Marne, MI – After waiting out a rain delay for the majority of the afternoon, the skies finally cleared at Berlin Raceway; the sun came out, as did the fans and they were treated to a fantastic night of racing. There were two first- time winners in Monte Tolan (Coors Light Late Model) and Seth Moody (Engine Pro Super Stock). Jared Lyzenga (Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder A) got his first win of the season and adding to their win totals for the season were Tyler Nawrocki (Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder B) and Brandon Hermiller (Kerkstra Services Pro Stock).
The Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder B division was the first to take the track for a 15-lap feature with #40 Charlie DeJong and #72 Dan Ream on the front row. DeJong took the lead and the #41 of Kyle VanDrunen and #20 Tyler Nawrocki on his bumper. Nawrocki was able to get past VanDrunen and went to the outside to challenge DeJong for the lead. The first caution of the race came out on lap 4, #18 Justin Lyzenga spun in turn 3. On the restart, Nawrocki had the advantage and took the lead as DeJong was under attack from #63 Paul Ritchie. Ritchie took second , but the car on the move was Lyzenga. He was taking it three wide with DeJong and #84 Steve Thompson, but it didn’t pan out. After contact with Lyzenga, DeJong spun in turn three on lap 8. Just after the race was restarted, debris was spotted on the backstretch, so the caution was displayed again. After the cars were restated, Ritchie didn’t let Nawrocki get that far ahead; Thompson also came up to challenge for the lead, but there was no stopping Nawrocki who went on to get his sixth win of the season. The rest of the top ten were Ritchie, Thompson, DeJong, #10 Dave Duyst, #44 Nicole DeVos, Lyzenga, VanDrunen, Ream and #08 Melinda Goen.
The #65 of Andy Church and #024 Cole Roelofs were on the front row for the 15-lap Burnips Equipment A feature and it was the #77 of Jared Lyzenga making it interesting on the start. Lyzenga immediately went three wide with Church and #51 Brad Hastings and on lap three he took second from #354 Chris McKinley and got next to Roelofs to challenge for the lead on lap 5. The top three were only separated by .2 seconds, but when Lyzenga made the pass for the lead, he was able to pull away with it as McKinley and Roelofs were fighting for second. The field fell into single file formation for the remainder of the laps and it was Lyzenga taking the checkered flag. The rest of the finishing order was McKinley, Roelofs, #14 Bill Krupp, #20 Jackson Walker, Hastings and Church.
The Kerkstra Services Pro Stocks were next up with a 25-lap feature; #26 Brian Thome on the pole and #F1 Randy Veldman on his outside. The first four laps saw Thome and Veldman run side by side until Veldman fell back and Thome took the lead. On lap 7, #18 Mitch Meppelink was looking under Thome for the lead and took it on lap 9; #15 also got by Thome for second on lap 11. The battle for the lead was then on during lap 14, Root dove underneath Meppelink and #76 Brian Tillema followed through and tried to get under Root at the line. Tillema took the lead on lap 17 and right behind the leaders was the #6 of Brandon Hermiller taking third from #20 Dave Hull. Hermiller got past both Hull and Root and he then had just five laps to catch up with Tillema. Hermiller was steadily catching Tillema and on lap 23 he took the lead and never looked back. Hermiller got his seventh win of the 2011 season and Tillema, Root, Hull, #84 Darin Niemi, #88 Tony Davis, Meppelink, #51 Weston Jewett, Thome and #23 Andrew MacIntosh completed the top ten.
Up next were the Engine Pro Super Stocks with #10 Josh Hobson and #3 Travis Nylaan leading the field to the green flag for a 30-lap feature. Hobson was the leader and the car on the move was #26 Seth Moody. Moody took second from Nylaan on lap three and then started chopping in to Hobson’s lead. On lap 9, Moody was on Hobson’s bumper and was giving chase. Moody seemed to be biding his time to challenge for the lead, but #18 Denny Anderson wasn’t far behind. On lap 14, Moody took the inside lane a got past Hobson; Anderson was also able to get by. Caution was out on lap 17; Hobson came to a stop coming out of turn 4 due to a flat right rear tire. The restart was double file and it was Anderson who was pushing hard for the lead, but Moody was able to pull away as Anderson was trying to hold off #51 Justin Ryan. With just four laps to go, Ryan made the pass for second and Moody had a 1.5 second lead. That lead was swiftly erased when the caution came out again with just three laps to go; #44 Brian VanZalen spun on the frontstretech. Moody has just three laps to try to hold off a hard-charging Ryan who was giving it all he had. Moody was able to keep the lead and get his first career win at Berlin Raceway. The rest of the top ten were Ryan, Anderson, #78 Will Olmsted, #50 Justin Regnerus, Nylaan, #77 Andrew Nylaan, #66 Nate Walton, #1 Brian Wiersma and #94.5 Nick Gebben.
The final event of the night was the 100-lap Coors Light Late Model race – The Chet. The #12 of Tim DeVos was on point with #22 Chris Koslek on his outside. DeVos was quick to jump out in front of the field, but Koslek was keeping pace with him. Looking back through the field, the next race for position was for fifth between #37 Terry Senneker and #14 Steve Needles. Senneker was strong in the high lane took the position on lap 11. Lap 13 saw the #33 of Monte Tolan moving up through the field, he took third from #9 Mike Root and was working on Koslek for second. Tolan took the position on lap 18 and another car that was looking fast was the #1 of Barry Hartwell who had cracked the top five on lap 22. On lap 37, he was battling Senneker for third just as Tolan was catching up to DeVos. Tolan would get close and then fall back, studying DeVos and trying to find a way around him. Hartwell put himself in the third position on lap 38 after passing Senneker and Senneker would then have to hold off Needles. Lap 71 saw the first lead change of the night when Tolan overtook DeVos and began driving away. Just ten laps later, the first caution of the race came out when Needles spun in turn 2 and Tolan’s three second led was taken away. DeVos got a great restart and took the lead back and with Tolan under attack from #32 Ross Meeuwsen, DeVos was able to pull away. With ten laps to go, Tolan was able to get away from Meeuwsen and began closing back in on DeVos. Tolan slid under DeVos on lap 92 and by lap 93, he was back in the lead. With DeVos and Meeuwsen mixing it up with five laps to go, Tolan was able to drive away and claim his first career win! It was Meeuwsen getting second and the rest of the top ten were DeVos, Hartwell, Senneker, Needles, #X Ray Clay, Root, #222 Caleb Bisacky and #24 Lee VanDyk.
Next Saturday, August 13 is a 4-in-1 show featuring the Engine Pro Super Stocks, Model Coverall Modifieds, Kerkstra Services Pro Stocks and Vintage Racing Organization of America. Tickets are just $10 for adults and kids 11 and under are free; the first race of the night starts at 7 p.m.
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Sunday, August 7, 2011
I-96 Speedway RESULTS for Saturday, August 6th, 2011
Brandon Thirlby Bags a $1,500 pay day at I-96 Speedway in the Relay for Life Celebration
Lake Odessa, Michigan (Saturday, August 6th, 2011): I-96 Speedway hosted the Relay for Life Celebration on Saturday, August 6th as Co-Owners / Promoters Mike and Sarah Mouch fought off the constant threat of Mother Nature throughout the afternoon and into the evening, and despite a very bleak outlook, and a two-hour delay due to the extensive track prep needed, the entire show was completed and the patrons who filled the grandstands were treated to some great racing on the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked dirt oval.
The first Feature of the night was for the Renegade Racing Fuels & Lubricants UMP Street Stocks and their 20-lap feature was led to the green by Larry Passenier and Josh Frye and it would be Passenier grabbing the early lead while the rest of the field jockeyed for position. Current points leader, Bill Brandt Jr., began his charge to the front from his sixth starting spot and worked his way into second place after a lengthy battle with defending track champion. Gary Vandermark.
