Saturday, Aug. 9, 2002
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Saturday, Aug. 9, 2002 |
We've been fortunate with the weather so far this year, but last Saturday, August 2nd, we were not quite so lucky. Rain settled in early, and hung around most of the day, forcing them to call off the races. Several of us were lucky though, still managing to get our weekend "racing fix" in, as we headed over to Indianapolis to watch the Brickyard 400 on Sunday. The racing at Indy was GREAT, but I still think the best seat for the Brickyard is at home on your couch!! It was great to be back home this weekend, gearing up for another exciting night of stock car racing at Spoon River Speedway. And an exciting night it was!!! I'm not sure if the week off had everyone a little "edgy", or maybe it was the full moon ……… but things got a little scary a couple of different times during tonight's races!!!
The #5 of Jake Helfers was out front from the beginning to the end, and scored the win in E-Mod Heat #1. The #8 of Lonnie Edmunson finished the heat in 2nd, followed by the #18K of James Kennedy in 3rd. The #4 of John Winters led E-Mod Heat #2 from flag to flag, scoring another win for his team. There was some pretty intense racing, and a lot of bumping and banging going on for the 2nd spot between the #29 of Chad Terwillger and the #96 of Kirk Anderson. Terwillger, who actually crossed the start/finish line in 2nd, was disqualified from the race for driving into the side of Anderson, sending the #29 car home early tonight. The #96 of Kirk Anderson scored the 2nd place finish, followed by the #27W of Greg Ward in 3rd place. The #28 of Phil Schnarr started 3rd in E-Mod Heat #3, but by lap #3, Schnarr was out front, and he was out front to stay. The #M3 of Chuck McDonald, the #M17 of Brent Munson, and the #21J of Joe Wagner were all racing side by side from start to finish for the 2nd spot, allowing Schnarr to put some breathing room between himself and the rest of the field. Phil Schnarr scored another strong E-Mod Heat win for the #28 team, followed by the #21J of Joe Wagner in 2nd place, and the #M17 of Brent Munson in 3rd place.The #55 of Brian Nelson jumped out front at the very start of Thunder Truck Heat #1, and he stayed out front all the way to the finish. By lap #3, they were spread out all around the track, and Brian Nelson scored a very convincing heat race win for the #55 Thunder Truck team. The #29 of David Boyer finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #1K of Doug Pratt in 3rd. The #30 of Gerald Carter lined up in the 4th spot to start Thunder Truck Heat #2, but he got a GREAT jump on the start, and was in the lead by the time he reached the front-stretch. Caution came out a couple of times, bunching the field back up again, but Carter didn't seem to notice. Gerald Carter would jump out front on each restart, and by the end of the race, he had a BIG lead over the rest of the field, and scored a very convincing win in his #30 Thunder Truck. The #8 of Dave Collins, the #88 of Dave Collins, and the #31 of Harry Fourdyce battled for the 2nd spot from start to finish, but in the end, it was the #8 of Dave Collins out front to finish in 2nd place, followed by Dave Collins in the #88 in 3rd place.
The #48 of Casey Lappin started on the pole in Modified Heat #1, but the M#1 of Dale Munson got around Lappin to take over the lead on lap #1, and the entire field ran single file from there on. Once out front, Dale Munson stayed out front, and he scored the heat race win for the #M1 racing team. The #48 of Casey Lappin finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #42 of Matt Smith in 3rd place. JD Beal started on the pole in Modified Heat #2, and he kept his #26 Modified out front and in clean air from start to finish. The #28 of "Jammin'" Jimmy Hibser and the #25 of Butch Weisser raced side-by-side, lap after lap, battling for the 2nd spot, with the #31 of Mark Anderson right behind them, trying to get around using his preferred high line every lap of the way. With everyone racing hard for position behind him, JD Beal was able to "check out" on the rest of the field, and he scored a very strong win for the #26 racing team. The #25 of Butch Weisser finished the race in 2nd place, and the #31 of Mark Anderson crossed the finished line literally INCHES ahead of Hibser to finish in 3rd. The #28 of Phil Schnarr started on the pole in Modified Heat #3, and he led the entire race from start to finish, but behind Schnarr - they were "slicin' and dicin'" The #192 of Brian Allen and the #7 of Floyd Jordan, Sr. were trading 2nd spot back and forth, with the #98 of Andy Riggins, the #30 of Rob Bauman, and the #C40 of Mike Chasteen racing THREE WIDE right behind them. With everyone "mixin' it up" behind him, Phil Schnarr opened up a nice lead, and he took his #28 Modified to victory lane with another strong heat race win. The #C40 of Mike Chasteen came all the way from the very back of the field to finish up front in 2nd place, followed by the #192 of Brian Allen in 3rd.The #18 of Terry Pratt lined up in 3rd spot to start the Pro Street Heat race, but on the very first lap, Pratt had made his way around both the #27 of Greg Arnett and the #81K of Mark Ross, and he was in the lead. Two laps later, contact between Ross and the #27 of Jim Carter forced Ross to fall all the way to the back of the field, but he didn't stay back there for long. Arnett and Carter raced side-by-side for several laps, battling for 2nd spot, but Carter got way too high in turns #3 & #4, and spun with one lap to go, sending him to the back for the restart, and bunching up the entire field up for a one-lap shoot-out to the finish. Terry Pratt didn't seem to mind, as he jumped back out front on the restart, and drove his #18 car to the checkered flag to score the heat race win. The #27 of Greg Arnett finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #81K of Mark Ross in 3rd place.
