Doug Hornickel Photo | fastlapphoto.comby Kari Shear-Carlson
A season long points battle ended in a tie this past weekend at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway for the ASA Midwest SCAG Truck Tour. Jerry Wood was named the 2011 Champion and Austin “The Ace” Luedtke was crowned Rookie of the Year.
Jerry Wood entered the 2011 season with a lot of momentum after winning almost 40 percent of the events in 2010. He was ready to go for two consecutive championships. But there was one young driver who was not going to go down without a fight.
Jerry Wood started off his season with three top-tens and two top-fives in the first four events. But it did not take long before Wood was back in victory lane. Jerry won the GrandStay Summer Clash at Elko Speedway.
However, in just the second event of the season, Austin “The Ace” Luedtke came charging onto the scene with his first of two consecutive second place finishes. In the fourth event, Luedtke captured his first win, tightening up the points battle.
By mid-season, Wood’s consistency started to pay off. The two remained in a tight points battle, each with one victory. It was the seventh race of the ten race schedule that became the championship winning event. Jerry Wood took home victory number two at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Heading into championship weekend, Wood held a three point lead over Luedtke. After the heat races, only one point separated the two heading into the feature event.
A big wreck on the first lap of the feature saw both of them heading to the pit area for minor repairs. Both were able to return before the green flag fell. As Austin continued to run in the top five, Wood had reentered the pit area putting him 15 laps down.
Wood returned to the track and with five laps to go Luedtke developed a problem and began to slip back through the field. Jerry Wood never gave up and proved that persistence pays off. He finished only one position behind Luedtke in eighth.
The most exciting points battle in ASAMT history came down to the wire. It was determined that the two had tied with a total of 1541 points. After a complete review and audit of the entire season’s point standings, the points were confirmed. Per ASAMT rules, when there is a tie in the point standings, the driver with the most feature wins is crowned champion.
With his two feature wins, Jerry Wood captured his second consecutive ASA Midwest SCAG Truck Tour Championship. Wood and the entire team will be honored at the ASA Midwest Tour Championship Banquet in early 2012.
For a complete points run down and results, log on to asamidwesttour.com
Become a Fan of the ASA Midwest Tour at www.facebook.com/asamidwesttour.
To learn more about the American Speed Association® Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment and GrandStay Hospitality, log on to asamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ASA Midwest Tour office at (630) 212-6022 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@asamidwesttour.com or Steve Einhaus at steve@asamidwesttour.com.
This article was posted to the website on October 13th, 2011 • Click to view all related content in the following categories
