Saturday, June 28, 2003
Mid Season Championships
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Saturday, June 28, 2003 Mid Season Championships |
The weather had been pretty "iffy" all day long, and by Feature time, it was getting downright scary! There was lightning and thunder all around the speedway, and tornado sirens were going off in all the nearby towns. BUT, the "Race Gods" must have been happy, and they were definitely smiling down on Spoon River Speedway, because other than a few raindrops during the Modified Feature, the weather completely missed us! We were completely surrounded by the severe storms, but there must have been an oval shaped break in the clouds, I'd say about 3/8 mile around that settled in right above the track! At times it didn't look too promising, but we did get all the races in, and it was a GREAT night of Mid Season Championship racing!
The #28 of Phil Schnarr started on the pole in E-Mod Heat #1, and he led the first 4 laps, until something went away on his car, forcing him to take it to the pits. The #96 of Mark Anderson took over the lead, and Anderson stayed out front until the end, scoring another heat race win. The #M17 of Brent Munson finished in 2nd, followed by the #7W of Mark Branch in 3rd. The #4 of John Winters, the #27W of Greg Ward, and the #29 of Chad Terwillger were three wide battling for the lead in E-Mod Heat #2, until the caution came out on lap #4 when contact between Winters and Terwillger sent them both off the high side of turns #3 and #4. John Winters, who started on the pole, stayed out front from flag to flag, and scored the win for the #4 team. The #85E of Oscar Everett, who started in 4th, finished in 2nd position, and the #5 of Jake Helfers, who started all the way in the back, raced his way through traffic for a 3rd place finish.The #8 of Dave Collins started on the pole in the Thunder Truck Heat Race, and he stayed out front from green flag to checkered flag. The #31 of Harry Fourdyce, who started in 2nd, kept the pressure on Collins throughout the entire race, but catching the guy in front of you is one thing .. and passing him is another! The #29 of David Boyer didn't waste any time passing the trucks in front of him. Boyer lined up for the race in the 5th position, but he quickly made his way around the #26 of Ryan Wilson and the #88 of Dave Collins, and took over the third spot by lap #3. The #8 of Dave Collins stayed out front all the way and took home the Heat Race win, followed by the #31 of Harry Fourdyce in 2nd, and the #29 of David Boyer in 3rd.
The #28 of "Jammin" Jimmy Hibser started on the pole in Modified Heat #1. If you're running against Hibser, out front is NOT where you want to see him start! Jim Hibser kept his #28 in the lead all the way to the finish to score himself another Heat Race win. Starting and finishing in the 2nd spot was the #48 of Casey Lappin, and the 328 of Phil Schnarr, who lined up in 4th, finished in the 3rd spot. The #31 of Mark Anderson started in 2nd in Modified heat #2, but he took the lead coming out of turn #4 on the first lap, and once out front, he stayed out front to score the win. The #M21 of Justin Munson, who started 3rd, finished in the 2nd spot, followed by the #17 of Rick Scott, Jr. in 3rd. The #M1 of Dale Munson started on the pole in Modified Heat #3, but the #25 of Butch Weisser took the lead on the 1st lap, and once Butch Weisser got our front, he stayed out front, and chalked up another Heat Race win for the #25 team. Something went away on Munson's car late in the race, and the #M1 fell way off pace. The #96 of Kirk Anderson, who started in 3rd, finished in the 2nd spot, followed by the #7M of Kevin Moffett in the 3rd position. The #42 of Matt Smith led Modified Heat #4 from start to finish. Matt Smith, who has been strong all season, scored another win for the #42 team, followed by the #26 of JD Beal in 2nd, and the #192 of Brian Allen in 3rd.The #81K of Mark Ross started on the pole in the Pro Street Heat Race, but the #18 of Terry Pratt was able to get around Ross and take over the lead on lap #5. Once ahead of Ross, Terry Pratt was able to hold onto the lead, and score the Heat Race win for the #18 team, followed by the #81K of Mark Ross in 2nd. The #27 of Greg Arnett, who started 5th, was also on the move, making his way all the way from the back of the pack to score a 3rd place finish.
