driver in the top ten when we compile the "Best of the Midwest" standings for 2018. Matt Szecsodi is a star on the rise as he did not even appear in the 2017 points, but ranks second this year with thirteen feature wins and thirty-three top fives.

The Winged Sprint Car list is tight at the top with two drivers each accumulating 47 points and a third just one point back. Ryan Ruhl and Chad Blonde will share the title in 2018 after finishing third and seventh respectively last season. Both drivers tallied twelve top five finishes with Blonde winning four times and Ruhl taking three checkered flags. Boston Mead had four wins and two more top fives, but ended up one point back of the lead duo.

		Michigan Points	Final 2018
		Late Model
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Nick Kurtz	Greenville	82
2	.	Brandon Thirlby	Traverse City	79
3	.	Eric Spangler	Lake City	72
4	.	Travis Stemler	Ionia	72
5	.	David Mielke	Gladwin	67
6	.	Rich Neiser	Fruitport	44
7	.	Andrew Terrill	Sanford	43
8	.	Dona Marcoullier	Houghton Lake	43
9	.	Rusty Schlenk	McClure OH	42
10	.	Ryan Vanderveen	Six Lakes	36
11	.	Derrick Hilliker	Midland	33
12	.	David Hilliker	Midland	32
13	.	Drew Wilkerson	Revenna	28
14	.	Kyle Borgman	Muskegon	26
15	.	Steven Hilliker	Midland	24
16	.	Carl Ries	Blanchard	23
17	.	Steve Fairbanks	Twin Lake	22
18	.	Ryan Lanphierd	Midland	20
19	.	Zack Olger	St. Johns	20
20	.	Rich Bell	Sheffield IL	18
21	.	Greg Gokey	Buckley	16
22	.	Josh Borton	Crystal	16
23	.	Alex Hupert	Augres	15
24	.	Logan Arntz	Vestaburg	15
25	.	Tom Sprague Jr.	Muskegon	15
26	.	Garrett Wiles	Hubbardson	14
27	.	Jeep VanWormer	Pinconning	14
28	.	Bill Bray	Spring Lake	12
29	.	Timmy Near	Midland	11
30	.	Mike Spatola	Manhattan IL	10
31	.	Billy Moyer	Batesville AR	9
32	.	Isaac Wolfgang	Breckenridge	9
33	.	Dave Hartman	Saranac	8
34	.	Kyle Roberts	Beaverton	7
35	.	Michael Luberda Jr.	Augres	7
36	.	Rachel Carpenter	Laingsburg	7
37	.	Torrey Ahrens	Harbor Beach	7
38	.	Frank Heckenast	Frankfort IL	6
39	.	Michael Archer	Jackson	6
40	.	Scott Baker	Ionia	6
41	.	Shawn Reed	Grant	6
42	.	Andy Sprague	Muskegon	5
43	.	Curtis Roberts	Coleman	5
44	.	Jason Feger	Bloomington IL	5
45	.	Jeramy Lange	Muskegon	5
46	.	Kevin Nelson Jr.	Muskegon	5
47	.	Rob Taylor	Muskegon	5
48	.	Chad Anklam	Freeland	4
49	.	Eddie Reyes	Muskegon	4
50	.	Jesse Playter	Greenville	4
51	.	Jimmy Gallagher	St. Johns	4
52	.	Logan Love	Vestaburg	4
53	.	Tom Dusen	Muskegon	4
54	.	Wade Witherspoon	Owendale	4
55	.	Jared Guinn	Hudsonville	3
56	.	Kenny Playter	Saranac	3
57	.	Kevin Reeve	Hanover	3
58	.	Mike Vandermark Jr.	Cedar Springs	3
59	.	Rod Laney	Kawkawlin	3
60	.	Scott Fisk	Lowell	3
61	.	Scott Wenell		3
62	.	Steve McClees	Muskegon	3
63	.	Tim Moorman	Twin Lake	3
64	.	Brad Harden	Ovid	2
65	.	Casey Noonan		2
66	.	J.R. Hotovy	Hartford	2