Vandermark would drop out just past the 1/2 way point with a flat tire leaving Brandt Jr., to challenge Passenier for the lead. With three laps to go, Brandt Jr., would grab the lead away from Passenier and as they drove into turns one and two, they touched sending Brandt Jr., around. Both were sent to the rear of the field giving the lead to Frye who was lurking in third spot.
Frye would survive one more caution and the Coopersville, Michigan driver in his Rhino Roofing & Construction Chevrolet would hang on to score his first career I-96 Speedway Feature Win. Rich Sweet finished second while 2009 Track Champion, Aaron Wolf was third. Brandt Jr., and Passenier rallied to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
2010 Rookie of the Year, Ron Harper finished sixth as regular UMP Late Models driver, Luke Hubbell, in a rare UMP Street Stocks appearance, was seventh. 15-year-old Rookie, Carlind Forsythe, another rookie, Nathan Eli, and first time visitor, Joel Fild wrapped up the top 10. Wolf, Vandermark, and Brandt Jr., won the Heat Races.
The premier division within the UMP DIRTcar Racing Series, the Tinney Automotive UMP Late Models rolled out next for their extended distance 30-lap feature as the high-powered machines were going for a hefty $1,500 to win. Dan Hubble and Scott Baker led the field into turn one and it would be Baker beating out Hubble to the first corner to take the lead.
Zack Olger, who took over the points lead in the chase for the 2011 Track Championship after points leader coming into the night, Tom Sprague Jr., was a no-show, worked his way into second from his fifth starting spot and began challenging Baker for the lead. On lap nine, Olger's transmission gave out and he spun in turn four and was done for the night. This gave second place to Brandon Thirlby, who won the Sunoco American Late Model Series race at Mt. Pleasant Speedway the night before.
Earlier in the day, the Traverse City, Michigan driver raced over at Thunderbird Raceway in Muskegon, Michigan, an hour away, and won the UMP Late Models Feature there. Then he raced over to I-96 and made it in time to start at the back of this Feature. After getting into second, he fought tooth and nail with Baker before steering his Thirlby Automotive Chevrolet by Baker on lap 21 and in the end would pull away to win his second feature win of the night, and his third Feature triumph in 24 hours
Baker finished second with Sammy Epling, Dean Wilkerson, and Rookie Jason Wiley completing the top five. Ben Hidy was sixth while Rookie Points Leader, Kathy Jarvis was seventh over Hubble, two-time and defending track champion, Eric Spangler, and Kris Patterson Jr., who finished off the top 10. Patterson Jr., and Olger would collect Heat Race victories,
Next up would be the scheduled 30-lap Lane Automotive UMP Modifieds Feature and the front row would consist of former two-time track champion, Todd Feutz and Tim Dalman. Feutz would take the early lead while the drivers first and second in the season long points chase, Mark Anderson and Jacob Poel would quickly take over second and third from their seventh and fifth starting spots respectively.
Anderson and Poel would battle hard for the runner-up spot while Feutz maintained a safe distance from the two dueling drivers to keep the lead. On lap 17, they touched sending Anderson around. He went to the back while Poel stayed up in second, but with a damaged race car. On the next restart, a major seven-car pile-up occurred in turns three and four and Anderson was involved and was done for the night. Poel pulled into the pits under the red flag as he was too damaged to continue from the earlier incident.
Two more major incidents forcing red flag situations forced track officials to cut the feature to 20 laps due to time constraints and setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Feutz fought off a late challenge from veteran Tim Stemler and the Ada, Michigan driver, in his O.M.M. Engineering Chevrolet would go on to win his second Feature of the season. Stemler was second with 2007 Track Champion, Shannon Fisk finished third over Tim Dalman and Justin Fleming from 19th finished fifth.
Dave Baker was sixth as Bryant Dickinson, Todd Cowan, 18-year-old Rookie, Nick Kurtz, and Ken Beutler from 18th, were the top 10. Jared Guinn, Anderson, and Justin Matson won the Qualifier Heat Races while 19-year-old Jacob Bailey won the B Main over 18-year-old Derek Passenier, Beutler, Fleming, and Chad Maurer finished off the top five and transferred into the Feature.
The final Feature of the night would be for the Jim's Auto Body of Portland UMP Sport Compacts and the 20-lap main would be led to the green by Greg Pinard and 10-year-old rookie, Christopher Joyce and heading into turn one it would be Rick Peck, who started sixth, rocketing past the five cars who started ahead of him to take the early lead while the rest of the field settled in behind him.
Peck was soon joined by Rich Lieb, who would follow Peck by the front row and soon the duo would pull away to battle. They were eventually joined by veteran Paul Namey, the 2010 Runner-Up who was making only his second appearance of the 2011 racing season. The trio would have a bunch of real estate between them and the rest of the pack.
All the while, Peck would fight off the advances of Lieb and later Namey who would pass Lieb and try in vain to get around the 2010 18 and Over Rookie of the Year. In the end however, Peck, who has shown no signs of a "sophomore jinx" would end up taking the checkered flag and the Hastings, Michigan driver in his Frisbee & Sons Plastering Saturn would collect his second Feature win of the year.
Namey settled for second with Lieb, Tim Horvath II, and 16-year-old Rookie, Kenny Playter completing the top five. Scott Rumsey was sixth while Rookie Kyle Brigance from 16th, Jeff Dygert, Pinard, and 13-year-old Harper Hotchkiss would complete the final top 10. Lieb, Horvath II, and Peck collected the Heat Race triumphs.
THIS Saturday, August 13th, Renegade Racing Fuels & Lubricants Presents the second of three appearances by the Grand Rapids, Michigan based Engine Pro ASCS Sprints On Dirt Presented by ARP as the high flying, fire breathing, winged warriors will take on the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked dirt oval and return to their home track for the second of three appearances in 2011.
Current Series Points Leader and former two-time series champion from near-by Portland, Michigan; Dustin Daggett, who has six Feature Wins in ASCS Sprints on Dirt competition so far this season, including a dominating win in the series' first appearance at I-96 back on June 18th, will lead a stacked field of Winged Sprint Cars into Lake Odessa, Michigan.
Defending Series Champion, Ryan Grubaugh from near-by St. Johns, Michigan will be looking to stop the Daggett Dominance this season as well as another former two-time series champion and former three-time I-96 Speedway Track Champion, Brett Mann. Plus former series champion and Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame Driver, Ken Mackey, former I-96 champion, Robert Huisken, and other stars like Joe Bares, Davey Brown, Gregg Dalman, Jared Horstman, Marques Huffer, Jim Lingar, Matt Lumbert, Blake Nimee, Ryan Ruhl, Ben Rutan, Trey Smith, and many more will all be in attendance.
Also on the card will be the Lane Automotive UMP Modifieds ($500 to win - $125 to start - $25 tow money), Renegade Racing Fuels & Lubricants UMP Street Stocks ($300 to win - $100 to start - $25 tow money) and Jim's Auto Body of Portland UMP Sport Compacts ($125 to win - $25 to start - $25 tow money) as all three divisions within the UMP DIRTcar Racing Series will join the Sprints on the 3/8s mile.
The Pit Gates open at 3:00p.m. Grandstand Gates open at 5:00p.m., with Practice (Hot Laps) starting at 6:00p.m. Then after the Pre-Race Ceremonies / Invocation / National Anthem(s), Racing begins promptly at 7:00p.m. Ticket Prices for Saturday, August 13th are; Adults (13-61): $15.00, Seniors (62 and Over): $10.00, Children (6-12): $8.00, Kids (5 and Under): FREE. Family Pass (A Family Pass will get 2 Adults and 2 Children into the races. Once inside the Kid's Club is Free for the Kids!): $35.00. Finally, Pit Passes: $25.00.
The Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP made their first appearance back on June 18th after getting rained out in the series' first scheduled appearance back on May 14th, (that race has since been officially cancelled and will not be made up), the Grand Rapids, Michigan based Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP were pushed off and after an impressive four-wide salute, the green flag flew for their 25-lap feature with 1999 I-96 Speedway Track Champion Robert Huisken and Joe Bares leading the stellar field to the green.
