It’s official.

Representatives from Quincy Raceways and the United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) have reached an agreement to bring the popular late model Summer Nationals —a.k.a The Hell Tour —back to the Bullring.

The 2013 date will be July 2, a Tuesday night, and will kick off the third week of the six-week event.

“This is a great date for us,” track spokesman Jack Walbring said. “It comes early in the series, meaning we should have an outstanding field of drivers. In most of the past years when we’ve had a Summer Nationals race it was late in the schedule and some of the big names had left the tour at that point.”

We’ll have more details as they become available.

Summer Nationals Winners at Quincy Raceways

2012: Brian Shirley, Chatham, Ill.
2011: No race scheduled in Quincy
2010: Jeep Van Wormer, Pinconning, Mich.
2009: Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, Ill.
2008: Rained out
2007: Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, Ill.
2006: Randy Korte, Highland Ill.

The sport mods may enjoy major growth in the next year or two at Quincy Raceways. Above, Joe Bliven is congratulated by a track official following a 2011 victory.

Some food for thought as we move deeper into the offseason:

1. How many?: I think there has now been adequate time for the storm clouds to settle and common sense to prevail. It’s been the better part of two months since the decision to drop the hobby stocks and keep the stock cars was made. News should begin to surface soon on how many hobby stockers will be moving to stock cars or possibly sport mods. I think you may be surprised. I’m thinking more will make the switch to the sport mods. We should have a better idea by the January track banquet, but from offseason driver conversations I’ve had I’d say put your money on the sport mods.

2. The buzz is good: And speaking of the sport mods, that is the class that seems to come up most in offseason talk. I think we’ll see a solid growth spurt in that division, both next year and in the seasons to come. I think we’re on the verge of another golden age of modifieds, much like the mid-2000s when the former “A” and “B” classes combined for more than 40 cars every Sunday night.

3. Why so late?: I’m kind of puzzled about the later-than-usual starting date of April 14. In recent years, the first race was usually scheduled for as close to April 1 as possible. Granted, rain is a given in April (and likely, May, too), but in recent years the rain in April has come in the middle of the month. We have been able to race the first couple of weekends, then get hit with a few washouts. I’m afraid we might not race until May if weather patterns stay the same. I won’t want to watch Sunday night baseball on ESPN in April, I want to be at the track.

4. The drive for five: While still a little on the sad side about losing a class for 2013, I think five is a better fit for Sunday nights since Monday morning is a work day for most. The majority of Sunday nights presented no major time problems with the six classes, but when a blip on the radar appeared — an extended red flag or a problem with the track — it was rather disheartening to get home after 11 p.m.

5. The biggest leap:There are two drivers poised to step to the next level in 2013, and both are in the late model division. We saw hints of this progression in 2012 and I’m

Clint Kirkham

predicting a major breakout year next season for both Jake Griffin and Clint Kirkham. Jake is simply a developing talent whose future appears unlimited. Clint has made some changes in his program and style and is on the cusp of becoming a bona fide title threat.

6. Good move: 34 Raceway’s decision to go UMP for its late models should be applauded. The move should pay huge dividends for what the track wants its marquee class to be. It also provides two UMP tracks in the region for local drivers.

7. The beginning of the end?: An old friend could soon be struggling, as far as late models are concerned. Time appears to have passed the IMCA by, and there was no bigger sign than the second track defection to UMP in as many years. UMP now has a foothold on the southern edge of the IMCA with Quincy and 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. Look for more switches in the coming decade. The UMP simply does a better job of catering to the desires of both the drivers and fans

8. Other to watch:I mentioned Jake Griffin and Clint Kirklham in the late models as  potential breakthrough drivers, but there are more to keep an eye on in 2013. I think Craig Spegal in the modifieds, Tanner Klingele and Brad Holtmeyer in the sport mods and Pat

Michael Larsen

“The People’s Champion” Dunker in the sport compacts are four more drivers ready to take the next step.

9. Don’t forget about these guys:Aside from the usual suspects in each of the classes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one of these dark horses rise to contender status next summer: Keith Pratt in late models (as long as he can keep the No. 33 on all four wheels),

Pat Dunker: Title threat in 2013, but not a Hall of Fame candidate.

