Spoon River Speedway News 6/01/02

Saturday, June 1, 2002

By
Brenda & Brandon David
Each week we'd like to profile some different drivers and introduce them and their crews to the fans.

There might not have been as many cars on hand for tonight's races, but the driver's that were in attendance put on some of the best dirt track racing to be seen in the Mid-west!
E-Mod Heat #1 saw the #1 of Floyd Jordan, Jr. and the #96 of Kirk Anderson battling nose to nose for the lead on lap #1. Anderson was able to get under Jordan and stretch out to a BIG lead, leaving a good battle for 2nd place behind him between Jordan and the #64 of Jim Picardi. Anderson scores another convincing win, followed by Jordan, the #85E of Oscar Everett, and the #62 of Kevin Bills.

E-Mod Heat #2 saw the pole sitter, the #29 of Chad Terwillger, open up to a good lead on the 1st lap, and the #7W of Mark Branch quickly jumps up into the 2nd spot from a 5th place starting position. Phil Schnarr, #25, puts the pressure on Branch for several laps, but isn't able to complete the pass. Terwillger scores a very convincing win, followed by Branch, Schnarr, and the #42 of Tim Bishop.

The #30 of Rob Bauman, Sr. may have started 3rd in E-Mod Heat #3, but he quickly got around the #M3 of Chuck McDonald for the lead on lap #1. Bauman opened up a pretty good lead, and the field was pretty spread out behind him, no one challenging for position, Bauman scores the win, followed by McDonald, the #30 of Rob Bauman, Jr., and the #M17 of Brent Munson.

Modified Heat #1 pole sitter, the #292 Bobby Allen, opens up to a good lead early in the race, followed by the #5 of Mike Donaho, and the #69 of Randy Stuber. There was some good door-to-door racing for the 4th spot between the #4T of Tony Hibser and the #26 of JD Beal, but Beal was able to get around to take the 4th spot. This one finished pretty much the same way it started - Allen, Donaho, and Stuber, and Beal coming in 4th.

Modified Heat #2 started with the #88 of Steve David on the pole, and out front is where David stayed. The #28 of Jim Hibser and the #28 of Phil Schnarr were door to door trying for the lead, but neither could get around David for the lead. The #M21 of Justin Munson, who started in the rear, was all the way up to 4th by lap #2. David stays out front for the win, followed by Hibser, Schnarr, and Munson.

The #25 of Butch Weisser may have started 3rd in Modified Heat #3, but by turn #1, he was up and around on the high side for the lead. Contact on lap #3 between the #31 of Mark Anderson, the #J12 of Jason Wagner, and the #34 of Bill Anderson brings out the first caution of the night. Weisser gets a good restart after another caution on lap #4, and stays out front for the win, followed by the #17 of Rick Scott, Jr., the #3L of Doug Canham, and Wagner.

The #192 of Brian Allen started on the pole in Modified Heat #4, and Allen was able to open up a pretty good lead. The #97P of Phil Johns may have started in the back, but he didn't stay there long. John was up to 3rd by lap #4. The hood flew up on the #48 of Casey Lappin, forcing him to leave the track and brining out the caution. Johns got around Allen for the lead on the restart, and held on for the win. Allen spun coming out of turn #4 for the checkered flag, opening up the 2nd place finish to the #42 of Matt Smith, and 3rd to the #17W of Jacki Willis.

In Hobo Heat #1, the #6D of Jerry DeForest comes all the way from the back of the pack to take the lead from the #91 of Nick Christian on lap #2. DeForest is able to jump out to a BIG lead, which is a good thing for him, because he leaves his drive shaft on the backstretch on the last lap, but is still able to coast across the finish line in 1st place! Christian has strong 2nd place finish, followed by the #35 of Josh Smith, and the #99X of Ron Egli.

