SLAYTON, Minn. - The Murray County Speedway can now say they raced in April. An early opening night, presented by Pro Cellular, was last Friday night in Slayton. It was a little on the cool side, but it's been a long time since the last race in late August and the race fans were ready to take in the action. Four of last years six champions returned to the track to defend their titles (Jeremy Winter/Hornets, Eric Gillette/Hobby, Brent Fagen/Stock and Jeremy Smith/B Modified). While there were some new drivers and cars, there was also something missing. The Murray County Speedway lost a good friend during the offseason. Gene Westra, known affectionately to race fans as the split the pot guy, passed away recently and his presence was missed. A moment of silence prior to the National Anthem was observed in memory of Gene. Despite a little wind and chill though, it was a good opening night and a great start to the 2010 racing season.

USRA Hobby Stocks
Eric Gillette's quest for a threepeat as track champion began on Friday night. It got started on the right foot. Gillette and Brad Halbur won the two heat races on opening night. While Halbur did manage a top five finish in the feature race, it was Gillette taking the first night win and becoming the early point leader. The race started on a sour note with the 59 of Corey Groenwold rolling multiple times in turn #1. Fans were breathless for a moment as the emergency crews responded very quickly to the scene. Groenwold got out of the car on his own power as it landed on all fours. The safety equipment did it's job, but Groenwold would be left with a dnf and plenty of work to do on his car. Groenwold's father Jerry had to sit helpless in turn #3 under the red flag while his son was on the other side of the track. Matt Lange led the race early but surrendered to Gillette due to a miscue off turn four. No driver was able to get close to the 12 car after that and Gillette cruised to the victory. The race also marked the return of a former stock car champion, John Fitzgerald.

USRA Karl Performance Parts B-Mods
Jeremy Smith has been unstoppable at the Murray County Speedway. Smith has been the B Mod champion for the last three years. His quest for four began with a heat race win. Smith followed that with a feature win. The race was his from the start and had no serious challengers. Kevin Joachim from Larchwood, Iowa was on the track for the first time but said he may not be a regular at MCS. The second place finish on the night for Joachim might change his mind. The race also featured the debut of Chris LeTendre. LeTendre has scored a few hornet wins over the past few seasons and now will try his hand in the new division.

USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Cars
Brent Fagen was another of the returning champions to opening night at MCS. Fagen has been every bit as spectacular in the streets as Smith has been in the B Mod class. It wasn't in the cards for the 48 car though on Friday night. A fourth place heat race finish was followed by a disappointing dnf in the feature. Rich Gregoire is back for another season at MCS. There have been some changes though. Last year Gregoire had a disappointing winless season. This year he unveiled a snappy new 32x car and piloted it to a heat race win and ultimately the feature title. Gregoire showed passing power and plenty of horsepower all the way around the 3/8th mile oval on Friday. It didn't take long in the 2010 campaign to end the drought. Troy Winter, the other heat race winner scored a top three feature finish on Friday with Brent Fagens brother, Tyler, picking up the runner up spot. A rookie to the class this season is Mark Mattson in his 28 car. Mattson took the final spot in the feature, which happened to be 4th as there were a handful of dnf's on the night.

USRA RHS Modifieds
The final race of the night was without it's 2009 champion. It did however feature a couple of past champs in Ron Luitjens and Marlin Kracht. Luitjens won heat race #1 while Jim Horseji of Echo drove his new 9 car to the 2nd heat race victory. Both looked to be contenders in the feature race. Horseji was on his way to the front when mechanical failure forced the early exit. Ron Luitjens had control of the race and did not relinquish it. Kracht, the 2000 champ of the class, struggled through the contest and ended up 4th on the night. Justin Anderson, a former B Modified champion at MCS, made his A mod debut in the 07 car. While showing some promise, he was unable to finish the race. The highlight of the season for this class will be August 6th when the United States Modified Touring Series makes it's annual visit to Slayton.