Spoon River Speedway News Volume #2

Saturday, May 4, 2002

By
Brenda & Brandon David

This past weekend, Spoon River Speedway officially began the 2002 racing season. Unfortunately, last week's scheduled opening night was cancelled due to bad weather, but there was plenty of GREAT dirt track racing on Saturday night to make up for it! A few of the other nearby tracks have not started their season yet, so drivers were drawn from far and near to try to tame the high banked, clay oval. We had an astonishing 114 cars on hand, so the fans definitely got their money's worth!

Each week we'd like to profile 1 or 2 different drivers and introduce them and their crews to the fans.
srs This week, we had the chance to get to know the driver of the #29 truck, David Boyer. David races with us from his hometown of Dunlap, Illinois, and when we asked him who his pit crew members were, he answered "himself"! David keeps himself very busy all week long doing most of the work on his own truck. His biggest fans are Bob Boyer, Gary Boyer, and Debbie Boyer. We talked to David pretty early in the night, and when asked how his truck was running, his answer was "barely, BUT we'll be fast!" David's personal goal is to win a feature this season. His favorite driver is Dave Collins, because he helps him with his truck. The thing he likes most about racing at Spoon River Speedway is the people, and the thing he likes least is that it's so far from his home. Our thanks to David for taking the time to talk to us, and we certainly wish him the best of luck in the upcoming racing season.

After hot laps, the racing started with the E-mod Heat Races. In the first heat, the #7W of Mark Branch took an early lead on the first lap coming out of turn 4, but the #94 of Bobby Schnarr got a good jump on the restart to move in to first place. Branch managed to get back around Schnarr on the 3rd lap, and stayed out front for the win. Bobby Schnarr in the #94 car finished 2nd. The second E-mod heat race saw the #30 of Robbie Bauman and the #30 of Rob Bauman leading the way to take the green flag. Rob soon took the lead coming out of turn 2 and jumped WAY out front. Something went away on Robbie's car, and he pulled off the track on lap 5. The #30 of Rob Bauman stayed out front for the win, and the #29 of Chad Terwillger came in with a strong 2nd place finish. E-mod heat race #3 saw the #M17 of Brent Munson "check out". By the 4th lap he was nearly the entire front stretch ahead of the rest of the field. There was a good battle for 2nd most of the race between the #1 of Floyd Jordan, Jr. and the #M3 of Chuck McDonald. Jordan managed to hold on to for a 2nd place finish, followed closely by Chuck McDonald.

Next on the agenda were the Modified Heat Races. Modified Heat #1 The #192 of Bobby Allen, who started in the 3rd position, made a great pass on the front stretch for the lead, but the #26 of JD Beal, and the #31 of Mark Anderson were moving up fast. By the 3rd lap, Beal had moved into 2nd, and by the 5th lap Anderson was up to 3rd. Allen got slowed down behind lap traffic and opened the door for both Anderson and Beal. The #31 of Mark Anderson was the first to the checkered, followed by the closely #26 of JD Beal. The starting line up for Modified Heat #2 began with #28 of "Jammin'" Jimmy Hibser starting in the 4th spot, and the #11 of Brian Collins starting in the rear, but NEITHER of them were content to stay there for very long. Hibser moved his way up to 2nd on the first lap, and Collins wasn't wasting any time either, picking up at least 1 position every lap! Up front, Jim Hibser takes the lead from his brother, the #4T of Tony Hibser on the 2nd lap, but Collins closes in FAST!!! By lap #7, Hibser and Collins are battling for the lead. There's some great side by side action, but Collins takes the lead coming into turn #3, and holds on for the win. Jim Hibser, who also ran a great race, finished 2nd. Mod Heat Race #3 started with the #81E of Jerry Hinricksen on the pole, and the #88 of Steve David in 2nd. Both cars up front were strong, and they quickly pulled ahead of the rest of the field. There was a good battle for 3rd between the #71 of George Hall and the #292 of Brian Allen, but Allen was able to move past Hall on the 2nd lap, and raced his way to a 3rd place finish. First place went to the #81E of Jerry Hinricksen, followed by the #88 of Steve David for 2nd. Modified Heat #4 brought out the first caution of the night when the #48 of Casey Lappin spins in turn #4. The #97 of Phil Johns was moving up fast, coming from the middle of the pack and into 2nd place by the 3rd lap. Johns got around the #25 of Butch Weisser for the lead on the 4th lap, and stayed out front the rest of the way to finish 1st. Coming in 2nd was the #25 of Butch Weisser, followed by the #64 of Gary Cook, Jr.