Robbie Reed in the mods (if he runs a full points season), Tanner Klingele in sport mods (he’s that talented), Michael Larsen (because he’s a wheel man from the old school) and Bryce Baker in sport compacts (if he can overcome all of the mechanical issues).

10. 2013 Hall of Fame class: So who will be the drivers to be inducted next season? I’m actually going to table this discussion for a short period and devote a full blog to it in the near future. I just want you to start thinking about it, too. This is always one of the top offseason topics, and we will provide due diligence. And no, Pat Dunker is not eligible.

Will we ever see No. 9 at Quincy Raceways again?

Here’s a quick glance at the remaining classes and which drivers have performed the strongest in the second half of recent seasons. Some thoughts:

– Check out the stock cars. Terry Houston has won four straight “second-half” titles. No other driver in any other series can claim that. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he has won two track championships and never finished lower than third in the points in any season during that span.

– A driver who came close to Houston’s feat in recent years was Steve Carlin in the hobby stocks. He led in second-half points in three of four years (he shared the “title” twice), which reminded me we were missing “The Cap’n” last year at the track. Carlin was only on hand a few times this season, and now that this class has been eliminated, will we ever see No. 9 again? (Before his eventual induction into the Quincy Raceways Hall of Fame, that is.)

– Look at the five drivers I listed in the sport mods under “career leaders” — which, of course, was just this season — those are mighty impressive names, and three of them are still “kids” in a racing sense: Bobby Anders, Tanner Klingele and Brad Holtmeyer. (And even the “old men” in this series, Tony Dunker and Joe Bliven, are hardly over the hill. That’s why this class is so interesting when you gaze at the future.)

STOCK CARS SECOND-HALF POINTS LEADERS

2012: Terry Houston, 328 points
2011: Terry Houston, 332
2010: Terry Houston, 188
2009: Terry Houston, 224
2008: Jeff Mueller, 342

SECOND-HALF POINTS CAREER LEADERS

1. Abe Huls, 1,230 points
2. Terry Houston, 1,072
3. Jerry Jansen, 1,021
4. Andrew Griffin, 972
5. Aaron Brocksieck, 793
6. Steve Steinkuhler, 697
7. Kevin Tomlinson, 642
8. Gabe Harrison, 599
9. Doug Huls, 514
10. Chris Wibbell, 496

SPORT MODS SECOND-HALF POINTS LEADERS

2012: Tony Dunker.

SECOND-HALF POINTS CAREER LEADERS

1. Tony Dunker, 389 points
2. Bobby Anders, 368
3. Joe Bliven, 366
4. Tanner Klingele, 357
5. Brad Holtmeyer, 348

SPORT COMPACTS SECOND-HALF POINTS LEADERS

2012: Austen Becerra, 391 points
2011: Seth Woodruff, 425

SECOND-HALF POINTS CAREER LEADERS

1. Seth Woodruff, 804 points
2. Kim Abbott, 736
3. Brandon Lambert, 598
4. Robert Thompson, 467
5. Craig Bangert, 452
6. Casey Kendrick, 407
7. Austen Becerra, 391
8. Austin Uppinghouse, 370
9. Casey Lambert, 336
10. Bryce Baker, 315

HOBBY STOCKS SECOND-HALF POINTS LEADERS

2012: Brian Hoener, 434 points
2011: Nathan Anders, 465
2010: Bobby Anders, Steve Carlin, 233
2009: Adam Scott, Steve Carlin, 261
2008: Wes Mayfield, 353
2007: Steve Carlin, 359

SECOND-HALF CAREER POINTS LEADERS

1. Steve Carlin, 1,693
2. Jake Powers, 1,384
3. Jim Powell, 1,268
4. Justin Bartz, 1,260
5. Nathan Anders, 1,231
6. Tanner Klingele, 1,176
7. Jeremy Buss, 1.163
8. Nathan Hayes, 1,056
9. Adam Scott, 832
10. Brandon Symmonds, 817

Mr. Second Half

If there is one given at the Bullring, it’s that the second half of the UMP modified season will belong to Steven DeLonjay.

