May, Drueke, Grabouski and Jackson Are The "Best Of The Midwest" For 2018

The 2018 racing season is complete and over the past six weeks we have been sharing the state point standings for the fourteen states that we tracked this year. And since all of them were done using the 5-point scale for all events, specials and weekly shows, with the winner getting five points, second four, third three, fourth two points and one point for fifth we can now combine them to determine who is the "Best In The Midwest" for 2018.

For Illinois and Indiana we track the Crate Late Models separately, but when it comes to this summary and the multiple rules packages that exist for the Late Model division in the region we combine all of them together as one. So in other words, if it looks like a Late Model, it is a Late Model no matter what the engine or shock rules may be and for the 2018 the top spot on the list belongs to the UMP Pro Late Model National Champion A.J. May. The Illinois State Champion in the Crate Late Models scored all 157 of his points in his home state with twenty feature win and thirty-seven top five finishes.  The All Iowa Points champion Jeremiah Hurst is the runner-up just six points back running primarily in IMCA sanctioned events with fellow Iowan and IMCA racer Matt Ryan in third. Brian Shirley, the Illinois state Late Model champ is the top ranked Super Late Model driver in fourth while last year's Best of the Midwest driver, Chad Becker places his WISSOTA sanctioned Late Model in fifth.

We do the same thing for the Sprint Cars where essentially if it has a wing, it is scored as a Sprint Car with Iowa being the only state where we break the standings out based upon cubic inches. This year's Best is Nebraska's Tyler Drueke who spent most of his Friday night's racing at US 36 in Missouri where he finished second in the state point standings while his Saturday nights were spent close to home at the Eagle Raceway. In his home state Drueke shared the state points title with Jason Martin, but add the two together and Tyler had seven wins and twenty-four top fives to top this list. World of Outlaws regulars Brad Sweet and Donny Schatz rank second and third respectively as the top two at the 2018 Knoxville Nationals earned points in ten and nine of the states that we follow respectively. The 2018 All Iowa Points 410 champion Brian Brown is fourth on this list while Kerry Madsen and this year's North Dakota champion Wade Nygaard tied for fifth. Last year's champion Bill Balog tied for 25th this season.

There are three major sanctioning bodies for the Modified division in the states that we cover and the National Champions for each are all in the top four of the Best of the Midwest standings. Leading the way is IMCA's Jordan Grabouski with UMP's Mike Harrison in as the runner-up. Both were also our points champion in their home states of Nebraska and Illinois respectively. The Minnesota state points champion Brandon Beckendorf settles into the third position while USRA National Champion Darron Fuqua ranks fourth. Fuqua is this year's All Missouri Points winner and he finished fourth in the Kansas state standings. Dave Cain ranked fourth in Wisconsin and fifth in Minnesota, but add those two together and throw in a late season victory in Iowa and that places the Corcoran, Minnesota, driver fifth in the Best of the Midwest rundown. Ray Bollinger was at the top of this list last year and in 2018 he ranks 15th.

With twenty-seven feature wins and a state points championship in Missouri, plus two wins in Wisconsin and one in Kansas, Kris Jackson is the Best of the Midwest when it comes to the limited Modified division that includes IMCA Sport Mods, USRA and UMP B-Mods and WISSOTA's Midwest Modifieds. All Iowa Points Champion Cody Thompson is the runner-up followed by two-time Illinois champ Dustin Schram. IMCA's National Champion Matthew Looft is fourth after being the runner-up in Minnesota and ranking thirteenth in Iowa while the Minnesota state champion Skeeter Estey is fifth. The 2017 champion Tyler Soppe raced his way to seventh in 2018.

To get a background on the state points and to follow the All Iowa Points throughout the racing season, check into the Points page at Positively Racing.

