Saturday, Sept. 6, 2003
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Saturday, Sept. 6, 2003 |
Tonight was the Season Championships for the 2003 racing season at Spoon River Speedway. The weather was perfect, the track was perfect, and you could tell early on that it was going to be a GREAT night for racing. Many of the division points Champions had already been determined coming into tonight's races, but you couldn't tell by watching the guys race. Every race was jammed packed with side-by-side racing action. No one was giving an inch, and no one was letting anyone else taking a mile! Tonight's venue was a little different than a normal Saturday night. For tonight, all heat races were shortened to only 5 laps long, and the heats would NOT determine the starting line up for the Feature events. Each class would line up for their Feature according to points - with the points leader in each division starting on the pole, second place starting in 2nd, and so on through the entire field. This is a special night for the drivers, and a Season Championship win is something that they would all like to have bragging rights to next season. This is also a particularly special race for the fans, as at the beginning of each Feature event, they bring all the cars out onto the front stretch, turn them off, and have all the drivers climb from their cars for driver introductions. It gives the fans a chance to be introduced to each driver "up close", and after the drivers climb back into their cars and get buckled in, the fans get to give the command, which is my 4 favorite words in racing - "Gentleman, start your engines!"
The #4 of John Winters started on the pole in E-Mod Heat #1, but he was soon joined by the #M3 of Chuck McDonald, the #28 of Phil Schnarr, and the #96 of Kirk Anderson in a four-way battle for the lead. By lap #2, there was LOTS of smoke from McDonald's car, and caution did come out when McDonald's engine finally let go. Anderson got a nice jump on the restart, and took the lead as the white flag came out. The #96 of Kirk Anderson scored the win in E-Mod Heat #1, followed by the #4 of John Winters in 2nd, and the #28 of Phil Schnarr in 3rd. The #M17 of Brent Munson lined up in the pole position to start E-Mod Heat #2, with the #27W of Greg Ward and the #21J of Joe Wagner right behind him. While Wards and Wagner did battle each other hard for the 2nd spot, they finished the race exactly the way they started it. Brent Munson scored the win in E-Mod Heat #2 for the #17 racing team, followed by his MRE teammate, the #27W of Greg Ward in 2nd, and the #21Jof Joe Wagner in 3rd.The #8 of Dave Collins started on the pole in Thunder Truck Heat #1, but he soon had plenty of company up front from the #26 of Ryan Wilson and the #30 of Gerald Carter. The three battled hard for the lead, until the last lap, when Carter got a GREAT run out of turn #2, and took over the lead down the backstretch. Contact between Carter and Wilson sent Wilson to the pits before he could reach the start/finish line, allowing the #88 of Dave Collins to move up into 3rd. The #30 of Gerald Carter scored the win in Thunder Truck Heat #1, followed by the #8 of Dave Collins in 2nd place, and the #88 of Dave Collins in 3rd place. The #87 of Ron Wilson lined up in 3rd to start Thunder Truck Heat #2, but before they scored the 1st lap, he was alongside the pole sitter, the #31 of Harry Fourdyce, and the two were side-by-side racing for the lead. There was LOTS of contact between the #31 and the #87 all the way around the track, and eventually it took its toll, sending Fourdyce to the pits with a flat tire. Ron Wilson kept his Thunder Truck out front all the way to the checkered flag, and he took the #87 to the winner's circle in Heat #2. The #29 of David Boyer finished the heat in 2nd place, followed by the #1 of Doug Pratt in 3rd.
