Rinker Rolls To Third Straight
Defending Champ swamps field on Mississippi

Minneapolis, Minn. ~ Team AMSOIL driver Terry Rinker continued his domination of the 2006 ChampBoat Series this past weekend at the 10th Annual Grand Prix of Minneapolis.  Rinker, a two-time and defending series champion, controlled his fate from start to finish on the Mississippi River in front of 10,000 fans.

The Florida-native took the fastest qualifying time on Saturday by more than a second over the next competitor.  He then pushed his yellow #10 AMSOIL boat to a convincing win in the first of two heat races.  After the field was inverted for the second heat race, Rinker worked his way from the back of the pack to fifth, ensuring he would start on the pole for Sunday’s final.

From there, Rinker left no doubt that he was going to pick up his third straight win to open the season by grabbing the holeshot (see video) and leading the 50-lap final from start to finish.

“Winning here in Minneapolis was important for us,” said Rinker. “We felt we wanted to make a statement at this event and I think we accomplished this. History here in Minnesota is so exciting to the sport and these knowledgeable fans appreciated everyone’s effort this afternoon, which was great.”

 The ChampBoat Racing Series takes a three week break before heading to the fourth race of the season in St. Louis for the longest standing event in North America, the Grand Prix of St. Louis, on the weekend of August 19-20.

“Super Team" Picks Up Two Podiums
AMSOIL put to the test in torrid temperatures

Chula Vista, Calif. ~ The AMSOIL/Kumho Tires "Super Team" continues to place its imprint on the Championship Off-Road Racing Series after a strong weekend of racing in Southern California.  Two AMSOIL drivers took home podium finishes while the team picked up two more top five finishes in the California sun.

In the Pro-4 class, Scott Douglas was able to grab two top fives, including a third place finish in Sunday’s race.  Douglas, who hails from nearby El Cajon, Calif., was leading the field for most of the race before a questionable move by another driver pushed him high near the end of the last lap, allowing two trucks to pass.  It is the second week in a row Douglas has finished on the podium in the Pro-4 class, and it marks his second third place finish of the year.  Douglas also finished fifth on Saturday.  The California native currently sits in seventh in the points race.

In the Pro-2 races, it was rookie driver Mike Oberg who stole the show from the other "Super Team" members.  Oberg finished a season best fourth on Saturday and then improved on Sunday for his first podium of the season with a third place finish.  Dan Vanden Heuvel ran into mechanical problems after breaking a timing belt, but was able to pick up an 11th place finish on Saturday and a 10th on Sunday.  Douglas is currently in sixth in the Pro-2 points standings with Oberg in eighth and Vanden Heuvel in 13th.

In the Pro-Lite class, Dan Vanden Heuvel Jr. showed improvement over the two days of racing.  The rookie driver crossed the finish line in 15th on Saturday.  On Sunday, Junior found a better groove and was able to crack the top 10 with a seventh.   Junior sits in 14th in the Pro-Lite standings.

The CORR series will be back in action in two weeks when the series heads back to Bark River, Mich. on August 12-13 for the ninth and tenth rounds of the series.

Windham Getting Back In Form
Motocross rider nabs second, remains fourth in points

Lakewood, Colo. ~ Team AMSOIL motocross rider Kevin Windham is starting to find his stride in the AMA Motocross Series after a season ending injury curtailed his 2006 Supercross season.

Two weeks ago, the Honda-backed rider found his best finish of the season at the Unadilla MX Park in New Berlin, N.Y.  Windham finished the first moto in third and improved to a second place finish in the second moto for a second overall on the weekend.

Last weekend, Windham posted two more strong motos at the Thunder Valley MX Complex in Lakewood, Colo.  The Louisiana-native posted a pair of fourth place finishes for fourth overall.  Windham currently sits in fourth in the AMA MX points race, just five points out of third place.  The AMA Motocross season will be in Washougal, Wash. this weekend.

Shryock Does it Again!

Arcadia, Wis. ~ Team AMSOIL Modified driver Casey Shryock continued his dominance in the AMSOIL sponsored U.S. Modified Touring Series last weekend.  The Fertile, Iowa driver picked up his sixth and seventh straight victories in grand fashion during the last two stops on the USMTS schedule.

