By STEVE EIGHINGER

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

There is guaranteed to be at least two new winners in tonight's midseason championship features at Quincy Raceways.

That's because two of last year's four winners will not be around to defend their titles. Well, they'll be around, but just not in the same classes.

Kevin Tomlinson won the 2008 late model midseason championship, but the New London, Mo., driver is now running in the stock car class.

Dave Wietholder of Liberty collected last summer's stock car midseason championship, but he's only running in the modified division this year after pulling double duty in '08.

Robbie Reed of Quincy will try and make it two straight midseason modified titles and Wes Mayfield of Hull will look to go back-to-back in the hobby stocks. Mayfield was awarded the 2008 crown when race winner James Leffew was disqualified during a post-race inspection. Racing begins tonight at 6:30.

Looking back: For those who were not on hand Friday night for the $10,000-to-win UMP Summernationals race, what an event you missed.

Track officials said there were fans at the track as early as 8 a.m. Friday saving seats for that night's race. The crowd of about 3,000 might have even been larger if not for the threat of rain.

Nine of the top 10 and 15 of the top 17 drivers in the Summernationals points standings were in the pits. It would be hard to argue that this was the finest overall night of racing in the history of the 35-year-old track. From the record $42,500 purse to the quality of drivers, it was a night to remember.

It was also nice to hear superstars like Shannon Babb, Billy Moyer and others praise the track and its workers for the racing surface and other amenities.

Expensive: Moyer was arguably the biggest drawing card Friday night and drew several ovations during his first-ever visit to 8000 Broadway. He said things have changed dramatically in the last decade in late model racing.

"Back in the old days when I started, we carried about four spare tires," said the 51-year-old Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer. "Now, we might have as many as 80 to 100, depending on the track."

The technology of racing has been difficult to keep up with, according to Moyer, largely because of the expense. The sophisticated tire compounds for different styles of tracks and racing affiliations can drain a checkbook.

And then there's the engines. Moyer, a full-time racer for 28 years, said a top-flight UMP motor starts at about $33,000. And if that figure is staggering, consider that Moyer said he knew of at lest six drivers in the pits at Quincy using a engines that cost at least $43,000.

Two-time defending Summernats champ Dennis Erb Jr. also chimed in on the expense factor.

"I've been racing full-time since '98 and the cost of everything has gone up so much," he said. "It's hard to keep up with the costs."

To which Moyer added, "But the purses don't keep going up."

Lucky guy: Randy Korte, the UMP driver known as "King Kong," feels extremely fortunate to be racing, let alone leading the Summernats points chase. A few years ago he broke two vertebrae in a crash and one of the bones stuck in his spinal cord.

Time -- and some talented surgeons -- eventually healed all of the wounds. Korte has fully recovered and is again at the top of his game.

"But there was a time when I didn't know if I would ever race again," he said.

Korte has been a full-time racer for nine years. He's a former truck driver.

Crazy guy: Sam Driggers is the man who coordinates the UMP Summernationals . It's something he's done for the last 15 years and sees no end to his tenure.

"No one else is crazy enough to do this," he said.

This year's Summernationals is a 27-race, 31-day "Hell Tour" of six states that is a test of endurance, resources and finances.

Driggers said running the full tour is not for everyone, and every year many rookies drop by the wayside quickly.

"We average about 35 cars a show, but 25 of those are excellent cars and it is tough to even make the feature," he said.

On hand Friday night at Quincy were drivers from Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana and Wisconsin.

-- seighinger@whig.com / 221-3377