All the way from his outside third row starting spot, home track favorite, Dustin Daggett rocketed into the lead passing all five cars in front of him by the time they came out of turn two before even completing lap one, and to the roar of the partisan crowd on hand, Daggett would lead that first lap. From that point on, the all-time leader in feature wins in the series as well as a former two-time series champion put on a clinic few fans who witnessed the race will ever forget.
Daggett would take advantage of the caution free event to lap everyone up to the second place and in the end, the Portland, Michigan driver in his Miles Petroleum Group / Maxim Chassis machine would dominate like few have ever seen in track history en route to the popular win. Jared Horstman finished second and was the only other car on the lead lap! Bares was third with Ben Rutan and Gregg Dalman the top five. Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer Ken Mackey was sixth as former Three-Time Track Champion Brett Mann was seventh with Huisken, Blake Nimee, and Andy Chewoski wrapped up the top 10.
There was no Qualifying for the 27 Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP teams as the heat races used a passing points system to transfer cars into the Feature as Daggett, Mackey, Defending Series Champion and Feature Winner the night before at Cherry Raceway, Ryan Grubaugh, and Horstman scored heat race wins while Nimee won the dash. Tim Champlin won the B Main over Kirk Cheney, Dustin Shriver, and Nic Rogers who also transferred to the feature.
The ASCS Sprints on Dirt return to I-96 Speedway once more in 2011 after the events of Saturday, August 13th as they will headline the 4th annual Dirt Gold Cup Championship Extravaganza on Saturday, September 24th. On this night, the Sprints on Dirt will crown their 2011 Series Champion and Rookie of the Year during their 2011 Season Championships. To learn more about the Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP, go to the series website located at: www.sprintsondirt.com
Camping is allowed every weekend in 2011 for absolutely Free. For more information regarding the 2011 racing season at I-96 Speedway, please call: 1 (616) 642-0555 or visit the website at: www.i96speedway.com You can also follow the entire 2011 season in Lake Odessa, Michigan by becoming a fan on the tracks Facebook Fan Page. Just go to: www.facebook.com and search "I-96 Speedway"and click on "Like" today. You can even follow us on Twitter, just go to: www.twitter.com and search "I-96 Speedway"
Lake Odessa, Michigan (Saturday, August 6th, 2011): I-96 Speedway hosted the Relay for Life Celebration on Saturday, August 6th as Co-Owners / Promoters Mike and Sarah Mouch fought off the constant threat of Mother Nature throughout the afternoon and into the evening, and despite a very bleak outlook, and a two-hour delay due to the extensive track prep needed, the entire show was completed and the patrons who filled the grandstands were treated to some great racing on the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked dirt oval.
The first Feature of the night was for the Renegade Racing Fuels & Lubricants UMP Street Stocks and their 20-lap feature was led to the green by Larry Passenier and Josh Frye and it would be Passenier grabbing the early lead while the rest of the field jockeyed for position. Current points leader, Bill Brandt Jr., began his charge to the front from his sixth starting spot and worked his way into second place after a lengthy battle with defending track champion. Gary Vandermark.
Vandermark would drop out just past the 1/2 way point with a flat tire leaving Brandt Jr., to challenge Passenier for the lead. With three laps to go, Brandt Jr., would grab the lead away from Passenier and as they drove into turns one and two, they touched sending Brandt Jr., around. Both were sent to the rear of the field giving the lead to Frye who was lurking in third spot.
Frye would survive one more caution and the Coopersville, Michigan driver in his Rhino Roofing & Construction Chevrolet would hang on to score his first career I-96 Speedway Feature Win. Rich Sweet finished second while 2009 Track Champion, Aaron Wolf was third. Brandt Jr., and Passenier rallied to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
2010 Rookie of the Year, Ron Harper finished sixth as regular UMP Late Models driver, Luke Hubbell, in a rare UMP Street Stocks appearance, was seventh. 15-year-old Rookie, Carlind Forsythe, another rookie, Nathan Eli, and first time visitor, Joel Fild wrapped up the top 10. Wolf, Vandermark, and Brandt Jr., won the Heat Races.
The premier division within the UMP DIRTcar Racing Series, the Tinney Automotive UMP Late Models rolled out next for their extended distance 30-lap feature as the high-powered machines were going for a hefty $1,500 to win. Dan Hubble and Scott Baker led the field into turn one and it would be Baker beating out Hubble to the first corner to take the lead.
Zack Olger, who took over the points lead in the chase for the 2011 Track Championship after points leader coming into the night, Tom Sprague Jr., was a no-show, worked his way into second from his fifth starting spot and began challenging Baker for the lead. On lap nine, Olger's transmission gave out and he spun in turn four and was done for the night. This gave second place to Brandon Thirlby, who won the Sunoco American Late Model Series race at Mt. Pleasant Speedway the night before.
Earlier in the day, the Traverse City, Michigan driver raced over at Thunderbird Raceway in Muskegon, Michigan, an hour away, and won the UMP Late Models Feature there. Then he raced over to I-96 and made it in time to start at the back of this Feature. After getting into second, he fought tooth and nail with Baker before steering his Thirlby Automotive Chevrolet by Baker on lap 21 and in the end would pull away to win his second feature win of the night, and his third Feature triumph in 24 hours
Baker finished second with Sammy Epling, Dean Wilkerson, and Rookie Jason Wiley completing the top five. Ben Hidy was sixth while Rookie Points Leader, Kathy Jarvis was seventh over Hubble, two-time and defending track champion, Eric Spangler, and Kris Patterson Jr., who finished off the top 10. Patterson Jr., and Olger would collect Heat Race victories,
Next up would be the scheduled 30-lap Lane Automotive UMP Modifieds Feature and the front row would consist of former two-time track champion, Todd Feutz and Tim Dalman. Feutz would take the early lead while the drivers first and second in the season long points chase, Mark Anderson and Jacob Poel would quickly take over second and third from their seventh and fifth starting spots respectively.
Anderson and Poel would battle hard for the runner-up spot while Feutz maintained a safe distance from the two dueling drivers to keep the lead. On lap 17, they touched sending Anderson around. He went to the back while Poel stayed up in second, but with a damaged race car. On the next restart, a major seven-car pile-up occurred in turns three and four and Anderson was involved and was done for the night. Poel pulled into the pits under the red flag as he was too damaged to continue from the earlier incident.
Two more major incidents forcing red flag situations forced track officials to cut the feature to 20 laps due to time constraints and setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Feutz fought off a late challenge from veteran Tim Stemler and the Ada, Michigan driver, in his O.M.M. Engineering Chevrolet would go on to win his second Feature of the season. Stemler was second with 2007 Track Champion, Shannon Fisk finished third over Tim Dalman and Justin Fleming from 19th finished fifth.
Dave Baker was sixth as Bryant Dickinson, Todd Cowan, 18-year-old Rookie, Nick Kurtz, and Ken Beutler from 18th, were the top 10. Jared Guinn, Anderson, and Justin Matson won the Qualifier Heat Races while 19-year-old Jacob Bailey won the B Main over 18-year-old Derek Passenier, Beutler, Fleming, and Chad Maurer finished off the top five and transferred into the Feature.
The final Feature of the night would be for the Jim's Auto Body of Portland UMP Sport Compacts and the 20-lap main would be led to the green by Greg Pinard and 10-year-old rookie, Christopher Joyce and heading into turn one it would be Rick Peck, who started sixth, rocketing past the five cars who started ahead of him to take the early lead while the rest of the field settled in behind him.
Peck was soon joined by Rich Lieb, who would follow Peck by the front row and soon the duo would pull away to battle. They were eventually joined by veteran Paul Namey, the 2010 Runner-Up who was making only his second appearance of the 2011 racing season. The trio would have a bunch of real estate between them and the rest of the pack.