On July 20, the USMTS made its debut at the historic Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.  It took Shryock eight-laps to take over the lead, a position he wouldn’t give up for the rest of the race. It marked his 21st win of the 2006 season.

The next night, the USMTS headed to Slayton, Minn and the Murray County Speedway.  In the 30-lap, 26-car final, Shryock again had to work his way to the front of the pack after getting caught up in traffic.  The seven-time defending champion took over the lead on lap10 and never looked back.

The USMTS will be back in action on Tuesday, August 1 when they travel to Vinton, Iowa and the Benton County Speedway.

Smith Finishes Strong During Triple Header
Two top tens, a top five mark strong weekend for AMSOIL driver

Solon Springs, Wis. ~ The Brady Smith Racing team posted a top five finish and a pair of top 10 efforts over a busy weekend in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. Smith’s weekend kicked off last Friday night at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa. He was sixth fastest for the NARA Late Model Dirt Series show and transferred to the feature event by virtue of finishing second in his heat race.  Smith rolled off sixth for the 50-lap A-Main and drove his AMSOIL Monte Carlo to a solid tenth place finish at the historic Knoxville oval. His top 10 finish was recorded by the cameras of the SPEED Channel for viewing later in the 2006 season.

After failing to make the starting field in Wheatland, Mo. on Saturday, it was off to the Boone County Fair Speedway in Albion, Neb. on Sunday for a $5,000 to win PolyDome World Dirt Racing League (WDRL) Series event. Smith qualified second fastest overall and finished second in his heat race. The Solon Springs, Wis. native rolled off from the pole for the 50-lap feature event before ultimately finishing fourth in the final rundown of the A-Main.

View updated Race Schedule

Schwenkbeck Picks Up First Career Win
Victory helps rookie anglers cause for Classic

Fort Madison, Iowa ~ Darrin Schwenkbeck has been looking for the right combination of fish and a little bit of luck all season long.  The rookie bass angler is a full-time member of the Bassmaster Elite Series, but his schedule also allows him to take part in the Bassmaster Northern Tour.  That loophole in the scheduling paid off in a big way last weekend for the rookie angler.

Schwenkbeck earned the first win of his bass career on the Mississippi River with a three-day catch of 42 pounds, 12 ounces. His prize was $17,700 in cash and a Triton boat rig with Mercury outboard worth $45,000. Schwenkbeck took the day 2 lead, moving up from the fourth position after the first day of competition. Saturday, he held on handily for the win with a final-day catch of 12 pounds, 7 ounces.

"Things are just starting to happen for me," said Schwenkbeck. "It's been a struggle, but I guess I had the [lucky] horseshoe with me this week."

The win elevated Schwenkbeck's standing in the Northern Tour points race from 29th to first, much closer to a coveted berth in the 2007 Bassmaster Classic. The top three points finishers at the conclusion of the Northern Tour will qualify for the Classic.  Schwenkbeck has five top 50 finishes at Elite Series events and sits in fifth place on the Toyota Rookie of the Year Standings.

Lovell’s Add Rookies to Pit Crew
Brothers become fathers over summer break

Colorado Springs, Colo. ~ A mid-season break for the AMSOIL sponsored rock climbing team of Brad and Roger Lovell has suited the team well.  On June 22, Roger's wife gave birth to a 7 lb. 7 oz. boy named Parker Wilson Lovell. Not to be outdone, Brad’s wife gave birth to fraternal twin boys, Adam Joseph and Byam Andrew last weekend, July 15.

All this adds up to a new junior pit crew that will grow up together and be staunch AMSOIL users. The team will be back in action at the next UROC Pro National event in Salt Lake City July 29 and 30.

Co-op Sponsorships

If you are a T-1 certified AMSOIL Dealer looking to sponsor a local racer through the AMSOIL Co-op Race Program, please fill out the G-2074 and send it to the AMSOIL Racing Department.  Teams who were sponsored last year will need to fill out the form once again.  Also, please remember to send in your race results, as they will be included in the Checkered Flag.