The #28 of "Jammin" Jimmy Hibser started Modified Heat #1 on the pole, and by lap #3, Hibser had "checked out" and had a BIG lead over the rest of the field. Jim Hibser showed us once again why he is this year's Modified Season Champion, scoring another very strong win in his #28 Modified. The #96 of Kirk Anderson finished the Heat in 2nd place, followed by the #22B of Richie Biswell in 3rd. The #31 of Mark Anderson started on the pole in Modified Heat #2, but the #48 of Casey Lappin was ALL OVER him before they reached turn #1. Anderson and Lappin battled hard for several laps, until finally, coming out of turn #4, Lappin got under Anderson and took the lead to score lap #4. The #25 of Butch Weisser was also able to clear Anderson on the white flag lap, moving up into the 2nd spot. The #48 of Casey Lappin took the checkered flag and scored the win in Modified Heat #2, followed by the #25 of Butch Weisser in 2nd, and the #31 of Mark Anderson in 3rd. The #M21 of Justin Munson lined up in 3rd to start Modified Heat #3, but he got around the #26 of JD Beal on the start, and quickly closed in on the pole sitter (which also happened to be his dad!), the #M1 of Dale Munson. Senior Munson had his hands full with Junior, as Justin was definitely giving his dad a run for his money! Beal wasn't going to let the Munsons have all the fun, and he got a GREAT run on lap #3, and was back into 2nd around the #M21. The #M1 of Dale Munson led the race from green flag to checkered flag, and scored another Heat race win for the MRE racing team. MRE cars also finished in 2nd and 3rd, with the #26 of JD Beal bringing home the 2nd place finish, followed by the #M21 of Justin Munson in 3rd. As I mentioned before, nobody was cutting anybody any slack tonight, and Modified Heat race #3 proved it. The three top cars raced THREE WIDE every single lap of the way, all battling for the lead, and they were ALL teammates! I honestly think it was probably the most exciting heat race I've seen all season long - GREAT JOB GUYS!!!!The #18 of Terry Pratt started on the pole in tonight's Pro Street Heat race, and Pratt jumped out front to a BIG lead right from the very start. Two strong contenders, the #81K of Mark Ross and the #12 of Tom Turnbull both seemed to be having trouble with their cars in tonight's heat, both falling back a few spots very early in the race. The #4S of Justin Smith, who started the race back in 5th, was able to take advantage of his competitors misfortunes, and Smith quickly got around both Ross and Turnbull and into the 3rd spot. Out front, it was ALL Terry Pratt, as he drove his #18 Pro Street into the winner's circle to score another Heat race win. The #27 of Greg Arnett finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #4S of Justin Smith in 3rd place.
The #3G of Jerry Tassert lined up back in 4th to start Late Model Heat #1, but he didn't stay back there for long. Tassert was up to 2nd before they reached turn #1, and by lap #2, he was under the pole sitter, the #11 of Brad Denney, and into the lead. Once out front, he didn't look back, and Jerry Tassert scored the Late Model Heat #1 win for the #3G racing team. The #11 of Brad Denney finished the heat in 2nd, followed by the #59 of Morey Denney in 3rd. The #10M of Chad Pratt lined up 4th to start Late Model Heat #2, and the #M40 of Scott "Scooter" May was right behind him in 5th, and both cars were wanting to move towards the front in a hurry. Both cars went low going into the first corner, but there wasn't enough room, and contact between the #10M and the #M40 brought out the caution before they scored s single lap. May was able to continue, but Pratt was not as lucky, having to take his car to the pits with damage. May dove low again on the restart, and quickly got under the #B12 of Roger Nelson, and he quickly set his sight on the race leader, the #29J of Lindell Jewel. By lap #3, Scott May was out front, but Jewel wasn't giving up, and the two were side-by-side all the way around the track, battling for the lead position.. In the end, it was the #M40 out front, and Scott May scored another Late Model Heat race win. The #29J of Lindell Jewel finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #B12 of Roger Nelson in 3rd.The #42 of Tim Bishop lined up in 2nd in Hobo Heat #1, but something obviously went away on his car, and he was way off pace going into turn #1 on lap #1. The #Ja8 of Clayton Murphy was in the gas and going through the turn, when he got into the back of Bishop, sending Bishop spinning into the #91 of Nick Christian. Murphy, Christian, and Murphy all suffered SEVERE damage to their cars, and all three were taken to the pits, unable to continue the race. On the track, the only two cars left were the #68 of Lance Alcorn and the #19 of Durland Pople. Lance Alcorn scored another Hobo Heat race win for the #68 racing team, and the #19 of Durland Pople finished in 2nd place. The #35 of Josh Smith lined up in 2nd to start Hobo Heat #2, but he was around the pole sitter, the #11 of Scott Denney, and into the lead, coming down the backstretch on the very first lap. The #00 of Steve Harper, who lined up to start the race way back in the 5th spot, was also on the move, quickly closing in on the race leaders and challenging for the lead by lap #2. Caution came out with one to go, leaving it a one lap shoot-out for the finish. In the end, it was the #00 of Steve Harper out front to score the Hobo Heat #2 win. The #35 of Josh Smith finished the heat in 2nd place, followed by the #06 of John Nash in 3rd place.