For four of the last five seasons, DeLonjay has collected more track points than any other driver in the series. That, more than anything else, is why he has two track titles and no overall finish lower than third.

DeLonjay, who will turn 21 in December, is the epitome of the definition of a finisher. In all but one of those five seasons, the son of 13-time track champ Hank “The Crank” DeLonjay has stumbled out of the gate, falling behind in the points race. But it’s those dominating performances down the stretch that have always allowed him a podium finish by season’s end.

Here’s a look the modifieds’ second-half performances in recent seasons:

MODIFIEDS SECOND-HALF POINTS LEADERS

2012 (UMP): Steven DeLonjay, 609 points
2011 (UMP): Steven DeLonjay, 766
2010 (UMP): Steven DeLonjay, 383
2009 (UMP): Donovan Lodge, 478
2008: Steven DeLonjay, 334
2007: Michael Long, 364

SECOND-HALF POINTS CAREER LEADERS
UMP Era (2009-2012)
1. Steven DeLonjay, 2,161 points
2. Jared Schlipman, 1,864
3. Shawn Deering, 1,725
4. Dave Wietholder, 1,704
5. Michael Long, 1,401
6. Tony Dunker, 1,150
7. Robbie Reed, 1,140
8. Jake Griffin, 1,120
9. James Leffew, 970
10. Ryan Meyer, 945

Dustin Griffin

Oh boy, I knew this category would be difficult, which was the main reason I saved it for last. But I didn’t expect it to be that difficult. If you thought there was unexpected delay between the naming of the modified and late model drivers of the year you were correct. I simply wanted to feel comfortable with the choice.

I felt the Driver of the Year award in the late model class came down to two individuals: Track champ Jason Perry and runner-up Dustin Griffin, who dominated all the principal categories like features won, most races won, most everything except the track title, which Perry claimed by 19 points.

My gut feeling — and no cracks about the size of my gut — was to choose Griffin because of his overall domination, except for the two points nights he missed because of engine trouble. Sure, that’s part of the game, but the Black Car Superstar was normally the man to beat on the nights he was there, and I feel if Griffin had not missed the two features he did because of mechanical issues he would have probably won the title. It’s the same case I made for naming Abe Huls and Austen Becerra drivers of the year in the stock cars and sport compacts, respectively. So there was precedent.

It takes an unusual circumstance for a track champ not to be named Driver of the Year, and this season we had three of them, capped by Griffin’s performance in the late models. Griffin should be one of the new faces of the Quincy UMP Super Late Models in the years to come. His time has arrived, beginning with this Driver of the Year award.

Perry and Mark Burgtorf were First Row selections, For Perry, it was his second such honor in three years.

Second Row notice went to Justin Reed and Michal Long. Reed becomes the first driver to earn Driver of the Year, first and second row honors in the five-year history of the Stevie Dirt awards. Long becomes the second driver to earn notice in two different series in the same year. He was also a Second Row pick in the mods. Justin Reed was Driver of the Year in the mods in 2009 and a First Row selection in the late models the same season.

5th ANNUAL STEVIE DIRT LATE MODEL ALL-DIRT TEAM

DRIVER OF THE YEAR
2012: Dustin Griffin
2011: Justin Reed
2010: Denny Woodworth
2009: Mark Burgtorf
2008: Jason Frankel

FIRST ROW
2012: Jason Perry, Mark Burgtorf
2011: Lonnie Bailey, Denny Woodworth
2010: Jason Perry, Justin Reed
2009: Lonnie Bailey, Justin Reed
2008: Mark Burgtorf, Justin Reed

SECOND ROW
2012: Justin Reed, Michael Long
2011: Joey Gower, Keith Pratt
2010: Joey Gower, Keith Pratt
2009: Jason Frankel, Keith Pratt
2008: Lonnie Bailey, Jason Perry

Steven DeLonjay

Four track titles before his 21st birthday.

Back-to-back championships in the UMP modified series, which if not the toughest division at the track (UMP late model fans will side with their guys), it’s one of the top two.

And now, the first driver to win back-to-back Stevie Dirt Driver of the Year awards in any of the Bullring’s weekly series.