The #11 of Brad Denney started on the pole in Late Model Heat #1, and no surprise here …….. by lap #2, Brad had a HUGE lead over the rest of the field. There was plenty of battling for position going on deeper in the field though. Fighting hard for the 4th spot behind the #59 of Morey Denney was the #4C of Rob Colson and the #6 of Brad Willis. Contact between Denney, Colson, and Willis brought out the caution on lap #6. Brad Denney, who had been out front in clean air, had to take his car to the pits under the caution with a flat tire, handing the lead over to the #30 of Rob Bauman. Rob Bauman was able to hold of the competition on the white flag lap and took his #30 Late Model to victory lane. The #59 of More Denney finished in 2nd, followed by the #4C of Rob Colson in 3rd. The #10M of Chad Pratt started in the 4th spot in Late Model Heat 32, but by lap #2, Pratt had made his way through traffic and into the lead. The #29J of Lindell Jewel, who started up front, spun early in Late Model Heat #2, and he had to restart from the back of the pack, but it didn't seem to phase him! Jewel headed back towards the front in a hurry, picking off a car or two in every turn. Chad Pratt kept his #10M Late Model ahead of the rest of the field and scored the Heat Race win. Lindell Jewel took his #29J all the way through the field to score a 2nd place finish, followed by the #B12 of Roger Nelson in 3rd.The #68 of Lance Alcorn started on the pole in Hobo Heat #1, and once he gets out front, he usually stays there, and tonight was no exception. Lance Alcorn led the race from flag to flag, and once again took his #68 Hobo to victory lane. The #35 of Josh Smith ran the entire race in the 2nd spot, with the #91 of Nick Christian and the #19 of Durland Pople battling side by side for 3rd right behind him. Josh Smith held off the competition and finished in the 2nd spot with his #35 car, followed by the #91 of Nick Christian in 3rd. The #11 of Scott Denney moved into the lead in Hobo Heat #2 on the first lap, but he had the #23B of Clint Rich all over his back bumper throughout the entire race. Scott Denney was able to hold Rich off until the end, and took home the checkered flag for the #11 racing team. Clint Rich finished in 2nd in his #23B car, and the #8 of Eric Wisher finished in 3rd.
Since tonight was Mid-Season Championships, the drivers lined up a little differently for the Feature events. Before each Feature, they brought all the drivers in that class out onto the track and had them climb from their cars for driver introductions. All classes lined up according to points, with the point leaders in each division earning the pole position. For the E-Mod Feature, that meant that the current point's leader, the #28 of Phil Schnarr, was starting from up front, followed by the #4 of John Winters and the #96 of Kirk Anderson on Row #1. Lining up in the 4th spot was the #M17 of Brent Munson, but Munson didn't stay in 4th for long. By lap #2, Munson was side-by-side with the #4 of John Winters, battling for the 3rd spot, and by lap #5, Munson made his way around Anderson to take over the 2nd spot. Caution came out on lap #6 when contact between the #21J of Joe Wagner and the #27W of Greg Ward nearly sent Wagner into the front-stretch wall. Wagner did have to take his car to the pits with a flat tire, but some speedy work in the pits got him back out onto the track before the restart. Steering clear of traffic and coming from deep in the field was the #29 of Chad Terwillger. Terwillger, who lined up in the 9th spot at the beginning of the race, had made his way up to the 6th position by lap #8. Up front, Anderson and Munson were battling hard, trading the 2nd spot back and forth several times, with the #4 of Winters lurking right behind, waiting for an opportunity to open up in front of him. Munson was able to shake Anderson, and made a GREAT last lap effort to try and catch the race leader. Phil Schnarr got a good run himself coming out of turn #4, and kept the #28 ahead of Munson, and scored the Feature win, literally by a nose! The #M17 of Brent Munson finished in 2nd, followed by the #96 of Kirk Anderson in 3rd, the #4 of John Winters in 4th, and the #27W of Greg Ward in 5th.The #8 of Dave Collins stared on the pole in the Thunder truck Feature, but he had a lot of pressure from the #31 of Harry Fourdyce going into turn #1 on the first lap. Deeper in the field, the #87 of Rick Huffman was making his way through traffic in a hurry. Huffman, who started the race back in the 6th position, was up to 3rd by lap #2, and took over the 2nd spot on lap #3! With everyone battling for position behind him, the #8 of Collins was able to open up a BIG lead in the first few laps, and by lap #8, was running all alone in front of the rest of the field. There was some good side by side racing for the 3rd spot between Fourdyce, the #29 of Boyer, and the #26 of Wilson. Contact between Fourdyce, Wilson, and Boyer brought out the caution on lap #8, bunching the field back up again for the race leaders. The #8 of Collins got a good jump on the restart, leaving Fourdyce and Huffman to battle it out for the 2nd spot. Fourdyce moved into 2nd at the white flag, and Huffman spun coming out of the last turn of the race, ending his chances for a top 5 finish. The #8 of Dave Collins scored a strong Thunder Truck Feature win, followed by the #31 of Harry Fourdyce in 2nd, the #88 of Dave Collins in 3rd, and the #26 of Ryan Wilson in 4th.