As I mentioned earlier, tonight's Heat races would NOT determine the starting line-up for the Feature events. Tonight was Season Championships, so each division would line up for the Feature according to points, with #1 in the points starting on the pole, #2 starting 2nd, and so on throughout the entire field. Lining the cars up according to points puts most of the faster cars at the front of the field, which means there will be some amazing racing at the front of the field. Unfortunately, it sometimes leads to a lot of single file racing, with the field spread out by lap #1. That WAS NOT the case in tonight's E-Mod feature. The #4 of John Winters was the point's leader coming into tonight's race, so Winters earned himself the pole for tonight's Feature event. Winters opened up a nice lead early in the race, but the #96 of Kirk Anderson, who started the race in 2nd, was able to reel him back in by lap #6, and by lap #7, Anderson was ALL OVER Winters' back bumper, and challenging for the lead. Just behind the race leaders was a GREAT back-and-forth battle for the 3rd spot between the #M17 of Brent Munson, who started the race in 3rd, and the #21J of Joe Wagner, who lined up to start the race in 4th. Wagner got around Munson to take over the 3rd spot, but Munson came back the next lap to take 3rd place back for himself. Munson was able to open up a little room between himself and Wagner, and by lap #9, he had caught the race leaders and joined in the battle for the lead. Munson was low, Winters was in the middle, Anderson was high, and they were THREE WIDE through the turns, battling for the lead position. The race went pretty quickly, as the E-Mod's ran 15 caution-free laps, and they finished the race almost exactly the way they started it. Winters, Munson, and Anderson were still THREE WIDE when the white flag came out, and it was still anybody's race through the last turn. John Winters got the better run out of turn #4, and he scored the E-Mod Feature win for the #4 racing team. The #M17 of Brent Munson finished the Feature in 2nd place, followed by the #96 of Kirk Anderson in 3rd place, the #21J of Joe Wagner in 4th place, and the #27W of Greg Ward in 5th place.Coming in tonight's race, the points leader in the Thunder Truck division, the #8 of Dave Collins, lined up on the pole to start the Feature event. The #31 of Harry Fourdyce started the race in 2nd, but he soon had plenty of company at the front of the field. The #26 of Ryan Wilson, who started the race back in 5th, was on the move in a hurry. By a lap #2 restart, Wilson was around the #88 of Dave Collins and into the 3rd spot, and by lap #3, he had also cleared Fourdyce and the #29 of David Boyer, and was all the way up to 2nd place. The #30 of Gerald Carter, who started the race way back in the 7th spot, was also moving through traffic in a hurry. By lap #5, Carter, who spun on lap #2 and had to restart from the back of the pack, was up into a battle for the 4th spot with the #87 of Ron Wilson. By lap #7, Carter cleared Wilson, and he quickly set his sights on Fourdyce, challenging for the 3rd spot. It was a close race to the finish line, but Carter gout around Fourdyce on the last lap, to move up into the 3rd spot. Up front, it WAS ALL Dave Collins! Dave Collins showed the crowd why he and his #8 Thunder Truck were leading the point's race. The #8 Thunder Truck led every single lap from start to finish, and Dave Collins scored another very convincing Feature win. The #26 of Ryan Wilson raced to the start/finish line for a very strong 2nd place finish, followed by the #31 of Harry Fourdyce in 3rd place, and the #87 of Ron Wilson in 4th place, and the #88 of Dave Collins in 5th place.