Meet Steven DeLonjay, the son of legendary Hall of Famer Hank “The Crank” DeLonjay, who is carving out his own legendary career at 8000 Broadway. Junior DeLonjay’s award was cemented away in the second half of the season when he dominated a tough and talented field.

It’s almost scary at times watching No. 35 on the track. For the most part, he drives the same line as his dad used to en route to winning 13 track championships. And that he employs the same number on the side of his car as his pop makes it even scarier — in a good way, of course.

Can DeLonjay make it three straight titles in 2013? I would feel confident in saying there is far less doubt in that possibility than a year ago at this time when we asked if he could win two in a row.

In the five years of these awards, DeLonjay has either been Driver of the year or a First Row selection (three times). Another interesting note in that regard: Jared Schlipman, who has yet to win a Driver of the Year honor, now has three consecutive First Row positions.

5th ANNUAL STEVIE DIRT MODIFIED ALL-DIRT TEAM

DRIVER OF THE YEAR
2012: Steven DeLonjay
2011: Steven DeLonjay
2010: Michael Long
2009: Justin Reed
2008: Michael Long

FIRST ROW
2012: Dave Wietholder, Jared Schlipman
2011: Jared Schlipman, Michael Long
2010: Jared Schlipman, Steven DeLonjay
2009: Michael Long, Steven DeLonjay
2008: Tony Dunker, Steven DeLonjay

SECOND ROW
2012: Michael Long, Shawn Deering
2011: Dave Wietholder, Shawn Deering
2010: Dave Wietholder, Justin Reed
2009: Tony Dunker, Vance Wilson
2008: Robbie Reed, Dave Wietholder

Honest Abe Huls

For most of the season, the conversation centered around which driver dominated his series the most — Tony Dunker in the sport mods or Honest Abe Huls in the stock cars. In the end, Dunker earned the distinction, but it was close.

Huls is the second driver we have picked — so far — as a Driver of the Year despite not winning his specific series championship. We selected Austen Becerra in the sport compacts, for much the same reason we have selected Huls. Both drivers missed a couple of features for one reason or another, but otherwise blew the doors off the rest of the class on just about every other Sunday night.

Terry Houston won his second track title in the stock cars, and it was much-deserved, but Huls enjoyed the most dynamic individual season in the five-year history of the stock cars at the Bullring. He won a record 11 features and did so in commanding fashion. During one stretch, the Honest One won six of seven and nine out of 11.

The best news, however, coming out of the stock cars was that they will be back in 2013. Track officials opted to breathe new life into the series and drop the hobby stocks. That means we’ll get to see if Abe can put together another season like this one.

5th ANNUAL STEVIE DIRT STOCK CAR ALL-DIRT TEAM

DRIVERS OF THE YEAR
2012: Abe Huls
2011: Aaron Brocksieck
2010: Terry Houston
2009: Abe Huls
2008: Jeff Mueller

FIRST ROW
2012: Terry Houston, Michael Larsen
2011: Terry Houston, Abe Huls
2010: Abe Huls, Steve Steinkuhler
2009: Kevin Tomlinson, Terry Houston
2008: Chris Wibbell, Dave Wietholder

SECOND ROW
2012: Jerry Jansen, Darin Weisinger
2011: Andrew Griffin, Jerry Jansen
2010: Andrew Griffin, Jerry Jansen
2009: Aaron Brocksieck, Chris Wibbell
2008: Steve Steinkuhler, Doug Huls

Tony Dunker's No. 3 sport mod was a familiar site taking the checkered flag this season.

While the rest of the sport mod field may have become a bit frustrated last summer by Tony Dunker’s dominance, what he accomplished was to give the series an identity — and something to shoot for in years to come.

The first full season of the sport mods belonged lock, stock and barrel to Dunker’s No. 3 team. The 15 features alone that he won were enough to earn him the Stevie Dirt Driver of the Year award in this class, but even more importantly he became the face of the series. All successful racing classes need that, from NAASCAR on down — otherwise it’s a ho-hum collection of individual talents. Someone has to stand out, to make people interested — and Dunker has always been tremendous at that.

