Tim Estenson highlighted his season with a championship and three feature victories.
Estenson became the first-ever Midwest Sprint Touring Series 410 Sprint Cars champion as he led the first-year series in wins (two), top fives (five) and top 10s (seven) during nine main event starts.
“Winning the championship is pretty special,” he said. “The championship stuff is cool. You have to build on consistency. We were fortunate to win two races and have some consistent finishes with their series. To get the first one under your belt and also win the final race was memorable.”
Estenson’s final victory of the season came during the Midwest Sprint Touring Series 410 Sprint Cars season finale at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa.
“There’s something about Shelby County that fits for me and the team,” he said. “We won the $10,000-to-win race there last year and the $7,500-to-win one this year. It’s a special place overall.”
Estenson also produced a Midwest Sprint Touring Series 410 Sprint Cars triumph at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D.
“That was pretty good, especially going to another track we hadn’t been to,” he said. “The track was hammer down with a lot of moisture after it rained. We got into second early. Then the leader got into a wreck with a lapped car so we inherited the lead. We led the rest of the way from there.”
The first win of the season was also Estenson’s first career Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series victory, which came during his first race of the season at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis.
“Second to the championship was to come out the first race of the year and win at Beaver Dam,” he said. “Last year we ran second there. To go back and win the first night of the season was special. I remember we biked up and fell back to fourth or fifth early. We got back into third and then had a long green-flag run. We got forced to the middle in traffic and found something good. It was one of those deals where as a driver it was a smart decision to find something other than the bottom and we were able to capitalize on it. Once we got to the lead we pulled away. It was a special night, too.”
Also of note, Estenson finished a career best fourth in the championship standings at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. He was tied for the second-most top 10s at the track with seven during 10 feature starts.
“We tried to be as consistent as we could,” he said. “I think we were sixth to eighth on most occasions. It was cool to be up near the front in the points and to finish in the top five.
“I want to thank my crew chief, Jack (Dover), and everyone who helped the team. A big thanks goes to my uncle and family as well as our partners. We had a lot of good moments this year and hope to build on them.”
SEASON STATS –
45 races, 3 wins, 6 top fives, 15 top 10s, 25 top 15s, 30 top 20s
ILP PR