The #B12 of Roger Nelson started on the pole in Late Model Heat #1, and Nelson stayed out front in a "big way" from start to finish. Nelson had a nice lead on the very first lap, and he just opened it up from there! By the time he reached the checkered flag, Roger Nelson was WAY OUT front to score a very strong heat race win for the #B12 team. The #59 of Morey Denney finished the heat in 2nd place, followed by the #20 of Mike Killion in 3rd place. The #29J of Lindell Jewel started on the pole in Late Model Heat #2, and just like Nelson in the race before ……….. Jewel "took no prisoners"! Jewel opened up a nice lead on the very first lap, leaving the #30 of Rob Bauman to run the race all alone in 2nd behind him. The #25K of Bill Kettering and the #45 of Dwayne Walters were racing each other hard for the 3rd spot, but that was the only real challenge for position throughout the entire race. The #29J of Lindell Jewel scored a very convincing win, with an entire straightaway lead over the rest of the field. The #30 of Rob Bauman finished in 2nd place, followed by the #45 of Dwayne Walters in 3rd place. The #11 of Brad Denney started on the pole in Late Model Heat #3, and he led the race from green flag to checkered flag. By lap #2, the entire field was spread out all around the track and running single file, and Brad Denney coasted into victory lane to score another win for the #11 team. The #M40 of Scott May finished the heat in 2nd place, followed by the #4C of Rob Colson in 3rd.The #02 of Greg Sullivan started on the pole in Hodo Heat #1, but the #00 of Steve Harper got under him in turns #1 and #2, and took over the lead on lap #2. Once out front, he stayed out front, and the #02 of Greg Sullivan scored the heat race win, followed by the #00 of Steve Harper in 2nd, and the #8 of Eric Wisher in 3rd. The #35 of Josh Smith lined up on the pole to start Hobo Heat #2, but the #11 of Scott Denney was alongside him and challenging for the lead going into the first turn. On lap #2, the #68 of Lance Alcorn made a nice move when he drove in between Smith and Denney, making it a THREE WIDE battle for the lead on lap #2. A lap later, Alcorn went high and was able to get around Smith and Denney, and he moved into the lead on lap #3. Once out front, Lance Alcorn "checked out" on the rest of the field, and scored another very convincing heat race win for the #68 Hobo team. Denney was headed to the start/finish line in 2nd place, but he spun, all by himself, just inches before taking the checkered flag, handing the 2nd place finish over to the #35 of Josh Smith. The #42 of Tim Bishop finished in 3rd place.
The #4 of John Winters lined up back in 5th spot to start tonight's E-Mod Feature event, but Winters only stayed back there for ½ a lap. Contact up front between the race leaders bunched the top 4 up, and Winters dove underneath them all to take over the lead on lap #1. Caution came out on the very next lap for several in the middle of the field getting together again in turns #3 and #4, sending a few of them to the pits with either damage to their cars or flat tires. A couple of guys, the #M17 of Brent Munson and the #M3 of Chuck McDonald, were moving up in a hurry early in the race. Munson, who started back in 9th spot, and McDonald, who line dup way back in 12th, had both raced their way into the top six positions by the lap #1 restart, and they weren't done yet! Munson was able to get around the #5 of Jake Helfers to move up into the 3rd spot by lap #4, and quickly set his sights on the race leaders. Up front, the #96 of Kirk Anderson was ALL OVER the back bumper of Winters challenging for the lead. Anderson tried high and low for several laps, and on lap #9, Anderson was finally able to take the outside lane around Winters and move into the lead, bringing Munson along with him into 2nd place. On lap #11, Munson pulled alongside Anderson in a challenge for the lead, and the two raced door-to-door all the way around the racetrack in a battle for the lead. On the white flag lap, Munson got tied up behind another car coming down the backstretch and had to get out of the gas, leaving Anderson to sail to the start/finish line all by himself. Kirk Anderson scored the E-Mod Feature win for the #96 racing team, followed by the #M17 of Brent Munson in 2nd place, the #M3 of Chuck McDonald in 3rd place, the #27W of Greg Ward in 4th place, and the #5 of Jake Helfers in 5th place.The #31 of Harry Fourdyce lined up in the 2nd spot to start the Thunder Truck Feature, but Fourdyce got a GREAT jump at the start of the race, and was up front and in the lead before he reached turn #1. Also on the move in a hurry were the #30 of Gerald Carter and the #8 of Dave Collins. Carter, who lined up way back in the 8th post, was up to 4th on the very first lap, and by the