		Combined State Points
		Late Model
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	A.J. May	Peoria IL	157
2	.	Jeremiah Hurst	Dubuque IA	151
3	.	Matt Ryan	Davenport IA	133
4	.	Brian Shirley	Chatham IL	132
5	.	Chad Becker	Aberdeen SD	122
6	.	Ricky Weiss	Winnipeg MB	120
7	.	Ryan Dolan	Lisbon IA	113
8	.	Andy Nezworski	Buffalo IA	112
9	.	Guy Taylor	Springfield IL	104
10	.	Mike Spatola	Manhattan IL	103
11	.	Nick Anvelink	Navarino WI	101
12	.	Todd Cooney	Des Moines IA	100
13	.	Ben Wolden	Fergus Falls MN	99
14	.	Cory Dumpert	York NE	97
15	.	Tad Pospisil	Norfolk NE	96
16	.	Brandon Thirlby	Traverse City MI	93
17	.	Dakota Ewing	Decatur IL	92
18	.	Darrel DeFrance	Marshalltown IA	91
19	.	Nick Kurtz	Greenville MI	87
20	.	Tommy Elston	Keokuk IA	87
21	.	Marty O'Neal	Spencer IN	84
22	.	Shannon Babb	Mowequa IL	82
23	.	Denny Woodworth	Mendon IL	81
24	.	John Emerson	Waterloo IA	81
25	.	Eric Spangler	Lake City MI	80
26	.	Steven Crocker	Jonesboro AR	80
27	.	Billy Leighton	Omaha NE	79
28	.	Travis Budisalovich	Minneapolis MN	79
29	.	Darrell Nelson	Hermanton MN	76
30	.	Dustin Strand	Grand Forks ND	76
31	.	Rusty Schlenk	McClure OH	76
32	.	Josh Skorczewski	Aberdeen SD	74
33	.	Rob Toland	Hillsdale IL	74
34	.	Brandon Sheppard	New Berlin IL	73
35	.	Chuck Hanna	Port Byron IL	72
36	.	Travis Stemler	Ionia MI	72
37	.	Curt Gelling	Aberdeen SD	71
38	.	Jacob Brown	Omaha NE	70
39	.	Kent Arment	Aberdeen SD	70
40	.	Zach Zentner	Cedar Rapids NE	70
41	.	Kyle Peterlin	Hibbing MN	69
42	.	David Mielke	Gladwin MI	67
43	.	Billy Moyer	Batesville AR	66
44	.	Tyler Bruening	Decorah IA	66
45	.	Dustin Hodges	Fulton MO	65
46	.	Brett Swedberg	Shawano WI	64
47	.	Lance Hofer	Cochrane WI	62
48	.	Brandon Poppenheimer	Nesbit MS	62
49	.	Ben Schaller	Omaha NE	60