All the while, Peck would fight off the advances of Lieb and later Namey who would pass Lieb and try in vain to get around the 2010 18 and Over Rookie of the Year. In the end however, Peck, who has shown no signs of a "sophomore jinx" would end up taking the checkered flag and the Hastings, Michigan driver in his Frisbee & Sons Plastering Saturn would collect his second Feature win of the year.
Namey settled for second with Lieb, Tim Horvath II, and 16-year-old Rookie, Kenny Playter completing the top five. Scott Rumsey was sixth while Rookie Kyle Brigance from 16th, Jeff Dygert, Pinard, and 13-year-old Harper Hotchkiss would complete the final top 10. Lieb, Horvath II, and Peck collected the Heat Race triumphs.
THIS Saturday, August 13th, Renegade Racing Fuels & Lubricants Presents the second of three appearances by the Grand Rapids, Michigan based Engine Pro ASCS Sprints On Dirt Presented by ARP as the high flying, fire breathing, winged warriors will take on the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked dirt oval and return to their home track for the second of three appearances in 2011.
Current Series Points Leader and former two-time series champion from near-by Portland, Michigan; Dustin Daggett, who has six Feature Wins in ASCS Sprints on Dirt competition so far this season, including a dominating win in the series' first appearance at I-96 back on June 18th, will lead a stacked field of Winged Sprint Cars into Lake Odessa, Michigan.
Defending Series Champion, Ryan Grubaugh from near-by St. Johns, Michigan will be looking to stop the Daggett Dominance this season as well as another former two-time series champion and former three-time I-96 Speedway Track Champion, Brett Mann. Plus former series champion and Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame Driver, Ken Mackey, former I-96 champion, Robert Huisken, and other stars like Joe Bares, Davey Brown, Gregg Dalman, Jared Horstman, Marques Huffer, Jim Lingar, Matt Lumbert, Blake Nimee, Ryan Ruhl, Ben Rutan, Trey Smith, and many more will all be in attendance.
Also on the card will be the Lane Automotive UMP Modifieds ($500 to win - $125 to start - $25 tow money), Renegade Racing Fuels & Lubricants UMP Street Stocks ($300 to win - $100 to start - $25 tow money) and Jim's Auto Body of Portland UMP Sport Compacts ($125 to win - $25 to start - $25 tow money) as all three divisions within the UMP DIRTcar Racing Series will join the Sprints on the 3/8s mile.
The Pit Gates open at 3:00p.m. Grandstand Gates open at 5:00p.m., with Practice (Hot Laps) starting at 6:00p.m. Then after the Pre-Race Ceremonies / Invocation / National Anthem(s), Racing begins promptly at 7:00p.m. Ticket Prices for Saturday, August 13th are; Adults (13-61): $15.00, Seniors (62 and Over): $10.00, Children (6-12): $8.00, Kids (5 and Under): FREE. Family Pass (A Family Pass will get 2 Adults and 2 Children into the races. Once inside the Kid's Club is Free for the Kids!): $35.00. Finally, Pit Passes: $25.00.
The Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP made their first appearance back on June 18th after getting rained out in the series' first scheduled appearance back on May 14th, (that race has since been officially cancelled and will not be made up), the Grand Rapids, Michigan based Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP were pushed off and after an impressive four-wide salute, the green flag flew for their 25-lap feature with 1999 I-96 Speedway Track Champion Robert Huisken and Joe Bares leading the stellar field to the green.
All the way from his outside third row starting spot, home track favorite, Dustin Daggett rocketed into the lead passing all five cars in front of him by the time they came out of turn two before even completing lap one, and to the roar of the partisan crowd on hand, Daggett would lead that first lap. From that point on, the all-time leader in feature wins in the series as well as a former two-time series champion put on a clinic few fans who witnessed the race will ever forget.
Daggett would take advantage of the caution free event to lap everyone up to the second place and in the end, the Portland, Michigan driver in his Miles Petroleum Group / Maxim Chassis machine would dominate like few have ever seen in track history en route to the popular win. Jared Horstman finished second and was the only other car on the lead lap! Bares was third with Ben Rutan and Gregg Dalman the top five. Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer Ken Mackey was sixth as former Three-Time Track Champion Brett Mann was seventh with Huisken, Blake Nimee, and Andy Chewoski wrapped up the top 10.
There was no Qualifying for the 27 Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP teams as the heat races used a passing points system to transfer cars into the Feature as Daggett, Mackey, Defending Series Champion and Feature Winner the night before at Cherry Raceway, Ryan Grubaugh, and Horstman scored heat race wins while Nimee won the dash. Tim Champlin won the B Main over Kirk Cheney, Dustin Shriver, and Nic Rogers who also transferred to the feature.
The ASCS Sprints on Dirt return to I-96 Speedway once more in 2011 after the events of Saturday, August 13th as they will headline the 4th annual Dirt Gold Cup Championship Extravaganza on Saturday, September 24th. On this night, the Sprints on Dirt will crown their 2011 Series Champion and Rookie of the Year during their 2011 Season Championships. To learn more about the Engine Pro ASCS Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP, go to the series website located at: www.sprintsondirt.com
Camping is allowed every weekend in 2011 for absolutely Free. For more information regarding the 2011 racing season at I-96 Speedway, please call: 1 (616) 642-0555 or visit the website at: www.i96speedway.com You can also follow the entire 2011 season in Lake Odessa, Michigan by becoming a fan on the tracks Facebook Fan Page. Just go to: www.facebook.com and search "I-96 Speedway"and click on "Like" today. You can even follow us on Twitter, just go to: www.twitter.com and search "I-96 Speedway"
Caledonia's Monte Tolan, Middleville's Seth Moody grab first feature victories at Berlin
Caledonia's Monte Tolan, Middleville's Seth Moody grab first feature victories at Berlin
By Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
MARNE -- Monte Tolan and Seth Moody won their first career feature races Saturday night at Berlin Raceway, and they took different roads to victory.
Moody was the hunted, while Tolan was the hunter.
Tolan, of Caledonia won the 11th annual Chet, a 100-lap Late Model feature race in honor of the late Berlin founder Chester Mysliwiec. Tolan overtook Tim DeVos with seven laps to go to grab the win.
Tolan overtook Tim DeVos on lap 71, but he eventually lost the lead to DeVos on a lap 82 restart. But Tolan didn’t panic.
"You sit here and work so hard, and you race against the Tim DeVos’ and Ross Meeuwsen’s of the world, and to be standing here in Victory Lane, I’m pumped," Tolan said. "I knew I had enough laps to pass him back, and we were able to hunt him down."
Moody, of Middleville, won the 30-lap Super Stock feature. He held off last week’s winner Justin Ryan by 0.229 seconds in the main. Moody was pulling away from the field when caution dropped with three laps left, wiping out a 1.5 second advantage and putting Ryan right on his rear for the restart. But Moody held off Ryan.
"When that caution came out, I’m saying, ‘Oh man, oh man, Justin is right behind me, I have to stay in front of him,’" Moody said. "He got underneath me, but the car held strong on the outside.
"I was pretty confident. I had built up a pretty big lead, and I knew I could do it again if I got back in front of him."
Dave Moody, also of Middleville, spotted for his grandson Saturday. He said he probably was more nervous than his grandson.
"I knew if he could get out in front, he could stay there, but (Ryan) was pushing hard," Dave Moody said. "I was a little nervous. This is fantastic. He has raced at Kalamazoo (Speedway) and has won a lot of races at Winston (Motor Speedway)."
Brandon Hermiller, of Coopersville, won his track-high seventh Pro Stocks feature, overtaking four-time defending champion Brian Tillema for the lead with two laps remaining. Hermiller entered Saturday’s program with a 53-point lead over Tillema, but no way would he playing it safe.
Hermiller started eighth in the 18-car field but patiently worked his way to the front.
"You always have to go for the wins," Hermiller said. "You can’t settle for second. I know from last year that 50 points can go like that. You can have 50 points in the bank, and in one race, it’s gone. You have to keep going.