time they scored lap #2, Carter was in 3rd place! Collins, who started the race 6th, had also made his way through traffic in a hurry, and Collins was up to 2nd place by the time they scored lap #2! The #29 of David Boyer also started deep in the field, but like Carter and Collins, he was headed towards the front. On lap #5, Boyer made a nice move, driving in between the #55 of Brian Nelson and the #14 of George Collins in turns #1 & #2, and moved up into the top five. Fourdyce was running the middle of the track, leaving the bottom open to the guys behind him, and by lap #6, the bottom groove seemed to be the fastest. Collins and Carter were both able to get under Fourdyce in turns #3 & #4, and take over the top 2 spots. Carter got into turn #1 a little too hot, sliding and getting a piece of Collins, sending both trucks spinning on lap #8. Unfortunately, both trucks suffered enough damage to send them to the pits, ending their chances for a good finish tonight. Nine truck started tonight's main event, but by the lap #8 restart, only five were left! With Collins and Carter out of the picture, Fourdyce found himself back in the lead with 2 laps to go. The #88 of Dave Collins pulled off the track before the restart, but the #8 of Collins did make it back on the track before the green flag fell, so there were still five trucks left to race the last couple of laps. Fourdyce led the field to the green flag on the restart, and he stayed out front to lead them to the checkered flag. Harry Fourdyce scored tonight's Thunder Truck Feature win for the #31 team, followed by the #29 of David Boyer in 2nd, and the #14 of George Collins in 3rd. The #8 of Dave Collins came back to finish in the 4th spot, and the #1K of Doug Pratt finished in 5th.
The #28 of Phil Schnarr started 2nd in the Modified Feature, but he got a GREAT jump on the start, and was around the pole sitter, the #48 of Casey Lappin, and in the lead by turn #1. A couple of other cars weren't wasting any time moving towards the front either. The #m1 of Dale Munson started the race in from the 4th spot, and the #C40 of Mike Chasteen started from the 6th spot, but by the time they scored lap #2, Munson and Chasteen were both up front and running 2nd and 3rd behind Schnarr. Schnarr seemed to get way out of the gas on lap #2, letting Munson, Chasteen, and Lappin get around him and into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Chasteen and Munson raced nose-to-nose around the track for several laps, but Chasteen got the better run on lap #4, and moved out front and into the lead. There was plenty of racing going on behind the race leaders also. Lappin, and the #26 of JD Beal were racing side-by-side for several laps, battling for the 4th spot, with the #192 of Brian Allen and the #31 of Mark Anderson racing two wide right behind them. Allen got turned around in turn #1, bringing out the caution on lap #6, and lining the field back up again for the restart. Schnarr's car seemed to "fall out" again on the restart, and Lappin was there to take advantage and move back into the 3rd spot. Contact on the backstretch between the #24 of Jerry Stringham and the #420 of John Eppers sent Eppers off the high side and VERY HARD into the mine tires at the top of the entrance to turn #3. Eppers hit so hard, that the back end of the car came completely off the ground, and looked like it was going to flip over on it lid! Johnny was pretty shaken up, and was still seeing starts at the end of the night. He was later checked out by the EMTs, and was told that a visit to the nearest hospital would probably be in his best interests! The #420 car suffered VERY SEVERE damage, but fortunately John was able to walk away from the incident with what appeared to be minor injuries. Once back to green flag racing, Chasteen was able to open up a little bit of a lead, with Lappin and Munson battling side-by-side for 2nd, and the #31 of Mark Anderson ALL OVER their back bumpers looking for an opening to squeeze through. Anderson found the hole he was looking for, and he moved into 2nd around Lappin by lap #12. Chasteen may have been alone out front, but it was side-by-side racing from there on back. Dale Munson and Mark Anderson were battling for the 2nd spot, Casey Lappin and JD Beal were side by side battling for 4th spot, and the #28 of "Jammin'" Jimmy Hibser and the #M21 of Justin Munson, who were both on the move late in the race, were on their back bumpers by lap #15. With everyone racing side-by-side behind him, Mike Chasteen was able to stay out front in clean air, and he raced his #C40 Modified into the winner's circle.The #31 of Mark Anderson finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #28 of Jim Hibser in 3rd place, the #M1 of Dale Munson in 4th place, and the #48 of Casey Lappin in 5th place.
