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WoO season review: Jac Haudenschild -11/20/2009, 10:05 AM

Swindell and Coons, capture wins in Western World opener -11/20/2009, 10:05 AM

Western World Championships, the time is here -11/19/2009, 10:05 AM

WoO season review: Brian Ellenberger -11/18/2009, 11:19 AM

ASCS season wraps up in style with Western World Championships -11/17/2009, 11:19 AM

WoO season review: Craig Dollansky -11/16/2009, 11:35 AM

Western World Championships one week away -11/13/2009, 10:20 AM

WoO: 2009 season by the numbers -11/12/2009, 2:34 PM

Dodge City, Beckley named 2009 WoO promoter of year -11/11/2009, 2:34 PM

WoO: World Finals wrap-up -11/10/2009, 10:06 AM

WoO: Night of Champions wraps up 2009 World of Outlaws season -11/9/2009, 2:04 PM

Alternative Pest Management joins MDLMS for cash dashes -11/9/2009, 2:04 PM

Bruce goes back-to-back in Short Track Nationals -11/9/2009, 2:04 PM

WoO: World Finals continues to get bigger -11/5/2009, 11:04 AM

Short Track Nationals approaching -11/4/2009, 11:49 AM

WoO preview: Third annual World Finals -11/4/2009, 11:49 AM

WoO: Countdown to the World Finals: 1 day -11/4/2009, 11:49 AM

WoO: Countdown to the World Finals: 2 days -11/3/2009, 10:19 AM

Lucas Oil ASCS Patriots awards banquet scheduled for Nov. 14 -11/2/2009, 4:34 PM

The wait is about over for Short Track Nationals -11/2/2009, 4:34 PM

WoO at a glance: World Finals -11/2/2009, 10:35 AM

WoO: Countdown to the World Finals: 3 days -11/2/2009, 10:35 AM

WoO: Countdown to World Finals: 7 days -10/29/2009, 10:35 AM

WoO: Countdown to the World Finals: 8 days -10/28/2009, 10:19 AM

Short Track Nationals postponed to Nov. 5-7 -10/27/2009, 11:34 AM

Wells Racing Engines offers Dart engine block at STN -10/27/2009, 11:34 AM

WoO: Countdown to the World Finals: 10 days -10/27/2009, 11:34 AM

WoO: Countdown to the World Finals: 9 days -10/27/2009, 11:34 AM

Herrera hustles up another ASCS Southwest win -10/26/2009, 11:05 AM

WoO: Just 19 points separate Schatz, Meyers -10/26/2009, 11:05 AM

WoO: Countdown to the World Finals: 11 days -10/26/2009, 11:05 AM

WoO: Saldana wins again at Lone Star Speedway -10/26/2009, 11:05 AM

ASCS Rocky Mountain awards banquet set for Nov. 7 -10/22/2009, 11:05 AM

WoO: Title fight heats up -10/22/2009, 11:05 AM

Short Track Nationals entry list continues to grow -10/22/2009, 11:05 AM

WoO preview: WoO Fest at Lone Star Speedway -10/21/2009, 11:05 AM

WaKeeney hosts George 'Pappy' Parsons Fall Nationals -10/21/2009, 11:05 AM

Murray, Daniels, Dauer claim big payouts at Hays -10/20/2009, 11:49 AM

Murray pockets $5,000 at RPM -10/20/2009, 11:49 AM

Martin cruises to URSS win at WaKeeney -10/19/2009, 9:49 PM

Lucas Oil Sprint Cars pushed back a day at Devil's Bowl -10/16/2009, 10:34 AM

STN pre-entry discount deadline of Oct. 17 approaches -10/14/2009, 11:36 AM

Lucas Oil Sprint Cars set for Devil's Bowl Winter Nationals -10/14/2009, 11:36 AM

$5,000 on the line this weekend -10/13/2009, 2:50 PM

WoO wrap-up: New Yorker 25 at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park -10/12/2009, 3:20 PM

WoO: Schatz extends lead in standings -10/12/2009, 10:21 AM

Tony Bruce Jr. tops ASCS Cowtown Sprint Nationals prelim -10/12/2009, 10:21 AM

Mother Nature finishes off Cowtown Sprint Nationals -10/12/2009, 10:21 AM

R.J. Johnson rolls to ASCS Canyon Region Hall of Fame Classic triumph -10/12/2009, 10:21 AM

WoO: Shaffer victoriius at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park -10/12/2009, 10:21 AM

King of the Mile at Syracuse falls to rain -10/9/2009, 2:19 PM

ASCS Cowtown Sprint Nationals pushed back one day by weather -10/8/2009, 4:34 PM

WoO preview: New Yorker 25 at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park -10/8/2009, 10:37 AM

Fundraiser aids injured racer -10/8/2009, 8:35 AM

Lucas Oil sprint cars on deck at Devil's Bowl Winter Nationals -10/7/2009, 11:04 AM

WoO at a glance: Rolling Wheels Raceway Park -10/6/2009, 10:34 AM

ASCS Canyon Region ready for Hall of Fame Classic -10/6/2009, 10:34 AM

Three ASCS champions to be crowned at Cowtown this weekend -10/6/2009, 10:34 AM

Goodyear becoming official tire of WoO -10/5/2009, 2:50 PM

WoO wrap-up: National Open and Summer Nationals -10/5/2009, 10:49 AM

WoO: Hodnett wins first career National Open -10/5/2009, 10:49 AM

Shed Road Auto Parts sponsors STN's Josh Howard Determination Award -10/1/2009, 5:04 PM