Look at the feud between Dunker and blog contributor “flyby” (plus a few others). I think we all loved it. Admit it, we all looked forward to any post slugged ‘TEAMFOURBOSS” or “flyby.”

Dunker’s future is uncertain. He loves to race, but he also loves his young son, who has some serious baseball commitments lined up for 2013. I’m sure we’ll see Dunker at the track (at least) on occasion — and hopefully full-time if his schedule permits — but whatever he does in 2013 will be impossible to compare to 2012. Some day, looking back, this will probably be engraved as his “career year.” It will also be the season the sport mods established themselves at Quincy Raceways — thanks to Dunker.

1st STEVIE DIRT SPORT MOD ALL-DIRT TEAM

DRIVER OF THE YEAR
2012: Tony Dunker

FIRST ROW
2012: Bobby Anders, Joe Bliven

SECOND ROW
2012: Brad Holtmeyer, Tanner Klingele

Austen Becerra

The sport compacts didn’t join the Bullring party until 2011, but in those two short years have won a lot of fans with their slam-bang style and a growing fan base for some of the division’s top drivers.

Unquestionably, the top driver this season was Austen Becerra, who didn’t win the series title but won just about everything else — including the Stevie Dirt Driver of the Year award. Becerra missed some early season action that wound up costing him the track championship, but by the end of the summer it was obvious who had THE CAR in this competition. Becerra won 10 features, including the final five main events of the season, and 16 total races.

How much did Becerra  dominate the sport compacts? He won those 10 features and the rest of the division’s drivers combined to win 11.

Track champ Seth Woodruff and steady Kimberly Abbott were first-row selections. Woodruff was the 2011 Driver of the Year. Abbott has been a first-row pick two straight years.

Brandon Lambert and Pat “The People’s Champion” Dunker were second-row choices. Dunker, who came out of the stands and started racing in the second half of the season, was arguably the most popular feature winner of any series this year when he took the checkered flag July 29. And fittingly, Becerra was second that night.

2nd ANNUAL STEVIE DIRT SPORT COMPACT ALL-DIRT TEAM

DRIVERS OF THE YEAR
2012: Austen Becerra
2011: Seth Woodruff

FIRST ROW
2012: Seth Woodruff, Kimberly Abbott
2011: Kimberly Abbott, Casey Kendrick

SECOND ROW
2012: Brandon Lambert, Pat Dunker
2011: Craig Bangert, Austin Uppinghouse

Jake Powers: Hobby Stock Driver of the Year

It’s a shame the hobby stocks are now a part of track history at Quincy Raceways, but we can all take some comfort in knowing their final season was one of the series’ finest.

Track champion Jake Powers is our Driver of the Year in this class and headlines our fifth annual All-Dirt Team selections in the hobby stock division. He had the dominant car for the majority of the season, won more features (7) and more overall races (16) than any of his challengers. “The Snake” also proved he can come from behind. He lost the championship lead late in the summer, but rallied down the stretch to defeat Brandon Symmonds by 10 points.

This is Powers’ third inclusion on the All-Dirt team. He also had a first-row selection in 2011 and a second-row pick in 2009. For the other four members of this season’s team, it is the first selection for each.

Of the dozen or so cars that were on hand most weeks, no fewer than eight were capable of winning a feature on any given Sunday night — and that’s what made this class exciting.

Times change, and as race fans we have to change with them. The hobbies will be missed, but let it be said they gave us a good show during their final dirt-track rodeo.

5th ANNUAL STEVIE DIRT HOBBY STOCK ALL-DIRT TEAM

DRIVER OF THE YEAR
2012: Jake Powers
2011: Steve Carlin
2010: Bobby Anders
2009: Steve Carlin
2008: Aaron Brocksieck

FIRST ROW
2012: Brandon Symmonds, Tanner Klingele
2011: Jake Powers, Bobby Anders
2010: Steve Carlin, Jim Powell
2009: Jim Powell, Mike Wiley
2008: Wes Mayfield, Steve Carlin

SECOND ROW
2012: Brian Hoener, Jeff DeLonjay
2011: Nathan Anders, Jim Powell
2010: Jeremy Buss, Jim Brown
2009: Jake Powers, Travis Booher
2008: James Leffew, Jim Powell