Looking good and ready for racing, day or night!

Stanley approves. “Helmet please.”

2012 Try-A-Ride Flyer

Follow all the results on LegendsNation.com

After a rainy season, finally sunny day was in store for the 2011 Bishop Performance Legends Club banquet as it looked like we were going to get a little Indian summer. The group began to assemble at the Main Street Villa in Capac to crown the seasons champion. The night was spent watching racing videos and K-Komp photos from the season before a delicious Italian cuisine was served buffet style.

Not all the awards had been decided. The group had voted online for Most Improved Driver and Best Looking Car was voted on at the banquet.

Here is a list of our 2011 awards:

Special Thanks
Every successful season is made up of behind the scenes people who put a lot of effort into making the season a success. This year Special Thanks goes out to the following:

Shop Help
Chris Metdepenningen
David Beatty
Bob Beatty
Brian Randall
Matthew Randall
Nathan Randall
Steve McNabb
Skip Krassa

Photos
Karen Krassa

Stats/Video
Lisa Heilig

Promo Videos
Randy Gallagher 2

House Drivers
Chris Metdepenningen
Jeff Beatty

Special Awards

Congratulations to Chance Rice for his 2010/2011 Championships and for securing a modified ride for 2012 with the governor. Chance is a fast, patient driver who races clean and puts on a great show. We’ll be watching Chance in 2012.

#36 Chance Rice

Congratulations also goes out to Jeff Metdepenningen, driver of the Bishop Performance sponsored enduro car. Jeff won 3 of 4 races at Flatrock to lock up the 2011 championship.

#2 Jeff Metdepenningen

Best Looking Car
The group had many great looking cars to choose from for Best Looking Car. In the first round of voting, David Beatty (16) and Cole Landau (74L) tied. The group voted again to break the tie and Cole Landau took the prize. Great looking car Cole and Barry!!

#74L Cole Landau

Most Improved Driver

With 3 top fives, 5 top tens and 1 heat win, Steve McNabb made his way into the fast heat on occasion, setting 2nd fast time one night at Whittemore. Steve is in his second year racing with Bishop Performance Legends Club and was voted as most improved.

#86 Steve McNabb

Hard Charger/Most Poles
The Hard Charger Award is for the driver who passes the most cars throughout the season based on the starting and finishing positions in the feature races. David Beatty passed 16 cars, more then double any of the other drivers.
David also had the most poles, a total of 6. No other driver had more than 1.

#16 David Beatty

Rookie of the Year
Matthew Randall feature win and 8 top five’s gained him the 2011 BPLC Rookie of the Year award. Matthew picture will take the ROTY position on the website header as one of our 2011 champions.

#19 Matthew Randall

2011 Champion
David Beatty has been featured in just about every story this past season. With an impressive 6 feature wins and 6 poles, David coasted into the top spot. His picture will take the 2011 Champion position on the website header.

#16 David Beatty

Congratulations to all of our Champions, crew and fans!! See you all next year!!

The first event for David did not have a qualifying round and the 16 won the feature event. No one knew how fast David really was. Then at the next 5 event, David was fast qualifier and the winner of the feature races. It became apparent he was headed for a championship. Skip Krassa and Matthew Randall were staying in close pursuit in second and third spots in points.

David let the group know he would be missing the August 13th race at Springport for work. He had already missed the first race so this race would not count as his one allowed drop. After dropping to third, Matthew Randall pulled back into second and knew this race would be his best chance to catch David. This race and the next were called due to rain and Randall championship hopes were dashed.

The next race Beatty needed to break in a new set of tires and his night was about 1/2 a second off his normal times. He would finish fourth in the feature followed again by Randall and Krassa. The championship points battle remained the same.

That left the final night at the famed Michigan Cup to decide the champion. Mathematically, Beatty only had to qualify to ensure the championship was his. He would have to be a no show and Randall would need to dominate the event to win.

As he did for most of the season, Beatty set fast time. His friend Chance Rice, showed up on Sunday to give David a run for his money after winning a championship in another series the night before. The two were playing tag when Beatty’s car began to miss. He pulled off and finished 6th but the championship was his. 6 feature wins, 5 heat wins, 2 pursuit wins and 7 fast qualifying attempts did the job. Congratulations to our 2011 Champion, DAVID BEATTY.

2011 Champion David Beatty with one of many checkered flags

As mentioned above, Matthew Randall was in close pursuit of eventual champion David Beatty all season. Matthew started the season off with a feature win and was always in the top 5. One slip from Beatty and Randall my have been this years champion. He was able to stay in contention all year in the Bishop Performance prepared machine and was the highest point rookie and 2nd in championship points. 1 feature win, 1 pursuit win, and 8 top 5′s did the job. Congratulations to the 2011 Rookie of the Year, MATTHEW RANDALL.

2011 Rookie of the Year, Matthew Randall at the Springport Speedway season opener

In the last 3 years, 59 different drivers have made a better choice and have chosen Bishop Performance Legends Club.