"In the beginning, we were kind of struggling with the car. But once it came to me, we were good. That’s how it goes."
Jared Lyzenga and Tyler Nawrocki won 15-lap 4 Cylinder features Saturday, with Lyzenga winning his first career A main and Nawrocki claiming his sixth B feature. It was the fourth consecutive win for Nawrocki, the division’s points leader.
Lyzenga was beaten by Chris McKinley by 0.08 of a second last week, but he got the best of McKinley on Saturday, winning by 0.740.
"I changed up the tire pressure, but that was about all," said Lyzenga, a 20-year old second-generation driver from Byron Center. "I was OK with last week, I knew there were more weeks left. We felt like we had something for them this week."
By Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
MARNE -- Monte Tolan and Seth Moody won their first career feature races Saturday night at Berlin Raceway, and they took different roads to victory.
Moody was the hunted, while Tolan was the hunter.
Tolan, of Caledonia won the 11th annual Chet, a 100-lap Late Model feature race in honor of the late Berlin founder Chester Mysliwiec. Tolan overtook Tim DeVos with seven laps to go to grab the win.
Tolan overtook Tim DeVos on lap 71, but he eventually lost the lead to DeVos on a lap 82 restart. But Tolan didn’t panic.
"You sit here and work so hard, and you race against the Tim DeVos’ and Ross Meeuwsen’s of the world, and to be standing here in Victory Lane, I’m pumped," Tolan said. "I knew I had enough laps to pass him back, and we were able to hunt him down."
Moody, of Middleville, won the 30-lap Super Stock feature. He held off last week’s winner Justin Ryan by 0.229 seconds in the main. Moody was pulling away from the field when caution dropped with three laps left, wiping out a 1.5 second advantage and putting Ryan right on his rear for the restart. But Moody held off Ryan.
"When that caution came out, I’m saying, ‘Oh man, oh man, Justin is right behind me, I have to stay in front of him,’" Moody said. "He got underneath me, but the car held strong on the outside.
"I was pretty confident. I had built up a pretty big lead, and I knew I could do it again if I got back in front of him."
Dave Moody, also of Middleville, spotted for his grandson Saturday. He said he probably was more nervous than his grandson.
"I knew if he could get out in front, he could stay there, but (Ryan) was pushing hard," Dave Moody said. "I was a little nervous. This is fantastic. He has raced at Kalamazoo (Speedway) and has won a lot of races at Winston (Motor Speedway)."
Brandon Hermiller, of Coopersville, won his track-high seventh Pro Stocks feature, overtaking four-time defending champion Brian Tillema for the lead with two laps remaining. Hermiller entered Saturday’s program with a 53-point lead over Tillema, but no way would he playing it safe.
Hermiller started eighth in the 18-car field but patiently worked his way to the front.
"You always have to go for the wins," Hermiller said. "You can’t settle for second. I know from last year that 50 points can go like that. You can have 50 points in the bank, and in one race, it’s gone. You have to keep going.
"In the beginning, we were kind of struggling with the car. But once it came to me, we were good. That’s how it goes."
Jared Lyzenga and Tyler Nawrocki won 15-lap 4 Cylinder features Saturday, with Lyzenga winning his first career A main and Nawrocki claiming his sixth B feature. It was the fourth consecutive win for Nawrocki, the division’s points leader.
Lyzenga was beaten by Chris McKinley by 0.08 of a second last week, but he got the best of McKinley on Saturday, winning by 0.740.
"I changed up the tire pressure, but that was about all," said Lyzenga, a 20-year old second-generation driver from Byron Center. "I was OK with last week, I knew there were more weeks left. We felt like we had something for them this week."
Saturday, August 6, 2011
My Racing Hero Watches over his Grandson
Paul Weisner, Kody Weisner and Paul Weisner IIWhen you are a young race fan there is always that driver that you will always remember and become your favorite. For me there were two. Watching the white #21 of Johnny Benson Sr and the #20 orange car of Paul Weinser are forever engraved in my memory.
On August 3rd I lost one of my racing heros. At the age of 76 Paul Weisner passed away surrounded by his biggest fans; his family. The news brought me back to remembering Paul's 1967 Camaro running at Berlin Raceway in the mid seventies. Paul was a fan favorite as he was not afraid to race on the edge getting the most out of his car every night.
While I am saddened by his death I am forever grateful for being made a race fan by the #20. It also saddens me that Paul will not be here for the day when he is inducted into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame. Paul is currently on the MMSHOF nomination list. In my eyes it would be a travesty if he did not receive this honor
Tonight at Limeland Speedway there was another Weisner becoming a youngster's favorite driver. Paul's grandson Kody Weisner is quickly making a name for himself.
Driving for the University Northernwestern Ohio's racing team. Kody Weisner won the UMP Modified main event driving the #01 UNOH sponsored car.
Tonight at Limeland Speedway there was another Weisner becoming a youngster's favorite driver. Paul's grandson Kody Weisner is quickly making a name for himself.
Driving for the University Northernwestern Ohio's racing team. Kody Weisner won the UMP Modified main event driving the #01 UNOH sponsored car.
"This one is for Grandpa" stated Kody Weisner
PAUL WEISNER
MEMORIAL GATHERING: Saturday, August 6, 2011, from 12:00 PM (Noon) to 2:00 PM, at Clock Funeral Home, 413 S. Mears Ave., Whitehall.
DONATIONS: Weisner Family, c/o Clock Funeral Home, Box 128, Whitehall 49461.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Johnny VanDoorn Wins "Jeremiah Weed/Great Lakes Helicopter 125" at Dixie Motor Speedway
Johnny VanDoorn has definitely had his ups and downs this season. Combine mechanical failures, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a battle with mono, saying Vandoorn has had a rough season would be an understatement.
VanDoorn last week was excited just to be battling for a win at Anderson; a race that saw bad luck hit again. VanDoorn cut down a tire with 20 laps that took him out of contention. Who would ever have thought that this would be a victory of sorts for the two time CRA champion.
Tonight VanDoorn made his way to Dixie Motor Speedway with his always upbeat attitude and a will to knock the bad luck bug off his back. VanDoorn finally saw his luck change at the the "Jeremiah Weed/Great Lakes Helicopter 125". Driving the Port City Racing House Car VanDoorn was at the top of his game.
It took Vandoorn just 23 laps to make his way to the front after qualifying fourth. Vandoorn only relinquished the lead for a brief time to Tim Felver with 37 laps to go but quickly charged to the front again with 31 laps to go.
By the end of the event VanDoorn had stretched his lead to 10 car lenghts over Felver and third place finisher Mike Luberda.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Erik Jones Earns First JEGS/CRA All-Star Victory
Youth Beats the Veterans at Rockford
Erik Jones Earns First JEGS/CRA All-Star Victory
JEGS/CRA PR
The kid doesn't even have a driver's license; that wasn't enough to stop 15-year-old Erik Jones tonight though as the young gun survived a late restart with six circuits remaining to capture the 20th running of the JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour 'All-Star 100' presented by Stanley Steemer and wear the legendary wreath at the Rockford Speedway. With the win, Jones' first in the series, the teenager joins the growing ranks of past legends that have claimed the checkers in the 'All-Star 100' including hallowed names that seared themselves into memory like Allison, Shear, Trickle, and Martin.
Two other prior victors in this event, Rich Bickle and 'Fast' Eddie Hoffman, challenged Jones at various points throughout the race as yellow flags slowed the pace down and offered a variety of drivers a chance to contend for the crown. Ultimately, no one had more in the tank than Erik Jones as the Michigan hotshoe parlayed his fast qualifying effort and an eighth-place starting spot into history. Joining Jones on the podium was another 15-year-old, Cody Coughlin, who kept his nose clean and survived the battle of attrition to notch a career best runner-up result. Bickle and JEGS/CRA points leader Hoffman came home in third and fourth respectively.
