Spoon River Speedway News Volume #19

Saturday, September 7, 2002

By
Brenda & Brandon David

Notice to all Drivers and Pit Crews !
New for the Spoon River Speedway Web site is the Drivers Profiles pages. We need information on the Drivers and their Pit Crew. If you can send in a photo, that would be a plus. The Webmaster is charging Morey $2.00 per page so lets see how big a bill we can ring up for Morey. Send your photo and information to
Webmaster @ Spoon.
I hope to see all the Drivers photos and their history on the Web site.
Brenda

Once again, we had a PERFECT night on hand. The weather couldn't have been better, and neither could the racing! Tonight was the Season Championships at Spoon River Speedway. The last night of racing for points in the 2002 season, and a lot of drivers were still hoping to improve their standings before the point's race was over. One class, the Hobo Division, was such a close race, that tonight's feature would determine who would claim the title of "Season Champion". This race always brings a lot of mixed emotions to the table. A lot of friendships have been made, and probably a few broken, over the course of the season. Successes have brought happiness to some pits, while defeats have caused tempers to flare in others. It a lot of ways, it seems like it's been a really long season, and in other ways, it seems like we should just be getting started. Some are ready for the season to be over, but are still saddened that it is coming to an end. I know I'll miss the great racing every week, but more than that, I'll miss the time that I get to spend with a great bunch of people - the drivers, fans, families, crews, and employees that make up Spoon River Speedway.

While tonight's agenda ran very smoothly, I can't say the same for my attempt at catching all the racing action on tape. My sincere apologies to ALL the drivers for missing nearly all of the action, as I only got the last four features on tape. I'd like to place the blame on technical problems, but in all honesty, I think it was more like pure stupidity on the part of the operator! The entire first side of the tape, which of course had ALL the first part of the night on it, was completely blank when I tried to listen to it. Even though I didn't get any of the early highlights on tape, let me assure you that it was ONE GREAT NIGHT of racing from start to finish. Below are the winners from tonight's events.

E-Mod Heat winners were as follows: The #30 of Rob Bauman, Sr. was the winner of E-Mod Heat #1, with the #2T, being driven by Dale Munson, finishing in 2nd. The #M17 of Brent Munson brought home the checkered flag in E-Mod Heat #2, followed by the #29 of Chad Terwillger in 2nd. E-Mod Heat #3 was won by the #M3 of Chuck McDonald, and the #85E of Oscar Everett finished in 2nd.

Modified Heat #1 was won by the #17 of Rick Scott, Jr. with the #26 of JD Beal finishing in 2nd. The #28 of "Jammin" Jimmy Hibser dominated the high side of the track to win Modified Heat #2, with the #192 of Brian Allen finishing in 2nd. Another driver that gets around the high side of the track in a hurry is the #31 of Mark Anderson, who brought home the checkered flag in Modified Heat #3, followed by the #12 of "Fast" Eddie Bolander in 2nd. The #25 of Butch Weisser brought home the checkered flag in Modified Heat #4, followed by the #C40 of Mike Chasteen.

The #30 of Gerald Carter brought home another win in Thunder Truck Heat #1, followed by Dave Collins in 2nd. The #26 of Ryan Wilson brought home the win in Thunder Truck Heat #2, with the #28 of Ron Wilson finishing in 2nd.

The #11 of "Bad" Brad Denney scored another win in Late Model Heat #1, with the #19 of Tim Morris finishing in 2nd. The #29J of Lindell Jewell was the winner in Late Model Heat #2, with the #30 of Rob Bauman coming in 2nd. The #10M of Chad Pratt brought home the win in Late Model Heat #3, followed by the #20M of Mike Killion. The winner of Late Model Heat #2, the #29J of Lindell Jewell, was one of the drivers that took a HARD hit last week in the Tuff Spoon. Lindy suffered MAJOR damage to his car, and I'm sure it took him the entire week just to get it put back together for tonight's race. Lindell did get it back together, and he even added a little extra touch to his paint scheme. Lindell painted a big red and white bull's eye on the passenger side door of his car. My hats off to Lindy for having such a great sense of humor and being able to poke fun at the entire situation! After all, if it's not fun anymore, it's not worth doing anymore!