Hobo Heat #2 starts with the #5 of Danny Glover on the pole and out to an early lead, but the #27 of Lonnie Stone, who started in the back, moves up quickly to 2nd. The #55F of Frank Hendrickson takes a HARD hit in the wall on the start, but he's able to keep going and moves his way up to challenge for 3rd spot. Glover finished in first with a comfortable lead, followed by Stone, the #5J of Jim Jorgenson, and Stone.

Hobo Heat #3 has a great battle for 2nd place between the #711 of Ronnie Owens (driving for Kelly Pritchard) and the #77 of Cliff Howard, but the fight for 2nd allowed the race leader, the #77T of Willie Heinz, to open up a BIG lead. Heinz easily brings home the victory, followed by Howard, Owens, and the #47 of Andy Yerbic.

Late Model Heat #1 has a lot of door to door racing for 2nd between the #10M of Chad Pratt, the #F13 of Dawn Mennel, and the #68 of Lance Alcorn, which allows the race leader, the #19 of Tim Morris a little breathing room out front. Morris is able to race his way to the win, followed by Alcorn, Pratt, and Mennel, but Alcorn is disqualified for not reporting to the pit area after the finish, so Pratt moved up to a 2nd, and Mennel to 3rd.

Late Model Heat #2 begins with some GREAT racing and a four way fight for the lead between the #29J of Lindell Jewell, the #M1 of Dale Munson, the #11 of Brad Denney, and the #M40 of Scott May. Munson is able to get around Jewell for the lead, but May is coming on fast! May is up and around Munson on the high side on lap #4, and opens up a comfortable lead. May scores another win, followed by Munson, Jewell, and Brad Denney.

Pro Street Heat #1 starts with the #18 of Terry Pratt on the pole, but he gets sent to the back after a couple of cars spin in turn #4. The #C27 of Jim Carter moves into the lead, followed by the #5 of David Harris, but Pratt quickly moves his way back up to challenge for the lead. Carter is able to hold on for the win, followed by Pratt and Harris.

The #81K of Mark Ross quickly jumps out front on Pro Street Heat #2, with a good battle for 2nd between the #31K of Ken Gresham and the #4 of Bill Stevenson. Ross jumps to a BIG lead when a lap car spins in front of Gresham and Stevenson and they have to check up. Ross is able to score the victory, followed by Gresham, and Stevenson.

Truck Heat #1 sees the pole sitter, the #26 of Ryan Wilson open up to an early lead. The #31 of Harry Fourdyce runs in 2nd the entire race, but something goes away on his truck and he pulls off the track on the last lap. Wilson scores the win, followed by the #88 of Dave Collins and the #7 of Greg Wells.

The #28 of Ron Wilson jumps out front to a quick lead in Truck Heat #2, but the #30 of Gerald Carter and the #8 of Dave Collins are also on their way to the front in a hurry. Carter and Collins closed in after the caution comes out for something going away on the #77, but Wilson is able to hold them off and race his way to a 1st place finish. Collins comes in 2nd and Carter in 3rd.

E-Mod Feature was next on the agenda. The #30 of Rob Bauman, Sr, who started 6th, moves his way up to 2nd in a hurry, but he gets up on the back tire of the pole sitter, #25 of Phil Schnarr, going for the lead, and loses several spots. Kirk Anderson, #96, who started back in the 8th spot, quickly moves up into the 2nd position, gets a great run coming out of turn #2 and makes a challenge for the lead, but Schnarr is able to hold him off. Anderson isn't going away though, and on lap #5 he's able to get around Schnarr for the lead. Coming out of turn #4 FOUR WIDE, there's a great battle for 2nd place between the #M17 of Brent Munson, the #1 of Floyd Jordan, Bauman, Sr. and Schnarr, but a couple of cars get together on the front stretch and Munson, Jordan, and Bauman all get sent to the back of the pack. Laps are winding down, and these guys know there's no time to waste, so they move through traffic in a hurry. By lap #9, Jordan, Munson, and Bauman have all moved their way back up into a 5th place fight behind the #85E of Oscar Everett and the #42 of Tim Bishop. Anderson and Schnarr open up a comfortable lead with all this racing going on behind them, but caution comes out on lap #12 to bunch them all back up again. Jordan is able to get around Schnarr on the restart for 2nd, and makes a run for the lead, but Anderson is able to hold him off. Anderson scores the win, followed by the #1 of Floyd Jordan, Jr. in 2nd, the #25 of Phil Schnarr in 3rd, the #30 of Rob Bauman, Sr. in 4th and the #M17 of Brent Munson in 5th.