Next on the agenda were the Thunder Truck Heat Races. Heat Race #1 saw the #30 of Gerald Carter come all the way from the back to take the lead by the 2nd lap! Gerald then jumped WAY out front, and stayed to there to capture the win! Coming in 2nd was the #41 of Tom Wirebaugh, and in 3rd was the #26. Truck Heat Race #2 started with the #28 & #28W up front, but Ron Wilson found himself up front after the caution came out for the #28W getting turned around on the front stretch. Wilson stays out front to take the win, followed by the #8 of Dave Collins for strong 2nd place finish, and Nelson in the #55 for 3rd.

"Late Model Heat #1 to the race track" was the next call from the announcer. Starting on the pole was the #M1 of Dale Munson. Dale got a good start, but he soon had company from the #M40 of Scott "Scooter" May trying to get by on the low side. May was able to make the pass coming out of turn #4 on the 4th lap, and stretched himself out to a pretty comfortable lead to finish 1st. Coming in 2nd was the #M1 of Dale Munson, followed by the #F13 of Dawn Mennel. Late Model Heat #2 started without the #11 of Brad Denney, who had some mechanical problems in hot laps, but did start with the #59 of track owner, Morey Denney, at the back of the pack. The #68 of Lance Alcorn started in the 3rd position, but Alcorn quickly jumped into the first spot. A good battle for 2nd was going on between the #14 of Brent Nelson and the #59, but Nelson took 2nd when the #59 went into turn #1 a little "too hot", and had to get out of the gas to hang on to the car. Lance Alcorn stayed out front for the first place finish, followed by the #14 of Brent Nelson for 2nd, and the #59 in 3rd.

Heat Race #2 winner, Lance Alcorn, was another one of the drivers that we got a chance to visit with Saturday night. Lance and his #68 Late Model came all the way from Bloomington, Illinois to race at Spoon River Speedway. Members of his pit crew include Kyle, Aaron, and Cowboy, and his biggest fan is little Carrie. When we asked Lance how his car was running, he said "so far, so good" -it sure looked better than "good" the heat race, Lance, - it looked GREAT! Lance said his goal was to do well, but not tear up anything on his car. His favorite driver is "Wild Bill" because he's "cool"! The thing Lance likes most about Spoon River Speedway is the high banks, but he thinks that the cuisine might leave a little to be desired. Lance also wanted to send out a very special "Thank You" to everyone who helps him out with his Late Model.

Pro Street Heat Races were next on the agenda. Heat #1 started with the #27 of Greg Arnett on the pole and the #80 of Kelly Murphy starting in 2nd. Arnett and Murphy were never challenged by any other cars during the race, and they finished just the way they started, 1st and 2nd. Pro Street Heat #2 went pretty much the same way. The #C27 of Jim Carter started first, the #C90 of John Farris started 2nd, and they finished in the same order. Both cars were strong enough throughout the race that they really didn't have any serious contenders. Pro Street Heat #3 started with the #18 of Terry Pratt on the pole. Terry pulled WAY ahead of the rest of the field, but left a good battle for 2nd brewing between the #81K of Mark Ross and the #31 of Shane Allen. Ross got around Allen and had a strong 2nd place finish, followed by Shane Allen for 3rd place.