The #81K of Mark Ross brought home another win in the Pro Street Heat #1, followed by the #27 of Greg Arnett in 2nd. The #18 of Terry Pratt claimed the checkered flag in Pro Street Heat #2, with the #12T of Tom Turnbull finishing in 2nd. The #C27 of Jim Carter was the winner in Pro Street Heat #3, with the #31 of Pat Knox coming in 2nd.

The driver of the #12T Pro Street, Tom Turnbull, was one of the drivers that we had a chance to visit with tonight. Tom races with us from Springfield, Illinois, and finished 8th in the points in the Pro Street Division. Tom's pit crewmembers include Kevin, Janice, Jessie, and Josh, and Triple A Muffler and Brake and Turnbull Racing sponsor his car. Tom says his biggest fan is Josh Jones. When we asked Tom how his car was running, his answer was "Good". It sure looked more like GREAT in the heat race! Tom's goal for tonight was simple ……. To win!! The driver that Tom looks up to the most is Phil Schnarr, because Phil is a good driver, and he's always competitive. What does Tom like the most about Spoon River Speedway? The track itself. The least? Poor calls by the officials. Our thanks to Tom for taking the time to talk with us tonight, and we'd like to congratulate him on an awesome Top Ten finish in the Pro Street Points Standings!

The #77T of Willie Heinz brought home the checkered flag in Hobo Heat #1, followed by the #8 of Eric Wisher in 2nd. The #77 of Cliff Howard was the winner of Hobo Heat #2, followed by the #22 of Greg Sullivan in 2nd.

The driver of the #22 Hobo, Greg Sullivan, was another one of the drivers that we were able to talk with tonight. Greg races with us from Danvers, Illinois, and he finished 4th in the points in the Hobo Division. Greg's pit crewmembers are himself and his wife, Vickie, and Sullivan Tile sponsors his car. Greg says his biggest fan is his daughter, Jenny. When we asked Greg how his car was running, his answer was "Good". Greg must be a little modest, because his car has been WAY better than "good" all year! I admire Greg's goals are to have fun, to enjoy himself, and to be competitive. The driver that Greg looks up to the most is Kenny Schrader, because he drives anything and he drives everywhere. What does Greg like the most about Spoon River Speedway? The people. The least? Nothing! Well said, Greg - I have to agree with you! Our thanks to Greg for taking the time out of his busy night to talk to us, and we'd like to congratulate him on a spectacular 4th place finish in the Hobo Points Standings! Greg also wanted to let everyone know that his team is already getting geared up for next year, so if anyone is interested in sponsoring a top-notch and highly competitive race car, the #22 team is in need of sponsors!

The E-Mod Feature was next on the agenda, and the #25 of Phil Schnarr had "Season Championships checkered flag" written all over his agenda! Schnarr is no stranger to the winner's circle, and tonight was no exception. Phil Schnarr brought home the Feature win. There was quite a father-and-son battle for the 2nd spot between the #2T of Dale Munson and the #M17 of Brent Munson, but experience prevailed over youth, and Dale Munson finished in 2nd, followed by Brent Munson in 3rd. The #4 of John Winters finished in 4th, and the #96 of Kirk Anderson in 5th.

The current points leaders, the #17 of Rick Scott, Jr., started on the pole in the Modified Feature, and he stayed out front all the way to the checkered flag. Not only did Rick Scott, Jr. bring home tonight's Feature win, he also sewed up a Points Championship for himself! Congratulations Rick! The #192 of Brian Allen, finished the Feature in 2nd, followed by the #31 of Mark Anderson in 3rd, the #28 of Phil Schnarr in 4th, and the #42 of Matt Smith in 5th.

The Hobo Feature was next on the agenda, and it was going to a race to the Championship! Only 2 points separated the top two cars coming into this race. The #77T of Willie Heinz and the #77 of Cliff Howard lined up side-by-side on the front row, both knowing that whoever finished in front would win the points. Heinz started on the pole, but caution came out early in the race, and Howard got a good jump on the restart and moved into the early lead. The #8 of Eric Wisher, who started 3rd, was challenging for the 2nd spot by lap #5, but couldn't quit complete the pass. Caution came out again on lap #7, and Heinz and Howard got together in turns #1 & #2 on the restart, forcing Howard to take his car to the pits, and ending his chances at winning the championship. Heinz jumped out front on the restart, and he easily kept the #77T out front until the end. Willie Heinz brought home the Feature win, and also captured the Hobo Championship - Congratulations Willie!! EricWisher finished the Feature in 2nd, followed by the #91 of Nick Christian in 3rd, the #B17 of Buddy Hopkins in 4th, and the #52 of Don Entrekin in 5th.

