7/6/10 We have been so busy trying to keep all of the cars together and running strong, I have neglected the website. We believe that we have fixed the ignition problems on the 16 car. The brake caliper problems were fixed by Leaders Edge after our meet and greet with Mt.Lawn's turn 4 wall. The 18 car is becoming a very fast car after a complete overhaul since its entrance into our stable. We have had some great drivers in the 18 this year waiting on Ryan's return to action. Thanks to Travis Welpott at Kokomo, Brandon Tweedy at Rushville Nationals and Kellen Conover at Montpelier.
4/4/10 HAPPY EASTER!! GO BLUE DEVILS! With a little luck we will have 2 cars at Vernon on Saturday night. The 18 car Driven by Ryan Koontz current AMA Supercross standout will try his hand at open wheel racing for the first time at Twin Cities. If all goes well Ryan will be competing for the Tony Stewart Rookie Challenge in the UMRA this season. The other car going to Vernon will be the 17car. The 16 car driven by Scott Orme will be a longshot at best to be ready by Saturday but we are working feaverishly to get them all there for a non-points race to tune the cars for the upcoming season.
3/11/10
We will be attending the spring meeting and have a table at the swap meet. We will have some car stands, torsion bar/radius rod racks, raduis rods and misc parts we are not going to use this season.
2/27/2010
The rebuilding process is underway. All three cars are being assembled and should be taking shape real soon, with a few more pars due back this week the cars should be ready to fire by April 1st. I will try to get some pics up of the cars the 17 car is no longer red!!!!
2/1/2010
Koontz racing would like to introduce that we have added a third car to our stable which will be piloted by Scotty Orme, car #16. Stay tuned for more details and pics of all the cars.
1/23/2010
What a great experience at the Chili Bowl! We didn't have the greatest luck in Tulsa but had a great time and met several great people. On Monday our practice day and the first time in a full midget wasn't what I had in mind when we clipped the backstretch barrier and broke the right front. With a broken right front setting the car was not going to happen! We hit the wall in turn 3 and got upside down and destroyed the front of the car. After working all day to repair it we were able to get back out for our second session and were able to make a few laps and stay out of trouble. After wathcing several days of great racing we were ready for Thursday night. After several nights of coaching and learning I was a little more confident heading out for hot laps. During hot laps we were turning laps and improving each lap as I learned throttle control to get the car to turn. After the 2nd caution period we went back to green but the engine laid down and would clean out. After hot laps we thought the car had just loaded up during the last caution causing it miss on the restart. As we pushed off for our heat we quickly realized that was not the problem. After the second restart a couple cars got together in front of me causing one of them to spin and I clipped it with the left front and broke the tie rod, ending our heat race. Once back to the pits we started looking for the reason for the miss. We soon found an stuck lifter, which ended our Chili Bowl. Although we didn't have the greatest success driving the full midget was very difficult for the first time and I look forward to getting back in a full midget this season.
1/2/2010
Happy New Year!!!!! We are less than 1 week from leaving for the Chili Bowl. Qualification nights have been announced and we will be racing on Thursday night with teammate Jimmy Light. Our other teammates Zach Cougill and Kellen Conover race on Tuesday Night. According to KA Performance we should have the engine back for the 18 car by end on Jan and the engine for the 17 car mid Feb. Body panels are almost done and will be sent to be powder coated by the end of next week.
12/26/2009
Lineal Contracting is back for the 3rd straight year. Thank you Sully for all of your continued support I truely appreciate it.
12/12/2009
As plans begin to come together for the Chili Bowl I wanted to thank my sponsors who helped make this happen. Lineal Contracting, North American Race Gear, Shaw Security Services, J2LR General Contractors, Victory Lane Oil Change, Woods Electric Inc, Leaders Edge and Gray Auto. Please check out thier links on our links page. We should have some picture of the car real soon.
12/5/09
Both cars are disassembled and motors are off to KA Performance to be ready for 2010.
11/28/09
Stay tuned for great news in the next few weeks. As soon as details are final I will get it posted here first..
11/21/2009
The car is coming apart well, should have it completly torn down by middle of the week. The 18 car sould be torn down by the upcoming weekend as well.