		Combined State Points
		Winged Sprints (All)
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Tyler Drueke	Eagle NE	91
2	.	Brad Sweet	Grass Valley CA	86
3	.	Donny Schatz	Fargo ND	80
4	.	Brian Brown	Grain Valley MO	79
5	.	Kerry Madsen	St. Marys NSW	78
6	.	Wade Nygaard	Fargo ND	78
7	.	Steven Shebester	Mustang OK	73
8	.	Jack Dover	Springfield NE	71
9	.	Jason Martin	Lincoln NE	67
10	.	Terry McCarl	Altoona IA	65
11	.	Dale Howard	Byhalia MS	64
12	.	Mike Houseman Jr.	Des Moines IA	64
13	.	Paul Nienheiser	Chapin IL	63
14	.	Sammy Swindell	Bartlett TN	63
15	.	Austin Pierce	Grand Forks ND	62
16	.	Mark Dobmeier	Fargo ND	61
17	.	Matt Richards	Lincoln NE	59
18	.	Sam Hafertepe Jr.	Sunnyvale TX	59
19	.	Jake Bubak	Golden CO	57
20	.	Dustin Daggett	Grand Ledge MI	56
21	.	Seth Bergman	Snohomish WA	56
22	.	Trevor Serbus	Olivia MN	56
23	.	Brad Bowden	Hernando MS	54
24	.	Derek Hagar	Marion AR	53
25	.	Austin McCarl	Altoona IA	52
26	.	Bill Balog	Brookfield WI	52
27	.	Jade Hastings	Grand Forks ND	51
28	.	David Gravel	Waterford CT	50
29	.	Miles Paulus	Marshall MO	50
30	.	Scotty Thiel	Sheboygan WI	50
31	.	Tanner Gebhart	Burlington IA	50
32	.	Daryn Pittman	Owasso OK	49
33	.	Jacob Patton	Bethalto IL	49
34	.	Jonathan Cornell	Sedalia MO	48
35	.	Thomas Kennedy	Winnepeg MB	48
36	.	Chad Blonde	Litchfield MI	47
37	.	Eric Bridger	Winterset IA	47
38	.	Ethan Barrow	Unionville IN	47
39	.	Ryan Ruhl	Coldwater MI	47
40	.	Boston Mead	Onsted MI	46
41	.	Clint Garner	Sioux Falls SD	46
42	.	Jarrod Schneiderman	West Burlington IA	46
43	.	Jeremy Campbell	Wichita KS	46
44	.	Brooke Tatnell	San Souci NSW	45
45	.	Lee Grosz	Harwood ND	45
46	.	Alex Sewell	Broken Arrow OK	44
47	.	Kurt Davis	West Allis WI	44
48	.	Tim Crawley	Benton AR	44
49	.	Danny Smith	Sand Springs OK	43
50	.	Dusty Ballenger	Harrisburg SD	43
51	.	Howard Moore	Memphis TN	43
52	.	Jake Blackhurst	Hanna City IL	43
53	.	Andy Shouse	Mustang OK	42
54	.	Brandon McMullen	Plymouth WI	42
55	.	Eric Saunders	Lakeville IN	42
56	.	Jake Martens	Fairview OK	42
57	.	Tyler Blank	California MO	42
58	.	Zach Blurton	Quinter KS	42
59	.	Joe B. Miller	Millersville MO	41
60	.	Tayor Walton	Warrensburg MO	41
61	.	Anton Hernandez	Arlington TX	40
62	.	Brandon Allen	St. Peter MN	40
63	.	Brayden Gaylord	Wever IA	40
64	.	Gary Owens	Pauls Valley OK	40
65	.	Jack Potter	Lees Summit MO	40
66	.	Nick Omdahl	East Grand Forks MN	40
67	.	Ryan Giles	West Des Moines IA	40
68	.	Tyler Thompson	Des Moines IA	40

		Combined State Points
		Modified
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Jordan Grabouski	Beatrice NE	213
2	.	Mike Harrison	Highland IL	191
3	.	Brandon Beckendorf	Danube MN	180
4	.	Darron Fuqua	Mayetta KS	175
5	.	Dave Cain	Corcoran MN	161
6	.	Jamie Lomax	Lake Village IN	152
7	.	Anthony Roth	Columbus NE	151
8	.	A.J. Ward	Ionia MI	150
9	.	Brian Haben	Appleton MN	147
10	.	Dan Ebert	Lake Shore MN	138
11	.	Mike McKinney	Plainfield IL	137
12	.	Hunter Marriott	Brookfield MO	135
13	.	Drew Armstrong	Alexander AR	135
14	.	Ricky Thornton Jr.	Chandler AZ	134
15	.	Ray Bollinger	Kewanee IL	132
16	.	Shane Sabraski	Rice MN	123
17	.	Kelly Shryock	Fertile IA	122
18	.	Jesse Dennis	Prescott IA	121
19	.	Tanner Mullens	Wichita KS	120
20	.	Matt Szecsodi	Clio MI	118
21	.	Allen Weisser	Peoria IL	117
22	.	Kevin Adams	Cameron WI	112
23	.	Zeke McKenzie	Claypool IN	111
24	.	Jody Bellefeuille	Duluth MN	109
25	.	Rodney Sanders	Happy TX	109
26	.	Jay Noteboom	Hinton IA	106
27	.	Jeff Larson	Freeport IL	105
28	.	Tim Ward	Gilbert AZ	105
29	.	Jeff Aikey	Cedar Falls IA	104
30	.	Trent Young	Hopkinsville KY	104
31	.	Johnny Broking	Grand Rapids MN	103
32	.	David Wietholder	Liberty IL	102
33	.	Tyler Nicely	Owensboro KY	101
34	.	Troy Cordes	Raymond IA	100
35	.	Bryce Garnhart	Shannon IL	98
36	.	Derek Losh	Rensselaer IN	98
37	.	Alex Guthmiller	Watertown SD	97
38	.	Joel Rust	Grundy Center IA	97
39	.	Steven Bowers Jr.	Topeka KS	97
40	.	Darrell Nelson	Hermantown MN	96
41	.	Mike Anderson	Colfax WI	96
42	.	Tyler Limoges	Redwood Falls MN	91
43	.	Tyler Wolff	Fayetteville AR	91
44	.	Kenny Wallace	Arnold MO	90
45	.	Jeff James	Stanton IA	89
46	.	Johnny Scott	Cameron MO	88
47	.	Chris Abelson	Sioux City IA	86
48	.	Derek Groomer	Bloomington IN	86
49	.	Chad Davis	Tulsa OK	84
50	.	Stormy Scott	Las Cruces NM	85
51	.	Clint Hatlestad	Glencoe MN	83
52	.	Terry Schultz	Sedalia MO	83
53	.	James Walters	Brazil IN	82
54	.	Jeff Waterman	Quincy IL	82
55	.	Mike Chasteen Jr.	Creve Couer IL	82
56	.	Dennis Elliott	Mount Ayr IA	82
57	.	McKay Wenger	Fairbury IL	81
58	.	Marcus Yarie	Wausau WI	80

