MILWAUKEE, WISC. – Dec. 19, 2009) - Starting in the 6th position, the "T Train" Tucker Hibbert picked off drivers one-by-one in battle after battle in the most anticipated race of the evening at the Milwaukee Mile National and landed once again in the number one position on the podium making this his 50th career win. In the AMSOIL Pro Open final of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, the world's best drivers on the world's fastest sleds went 22 laps at the oldest motor speedway in the world.
Hibbert of Goodridge, Minn., wearing bib number 68 drove his Arctic Cat up to the winners circle and stood on the center spot of the podium for the 50th time in his career. At the podium, Hibbert was modest and humble. “Every win is special,” Hibbert said. “I thank God for giving me strength. And I thank my whole crew behind me. They have worked hard.”
At the start it was the 2008/2009 rookie of the year Brett Bender of Boston, New York, number 19 taking the hole shot on his Polaris. With Hibbert back in the pack it was Bender, followed by Ross Martin of Pleasant Prairie, Wisc., #837 Polaris and Robbie Malinoski of Humbolt, Saskatchewan, #4 Polaris in third place.
The top three stayed in their positions for a couple of laps as Hibbert starting making his move in the fourth lap he passed Malinoski. Getting roosted is not one of Hibbert’s favorite things and to keep from eating more snow he passed up Martin as well putting Hibbert in second.
Taking a face full of snow delivered by Bender, near the 8th lap Hibbert had enough snow in his face and passed up Bender at the tabletop with 13 laps to go.
It was one big circle of sleds as lap traffic formed on the track. Hibbert was choosing his lines and watching the traffic. When someone went high, he went low, keeping his lead to the end.
The big battle after that was for second place. Martin made a run on Bender but couldn’t quite pull it off. In the end of a fantastic race it was Hibbert in first, Bender in second and Martin in third.
Providing back-to-back racing excitement the drivers in the Air Force Semi Pro Super Stock #2 gave the crowd everything that racing is about. There was sight, sound, speed and smell of sled fuel enticing the fans at the Milwaukee Mile. It was also one crazy wild 16-lap race.
Right from the start before they even made it one lap it became a yard sale in corners one and two with three or four sleds up side down. When the sale was over, Logan Christian of Fertile, Minn., #443 and Cody Thomsen of Nisswa, Minn. #682 made an Arctic Cat sandwich out of Justin Broberg of North Prairie, Wisc., #168 on his Polaris.
Broberg somehow ended up under his sled with 11 laps to go but got up and got going nearly as quick as he got down. Thomsen was searching for his lines and running mostly inside. Thomsen and Christian bumped in corner one and with two laps to go, Thomsen was black-flagged and Christian finished strong.
In a surprise finish after one wild race, it was Christian followed by a very excited Kyle Pallin of Ironwood Michigan, #324 Arctic Cat in second. Andrew Lieders of Colby, Wisc., #857 Polaris was surprised to find himself in third place. Starting in the back row, Lieders picked off drivers one-by-one making his way to the top.
“I took a circle in the middle of the last lap,” Lieders said. “I’m not sure what happened just went wide and circled and kept going.”
It was “crazy nuts” out on the track with bar-to-bar battles, yellow and black flags dropping spreading like wild fire well before the checkered flag dropped.
In the middle of the two most exciting races of the season the Monster Energy Slednecks Invasion Tour gave the crowd their best show to date as well.
Paul Thacker and his gnarly crew of fellow tricksters turned up the volume and kicked the entire show up a notch performing sick tricks and back flips — Thacker went upside-down flipping his nearly 500 pound sled three times.
The fans at the Milwaukee Mile National witnessed history in the making with Hibbert’s win coupled with the most exciting racing and sickest tricks of the series so far.
The next stop in the series takes the teams to the Western National in Sandy, Utah on January 9. The third event of the series will take place at the state-of-the art Rio Tinto stadium. |