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour ‘All Star 100’ presented by Stanley Steemer received a major shakeup before the green flag even waved as defending champion Ryan Carlson and Midwestern hotshoe Jesse Saunders were relegated to the back of the 23-car pack after failing post-qualification tech due to faulty ignition boxes. For Carlson --pulling double duty on the evening with his weekly late model and his JEGS/CRA machine – the penalty proved especially costly as the Loves Park, Ill., native relinquished what would have been fast time as 15-year-old rising star Erik Jones jumped to the top of the speed charts for the third time in 2011.
When the green flag waved on the 20th rendition of the event steeped in history, another 15-year-old – Cody Coughlin – rolled to the early edge as ‘Fast’ Eddie Hoffman surged into the runner-up spot with a pair of laps in the books.
A red flag stopped the proceedings just three laps into the main event for a huge incident that started on the backstretch and carried into turn three as Danny Jackson careened into the tire that buffers the point and made hard contact, collecting Jesse Saunders, Jimmy Novak III, and an unfortunate Carlson who couldn’t avoid the mayhem.
Jackson and Novak III were able to walk away from the pileup while ‘RC’ and Saunders exited to the pits with heavy damage and saw his chances to wear the wreath for a second straight year come perilously close to being snuffed – a brief break in the action allowed the Rockford Speedway safety crew to clean up the carnage before cars began rolling again under yellow.
On the restart, Coughlin came under fire from Hoffman for the lead as the three-time National Short Track Champion peeked to the bottom and targeted the top spot. 2009 NSTC victor Josh Nelms made it a three car fray up front with ten laps in the books. A couple of laps later, Hoffman suddenly blew past a slowing Coughlin on the exit of turn two and emerged with a three car length edge. That margin was erased within a quarter-mile however as Jordan Miller brought out a second yellow for a solo spin in the third turn.
Teenager Erik Jones burst into a podium spot on the ensuing restart as he utilized the high line to blow past a sliding Nelms for the bridesmaid’s position. The young hotshoe set his sights on his veteran adversary out front, closing up to Hoffman’s back bumper before pulling back into the upper groove on the asphalt oval as another yellow slowed the race with 20 laps completed.
Hoffman hustled past Jones for the lead when the green waved and Nelms nabbed second as Jones got trapped on the low line and dropped to third. Behind the top three, longtime contender Trent Snyder challenged Tracy Schuler for fourth – an overaggressive Snyder got loose in turn four and slammed into Schuler’s door panel, cutting the right front tire on the Chicagoland driver’s machine and forcing another yellow with 70 laps to go.
Snyder recovered from his mishap and soared to second on the restart, quickly inserting himself to the inside of Hoffman as they battled for the lead – the race received a major shakeup at the 1/3rd mark as Snyder and Hoffman made contact in turn two and spun in front of the field, bringing out another yellow and relegating both contenders to the back of the pack. The lucky benefactors were Josh Nelms and Erik Jones as they inherited the front row on the restart.
Rich Bickle, the 1989 ‘All-Star 100’ victor, pushed past Nelms when racing resumed and snagged second as Jones jumped away from the field and took a big lead. As the young gun rolled to a sizable edge out front, Bickle and Chad Finley dueled for the second spot as Brandon Watson sat back and watched in fourth.
With the caution-plagued event moving past the halfway point, Jones continued to lengthen his margin to a comfortable straightaway edge only to see another yellow fly and his cushion evaporate with 47 laps remaining after Matt Puskarich slid sideways into the turn one wall and made hard contact, forcing Brent Downey and Trent Snyder to slam on the brakes and come to a screeching halt.
Under caution, Nelms and Finley sacrificed top five runs to take their machines to the pits for repairs as the battle of attrition continued to wage war on the field. Jones fended off Bickle’s advances on the restart as Rockford regular Ryan Carlson’s remarkable rally reached the top five – ‘RC’ rocketed into the runner-up spot with a nifty crossover move on Bickle as Cody Coughlin followed them in fourth.
Wes Griffith Jr’s rear end snapped around in the middle of turn two shooting the Crown Point, Ind., driver hard into the outside wall and bringing out a yellow with 43 circuits remaining. Cody Coughlin collected third from Bickle when they returned to top speed as Jones once again slipped away to a solid margin.
Another caution enabled JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour top gun Eddie Hoffman to maneuver into the top five with just 35 circuits remaining. An action-packed restart allowed Jones to escape as Carlson and Bickle roughed each other up as they jousted for the bridesmaid’s position. Bickle emerged with the spot as Josh Nelms relinquished fourth thanks to a black flag due to pieces of sheet metal that were dangerously loose on his machine.
As Jones got into a rhythm and picked off lapped traffic up front, Chad Finley worked around Carlson for third – just five laps later, Finley’s motor went south and he fell off the pace as Carlson regained the position and pressured Bickle for second. Carlson’s attempted pass for the spot went sour with 17 circuits left as the Rockford regular nearly spun out trying to save his loose race car and suffered a flat right front tire, ending his chances to repeat once and for all.
Cody Coughlin stole second on the restart as Eddie Hoffman hurried past Bickle for third and turned up the urgency with under 15 laps remaining. With a pair of 15-year-olds riding around in the first and second positions, a broken axle ended Michigan native Claude Plante Jr’s top five effort setting up a certifiable six-lap dash to the checkers.
The late race restart went Jones’ way as the teenager held off his fellow young gun and raced to a five car length edge, hitting his marks over the final few laps and etching his name alongside legends en route to the win in the 20th running of the ‘All-Star 100’ presented by Stanley Steemer.
"It is AWESOME to win here!" An excited Jones stated. "I love to race on this track, there is so much history, it is just awesome to get my first JEGS win here. I have to thank my crew, my parents and my sponsors for giving me this chance to win. It is just awesome."
His 15-year-old running mate, Cody Coughlin, ran around for most of the race in the top ten before coming on late for a career-best runner-up finish.
"100 laps here felt like 500 laps at Bristol with all of the cautions," the young Coughlin quipped. "We had a pretty good test session the other day and I thought we had a top five run coming but second's not bad. I'll take it."
1989 'All-Star 100' victor Rich Bickle returned to the Rockford Speedway in style, piecing together a strong top five car and fending off fellow contender 'Fast' Eddie Hoffman's advances to place himself on the podium with a strong third place result. That wasn't good enough for the former NASCAR wheelman though who admitted afterwards that he was frustrated with the numerous double-file restarts throughout the race.
"Cautions breed cautions out here," an upset Bickle offered. "I felt like I had a winning car tonight so third feels kind of indifferent to me. At the end of the night, I guess I'm just happy we don't have a torn up race car and everything's intact."
Hoffman's rally came up short as the venerable veteran managed another top five in a big race at the high banked oval, finishing fourth on a sultry summer evening. Local driver Mike Beyer rounded out the top five with a solid fifth place effort.
Beyer and Plante took home the Hoosier Racing Tires Performance Awards with Plante also adding the Five Star Stock Car Bodies Hardcharger Award and the Racing Electronics Most Improved Award.
Jones earned the Keyser Manufacturing Fast Qualifier Award, the DTS Drive Train Halfway Leader Award and the Turn One Lap Leader Award for leading the most laps. Coughlin took home the Howe Racing Rookie of the Race Award and VDL Fuel Systems Rookie Award. Coughlin also was awarded the AR Bodies “Cool Move of the Race Award” for keeping his cool and moving to the front after sliding back to almost be out the Top 10’. His smooth racing earned him his first Cool Move of the Race.
Snyder had the fastest lap during green flag conditions giving them the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award. The DJ Safety Hard Luck Award went to Danny Jackson. Tom Woodin took home the Great Lakes Tire Number 1 Qualifier Award for being the first car to qualify after the draw for position.
