Route 66 Race Coverage

2008 MyChron Route 66 Series Awards Banquet

Presented by Margay/Bridgestone
Northfield Center, Springfield, IL


First row: MRP Motorsport TaG Senior winners. Second row, left: 2008 MyChron Route 66 Series presented by Margay/Bridestone class sponsors, center: GMC2Racing.com TaG Junior winners, right: Joey Karter Kid Kart participants.

November 8, 2008
Story By: Greg Grafton
Photos By: Connie Holliday

SERIES CHAMPIONS CROWNED AS OVER 240 ATTEND

The finishing touches of the 2008 MyChron Route 66 Series presented by Margay/Bridgestone on November 8, 2008 at the Northfield Center in Springfield, IL. A total of 242 people attended the final activity for the 2008 season, and over $50,000.00 in awards, certificates, and prizes were handed out. Series sponsors Kartlift and Margay were on hand to help support the festivities as well as most of the class and race sponsors. Comet Kart Sales provided a new Arrow chassis to be given away, which was won by Keenan Hertzner. Special thanks to Comet Kart Sales and Mark Dismore for continuing his support of the karting community. Laukaitis Racing provided two Yamahas to be given away, which were won by TJ Koyen and Jordan Laukaitis. Again, thank you to the entire group at Laukaitis Racing for their support throughout the season. Numerous other prizes were also awarded, including a new Tillet Seat provided by Franklin Kart Supply, four transponders, four Streeter Stands, Two Clutches, Multicron Stopwatches from Aim Sports, among others.

Special thanks to Express Karts N Parts for arranging the “Family Door Prize” section that provided a chance for all of the supportive moms, wives, sisters, etc. to be eligible for a drawing. Two Raffles were held on the evening, the first being for an Adkins Yamaha which was won by Steve Lewis. The second raffle included a brand new Margay Chassis, an electric Kartlift, and a tent/grill/directors chairs combo. Kelsey Hirschy won the new Margay kart, with Caesar Rizzi winning the electric Kartlift and Kaleb Allison winning the tent/grill/directors chairs combo. Many different certificates were handed out on the evening, with offers on new Margay karts, Bell Helmets, Comet Kart Sales, Streeter Stands, Merlin Karts, Triple E Racing merchandise, American Power Sports merchandise, Adkins Engine and Clutches.

The first class to receive their awards was the seventeen Joey Karter Kid Kart Participants. Awards were handed out alphabetically, as Jaydon Biles, Stephen Dial, Daltyn England, Eric Erdmann, Alex Gomez, Isabel Gomez, Tyler Grafton, Nicholas Granata, Logan Mitchell, Mason Mitchell, Diego Ochoa, Alanmykael Polley, Arianna Rizzi, Egan Shankleton, Grayson Shankleton, Tyler Studant, Hunter Turpin collected their three foot tall trophies and t shirts. Hoosier Tires was gracious enough to donate a set of Hoosier Tires for the Kid Kart racers which was won by Arianna Rizzi. Bell Helmets and Route 66 apparel were given to all of the other racers. Special thanks to Mike and Joey Curry for helping in the awards presentation in this group.

Jet Karting TaG 60 was the next class up, and Kaleb Allison used his four wins to claim this title and receive a tall trophy, embroidered jacket and new Digatron gauge. Kyle Kennedy had been oh so close to a victory and finally cashed in at Springfield to propel him to the second place finish and a new set of Bridgestone YHC tires. Sam Bell used consistent finishes to claim the third place trophy and a new Multicron stopwatch over fourth place Bryan Heiple, who received a trophy and a pair of front tires.

Next up was the Franklin Kart Supply HPV Junior Sportsman group with six racers taking home hardware in this group. Collin Griffin used a season ending win to claim this title, which for his efforts he received a tall trophy, a new MyChron 4, and an embroidered jacket. Anthony Granata, with one win on the year, claimed the runner up spot, receiving a tall trophy and a set of Bridgestone YHC's for his efforts. Perry Needham claimed the third spot with consistent finishes and a victory at Pevely, and a Multicron stopwatch. Fourth place went to Josh Hotz, along with a trophy and a pair of front tires. Fifth place and a case of oil were claimed by Jordan Laukaitis, followed Grant Sandberg who finished sixth.

Carter Logsdon claimed the Triple E Sales Yamaha Rookie title over Keith Deuter, who was unable to make the festivities. Hunter Lay claimed the Streeter Super Stands HPV Junior honors on the 2008 season. Kyle Erdmann claimed the LSR Motorsports HPV Senior title over Dean Leifheit.