The #11 of "Bad" Brad Denney started on the pole in the Late Model Feature, and up front is were he stayed all the way to the finish. The #29J of Lindell Jewell behind Denney in the 2nd spot, and he was also able to hold that position all the way through the race. There was a lot of racing for position further back in the field. The #30 of Rob Bauman was moving his way through traffic in a hurry. Bauman started in the 9th spot, but by lap #4 he was battling the #59 of Morey Denney for the 5th spot, and by a lap #9 restart he was up to 3rd! The #19 of Tim Morris and the #10M of Chad Pratt were right behind Bauman, racing side-by-side for the 4th spot all the way up to the last lap. Brad Denney scored a convincing Feature win, and he also captured his 9th Points Championship in the Late Model Division. WOW!!! Congratulations Brad!!!! Lindell Jewell finished the Feature in 2nd, followed by the #30 of Rob Bauman in 3rd, the #19 of Tim Morris in 4th, and the #10M of Chad Pratt in 5th.

Cross Flag The driver of the #19 Late Model, Tim Morris, was another one of the drivers that we were able to visit with tonight. Tim races with us from Virginia, Illinois, and he finished 5th in the points in the "always tough" Late Model Division! Tim's pit crewmembers include himself and Paula, and National Pipe Insulators, Cass Cable Internet Service, and ENM Electric Service sponsor his car. Tim says his biggest fan is his son, Kenny. When we asked Tim how his car was running, he answered "OK". A 4th place finish in the Late Model Feature was definitely WAY better than "ok"!! Tim's goals for the year was simple - finish the season. The driver that Tim looks up to the most is Shannon Babb, because Shannon started his entire racing career on his own. What does Tim like the most about Spoon River Speedway? He's treated fairly. The least? All the cautions. Tim also wanted to say that he felt that track owner, Morey Denney, did a good job all year for the "lesser" race teams. Our thanks to Tim for taking the time to talk with us tonight, and we'd also like to congratulate him on an tremendous 5th place finish in the points standing in the Late Model Division.

Attrition was unusually high in the Pro Street Feature. Yellow came out on the very start of the race, with 7 cars involved in a turn #4 pile-up. It took a while to get everything sorted out, but after the dust settled, the #81K of Mark Ross was the race leader, with the #18 of Terry Pratt in 2nd, and the #31K of Ken Gresham, Jr. and the #12T of Tom Turnbull battling for 3rd. By lap #2, Turnbull had moved up into the 2nd spot, but something let loose on his car, possibly the transmission, and he was forced to take his car to the pits, handing 2nd back to Gresham. Ross and Gresham quickly pulled away from the rest of the field, but on lap #6, Gresham's car was way off pace, something obviously going away on his car, and he was also forced to take his car to the pits. Ross opened up a BIG lead on the rest of the field, and Mark Ross scored a very convincing Feature win. Not only did Mark bring home the Feature win, but he also brought home the Season Championship in the Pro Street Division for the 4th consecutive year!! Congratulations Mark on a GREAT season!! The #43 of John Heitzman finished 2nd in the Feature, followed by the #5 of David Harris in 3rd, the 331 of Pat Knox in 4th, and the #18 of Terry Pratt in 5th.

The Thunder Truck Feature collected a couple of top contenders at the very start also. The #30 of Gerald Carter ad the #28 of Ron Wilson were both HARD into the front-stretch wall on the start, and both trucks went to the pits with heavy damage, ending their chances for bringing home tonight's feature win. The #31 of Harry Fourdyce took over the lead on the restart, and Fourdyce immediately jumped way out front and opened up a BIG lead for himself, with the #7 of Greg Wells all alone in 2nd behind him. The #26 of Ryan Wilson was moving up fast thought. Wilson originally started back in 5th, but by lap #7, he closed in on Wells and was able to make the pass and take over the 2nd spot, and he quickly set his sights on the race leader. Wilson quickly closed in on the race leader, and he was able to get under Fourdyce in turns #1 & #2 to take over the lead on lap #12. Fourdyce fought back, but he went into turn #2 a little too hard trying to move back into the lead, and the truck came around on him. Ryan Wilson drove his way back to checkered flag, and brought home the Feature win. The #7 of Greg Wells finished in 2nd, followed by the #8 of Dave Collins in 3rd, the #31 of Harry Fourdyce in 4th, and the #88 of Dave Collins in 5th.