11/15/2009
It was great to see everyone again at the banquet. Its a shame the weather has been so nice we could be racin somewhere!!! The banquet was great from food to awards we all had a great time. The racing will start sooner this year!! We will be racing in the 2010 Chili Bowl Nationals.. Thank you to Kellen Conover for allowing me to drive one of his cars. This is definitely a dream come true. My teammate will be Zach Cougil. I hope we represent the UMRA well..
10/20/2009
Thank you to everyone that came out to Victory Lane on Saturday for their 1 year anniversary. We had a great time meeting everyone and washing window's.. Stay tuned for updated pictures, we will be tearing cars down soon.
10/6/2009
Our test session went well until mother nature decided that we had ran enough! It was great to see Steven get out and turn some laps. Looks like these fast cars have hooked another driver.
9/23/2009
I have so many people to think for helping me throughout this entire season. First and foremost my great sponsors! Lineal Construction, Sully thank you for all the support and always checking on me. SHAW securities services, Mike I appreciate your support for the second year. J2LR, Rod you continued invlovment and positive thinking and support was awesome. Victory Lane Quick Oil Change, Dave, Chris and crew, Your support has been awesome and your enthusiasm for racing in unmatched and I am glad to be a part of that. North American Race Gear, Chris your continous support and hard work for me and the UMRA will not be forgotten. Leaders Edge, Scott and Bill, words cannot express my graditude for everything you guys have done for me. Our top ten finish would not have happend without you guys. My dedicated crew, Steven who has worked his butt off all season long in the garage and at the track and driver would be privileged to have a crew member as dedicated as Steven. No matter what change I decided to make you already had wrenches in hand was ready to goto work. If I just could keep you awake for the ride to and from you would be perfect. hahahah. I am extremely happy for Steven who will be competing as a rookie next season in the UMRA and devistated that I will be loosing a awesome crew member. Mike Manifold and Jeff McCloud thank you to both of you for your help at the end of the season and I hope to see more of you next season.
09/14/2009
After a wild ride Saturday night at Greensburg, the car looks to be ok. Only bars were bent in our flip in turn one. We will be back Friday night for season finale at Mt. Lawn.
9/8/09
Koontz racing is pleased to announce a 2nd car will be added for the 2010 UMRA season. Car 18 will be piloted by Scotty Orme. We will finish the remainder of the 2009 with races at Greensburg and Mt.Lawn.
8/16/09
Stay tuned for some exciting news for 2010. As soon as the details are completed I will post it here.
7/29/2009
We will be at the Monroe County Fair Friday July 31st. Several of our sponsors will be onsite as well. Hope to see several race fans there!!
6/24/2009
Problems look like they are solved!!!! Should be a hot weekend at Rushville! Friday and Saturday night fair races with the 600 Micro's to show their stuff on Saturday night also. This weekend starts a 3 week period of Friday and Saturday night shows.
6/15/2009
Brake problem will be solved this week!!!! Maybe we will be able to focus on the chassis instead of the brakes. Pavement is starting to become real fun, just hope we are able to keep gaining speed. Mark your calanders for July 10th. The UMRA TQ's invade Bloomington for their only show of 2009. Woods Electric has came on board as the evening show sponsor. We would love to see a packed house. Bring the kids there will be 2 bicycles given away to a lucky girl and boy that evening from Woods Electric.
6/14/2009
Please keep Jason Vest in your thoughts and prayers. A fellow driver was injured at work and needs our prayers. Pray for a full recovery and for his family to be strong during these times. Get well soon Jason!!!!!!!
5/27/2009
Looks like Friday night is going to be a great night for racing. Hope to see everyone at Gas City.
4/26/2009
Mother Nature finally spared the Race for Riley car show today. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported a great cause. Also, thank you to SAM'S Club who matched every dollar raised today. We are only 6 days away from opening night at Brownstown Speedway as the UMRA opens its 50th season of racing.
4/19/2009
We were very close to racing Saturday night in Macomb IL. Mother nature just did not cooperate. What a great track they had prepared over there. We will have to wait till Brownstown to get started. The Riley's Childrens Hospital car show has been rescheduled for Sunday April 26th (hopefully mother nature will spare this Sunday). Finally pictures have been added of the car. Hope you like!!!!
