Closing out the month for the National Midget Series will be the Belleville Midget Nationals, a three night event celebrating the 99th Year of the Belleville High Banks venue.  Kuhn commented, "I am really looking forward to the Belleville Midget Nationals.  As good as our car and engines have been on the larger tracks this year, we should be right in the hunt."

                   The RW Motorsports team leader and Crew Chief, Scott Benic, echoes Kuhn's enthusiasm for this month's prospects, "Our Midget program is on a roll right now and we should have a great month ahead of us.  With POWRi at Haubstadt to start the month to money week at the end of the month leading up to the Belleville Nationals, our Fontana/Beast should be a contender to win every night.  Brad Kuhn is certainly the real thing in this midget world."

             The USAC National Sprint Series kicks off July at Winchester Speedway on July 2nd and joins the Midget series in Toledo, OH the following day.  RWB's Dave Darland is prepared to heat things up this week and continue the momentum into Indiana Sprint Week;  "I am pretty excited about [Sprint Week] this year.  I just joined the RWB team a year ago and we almost won this event last year.  I enjoy racing for this team."  We asked Dave if he is looking forward to any particular track this year: "I enjoy all of them, but I might be most excited to race Terre Haute this month."

          Taking the early lead in the points race for the series, Darland, a consistent fan-favorite, now sits 2 points behind series leader Levi Jones.  Scott Benic, Co-Owner and Crew Chief for the #2b Gaerte Chevy/Maxim, gave us his thoughts on the upcoming Sprint schedule, "Our Sprint program is extremely consistent right now and with Sprint Week right around the corner, it is a perfect time to be on a roll.  Hopefully that carries over to some wins and a chance at the Sprint Week title.  Dave Darland is a racer's racer and the best in the business."

          Adding to the busy July schedule and building on the excitement around the RWMS garage are the two Silver Crown events at the end of the month.  The first at ORP on the 23rd and, nestled right in the Belleville Nationals schedule, the Casey's General Stores event at Iowa Speedway.  Coming off of a disappointing turn in Richmond, RWMS' drivers Jerry Coons Jr. and Shane Hmiel look to turn things up and gain some ground in the points race.  The 2008 Silver Crown Champion, Coons Jr. eagerly anticipates his return to these venues: "I am really looking forward to the upcoming races at ORP and Iowa Speedway.  We struggled a little last year at ORP, but have been working hard on getting better.  We had  a great car at Iowa last year, fought an over-heating issue all race but still finished 3rd.  So, I can't wait to return there with a strong car."

          Celebrating his one year anniversary with RW Motorsports, Shane Hmiel will join Coons Jr. at ORP and Iowa, hoping to improve upon his current 6th place standing in the points race.   On his first year with RW, Hmiel had this to say, "Its been really good.  They have welcomed me with open arms and I feel privileged to be a member of the best team in USAC."  
          Hmiel began his tenure with RWMS last year, grabbing the pole position at both venues in the #17 Toyota/Beast.    We checked in with Shane as he was preparing to start practice in Winchester to get his thoughts on the upcoming pavement races.  After a disappointing event at Richmond, Shane's focus has been on "trying to improve his qualifying position for the next two starts."  He also commented on the great atmosphere at the RW/Benic garage, "Everything's being prepared fast.  We're excited to get back to Iowa after last year's quick time."  When asked about his expectations for returning to the venue, Hmiel only had a few items on his list; "We have a chance to do alot.  We have to be fast in qualifying and carry it through the race.  I want to get back on the pole and beat Bobby East."

          Before heading to Winchester this afternoon, Scott Benic chimed in on the drivers' expectations of the upcoming Silver Crown events: "We have certainly been fast to start the year with no results to show for it in the first three events.  Shane Hmiel and Jerry Coons Jr. have been dominant in early day practices but when the money has been on the line, we have had our share of struggles to finish the events.  July will be the month that changes all as we head home for the ORP event striving for our first 2009 win."  And with that, all team members are on the same page.

          There is no doubt that this month will provide many edge-of-your-seat-moments and RW Motorsports is looking to savor all of them.  As always, Steve Weirich leads his team with passion and drive.  The Team's leader comments, "We share common goals between Rotondo Weirich and RW Motorsports- develop successful teams, be the best at what we do, and have fun while doing it.   We've got a strong run going in the Midgets and Sprints and look to build momentum on our successes in the Silver Crown series.  Having involvement through RW sponsored events with our employees and clients brings added support and enthusiasm to our team.  We look forward to seeing our team and all of our drivers run through the line-ups and take on the top competitors in each series."  Steve adds, "With this group, it will be busy, it will be fast and it will never be boring."