We had 26 Modifieds line up for tonight's Modified Feature event, so you just had a feeling that it was going to be a VERY exciting race …… and the guys didn't disappoint us! The current points leader, the #28 of "Jammin" Jimmy Hibser, led the field to the green flag, with the #17 of Rick Scott and the #M1 of Dale Munson right on his back bumper. Hibser ran out front for the first 5 laps, but there were several cars coming up from deep in the field, and they were coming up FAST! The #25 of Butch Weisser, who started back in 7th, made his way through traffic and into a battle for 3rd by lap #4. Also moving up quickly was the #48 of Casey Lappin, the #31 of Mark Anderson, and the #26 of JD Beal. Scott, who had been putting a lot of pressure on Hibser from the very beginning, finally was able to complete the pass, and took over the lead on lap #5. Raindrops started falling by lap #6, and I wasn't sure we were going to be able to finish the race, but the track officials did a nice job keeping the cars moving under caution, which helped to keep the track dry so we could continue racing. By lap #15, Munson, Lappin, Anderson, and Weisser were all racing side-by-side for the 2nd spot, and right behind them, also battling side-by-side for position was Hibser, Beal, Allen, and the #20 of Ed Barth. Caution came out again on lap #16, which is exactly what Rick Scott didn't want to see. Scott had his hands full on the restart, with Lappin, Weisser, Munson, and Anderson ALL OVER his back bumper, all trying to take over the lead position. On lap #17, Lappin was able to pull alongside Scott, and on lap #18, Lappin took over the lead. Scott showed Lappin his nose a couple of times, but once out front, Casey Lappin kept it out front, and he took his #48 Modified to the winner's circle for the 2nd time this season. The #17 of Rick Scott held off the competition and clinched the 2nd place finish, followed by the #31 of Mark Anderson in 3rd, the #22B of Richie Biswell in 4th, and the #25 of Butch Weisser in 5th.The #81K of Mark Ross started on the pole in the Pro Street Feature, but the #18 of Terry Pratt, who started the race in 2nd, took over the lead going into the first turn. Ross and Pratt weren't alone up front. The #4S of Justin Smith, the #12T of Tom Turnbull and the #27 of Greg Arnett quickly joined Ross and they were FOUR WIDE through the turns, all battling for the 2nd spot. Caution came out on lap #1, when Pratt, the race leader, spun in turns #1 and #2, with some help from Ross. Ross was sent to the back on the restart, but by the time he reached the backstretch, he was back up front and into the 3rd spot. Caution came out again on lap #4 when Pratt spun, this time without help, sending Pratt to the back of the pack, and handing the lead over to Turnbull. Pratt didn't waste any time moving through the field either. By lap #8, Pratt had once again raced his way through traffic and back into a 2nd place battle with Ross. Pratt got a GREAT run coming out of turn #4, and dove under Turnbull and in between Ross, and took the lead back to score lap #9 at the start-finish line. Terry Pratt was two things tonight …… he was #1: FAST and #2: PERSISTENT! Terry Pratt had to make his way through the rest of the field several times during the race, and in the end he was exactly were he wanted to be - OUT FRONT! He had to do it the hard way, but Terry Pratt raced his #18 Pro Street to a Feature win, followed by the #27 of Greg Arnett in 2nd, the #12T of Tom Turnbull in 3rd, the #81K of Mark Ross in 4th, and the #4S of Justin Smith in 5th.
The #11 of Brad Denney lined up on the pole for tonight's Late Model main event, and if you're one of the guys racing against Denney, on the pole is NOT where you want to see him start! The #29J of Lindell Jewel, the #59 of Morey Denney, and the #B12 of Roger Nelson lined up right behind Denney, and they had more company up front in a hurry. The #10M of Chad Pratt started back in the 8th spot, and the #4C of Rob Colson lined up behind him in 9th, but Pratt and Colson both got a GREAT jump on a lap #2 restart, and they quickly took over the 3rd and 4th spots behind Jewel. No surprise here, but Brad Denney opened up a BIG lead in a hurry, and by lap #11, was contending with lap traffic in front of him. Jewel was able to make his way through traffic a little better, and closed the distance between himself and Denney, but "Bad Brad" was fast, and there was NO catching him tonight. Things were heating up behind the race leaders. The #30 of Rob Bauman, who started the race way back in the 11th spot, made his way around Nelson on lap #11 to take the 5th spot, and two laps later, was challenging Pratt for the 4th spot. Brad Denney led the race from green flag to checkered flag, and scored another VERY strong win for the #11 team. The #29J of Lindell Jewel finished in 2nd, followed by the #4C of Rob Colson in 3rd, the #10M of Chad Pratt in 4th, and the #30 of Rob Bauman in 5th.If you're a driver in the Hobo Division, the car you don't want to see start on the pole in the #68 of Lance Alcorn, but since they lined them up according to points tonight, the pole is exactly where Alcorn started the race. Alcorn had been a VERY strong contender all season in the Hobo class, and tonight was no different. While Alcorn led the race from flag to flag, there was plenty of great stock car racing going on behind him. The #42 of Tim Bishop, who lined up for the race in 4th, quickly made his way around the #35 of Josh Smith, and moved into 3rd behind the #11 of Scott Denney. By lap #5, there was lap after lap of side-by-side racing between Smith and the #19 of Durland Pople, and the #8 of Eric Wisher also joined in the fun by a lap #9 restart. Another car that was moving up in a hurry was the #91 of Nick Christian. Christian, who has been coming on strong the last couple of weeks, started the race back in the 7th spot, but by lap #14, he had raced his way towards the front, and was up into the top 5. Although there was a lot of GREAT racing going on, no one had enough to catch the #68, and Lance Alcorn very convincingly raced his way to another Hobo Feature win. The #11 of Scott Denney finished the Feature in 2nd, followed by the #42 of Tim Bishop in 3rd, the #8 of Eric Wisher in 4th, and the #91 of Nick Christian in 5th.
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