The driver of the #26 Thunder Truck, Ryan Wilson, was another one of the drivers that we had a chance to visit with tonight. Ryan won tonight's Thunder Truck Feature, and the winner's circle was a very exciting place to be after the race was over. Ryan Wilson climbed out of his #26 Thunder Truck, climbed up onto the roof, and was jumping up and down with the checkered flag, obviously VERY excited about the victory. Ryan has been close many times this year, but this was his FIRST FEATURE win! Congratulations Ryan, it was a GREAT race!!!! Ryan races with us from Lewistown, Illinois, and he finished 7th in the point's standings in the Thunder Truck Division. Ryan's pit crewmembers include his Dad, Eric, Toby, Johnny, Joe, and Brett, and Wilson Towing and Interstate Batteries sponsor his car. Ryan says his biggest fan is Timmy. When we asked Ryan how his truck was running, his answer was "Good". Looked more like "GREAT" tonight, bringing home the Feature win! Ryan's goal for the season is to bring home "Rookie of the Year" honors and to win a Heat race. Ryan certainly did an AWESOME job of surpassing one of those goals tonight! The driver that Ryan looks up to the most is Ron Wilson, because Ron is a good driver, and no matter what, he's always a good sportsman. What does Ryan like the most about Spoon River Speedway? It's FAST! The least? The beatin' and bangin'. Our thanks to Ryan for taking the time to talk to us this evening, and I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of this young man in the winner's circle next year!

After the Features were all completed, we had another series of special races on the agenda - Powder Puff and Mechanic's races for all classes! These were A LOT of fun to watch, and I'm sure they were A LOT of fun for the participants. Your Powder Puff Race winners and Mechanic's Race winners were as follows:

Division	Powder Puff Race Winner	Mechanic's Race Winner
Hobo	Sharon Justice
Thunder Truck	Cheryl Haggerty	Bill Stevenson
Pro Street	Linda Pratt	Mike Weatherby
E-Mod	Sue Everett	Terry Kapp
Modified	Sue Biswell	Race #1 - Terry Boyer Race #2 - Tyler Oswald
Late Model	Paula Morris	Terry Pratt

Congratulations to all the winners of the Powder Puff Races & the Mechanics Races, and a big round of applause for all those that had the courage to participate (I didn't!)!!

We'd also like to congratulate all of tonight's Feature winners, but the big winners tonight were the drivers that were crowned "Season Champions". The 2002 Spoon River Speedway Champions are:

Hobo Division - #77T Willie Heinz
Pro Street Division - #81K Mark Ross
Thunder Truck Division - #30 Gerald Carter
E-Mod Division - #30 Rob Bauman, Sr.
Modified Division - #17 Rick Scott, Jr.
Late Model Division - #11 Brad Denney

Congratulations to this year's Champions! You are all GREAT race car drivers, and we're proud to have ALL of you as Spoon River Champs!!

Once again, a big "THANK YOU" tonight to
Greg Sullivan, Ryan Wilson, Tom Turnbull, and Tim Morris
for taking the time out of their busy night to talk to us tonight.

I'd also like to say "Thanks" to ALL the drivers that were interviewed this year. I've enjoyed doing the Spoon Review, but I've enjoyed the driver interviews the most. It was certainly a pleasure getting to know more about the drivers, their teams, their families, and their fans.
THANK GUYS!!!!!!!
It was fun meeting the drivers, learning their likes and their dislikes, and finding out who they look up to. We'll be doing more interviews next year, so let us know what kind of questions you would like your favorite drivers to answer!

We'd also like to remind ALL DRIVERS - If you haven't done it already, make sure to turn in your "Driver Profile"- We'd like to include ALL OUR DRIVERS on the Spoon River Speedway website!! You can e-mail your info to me at Rmod88@aol.com or fill out the entry form on the "Driver Profile" page The season might be over, but we'll be working on the site ALL winter, so get us your info as soon as you can!!

The regular season may be over, but don't forget -
Fall Nationals is September 28th at Spoon River Speedway.
There'll be LOTS of GREAT racing - you won't want to miss it!!!

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