The next event for the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts will be the Winchester 100 at Winchester Speedway, Winchester, IN on August 20, 2011. This will the first visit to Winchester for the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts. To learn more about any of the CRA Division go to www.craracing.net To learn more about Winchester Speedway see www.winchesterspeedway.com
Erik Jones Earns First JEGS/CRA All-Star Victory
JEGS/CRA PR
The kid doesn't even have a driver's license; that wasn't enough to stop 15-year-old Erik Jones tonight though as the young gun survived a late restart with six circuits remaining to capture the 20th running of the JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour 'All-Star 100' presented by Stanley Steemer and wear the legendary wreath at the Rockford Speedway. With the win, Jones' first in the series, the teenager joins the growing ranks of past legends that have claimed the checkers in the 'All-Star 100' including hallowed names that seared themselves into memory like Allison, Shear, Trickle, and Martin.
Two other prior victors in this event, Rich Bickle and 'Fast' Eddie Hoffman, challenged Jones at various points throughout the race as yellow flags slowed the pace down and offered a variety of drivers a chance to contend for the crown. Ultimately, no one had more in the tank than Erik Jones as the Michigan hotshoe parlayed his fast qualifying effort and an eighth-place starting spot into history. Joining Jones on the podium was another 15-year-old, Cody Coughlin, who kept his nose clean and survived the battle of attrition to notch a career best runner-up result. Bickle and JEGS/CRA points leader Hoffman came home in third and fourth respectively.
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour ‘All Star 100’ presented by Stanley Steemer received a major shakeup before the green flag even waved as defending champion Ryan Carlson and Midwestern hotshoe Jesse Saunders were relegated to the back of the 23-car pack after failing post-qualification tech due to faulty ignition boxes. For Carlson --pulling double duty on the evening with his weekly late model and his JEGS/CRA machine – the penalty proved especially costly as the Loves Park, Ill., native relinquished what would have been fast time as 15-year-old rising star Erik Jones jumped to the top of the speed charts for the third time in 2011.
When the green flag waved on the 20th rendition of the event steeped in history, another 15-year-old – Cody Coughlin – rolled to the early edge as ‘Fast’ Eddie Hoffman surged into the runner-up spot with a pair of laps in the books.
A red flag stopped the proceedings just three laps into the main event for a huge incident that started on the backstretch and carried into turn three as Danny Jackson careened into the tire that buffers the point and made hard contact, collecting Jesse Saunders, Jimmy Novak III, and an unfortunate Carlson who couldn’t avoid the mayhem.
Jackson and Novak III were able to walk away from the pileup while ‘RC’ and Saunders exited to the pits with heavy damage and saw his chances to wear the wreath for a second straight year come perilously close to being snuffed – a brief break in the action allowed the Rockford Speedway safety crew to clean up the carnage before cars began rolling again under yellow.
On the restart, Coughlin came under fire from Hoffman for the lead as the three-time National Short Track Champion peeked to the bottom and targeted the top spot. 2009 NSTC victor Josh Nelms made it a three car fray up front with ten laps in the books. A couple of laps later, Hoffman suddenly blew past a slowing Coughlin on the exit of turn two and emerged with a three car length edge. That margin was erased within a quarter-mile however as Jordan Miller brought out a second yellow for a solo spin in the third turn.
Teenager Erik Jones burst into a podium spot on the ensuing restart as he utilized the high line to blow past a sliding Nelms for the bridesmaid’s position. The young hotshoe set his sights on his veteran adversary out front, closing up to Hoffman’s back bumper before pulling back into the upper groove on the asphalt oval as another yellow slowed the race with 20 laps completed.
Hoffman hustled past Jones for the lead when the green waved and Nelms nabbed second as Jones got trapped on the low line and dropped to third. Behind the top three, longtime contender Trent Snyder challenged Tracy Schuler for fourth – an overaggressive Snyder got loose in turn four and slammed into Schuler’s door panel, cutting the right front tire on the Chicagoland driver’s machine and forcing another yellow with 70 laps to go.
Snyder recovered from his mishap and soared to second on the restart, quickly inserting himself to the inside of Hoffman as they battled for the lead – the race received a major shakeup at the 1/3rd mark as Snyder and Hoffman made contact in turn two and spun in front of the field, bringing out another yellow and relegating both contenders to the back of the pack. The lucky benefactors were Josh Nelms and Erik Jones as they inherited the front row on the restart.
Rich Bickle, the 1989 ‘All-Star 100’ victor, pushed past Nelms when racing resumed and snagged second as Jones jumped away from the field and took a big lead. As the young gun rolled to a sizable edge out front, Bickle and Chad Finley dueled for the second spot as Brandon Watson sat back and watched in fourth.
With the caution-plagued event moving past the halfway point, Jones continued to lengthen his margin to a comfortable straightaway edge only to see another yellow fly and his cushion evaporate with 47 laps remaining after Matt Puskarich slid sideways into the turn one wall and made hard contact, forcing Brent Downey and Trent Snyder to slam on the brakes and come to a screeching halt.
Under caution, Nelms and Finley sacrificed top five runs to take their machines to the pits for repairs as the battle of attrition continued to wage war on the field. Jones fended off Bickle’s advances on the restart as Rockford regular Ryan Carlson’s remarkable rally reached the top five – ‘RC’ rocketed into the runner-up spot with a nifty crossover move on Bickle as Cody Coughlin followed them in fourth.
Wes Griffith Jr’s rear end snapped around in the middle of turn two shooting the Crown Point, Ind., driver hard into the outside wall and bringing out a yellow with 43 circuits remaining. Cody Coughlin collected third from Bickle when they returned to top speed as Jones once again slipped away to a solid margin.
Another caution enabled JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour top gun Eddie Hoffman to maneuver into the top five with just 35 circuits remaining. An action-packed restart allowed Jones to escape as Carlson and Bickle roughed each other up as they jousted for the bridesmaid’s position. Bickle emerged with the spot as Josh Nelms relinquished fourth thanks to a black flag due to pieces of sheet metal that were dangerously loose on his machine.
As Jones got into a rhythm and picked off lapped traffic up front, Chad Finley worked around Carlson for third – just five laps later, Finley’s motor went south and he fell off the pace as Carlson regained the position and pressured Bickle for second. Carlson’s attempted pass for the spot went sour with 17 circuits left as the Rockford regular nearly spun out trying to save his loose race car and suffered a flat right front tire, ending his chances to repeat once and for all.
Cody Coughlin stole second on the restart as Eddie Hoffman hurried past Bickle for third and turned up the urgency with under 15 laps remaining. With a pair of 15-year-olds riding around in the first and second positions, a broken axle ended Michigan native Claude Plante Jr’s top five effort setting up a certifiable six-lap dash to the checkers.
The late race restart went Jones’ way as the teenager held off his fellow young gun and raced to a five car length edge, hitting his marks over the final few laps and etching his name alongside legends en route to the win in the 20th running of the ‘All-Star 100’ presented by Stanley Steemer.
"It is AWESOME to win here!" An excited Jones stated. "I love to race on this track, there is so much history, it is just awesome to get my first JEGS win here. I have to thank my crew, my parents and my sponsors for giving me this chance to win. It is just awesome."
His 15-year-old running mate, Cody Coughlin, ran around for most of the race in the top ten before coming on late for a career-best runner-up finish.
"100 laps here felt like 500 laps at Bristol with all of the cautions," the young Coughlin quipped. "We had a pretty good test session the other day and I thought we had a top five run coming but second's not bad. I'll take it."
1989 'All-Star 100' victor Rich Bickle returned to the Rockford Speedway in style, piecing together a strong top five car and fending off fellow contender 'Fast' Eddie Hoffman's advances to place himself on the podium with a strong third place result. That wasn't good enough for the former NASCAR wheelman though who admitted afterwards that he was frustrated with the numerous double-file restarts throughout the race.
"Cautions breed cautions out here," an upset Bickle offered. "I felt like I had a winning car tonight so third feels kind of indifferent to me. At the end of the night, I guess I'm just happy we don't have a torn up race car and everything's intact."