4/13/2009
I have hooked up with Backwater Outlaws Guide Service to support their youth retreat weekend June 22 thru June 26th and will be there for the Turkey siminars during that week. This camp is the only one of its kind in Indiana! Not only will the kids learn about all types of hunting and trapping they will also get their Indiana Hunters Safety Lincense (by passing test) at the end of the camp. This camp will be a great experience for children of all ages that are interested in great outdoors. Check out there website www.backwateroutlaws.com and click on the events for more information. If you have further questions please feel free to contace Paul Anderson 812-320-8041 (owner) or email myself.
4/8/2009
The car is complete and race ready. We will be firing it on Thursday to work out any kinks. I will be adding a race this season, we are going to McComb IL to race on April 18th. The Riley car show was rained out and has been rescheduled for April 19. I will have pictures up soon.
3/31/2009
Its back!!!! The car looks great!!! Jeff and his crew did a GREAT JOB on the car. I have decided to wait till after the car show on Sunday to post pictures. Don't forget the auction benefitting Riley's Children's Hospital. SAMS Club has offered to match dollar for dollar that is raised from the auction. Reguardless if your a race fan or not come out Sunday and support Riley. All of my sponsors will be there so come out and support the people that support our efforts all season.
3/26/2009
All of the body panels are back from the painter and on the car. We will be delivering the car to Vanhorn's on Sunday night for lettering. It looks like we will be attending the car show on April 5th from 1-4 at Sams Club here in Bloomington. As soon as the car is back from Vanhorn's I will post some Picks.
3/12/2009
Pictures have been posted of the car with the new body panels which all have been sent to the painter. With a little luck we will have the car together in time for the Riley Hospital Race Car show April 5th here in Bloomington. This will be the second annual benefit auction for Riley Hospital for Children. If you are in the area please stop by and see multiple race cars, drivers and support Riley Childrens Hospital. Hope to see you there!!!!!
03/11/2009
The car has made it back and being assembled. Pics will be posted soon. A few new sponsors will be posted as soon as the details are completed.
2/20/2009
I have 4 tickets to the spring race at Bristol (Nationwide and Cup) end of front stretch/ entrance of turn 1 about 6 rows from the top on the asile. The tickets have been shipped according to BMS and I should have them in my possession any day. I'm asking face value for them (my cost). I believe the total is $898.00 (Nationwide, Cup and Poleday tickets) Give me a call if interested. 812-327-5735
1/31/2009
We had a great expo despite the cold temps outside. I was very fortunate to meet several drivers in several series all over the state. Thank you for your business and trust in North American Race Gear for all of your safety needs. A special thanks to all the UMRA drivers that came out and supported North American Race Gear at the expo today, it was great to see everyone. I know Chris was very pleased with support that you guys have showed him. We hope to have some pics out soon.
1/26/2009
Just got word that both race engines are finished! We will be picking them up this week. I will be in the North American Race Gear booth this weekend at the expo. Hope to see you there.
1/5/2009
It has been real interesting reading all the digs people have made toward the UMRA. I have only been in the club as an owner/driver for 1 season. With last season being my rookie year and going in totally green, only knowing a few people and no one knowing me or what I could do and I had a blast! There was one thing that really stuck in my head the first race I attended was our chief steward stated in our drivers meeting "this is a family" I was wondering how true that could possibly be. It only took a few races to realize that it is a big family and made some really great friendships and met some truly incredible people. I have watched and learned over the the past 4 months as people have interjected the personal opinion with only their personal gain or revenge in mind not to promote TQ racing. There will always be rivals in any sport including racing. That is a great thing (to a point), it put fans in the stands (entertainment which is what we do and we should never forget). It's every driver, owner, crew, sanctioning body and promoter to ensure that every fan that walks thru the gate has a great time! I'm sure everyone has played some other competitive sport besides racing and been beat. At that precise moment you have a choice!
A. Quit and find a new sport that you are better at.
B. Blame someone else to take the focus off of you because the other person was better.
C. Work harder and become better.
What was your choice? If you chose A at least your man enough to realize that sport is not for you without bashing the person or team that just beat you! If you chose B you have got personal issues! The one thing about this person is they totally discount the amount of hard work the other person or team puts in. If you chose C you have passion and respect. Passion to become the best by beating the best. Respect for what others have accomplished and how hard they must have worked to beat you.