David Beatty took the number one qualifying spot and locked in the 2011 championship with the points earned during qualifying. David stepped out of the seat for the heat race to let brother Jeff Beatty take the wheel for one last time this season. Jeff’s car broke a camshaft in practice and was sidelined.

Garry Moorman and Steve McNabb brought the first heat to the green flag. Moorman lead the first lap and a high running McNabb fell to the rear quickly. Krassa and Landau ran high around Moorman on lap 2. Krassa and Landau began to pull away and Moorman faded. McNabb began to regain some speed and began working on Jeff Beatty. Andrew Blakely followed in the rear and gain valuable experience in his first ever Legends race.

Andrew Blakely sizes up the 186 Bishop Legends rental car

Beatty drifted high out of turn 2 and McNabb took advantage to move into 4th. Landau looked high and low around Krassa but wasn’t able to get the momentum to pass. Blakely looked low under Beatty for 5th and was able to secure the position. Krassa took the win with Landau close behind. Moorman, McNabb, Blakely and Beatty finished off the top five.

Skip Krassa wins the heat race on Saturday

Moorman and McNabb again brought the field to green for the final feature of the season. 2010 Pro National Champion Chance Rice practiced on Friday and returned Sunday to start in the rear of the field in a car he is preparing for another driver to run the 2011 Nationals in Las Vegas. Moorman jumped out to a quick lead but Andrew Blakely spun in turn 1 to bring out the caution for the first time of the weekend. Lucky for Moorman as he also spun after the yellow was thrown. Moorman brought the group back around for a complete restart and was able to jump out front again. Moorman lead the first lap followed by Cole Landau. David Beatty, back in command of the 16 car, began to run the outside around Landau. As Beatty began to work on Moorman, Landau was able to sneak between the two to lead lap 2. Beatty repositioned himself behind Landau and looked low and passed Landau low off turn 2 with Rice in tow. Beatty and Rice began to pull away just as Andrew Blakely spun again and ended his night. On the restart, Beatty, Rice and Landau pulled away from the field. Krassa made a surprise move on the front stretch passed Moorman to take 4th. McNabb took advantage of Moorman going high into turns 1 and 2 and passed low. Beatty held off Rice for several laps and then developed an engine miss that would force him to fall back before retiring on lap 20.  Landau took up the chase on Rice but Chance had built up to large a lead. Rice coasted to the win followed by Cole Landau, Skip Krassa, Steve McNabb and Garry Moorman.

Chane Rice adds another checkered flag to his collection

Former Whittemore Modified racer Karl Edmonds came out of retirement to run with the Bishop Legends Club. His children all pitched in and bought him a rental for his 71st birthday. Edmonds was smiling all night and had the time of his life.

Kart racer Erik Rogner was also in a rental car tonight. He qualified 10th and finished 10th in the feature. Racers of all ages and skill sets come to Bishop Performance for the most fun you can have racing Legends.

David Beatty and Skip Krassa led the fast heat to the starting line. Krassa was slow on the start and Cole Landau was able to jump by in the first corner. Tim Near and Lorne Short went by Krassa and began looking under Landau the next lap. Near and Short took the low line and went by Landau in turns 3/4 of lap 2. Landau was able maintain his momentum and go past Short in the next corner. Landau again went high on the back stretch and Short passed low. Near caught Beatty and passed low in 3/4 for the lead. Short passed Beatty low for 2nd while Randall ran the high line for several laps before taking 5th position from Krassa. Tim Near held off Lorne short for the win, followed by Beatty, Landau, Randall and Krassa.

Newcomer Erik Rogner and Nathan Randall led the second heat to the green. Rogner and Randall touched in the first turn for the only caution of the night. Rogner went sent to the rear and the field lined up again with Randall and McNabb on the front row. McNabb took the early lead followed by Randall and Chris Metdepenningen. Edmonds and Rogner followed in 4th and 5th positions. McNabb began to stretch his lead, Randall ran high to build momentum. Randall began to make up some time a few laps later followed by Metdepenningen. A few looks high and low produced no results and a last turn attempt by Randall to pass came up short and McNabb takes his first checkered for 2011.

THREATENING WEATHER WOULDN’T STOP CHAMPIONSHIPS

By LJ Trinklein 9/5/11

Let me start by saying thank you to all the readers of these reports. It’s been my pleasure serving you for the 2011 season, enough said, on with the races.

With storms heading in from the west we pushed the racing program and rolled out the program without pursuit races.

Bishop Legends closed the evening with Matt Randall and heat winner Tim Near sitting on the front row. Near took the early lead as top qualifier Loren Short got by Randall into second. The top five pulled away from the pack with Near and Short trying to break away with the lead. Short saw an opening on the inside and the lead was his. Near, Cole Landau, Randall and David Beatty the top five at half way. The speedy Mr. Short picked off lap cars like a veteran in this caution free feature. When the checkered flag flew the win went to fifteen year old Loren Short. Near held on for second. Landau was third.

Join us Sept. 16 and 17 for our annual INVITATIONAL. For more and changing information visit www.whittemorespeedway.net

 Bishop Performance Legends Club members get one free set up at the Bishop Performance shop in Capac and then pay a minor charge for any set ups after that.