Cross Flag The driver of the #25 E-Mod, Phil Schnarr, was one of the drivers we were able to spend some time with tonight. Phil, who is currently 2nd in the points standing in the E-Mod division, races with us from Cuba, Illinois. Pit crewmembers on the #25 car include Terry, Jaime, Steve, PJ, Lisa, Bones & Josh, and the car is sponsored by RC, Allstate, and Security Services. Phil says his biggest fans are everyone in his pit crew, and his wife, Mindy. When asked how the car was running, Phil answered "Good", and his personal goal for the season is simple ……. WIN! The driver that Phil looks up to the most is his Dad, because he got him started in racing and supports him all the way. What does Phil like most about Spoon River Speedway? The high banking and it's FAST! The least? Nothing!! Thanks to Phil for taking the time to talk with us, and we wish him & his crew a GREAT season!

There were only 26 Modified in attendance tonight, so they decided to race all 26 cars in the Feature (a decision that a lot of us were questioning before the race was over!). Attrition was VERY high, damage was VERY costly to a lot of cars, and the yellow flag was waving more than any other color - at least NINE separate cautions before a single lap was scored! The #5 of Mike Donaho, the #97P of Phil Johns, and the #28 of "Jammin" Jimmy Hibser started up towards the front, and they were able to avoid trouble with all the chaos that was going on behind them. Johns was able to get around Donaho on the outside of turns #1 & #2 to take the lead, with Hibser, Schnarr, and Weisser close behind. Another driver on the move, the #4T of Tony Hibser, who started all the way back in the 17th spot, was picking off spots one by one, finding himself up to 7th by a lap #5 caution. Johns gets a good restart, but Jim Hibser and Phil Schnarr are ALL OVER his back bumper, the high side working for all three drivers. Jim Hibser, who was running 2nd, has to pull off the track on lap #10, something going away on his car. Johns & Schnarr are able to pull away to a comfortable lead on the restart, and are able to stay out front until the end. Caution is out again on lap #16 when the #J12 of Jason Wagner gets into the #25 of Butch Weisser and turns him around. Unfortunately, we run out of time before we run out of laps, and the race is stopped because we're out of time. Johns scores another win, followed by Phil Schnarr, Doug Canham, Bill Anderson and Tony Hibser.

Cross Flag The #34 of Bill Anderson, who has a strong 4th place finish in tonight's feature, was another one of the drivers we were able to talk with tonight. Bill is in the 7th position in the points coming into tonight's race, and he races with us from Canton, Illinois. Members of his pit crew include Billy Roberts, Jr. and Bill, Sr., and his car is sponsored by G & M Mechanical, Official Time Out, and Precision Auto Wash. Bill's biggest fans are his Mom and his girlfriend. When we asked Bill how his Modified was running, his answer was "Good". Bill's goal for the season is a Feature win, and after the way he did in tonight's race, it looks like might happen soon! The driver Bill looks up to the most is the #97P of Phil Johns because Phil helps him out. What does Bill like the most about Spoon River Speedway? It's fast and there's lots of room to race. The least? The Port-A-Potties! (Gotta agree with you on that one, Bill!!) Bill wanted to wish everyone "Good Luck" the rest of the season. Our thanks to Bill for taking the time to talk to us, and we wish him a safe and successful racing season.