		Combined State Points
		Limited Modifieds
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Kris Jackson	Lebanon MO	204
2	.	Cody Thompson	Sioux City IA	192
3	.	Dustin Schram	Sterling IL	182
4	.	Matthew Looft	Swea City IA	177
5	.	Skeeter Estey	Kelly Lake MN	170
6	.	Trey Harris	Hillsboro MO	169
7	.	Tyler Soppe	Sherrill IA	153
8	.	Austin Luellen	Minburn IA	144
9	.	Austen Becerra	Carthage IL	140
10	.	Lucas Lamberies	Shawano WI	136
11	.	Lance Schill	Langdon ND	135
12	.	Andy Bryant	Fort Scott KS	128
13	.	Jared Boumeester	Ellendale MN	128
14	.	Lorin Johnson	Miller SD	123
15	.	Brad Smith	Belton MO	120
16	.	Tyler Kidwell	Chanute KS	120
17	.	Dan Hovden	Decorah IA	119
18	.	Tony Olson	Cedar Rapids IA	115
19	.	Jackie Dalton	Carthage MO	113
20	.	Brayton Carter	Oskaloosa IA	112
21	.	Jake McBirnie	Boone IA	112
22	.	Lance Borgman	Beatrice NE	112
23	.	Tim Hancock Sr.	Mount Olive IL	109
24	.	Austin Svoboda	David City NE	108
25	.	Cody Lee	Starbuck MN	108
26	.	Cody Olsen	Omaha NE	108
27	.	J.C. Morton	Springdale AR	105
28	.	Sam Petty	Marshfield MO	105
29	.	Doug Smith	Lake City IA	104
30	.	Jake Sachau	Denison IA	104
31	.	Tony Rialson	Cottonwood MN	102
32	.	Gage Neal	Ely IA	101
33	.	Calvin Iverson	Eleva WI	97
34	.	Colby Fett	Algona IA	96
35	.	Jonathan Logue	Boone IA	96
36	.	Kevin Adams	Cameron WI	95
37	.	Rusty Montagne	North Sioux City SD	95
38	.	Steve Clancy	Odessa MO	95
39	.	Shawn Harker	Nebraska City NE	94
40	.	Dakota Sproul	Ellis KS	93
41	.	Daniel Fellows	Keokuk IA	93
42	.	Brandon Mehrwerth	St. Stephen MN	91
43	.	David Siercks	Princeton MN	88
44	.	Kelly Henderson	Minot ND	88
45	.	Shane Halopka	Greenwood WI	86
46	.	Joe Docekal	Dysart IA	85
47	.	Adam Birck	Canton MO	83
48	.	Everett Bradham	Olney IL	82
49	.	Cody Jolly	Jasper MO	80
50	.	Kyle Raddant	Shawano WI	80