I realize no matter what I say or do the so called "battle lines have been drawn" which is too bad because TQ racing will suffer. If you look at all the competitive cars that are out there and all of the great drivers who could drive them and put them on one track at the same time just think what kind of show the fans would see. Think big picture here! What promoter wouldn't want that, what company wouldn't want their name associated with that kind of marketing potential? More fans, more sponsors = more money for the racers. That number of cars would force everyone to be on there A game all the time every time.
Which side are you going to choose? I'm not talking about which club! I'm talking about promoting or destroying TQ racing!!!! If you truly LOVE TQ racing a choice is out there (or above) .
Many people will read this and probably disagree which is fine! The truth usually upsets people! I challenge you instead of using answers A and B from above try C and see what happens it will not only make you better but everyone around you also!
Michael Koontz
The only way to be the best is to beat the best!
12/23/08
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.
12/13/08
We have just Signed Lineal Contracting as the primary sponsor for 2009. Welcome back Sully!
12/10/08
I found a great source for Honda parts (cranks,cases,heads, oil pumps and cyclinders) Give me a call.
10/29/08
We just received notification from Bell that they will be bringing a wide variety of 08 products to close out the 08 line and will be revealing ther 09 product line.
10/28/08
Be sure to mark your calander for the January 31st swap meet in Indianapolis. Be sure to check out The North American Race Gear booth for great deals on Bell Safety gear. Bell representitives will be on hand to answer any questions you might have. Be sure to call Chris or myself to get exact location of our booth.
The car is almost completly disassembled. We will be delivering our major components for rebuilding in the next couple of weeks.
10/8/08
What a great season! I have to thank a few people that made this season a success. First, I have to thank my wife and children. All the evenings and late nights spent in the garage preparing the car for the next race. All the race nights leaving early and not getting home till the early morning hours. They were always very supportive throughout the season. Without their support running the entire season would not have been possible. My great sponsors Lineal Contracting, Shaw Security Services, Accounting Concepts and North American Race Gear. I am very fortunate to have these great sponsors that have been extremely supportive and involved all season long. I hope I have represented them well on and off of the track and that they will return for my sophomore year. Any support given to these sponsors is greatly appreciated. One other company helped us tremendously, Leaders Edge in Indianapolis. Scott and Bill spent 2 full days repairing our wrecked car so we would not miss a race. They also have been a valuable resource anytime I had a question (and there were many). They always made time to help me out and get the parts we needed. Thank you!!!!! Another company that worked late and was always a phone call away was Wayne Harpring from ACRO Engineering. My crew, Vestal and Roger both worked their tails off when they were at the track. There hard work helped me focus on the setup not the many small problems that occurred all season due to our inexperience. My borrowed help from the Stickels camp was a major help. Bill, Tim and Tracy always helped me out when my crew couldn’t make it. There were a few other people that were always willing to make time to help me out either at the track or on the phone. In no specific order Terry Goff, Ron Combs, Tom Vest, Travis Stickels, Brandon Gray, Bobby Walton, Wayne Harpring, Warren Welpott, Kenney Miller and Eric Ferhman.
With the season concluded and an 18th place finish in points I am very proud of that. I had hoped for a top 15 finish but with our bad luck late in the season and our inexperience an 18th place finish is strong for my first season driving an open wheel midget. Next season we will work harder and try to improve our point’s position by being more consistent in the feature. Please check back for sponsor information and progress on rebuilding the car.
Thank you,
Michael Koontz
9/24/08
After a second blown motor at Greensburg the spare is in and ready to go for the season finale at Mt. Lawn.
5/27/08
The UMRA has released it schedule with 28 races at some of Indiana's premier race tracks. Our goal is to attend as many races throughout the 08 season as we can. Our tentitive schedule for May is Bloomington Friday May 17 Osgood Friday May 30 and Twincities May 31. Please check back to see what tracks we will run in June. I would like to give a special thanks to all of my sponsors. Lineal Contracting, Shaw Securities Serivices Inc, Accounting Concepts Inc and North American Race Gear without their generous support this season would not be possible.
Thank you Michael
North American Race Gear will have a few safety and misc items instock at the track such as tear-offs, replacement helmet parts, multi colored wire ties, gloves and head socks.
I will also have methenol for sale at all the races we attend. Check our home page to see what race will be at next.