The #28 of "Jammin'" Jimmy Hibser had the Modified Points Championship all tied up coming in to tonight's race; all he had to do was show up with his car!. But…….. if you thought that having the championship all wrapped up meant that he would take it easy tonight, you were DEAD WRONG! The temperature had dropped quickly, and the air was so heavy with moisture that the track was staying VERY wet, and Hibser definitely has more than enough "ponies under the hood" to race on a heavy track. Being the point's leader, Hibser earned the pole for the start, and he didn't waste any time jumping out front when the green flag waved. Behind the race leader, the #31 of Mark Anderson and the #M1 of Dale Munson were nose-to-nose in a back-and-forth battle for the 2nd spot, with the #48 of Casey Lappin and the #26 of JD Beal right behind them in their own battle for 4th place. Caution came out on lap #5, when a soon-to-be lap car spun right in front of the race leaders, but everyone did an amazing job getting around without any contact. Beal got a GREAT jump on the restart, and was able to get around the high side of Lappin to move into 4th. Just behind them, there was a THREE WIDE race into turns #1 & #2 between the #22B of Richie Biswell, the #C40 of Mike Chasteen, and the #17 of Rick Scott. Things were heating up at the front of the pack also. Munson and Anderson had caught Hibser, and they were slicin' & dicin' THREE WIDE up front in a battle for the lead. Munson took the lead for a couple of laps, but Hibser came back around, leaving Munson to fight for 2nd once again with Anderson. Anderson took to the high side on lap #12, and got around the outside of Munson and into 2nd place. Beal also took to the high side, and quickly pulled alongside Munson, challenging for the 3rd spot. Caution came out on lap #13, and again on lap #17, but Hibser was "on a mission" and his concentration didn't waiver for a second. Anderson and Munson were both ALL OVER Hibser's back bumper, but neither one had enough for the Season Champ. '"Jammin'" Jimmy Hibser took home the checkered flag and scored another Modified Feature win for the #28 Willie David Racing Team, once again showing the crowd what a real champion is made of. The #31 of Mark Anderson finished the Feature in 2nd place, followed by the #M1 of Dale Munson in 3rd place, the #26 of JD Beal in 4th place, and the #48 of Casey Lappin in 5th place.The #18 of Terry Pratt started on the pole in tonight's Pro Street Feature event, but he had plenty of company the first couple of laps from the #81K of Mark Ross. Ross tried to get under Pratt in turns #3 & #4 to take the lead, and again in turns #1 , but despite the heavy contact between the 2 cars, Pratt was able to hold him off and keep the lead. By lap #3, Pratt was able to open up some breathing distance, and left Ross to battle with the #27 of Greg Arnett for the 2nd spot. Arnett got a much better run out of the corner, and by lap #4, was able to clear Pratt and move up into the 2nd spot. With Arnett and Ross battling for position, Pratt was able to open up a nice lead for himself, and the entire field pretty much ran laps #4 thru #9 single file. Arnett wasn't satisfied with 2nd though, and by lap #9, he was closing in on Pratt's back bumper and was trying to mount a challenge for the lead. Arnett was searching the track high and low, looking for the fastest groove, and the way around Pratt. Behind the race leaders, it sounded as if Ross was having trouble, his engine cutting in and out down the straight-aways, and he was doing everything he could to hang onto the 3rd spot. Caution came out on lap #14, bunching the field up again for the restart, and it appeared that Arnett was a little too anxious on the restart. Arnett went into turn #1 too hard, bounced off the side of the #4S of Justin Smith and got turned around, bringing the caution out again, and sending Arnett to the back of the field for the restart. It was a one-lap shoot out to the end, and EVERYONE had a shot at taking home the checkered flag in this one! Arnett may have restarted from the rear, but he got a GREAT jump on the restart, and quickly got around a couple of cars to gain 2 spots. Although he had plenty of pressure from behind, the #18 of Terry Pratt led every lap of tonight's Pro Street Feature, and he took home another win, along with the Pro Street Season Championship. The #12T of Tim Turnbull fished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #27 of Greg Arnett in 3rd place, the #81K of Mark Ross in 4th place, and the #4S of Justin Smith in 5th place.