67	.	Kris Patterson Jr.	St. Johns	2
68	.	Bry Johnson	Lowell	1
69	.	J.C. Witherspoon	Kinde	1
70	.	Ken Hahn	Gibsonburg OH	1
71	.	Kurt Mesman	Wyoming	1
72	.	Steve Casebolt	Richmond IN	1

		Michigan Points	Final 2018
		Modified
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	A.J. Ward	Ionia	150
2	.	Matt Szecsodi	Clio	118
3	.	Gary Vandermark	Lowell	65
4	.	Mitchell Hunt	Greenville	62
5	.	Cody Bauer	Farwell	60
6	.	Brenten DeYoung	Crystal	59
7	.	Collin Thirlby	Traverse City	57
8	.	David Mielke	Gladwin	56
9	.	Chad Bauer	Farwell	55
10	.	Nate Jones	Alma	54
11	.	Kody Johnson	Vestaburg	52
12	.	Myron DeYoung	Stanton	50
13	.	Tim Wilber		48
14	.	Scott Payton	Gaylord	39
15	.	Jacob Poel	Spring Lake	37
16	.	Chad Wernette	Sheridan	33
17	.	Steve Shellenberger		33
18	.	Chad May	Rockford	30
19	.	Gavin Hunyday	Fenton	30
20	.	Joey Burch	Rosebush	30
21	.	Joe Rokos	Interlochen	29
22	.	Zeke McKenzie	Claypool IN	27
23	.	Josh Lolmaugh	Columbia City IN	26
24	.	Josh Loomis	Weidman	26
25	.	Scott Smith	West Branch	26
26	.	Curt Spalding	Watervliet	23
27	.	Garrett Bennett	Davison	23
28	.	Mike Vandermark Jr.	Cedar Springs	23
29	.	Chris Cohoon	Auburn	22
30	.	Austin Wonch	Stanton	21
31	.	Jeff Erickson Jr.	Muskegon	21
32	.	John Taylor	Shepherd	21
33	.	Dan Wiggins II	Fenwick	20
34	.	Steve Fairbanks	Twin Lake	20
35	.	Victorya Truemner	Imlay City	20
36	.	David VanGuilder	Marshall	19
37	.	Nick Stormzand	Lowell	19
38	.	Toby Steele	Beaverton	19
39	.	Greg Smith	Montague	18
40	.	Matt Valiquette	Menominee	18
41	.	Mike Shanteau	Weidman	18
42	.	Milt Montgomery	Sheridan	17
43	.	Rick Swartout		17
44	.	Reid Sanders	Sears	16
45	.	Bobby Stremme	South Bend IN	15
46	.	Bill Endert	Mayville	13
47	.	Matt Sprague	Twin Lake	13
48	.	Bill DeLonge	Hesperia	12
49	.	Josh Knoll	Lake City	12
50	.	Mike Epplett	Muskegon	12
51	.	Robby Henderson		12
52	.	Chris Pepin	Escanaba	11
53	.	Tom Beezley		11
54	.	Chance Allen	Alma	10
55	.	Jamie Iverson	Escanaba	10
56	.	Jerid Bissen	Muskegon	10
57	.	John DeYoung Jr.	Stanton	10
58	.	John McClure	Clarksville	10
59	.	Russ Franks	Oconto WI	10
60	.	Shannon Fisk	Lowell	10
61	.	Tanner Pray	Mt. Morris	10
62	.	Austin Harnick	Clare	9
63	.	Craig Vance	Midland	9
64	.	Jamie Lomax	Lake Village IN	9
65	.	Jeff Reay	Portland	9
66	.	Paul Johnson	Arcadia	9
67	.	Dave Baker	Grand Rapids	8
68	.	Kevin Cavanaugh	Muskegon	8
69	.	Lonnie Dalgord	Escanaba	8
70	.	Mike Richer	Escanaba	8
71	.	Pat Richer	Bark River	8
72	.	Brian Ruhlman	Clark Lake	7
73	.	Brody Bowser	Stanton	7
74	.	Corey Bevard		7
75	.	Brady Hollenbeck	Greenville	6
76	.	Dillon Nusbaum		6
77	.	Larry Passenier	Muskegon	6
78	.	Mark Pifer		6
79	.	Steve Langdon		6
80	.	Ted Cooper	Whitehall	6
81	.	Bob Baldwin		5
82	.	Caleb Kill	McBain	5
83	.	Chuck Powell	Harrison	5
84	.	Jason Jones		5
85	.	Jordan Ives	Gladstone	5
86	.	Kyle Novak	Traverse City	5