The #77 of Cliff Howard jumps to an early lead in the Hobo Feature, and stretches out to a BIG lead by lap #3. Caution comes out on lap #4 when the #19 of Durland Pople gets turned around right in front of the leaders, but everyone does a good job getting around him. On the restart, a good battle for 2nd heats up between the #5 of Danny Glover, the #27 of Lonnie Stone, and the #77T of Willie Heinz. Caution comes out again when the #711 of Owens and the #35 of Josh Smith get together coming out of turn #4. On the restart, Glover gets a good run on the high side trying to get around Howard for the lead, but he can't make the pass. Glover tries again, this time low, but spins coming out of turn #4 on the last lap. Cliff Howard, #77 scores the win, followed by Willie Heinz, Ronnie Owens in the #711, Lonnie Stone, and Greg Sullivan.

Cross Flag Kelly Pritchard, driver of the #711 Hobo was sick tonight, but we were still able to talk to his crew and his back-up driver, Ronnie Owens. The #711 races with us from Pekin, Illinois, and they are currently the point's leader in the Hobo Division. Kelly and Steph do all the work on the car, and they are sponsored by Super Sports and Gary Dorsey. When we asked them ho the car was running, they said "Good". Their goal for the season is to win the points, and they're definitely on the right track to do just that! What do they like the most about SRS? The size of the track. Our thanks to the members of the #711 team for taking the time to talk to us. We hope Kelly is feeling better and will be back racing with us again next week, and we'd like to wish Kelly & his team the best of luck this season.

The #29J of Lindell Jewell moves into a quick lead in the Late Model Feature, but the #M1 of Dale Munson and the #F13 of Dawn Mennel have their sights set on the front, too. The #M40 of Scott May was moving up fast, having started in the 6th spot but moving up to a 3rd place battle by lap #3. May shows Jewell his nose for the lad on lap #5, and is able to complete the pass by lap #5. The #11 of Brad Denney, who started all the way back in 8th, also makes his way towards the front and into the battle for 3rd position by lap #6. Once he gets out front, May doesn't waste any time opening up a BIG lead for himself, leaving everyone racing for position behind him. Munson and Mennel have a good nose-to-nose battle going on for 2nd spot, and Denney closes in quickly behind Jewell. Scott May moves through lap traffic like they're not even there, and easily scores another victory. Dale Munson finishes 2nd, followed by Dawn Mennel, Lindell Jewell, and Brad Denney.

The #31K of Ken Gresham may have started 7th in the Pro Street Feature, but his quickly jumps into 3rd on the start by turn #2. the #18 of Terry Pratt is also moving up fast, moving into 2nd place and right up on the back bumper of Gresham by lap #2. Gresham and the #6 of Scott Wallace trade the lead back and forth several times, which allows Ross to close in behind them and join in the fight for the lead by lap #7. Wallace, who was having a great run, leaves the track under caution on lap #7, something going away on his car. Ross gets a good run out of turn #2 on a lap #9 restart, and gets around Gresham on the outside for the lead. Gresham tries high and low to get back around Ross, but runs out of laps before he can complete the pass. Mark Ross holds on for the win, followed by Ken Gresham, Jim Carter, Terry Pratt, and Steve Harper.

The #31 of Harry Fourdyce jumps to an early lead in the Thunder Truck Feature, but the #30 of Gerald Carter is coming on fast right behind him. The #28 of Ron Wilson, who started 7th, moved all the way up to 2nd by lap #6, and he makes a move on Carter for the lead coming out of turn #4 on lap #7. Attrition was unusually high in the truck race tonight, only 4 trucks finishing the event. Wilson gets a great run through turns #3 & #4 on the last lap, trying one last time to get past Carter, but Carter holds him off and claims another checkered flag. Ron Wilson finished 2nd, followed by Harry Fourdyce, and the #88 of Dave Collins.

Thanks to ALL the drivers for an exciting evening of racing, and a VERY SPECIAL "thanks" to the drivers who took time out of their busy night to talk to us. We hope to everyone out at the track again next weekend for another great night of the BEST DIRT TRACK RACING IN ILLINOIS!

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