WoO: Veteran drivers geared up for National Open -10/1/2009, 2:20 PM

WaKeeney Mini Speedway kart races -9/30/2009, 4:05 PM

WoO: National Open at Williams Grove Speedway -9/30/2009, 9:19 AM

WaKeeney Speedway adds 2 races -9/29/2009, 9:19 PM

WoO: Steve Kinser returns to Syracuse for special 'King of the Mile' exhibition -9/28/2009, 3:20 PM

WoO at a glance: National Open at Williams Grove Speedway -9/28/2009, 3:20 PM

URSS win at Decatur County Speedway goes to C.J. Johnson -9/28/2009, 10:49 AM

RPM Speedway set to host annual fall nationals -9/28/2009, 10:49 AM

81 Speedway results (Sept. 26) -9/28/2009, 10:49 AM

URSS adds George 'Pappy' Parson Fall Nationals to schedule -9/28/2009, 10:49 AM

WoO preview: Lernerville Speedway -9/23/2009, 11:35 AM

Norton wraps up 2009 season -9/23/2009, 10:50 AM

Iceman goes into record books with first MDLMS win at Minneapolis -9/23/2009, 10:50 AM

81 Speedway results (Sept. 19) -9/23/2009, 10:50 AM

WoO preview: Eldora Speedway -9/23/2009, 10:35 AM

Cody Salem grads hard-earned URSS win at Holyoke -9/22/2009, 4:49 PM

RPM Speedway crowns track champions -9/22/2009, 4:49 PM

WoO: Saldana remains in top spot in power rankings -9/18/2009, 4:49 PM

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Cars set for stretch drive -9/17/2009, 3:35 PM

WoO: Meyers wins thriller over Saldana on last lap at Clay County Fair Speedway -9/17/2009, 12:05 PM

WoO: Parsons Motorsports crew wins pit crew challenge -9/17/2009, 12:05 PM

C.J. Johnson grabs win at URSS Colorado Motorsports Park debut -9/17/2009, 12:05 PM

MDLMS readies for Minneapolis Raceway -9/17/2009, 12:05 PM

ASCS Southwest at USA on Saturday -9/16/2009, 11:34 AM

ASCS Sooner Region at Creek County on Saturday night -9/16/2009, 11:34 AM

ASCS Rocky Mountain closes season with Aztec double -9/16/2009, 11:34 AM

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WoO preview: Clay County Fair Speedway -9/15/2009, 8:04 PM

81 Speedway results (Sept. 12) -9/15/2009, 8:04 PM

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ASCS Midwest season closes with a bang this weekend -9/9/2009, 1:34 PM

URSS to open Colorado Motorsports Park -9/8/2009, 2:34 PM

Three first-time winners at RPM Speedway -9/8/2009, 2:34 PM


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<p>Monkey finally off Seemann's back</p>

[var top_story_head]

Monkey finally off Seemann's back

Published on -8/3/2009, 8:19 AM

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By NICK SCHWIEN

nschwien@dailynews.net

LA CROSSE -- The weight on Ray Seemann's shoulders kept getting heavier and heavier after each race.

But that's what tends to happen when you have a ton of oh-so-closes and a bunch of what-might-have-beens.

In fact, for the United Rebel Sprint Series 305 sprint car driver, it was about two years worth of those close calls.

"I was starting to wonder if we forgot how to win," Seemann said.

Seemann jogged his memory Saturday night during the URSS event in La Crosse during the Rush County Fair. The victory he secured late in the race on the 1/4-mile dirt oval was his first since July 4, 2007 -- more than two years of trying.

"It felt great to get that monkey off my back," he said. "We've been a solid top-five team for so long, but we just couldn't get it."

In the URSS, a driver earns a point average by his finishes in feature races. The better a driver finishes, the better his point average. With the inverted starting order -- meaning the best point averages of drivers who qualified from heat races start in rows five, then four, etc. -- the top drivers have to work that much harder to get to the front.

And Seemann was a driver who consistently was starting in the fourth or fifth row.

That was the case Saturday night in La Crosse -- although the Jetmore driver thought he had a better starting position that he actually did.

"I looked at the lineup sheet and thought we were starting outside the third row," Seemann said. "Then I got out there and realized we were outside the fourth row. I figured that first row would just jump on it and be gone."

One of the drivers on that front row did. Michael Williams started outside the first row and bolted to the lead at the drop of the checkered flag.

"Starting on the front row is always the best," Williams said. "But when you have guys like Ray Seemann and C.J. Johnson , especially for me, I know they're coming through the field."

C.J. Johnson, the national point leader entering the weekend, started inside the fifth row and eventually made his way up to third place behind Williams and Seemann when he got by Corey Lutters.

Williams diced his way through lap traffic as Seemann and Johnson closed the gap, working every inch of the track to move forward.

"When you're in lap traffic that deep, if you're not moving forward, you're getting passed," Seemann said about the trials of racing on a smaller, 1/4-mile track.

Williams led the first 23 laps of the 25-lap feature. But then Seemann and Johnson reeled in the Grainfield driver and went three-wide on the backstretch entering turn three.

Seemann came out of the corner with the lead.

"I knew they were going to come," Williams said. "I looked down at the water temp and it said 280 (degrees), and I said I'm not pulling off now. I screwed up on a lap car there, and Seemann got around me. Then C.J. stuck his nose in, and I didn't want to pinch him. But that was awesome."

Johnson eventually got by Williams for second as well, although with all the lap traffic, he wasn't sure who actually was leading.

"I thought Ray was leading and I was in second," Johnson said. "When we got by Williams, I realized he was the leader."

Paul Flynn got by Lutters at the end to claim fourth, and Jon Johnson was sixth in the caution-free feature. Willie Wynn was seventh, Smokey Fairbank was eighth, and Darren Bowman and Travis Decker rounded out the top 10.

Seemann and C.J. and Jon Johnson each won heat races.

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