Laukaitis Racing Yamaha Junior Sportsman awards went back to eighth place due to the extensive turnout in this class. Josh Hotz claimed the title by a mere 11 points, with two wins, and received a tall trophy, MyChron 4, and an embroidered jacket. Jordan Laukaitis took the runner-up spot, and a set of tires with one win and two runner up finishes. Grant Sandberg leaped into third at the last race of the year with a win at Springfield. Grant received a tall trophy, and a new Multicron stopwatch for third. Anthony Granata used consistent finishes to claim a pair of front tires and trophy for fourth, ahead of Evan Epperson who rounded out the top five. Perry Needham took sixth over brother Jared and Collin Griffin.

Express Karts n Parts Yamaha Junior Supercan had the largest turnout of the year, with eight places being awarded in this group. Colton Ramsey used two wins to claim the MyChron 4, embroidered jacket and crystal eagle. Perennial front runner Justin Jennings used one win to claim the second spot and a set of tires over two-time class winner Nicky DeFronzo. Cal Stewart took home fourth and a pair of front tires, ahead of BJ Bates who received a case of Burris oil. Chase Armstrong, Hunter Lay and Tyler Roland rounded out the awards in Express Karts N Parts Yamaha Junior Suprecan.

In Adkins Speed Center Yamaha Supercan Lite, TJ Koyen was the only name you needed to remember. Koyen used four wins to claim the crystal eagle, the MyChron 4, and an embroidered jacket. Kyle Erdmann used one win and three second place finishes claiming the runner-up spot and a set of Bridgestone YHC tires. Consistency brought home Becky Kaestner in third, ahead of Brandon Cather who received a pair of front tires for his fourth place efforts. Jason Allen received a case of Burris oil for claiming the fifth position and Jeff Green used one win at the last race to propel him into sixth place.

GMC2Racing.com's TaG Junior group was dominated by Justin Jennings, as he claimed five wins on the season. Jennings received a crystal eagle, an embroidered jacket, and a MyChron 4 for winning the class. BJ Bates picked up the second position honors, earning him a set of Bridgestone YHC tires. Gregory Gerst finished in the third position, earning him a new Multicron stopwatch. Colton Ramsey missed a race and still picked up the fourth position honors, ahead of Drake Ostrom.

Comet Kart Sales Yamaha Supercan Heavy was the domain of Kyle Erdmann. This was one of Erdmann's three titles, using a perfect 5 win stretch to claim the title in this group. He received a crystal eagle, an embroidered jacket and a new Mychron 4 for his accomplishments. Brandon Cather used four runner up finishes to claim the second position and the set of Bridgestone YHC tires. Jason Allen brought home consistent finishes to grab third place honors and a new Multicron stopwatch. Tim Brinkman missed a race and still grabbed the fourth position ahead of Nicholas Roberts. Chad Kruger used a late season win to vault him into the sixth position.

Viper Racing Leopard Only top honors went to Keenan Hertzner. A wedding prevented Hertzner from coming to the opening race at his home track, and a setback at Springfield still couldn't stop Hertzner. Keenan used wins at Delmar and Pevely to claim the crown, and was rewarded with a MyChron 4, an embroidered jacket and a crystal eagle. Matthew Laukaitis claimed the second position honors and received a set of Bridgestone YHC tires for his award. Becky Kaestner used a late season win to claim the third position and a new Multicron stopwatch. AJ O'Brien used a solid run at the last event to claim fourth spot and a pair of front tires. Justin Vancil used his drop race right out of the gate at CHMS, but still recovered to finish fifth. Kevin Martz experienced some bad luck this year, but still salvaged a sixth place finish on the year.

MRP Motorsport TaG Senior was the third title for Kyle Erdmann, as his Sonik propelled him to two wins and the championship. He also received a new MyChron 4, an embroidered jacket, and a crystal eagle. Matthew Laukaitis also had two wins in this class, but two DNF's hurt any title hopes he might have had. Laukaitis still received a set of Bridgestone YHC tires for his runner up effort. Series newcomer Alex Nowysz missed one race and still brought home the third position with good solid runs all year long. Justin Vancil also used his drop race right out of the gate in this class at CHMS, and still salvaged a fourth place. Brett Johnson came on strong at the end of the season, claiming the final spot in the top five, even with two DNFs. Dustin Kessinger also had to count one DNF for the year and still managed a sixth for the year.

In what was surely the most successful season for the Route 66 Series, 2008 will be remembered for many things, but mostly the friendly competition among the racers and the variety of events hosted by the series. Look for information on the 2009 Series in the coming weeks here at www.route66kartradcing.com and please provide any input to grafton25@netzero.net