On to the Hobo Class Heat Races. I'm not sure where the term "Hobo" came from, but I truly enjoy watching this class battle it out. These guys, and especially their cars, are more reminiscent of where stock car racing actually began than any other class on the venue. They're fun to race, fun to watch, and they definitely have the most loyal fans cheering them on week after week. Hobo Heat #1 started with the #6 jumping out to an early lead, followed by the #711 of Kelly Pritchard in 2nd. The two cars pulled away from the rest of the field, but something went away on the #6 car, and Pritchard found himself out front, which is where he stayed until the finish. The #22 of Greg Sullivan had a good run to finish 2nd in the heat. Hobo Heat #2 started with the #18 on the pole and out front most of the way, until he spun coming out of turn #4. Most of the field got caught up in the aftermath. A good battle for 2nd was going on through most of the race between the #10 of Kevin Lane, the #99 of Bill Wilhelm, and the #27. Lane worked his way to the front for the win, followed by Wilhelm for 2nd. Hobo Heat #3 saw the #77 of Cliff Howard come all the way from the back row to 1st place on lap #1! He quickly moved out to a ½ lap lead over the rest of the field, and had no difficulty bringing home the checkered flag. Finishing 2nd was the #01 of Rick Diegel.

Modified Semi Features came next. There were so many cars, that it was necessary to run 2 Semi Features for the Modifieds, with only the top 2 finishers from each advancing on to the feature. Semi #1 saw the #28 of Phil Schnarr start on the pole. Schnarr jumped way our front to an early lead, but it was cut short when the caution came out on the 3rd lap. Traffic was all bunched back up on the restart, and the #71 of George Hall was able to take advantage and move into the lead on lap #7, and was followed closely by the #17 of Rick Scott, Jr. The #71 of Hall and the #17 of Scott held on to 1st and 2nd to advance to the feature. Modified Semi #2 was plagued by cautions. The #27 of RJ Gall started on the pole, followed by the #23 of Flip Shickle. Gall and Shickle both managed to hang on to their 1st and 2nd spots until the finish, but it was a bumpy road. At least 6 yellow flags came out over the course of the race, and a lot of cars left with more paint & dents than they came with.

The #17 of Rick Scott, Jr., who finished 2nd in the first Modified Semi Feature, took some time out of his busy night to talk to us. Rick comes to Spoon River Speedway from Glasford, Illinois. His pit crew members include Jeff, Shelby, Rick and Jason. Rick says his relatives are his biggest fans. When we asked how his car was running, he answered, "don't know". Well, it was easy to tell that they had it running pretty good by the Semi! Rick's personal goal this year is a track championship. His favorite driver is Scott Lance, Jr. because Rick thinks he's a good driver. The things he likes the most about the Spoon River track is that it's fast, and there's a lot of room to move around. The things he likes the least; the banks and the cautions! Rick hopes this year goes well for him & his team.

After a brief intermission, it was time to start the feature events for the evening. The E-mod's were the first race cars to take the track. The evening had been fairly uneventful up to this point with very few caution flags, but unfortunately the attrition rate during the E-mod feature was pretty high. A total of 18 cars started the show, but by a 3rd lap restart, only 10 cards remained on the track. The #1 car of Floyd Jordan, Jr. started in the 4th position, but quickly moved into the lead. Rob Bauman, #30, Chuck McDonald, #M3, and Chad Terwillger, #29, were in right behind Jordan and closing in fast. Jordan was making good use of the bottom of the track, but the #96 of Kirk Anderson was getting a great run on the high side, and eventually got around Jordan for the lead. Jordan made a great save in turn #4 trying to catch Anderson, but Anderson's lead kept increasing. Anderson had a convincing lead until lap #13, when he dropped a drive shaft and was force to leave the race. Moving back into the lead and finishing in 1st was the #1 of Floyd Jordan, Jr., followed by the #30 of Rob Bauman in 2nd. Phil Schnarr in the #25 car finished 3rd, followed by the #29 of Chad Terwilliger and the #2 of Don Taylor.