I'd like to take the opportunity to say "Goodbye & Good Luck" to one of our Modified drivers. Matt Smith, the driver of the #42 Modified, raced with us for the last time tonight. It was exciting last year watching Matt, at the young age of 17, win his first Modified Feature, and it has been even more exciting this year watching him develop into one of the top competitors in our Modified division. So far this year, Matt has 9 top ten finishes, 3 top five finishes, and 2 Modified Feature wins, and he has been in the top ten in the points standings all year long - and remember, he just graduated from high school!! Next weekend, Matt's parents will be taking him to Race City USA in Mooresville, North Carolina, where he will begin attending classes at the NASCAR Technical Institute. Matt will be back racing with us again next year, so watch our fellas - if you thought Matt was competitive before, just wait until he gets a couple of NASCAR tech semesters under his belt!! We'll really miss having Matt racing with us the rest of the season, but we can surely understand his desire to further his racing career. We wish Matt the best of luck at school, and when he gets a call from Robert Yates, or maybe when he climbs into his first NASCAR, we hope he remembers all of us "little people" back at Spoon River Speedway cheering him on!!
The #4C of Rob Colson started on the pole in the Late Model Feature, but he soon had plenty of company from both the #M40 of Scott "Scooter" May and the #11 of "Bad" Brad Denney. May, who started the race back in 4th, quickly made his way around the #20 of Mike Killion and the #45 of Dwayne Walters, and settled into the 2nd spot behind Colson. Denney, who lined up in the 7th spot, was moving through traffic like it was nothing! By the time they scored lap #2, Denney was up to the 3rd spot and ALL OVER May's back bumper. Another car on the move was the #29J of Lindell Jewel. Jewel, who started the race back in the 8th position, was around May and into the 3rd spot to score lap #3. The #43 of John Heitzman spun on lap #6, bringing out the caution, and lining the field up nose to tail for the restart. The #30 of Rob Bauman got a great jump on the restart, challenging May for the 4th spot, with the #B12 of Roger Nelson closing in fast behind them. Up front the racing couldn't have been any better. Denney and Nelson were side by side, back and forth, battling for the lead. Denney got a better run in turns #1 & #2, and would move ahead down the backstretch, but Colson kept getting a GREAT run out of turns #3 & #4, and would be ahead at the start/finish line. Jewel was ALL OVER Denney's back bumper, waiting for something to open up in front of him, and May was ALL OVER Jewel's back bumper, also ready to jump into any space that opened up ahead. Lap traffic came into play around lap #12, but the race leaders didn't seem to notice. They moved around the slower cars like they weren't even there, still racing each other for position every lap of the way. Denney took to the high side, and was finally able to complete the pass on Colson and take over the lead position to score lap #20. Once out front, Denney does what he's been doing all season long - he checks out on the rest of the field and heads for the checkered flag. Brad Denney scored another Late Model Feature win for the #11 team, and the #4C of Rob Colson ran a great race up front to finish in 2nd place. The #29J of Lindell Jewel finished the Feature in 3rd place, followed by the #M40 of Scott May in 4th, and the #B12 of Roger Nelson in 5th.
The #8 of Eric Wisher started the Hobo Feature in 2nd, but he was around the #42 of Tim Bishop and out front on the very first lap. Another car on the move was the #68 of Lance Alcorn. Alcorn lined up back in the 5th spot, but he was ALL OVER Bishop's back bumper and into 3rd on lap #1. Caution came out on lap #1, and Alcorn got a GREAT jump on the restart, quickly getting around Bishop and up into the 2nd spot. The #00 of Steve Harper and the #11 of Scott Denney were also moving through traffic in a hurry. By lap #3, Harper had raced all the way up to 2nd place from a 6th place start, and Denney came from way back in 11th to the top five by lap #4. Alcorn and Harper got together in turns #1 & #2, but they were both able to straighten their cars out and keep going, but not until Bishop got around them and into the 2nd spot. By lap #9, Harper had gotten back around Bishop and had closed back in on Wisher's back bumper, but catchin' 'em and passin' 'em are two different things! Wisher, Harper, and Alcorn had a three-car breakaway up front, but it was all cut short when caution came out again on lap #12. Alcorn got a GREAT jump again on the restart, pulled alongside Harper, and moved into the 2nd position. Alcorn got an even better run out of turns #3 & #4, and closed in on Wisher with only 2 laps to go. Alcorn pulled alongside Wisher on the backstretch, and tried to get under him through turns #3 & #4, but Wisher was able to hold him off and hang onto the lead. They were practically nose-to-nose at the start/finish line, but the nose out front was Wisher's. Eric Wisher scored the Hobo Feature win for the #8 racing team, followed by the #68 of Lance Alcorn in 2nd place, the #00 of Steve Harper in 3rd place, the #35 of Josh Smith in 4th place, and the #42 of Tim Bishop in 5th place.
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