87	.	Mike Langdon		5
88	.	Ryan Cripe		5
89	.	Sawyer Haese	New Franken WI	5
90	.	Shaun Patrick		5
91	.	Chaz Pray	Clio	4
92	.	Darryl Banks		4
93	.	Derek Passener	Muskegon	4
94	.	Jason Bergman	Caro	4
95	.	Matt Carney		4
96	.	Mickey Carmen Jr.		4
97	.	Richard Swan		4
98	.	Taylor Wiles	Hubbardston	4
99	.	Timmy Near	Clio	4
100	.	Aaron Mieske	Midland	3
101	.	Brandon Ordway		3
102	.	Casey Tasker	Fenwick	3
103	.	Garrett Rons		3
104	.	Mike Nelson	Cadillac	3
105	.	Ritchie Sutherland	Merritt	3
106	.	Scott Besaw	Oshkosh WI	3
107	.	Trent Musk	Muskegon	3
108	.	Tyler Morehouse		3
109	.	Benji Leslie		2
110	.	Brent Banning	West Branch	2
111	.	Calvin Stemler	Ionia	2
112	.	Deuane Morley		2
113	.	Heath Grizzle	Drasco AR	2
114	.	Jarrett Rendel		2
115	.	Jeff Cade	Buckley	2
116	.	John Person		2
117	.	Josh Garrett		2
118	.	Phil Dixon	Crosby TX	2
119	.	Tim Tuttle	Muskegon	2
120	.	Tom Stark	Sturgeon Bay WI	2
121	.	Blake Spaulding		1
122	.	Brad Roberts	Stockbridge	1
123	.	Brett Widdis	Marinette	1
124	.	Calvin Jacques	Caro	1
125	.	Don Campbell	Montague	1
126	.	Donnie Roberts	Gladwin	1
127	.	Dustin Golden	Bedford IN	1
128	.	Jacob Flickinger	Gaylord	1
129	.	Jacob McCloud	Freeport	1
130	.	Jayden Schmidt	Seymour WI	1
131	.	John Wozniak	Howell	1
132	.	Josh Turner		1
133	.	Justn Kuhl	Gagetown	1
134	.	Kyle Galgoci	Shepherd	1
135	.	Luke Hubbell		1
136	.	Mark Beard		1
137	.	Steven Pena		1
138	.	Will Stanley	Weidman	1

		Michigan Points	Final 2018
		Winged Sprints
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Chad Blonde	Litchfield	47
2	.	Ryan Ruhl	Coldwater	47
3	.	Boston Mead	Onsted	46
4	.	Dustin Daggett	Grand Ledge	43
5	.	Gregg Dalman	Bellevue	32
6	.	Chase Ridenour	Perry	24
7	.	Max Stambaugh	Lima OH	22
8	.	Shawn Valenti	Risingsun OH	22
9	.	Quentin Blonde		18
10	.	Phil Gressman	Helena OH	16
11	.	Jared Horstman	Colverdale OH	15
12	.	Joe Swanson	Etna Green IN	15
13	.	Jay Steinbach	Hudsonville	11
14	.	Zane Devault	Plymouth IN	11
15	.	Danny Sams III	Engelwood FL	10
16	.	Steve Irwin	Fenton	10
17	.	Josh Turner	Hanover	9
18	.	Jason Blonde		8
19	.	Ken Mackey	Brooklyn	8
20	.	Tyler Rankin		6
21	.	David Gravel	Waterford CT	5
22	.	Conner Morrell	Bradenton FL	4
23	.	Dylan Westbrook	Ontario CA	4
24	.	Mitch Brown	Brantford ONT	4
25	.	Ricky Ferkel	Bellevue OH	4
26	.	Shane Stewart	Bixby OK	4
27	.	Brad Lamberson	Parma	3
28	.	Brad Sweet	Grass Valley CA	3
29	.	Brett Mann	Goshen IN	3
30	.	Andrew Scheid	Sparta	2
31	.	Andy Tuenessen		2
32	.	Donny Schatz	Fargo ND	2
33	.	Josh Mohr		2
34	.	Mark Aldrich		2
35	.	Nick Rogers		2
36	.	Ricky Peterson		2
37	.	Ryan Grubaugh	St. Johns	2
38	.	Thomas Messeraull		2
39	.	Tom Schinderle	Warren	2
40	.	Brent Marks		1
41	.	Chris Jones		1
42	.	Dan McCarron	Dundee	1
43	.	Hud Horton	German Town OH	1
44	.	Joe Geibe	Sturgis	1
45	.	Shelby Bilton	Reading	1