Next came the Modified Feature. The #88 of Steve David started on the pole, followed by the #28 of Jim Hibser, and the #26 of JD Beal. David led several laps, but by lap #6, Hibser moved around him and into the lead. Coming up fast from the 6th starting position was the #11Z of Brian Collins, who quickly moved into 3rd spot behind the #88 car. The #25 of Butch Weisser, who started 8th, was also gaining ground quickly, already finding himself in the 4th position. 14 laps into the race, three cars got together in turns 3 & 4, and the #42 of Matt Smith took a HARD hit in the driver's side door. The ambulance was called to the track, but fortunately, Matt was OK. The #192 of Brian Allen was another driver that was on the move, coming from a 11th place starting position, all the way up to 4th for the restart. Hibser got a good restart after the caution, but by lap #18, Collins was showing him his nose coming down the front stretch, and the two traded some paint for a couple of laps. Collins bumped his way around Hibser, and the #25 of Butch Weisser, along with the #23 of Flip Shickle, were also able to benefit from the contact. Collins scored the win, followed by Butch Weisser in 2nd, Flip Shickle in 3rd, Jim Hibser in 4th, and Brian Allen in 5th.

Thunder Trucks were next on the agenda. The #30 of Gerald Carter had a good run going up in the high line, while the #28 of Ron Wilson chose to run the bottom of the track. Carter and Wilson battled throughout the race, but Wilson was able to take the lead when Carter came into turns 1 & 2 a little "too hot" and couldn't hang on. Although he was sent to the rear, Carter didn't waste any time moving back up to the front. Wilson held on to the lead to take the checkered flag, followed by Wilson in 2nd, Eric Wisher in 3rd, and Jeff Reedy in 4th.

The Late Model feature was next. The #25 of Bill Kettering got loose coming out of turn #4 on the first lap, and the #11 of Brad Denney had to take a wide right to avoid the #25. Denney took a wild ride when his car literally climbed the concrete wall, but both Brad and the car were OK, and they were able to continue. The #M40 of Scott May jumped out to a quick lead, and May had no trouble staying out front the rest of the race. May dominated the feature, opening up an even bigger lead for himself as he carefully negotiated his way through the lap traffic. The #14 of Brett Nelson ran in 2nd place most of the race, but he spun on the high side of turn #4, and allowed several cars to move ahead of him. Scott "Scooter" May had no problem taking the checkered flag, Finishing in 2nd was the #68 of Lance Alcorn, 3rd was #29J of Lindell Jewell, followed by the #10 of Chad Pratt in 4th place, and the #M1 of Dale Munson finished 5th.

The Pro Street Feature wasn't plagued by as many cautions, but it sure had its fair share of great racing. The #C90 of John Farris started on the pole, but the #27 of Greg Arnett, who started in the 5th position, was able to overcome Farris for the lead by lap #6. A strong battle for 2nd was ongoing between Farris and the #81K of Mark Ross, but in the end, Ross came out ahead for the 2nd place finish, followed by the #C90 of John Farris, and 3rd place went to the #31 of Shane Allen. Greg Arnett, #27, was able to hold onto his lead and finish 1st.

The last feature of the evening was the Hobo Feature. An early caution came out on lap #2, and the #77 of Willie Heinz got a great jump on the restart and pulled into 1st place. Shortly after taking the lead, the #77 had to pull off the track, lots of smoke coming from the engine, and allowed the #99 to pull out front once again. The #711 of Kelly Pritchard, who started in the 5th position, moved his way quickly through the field and was able to take the lead by lap #10. Pritchard wasn't able to hold off the #18 of Clayton Murphy, and Murphy won the race to the checkered flag. Pritchard finished a strong 2nd, followed by the #77 of Heinz. Eric Whittington claimed 4th place, and Greg Sullivan finished 5th.

Our thanks to all the drivers, crew members, track officials, and fans who made opening night such a huge success! Hope to see everyone again next Saturday for more of the best dirt track racing in the Midwest!!

Go Back