The #11 of "Bad" Brad Denney was WAY ahead in the points coming in to tonight's races, which earned him the pole position for tonight's Late Model Feature event. Denney, who has dominated the Late Model Division most of the season, had some pretty stiff competition tonight from the #3G of Jerry Tassert. Tassert lined up to start the race way back in the 9th spot, but by a lap #4 caution, he had already raced his way up to the 3rd spot. Another car on the move was the #M40 of Scott "Scooter" May. May, who started the race back in 10th, was up to 5th by lap #4, but May had bounced off several cars along the way, and there were LOTS of sparks coming from underneath the #M40 car. Caution came out again on lap #5 for several cars getting together, causing considerable damage for a few. The #29J of Lindell Jewel, and the #59 of Morey Denney suffered damage, but the #B12 of Roger Nelson was the worst for the wear. Nelson suffered MAJOR body damage as well as a flat tire, and was headed for the pits. The #30 of Rob Bauman and the #10M of Chad Pratt were the big gainers from the yellow; gaining several positions and lining up in the 3rd and 4th spots for the restart. Tassert was ALL OVER Denney's back bumper on the restart, and Tassert was trying several different lines around the track, trying to find one that would get him around the #11 car. Behind the race leaders, Bauman and Pratt were doing some GREAT side-by-side racing in a very close battle for 3rd, until caution came out again, this time for the #45 of Dwayne Nelson and the #41 of Tom Wirebaugh. Wirebaugh and Walters got together in turns #3 & #4, but I've never seen contact end exactly this way before. Walter's car was literally ON TOP of Wirebaugh's car - and not just a little bit!!! Walter's chassis was resting on Wirebaugh's roof, trapping him in the car, and making it impossible for either car to even attempt to move! The first thing the safety crew did was to get Wirebaugh out of his car, in case there was any fuel leaking form Walter's fuel cell. The tow trucks were called to the scene, and they had to lift Walters car straight up in the air, and then had to pull Wirebaugh's car out from underneath. It was probably one of the strangest "wreck clean ups" I've ever seen, and amazingly enough, both drivers were OK, and even more unbelievable - both cars were able to continue!!!! It did take a while to clean this one up, but the race leaders didn't let their cars cool off at all during the long caution. Tassert was ALL OVER Denney's back bumper when they went back to green, once again trying every groove on the track to gat around the #11. One thing we've seen many times this year is; even though the competition might be able to catch Brad Denney, very rarely are they able to pass Brad Denney! "Bad" Brad Denney stayed out front from green flag to checkered flag to score another Feature win, showing the crowd how the Spoon River Speedway Late Model Points Champion gets things done! The #3G of Jerry Tassert finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #30 of Rob Bauman in 3rd place, the #10M of Chad Pratt in 4th place, and the #25K of Bill Kettering, Jr. in 5th place.The #68 of Lance Alcorn had the Hobo Championship tied up coming into tonight's races, but there were several top ten spots that were still up for grabs, which meant tonight's Hobo Feature would be exciting from start to finish. Being out front in the points earned Alcorn the pole position, but the #11 of Scott Denney, the #91 of Nick Christian, and the #35 of Josh Smith were right behind him, and they were ALL still racing for points! Smith got around Christian and took over the 3rd spot on lap #1, and Christian got WAY LOOSE coming out of turn #2 on lap #2, and lost a couple more spots to the #06 of John Nash and the #00 of Steve Harper. Nash and Smith were side-by-side in a battle for the 3rd spot, and they traded the spot back and forth lap after lap. Smith and Nash had their hands so full trying to outrace each other, that Harper snuck under them both on lap #7, took over the 2nd spot, and quickly set his sights on the 2nd place car, the #11 of Denney. By lap #9, Harper was able to get under Denney, and took over the 2nd spot by lap #10. With everyone racing hard for position behind him, Alcorn was able to open up a BIG lead by lap #9, finding himself an entire straightaway ahead of the rest of the field. By lap #13, Harper had closed the gap between himself and Denney, challenging for the 3rd spot, but they ran out of laps before Harper could complete the pass. Out front, it was ALL Alcorn. The #68 of Lance Alcorn not only took home tonight's Hobo Feature win, but he also took home the Hobo Season Championship. The #00 of Steve Harper finished the Feature in 2nd place, followed by the #11 of Scott Denney in 3rd place, the #35 of Josh Smith in 4th place, and the #06 of John Nash in 5th place.
Tonight was the last regular race of the year, thus ending the point's battles for the 2003 Spoon River Speedway Season. I'd like to congratulate this year's Season Champion in each division:A very special "thank you" to each and every one of our Season Champions for making this such an exciting racing season! Every one of these guys had to outrun and very tough group of competitors to win their division, and we're very proud of each and every one of our "Season Champs"!! There's no doubt in my mind that the best drivers in the Midwest call Spoon River Speedway their home track!!
If you'd like a complete run down of the entire points race for the 2003 Season, go to the home page, click on "Points Race", and choose the division you're interested in. You'll find a complete listing of this year's point's standings, and you'll be able to see where your favorite driver finished in the point's race for 2003.
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