Hoffman's rally came up short as the venerable veteran managed another top five in a big race at the high banked oval, finishing fourth on a sultry summer evening. Local driver Mike Beyer rounded out the top five with a solid fifth place effort.
Beyer and Plante took home the Hoosier Racing Tires Performance Awards with Plante also adding the Five Star Stock Car Bodies Hardcharger Award and the Racing Electronics Most Improved Award.
Jones earned the Keyser Manufacturing Fast Qualifier Award, the DTS Drive Train Halfway Leader Award and the Turn One Lap Leader Award for leading the most laps. Coughlin took home the Howe Racing Rookie of the Race Award and VDL Fuel Systems Rookie Award. Coughlin also was awarded the AR Bodies “Cool Move of the Race Award” for keeping his cool and moving to the front after sliding back to almost be out the Top 10’. His smooth racing earned him his first Cool Move of the Race.
Snyder had the fastest lap during green flag conditions giving them the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award. The DJ Safety Hard Luck Award went to Danny Jackson. Tom Woodin took home the Great Lakes Tire Number 1 Qualifier Award for being the first car to qualify after the draw for position.
The next event for the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts will be the Winchester 100 at Winchester Speedway, Winchester, IN on August 20, 2011. This will the first visit to Winchester for the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts. To learn more about any of the CRA Division go to www.craracing.net To learn more about Winchester Speedway see www.winchesterspeedway.com
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Sammy Epling; Back on Top of his game after a Weekend Sweep at Mt. Pleasant & Thunderbird
Perry, Michigan (Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011): A trying 2011 racing season turned around in one weekend for Sammy Epling as the Perry, Michigan driver put together a great weekend of racing in his UMP Late Model after picking up not only his first Feature Win of the year, but he backed it up a night later by scoring his second Feature in two days.
The weekend started on Friday, July 29th at the site of his first career track championship, the 3/8s (0.375) mile semi-banked dirt oval of Mt. Pleasant Speedway in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and after a thrilling battle with current points leader, Zack Olger and two-time feature winner, Mark Andersen, Epling would steer his #28 S.J.E. Trucking Pontiac into victory lane after scoring his first Feature Win of the season.
"That was huge for this whole team, to finally get that monkey off our backs and get a meaningful Feature win, that really picked up our spirits, especially mine," Stated the driver originally from Cicero, Illinois but now calls Perry, Michigan home. "That last caution certainly made things interesting, especially having Mark (Andersen) and Zack (Olger) behind me on that last restart and also since it was a green-white-checkered deal, but we got a good jump on them and in the end, we were able to hold them off." He added.
The next day, Saturday, July 30th, the original plan was to go to I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan but flooding and extremely saturated grounds forced track officials to cancel the evenings' races. "Plan B" for Epling and the crew would be a trip further West to the 1/3 (0.333) mile high-banked dirt oval of Thunderbird Raceway in Muskegon, Michigan and the results were the same as the night before for the 41-year-old as he started on the outside of the front row and led all 25 laps to win his second Feature of the weekend.
The win was especially satisfying for Epling due to the fact of four track champions from the 2010 season were in the field including him (Mt. Pleasant Speedway), as well as Kevin Nelson Jr. (Winston Motor Speedway), Eric Spangler (I-96 Speedway) and Adam Thrush (Merritt Raceway). Throw in multi-time Thunderbird track champion, Rich Neiser, who is also the current track points leader at Thunderbird as well as up the road at Winston Motor Speedway, and Michigan Motorsports hall of famer and another multi-time Thunderbird track champion, John Grega, and the field was stacked from top to bottom.
"The car was flawless all night long. After the redraw for the feature, I knew if I could get a clean start and use the momentum on the outside, I could clear (Pole-Sitter) Shawn (Reed) and try and get away from everyone else who was back there," He continued. "This has been a really hard season on the team and this weekend was exactly what we needed to prove we're still competitive in this division and in this state, especially against the talent we go up against every weekend, especially this past Saturday night."
As the 2011 racing season for Epling and his S.J.E. Motorsports Team continues, the first weekend in August will see Epling returning to Mt. Pleasant on Friday, August 5th to take on the traveling invaders of the Sunoco American Late Model Series. Despite missing the last five Sunoco ALMS events, Epling is still 14th in the points standings just 43 points out of the coveted top 10 and still in line for a nice paycheck at the end of the season courtesy of the 2011 Sunoco ALMS points fund.
Then the next night, Saturday, August 6th, a short 45-minute venture west to I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan is in store for the team during the Relay for Life Celebration at the Races. Despite missing three races this season at the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked dirt oval and is currently tied for 17th in the track points with 2010 UMP DIRTcar National Champion, Rusty Schlenk and Ionia native, Scott Baker, he's only 48 markers outside of the top 10 in the season long points chase.
"Last weekend was huge in making up some of the UMP DIRTcar Racing Michigan State Points that we missed in June. We're still going to pick and choose where we race the rest of the season and stay relatively close to home. We may do a little traveling towards the end of the season, but not too much." Epling explained. "We'll just get as many points as we can there and see where we end up at the end of the season." He ended.
Epling's familiar red #28 Mastersbilt by Mars UMP Late Model with a Pontiac GTO nose sports sponsorship decals from his own business; S.J.E. Trucking as well as Shift Shop Transmissions, Fusion Graphics & Sign Company, Hedrick Precision Engines, M.P.H. Promotions, SammyEpling.com, and S.J.E. Motorsports.
For more information about Sammy Epling and the entire S.J.E. Motorsports Team and to inquire about additional sponsorship opportunities for the 2011 racing season, log onto the teams' website at: www.sammyepling.com You can also follow the remainder of the 2011 season with Epling by becoming a fan on his Facebook Fan Page. Just go to: www.facebook.com and search "Sammy Epling / S.J.E. Motorsports" then click on "Like" today.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Dorer Wins at Anderson; More Bad Luck for VanDoorn
Steve Dorer led the last 100 feet to claim the win at the Redbud 300 at Anderson Speedway tonight. Chase Elliott protected the bottom of the raceway on the last lap of the race only to see Dorer jump to the high side of the tight 1/4 mile Speedway and beat him to the finish line. It was the only time Dorer led all night.
West Michigan driver Brian Campbell raced in the top five all night finishing a strong third. Johnny VanDoorn returned to action after taking the last three races off from the CRA series while fighting mono. VanDoorn looked like he was going to challenge for the win with twenty-five laps to go running in the second position only to see a right front tire go down with 20 laps left. VanDoorn did not return to the raceway and finished 14th.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
1 Steve Dorer
2 Chase Elliott
3 Brian Campbell
4 Aaron Pierce
5 Jason Dietsch
6 Kenny Tweedy
7 Mark Lambert
8 Jeff Lane
9 Peter Cozzolino
10 Mason Mingus
11 Jim Crabtree, Jr.
12 Landon Cling
13 Derrick Griffin
14 John VanDoorn
15 Terry Fisher, Jr.
16 Joe Beaver
17 Rick Turner
18 Jay Niewiek
19 Robert Maynor
20 CJ Leary
21 Colin Nickolai
22 Andy Ponstein
23 Jason Atkinson
24 Damon Ecoff
25 Jack Smith
26 Ryan Blaney
27 Scott Hantz
28 Ken Schrader
29 Ross Kenseth
30 Fred Hopkins
31 Ben Tunny (DNS)
West Michigan driver Brian Campbell raced in the top five all night finishing a strong third. Johnny VanDoorn returned to action after taking the last three races off from the CRA series while fighting mono. VanDoorn looked like he was going to challenge for the win with twenty-five laps to go running in the second position only to see a right front tire go down with 20 laps left. VanDoorn did not return to the raceway and finished 14th.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
1 Steve Dorer
2 Chase Elliott
3 Brian Campbell
4 Aaron Pierce
5 Jason Dietsch
6 Kenny Tweedy
7 Mark Lambert
8 Jeff Lane
9 Peter Cozzolino
10 Mason Mingus
11 Jim Crabtree, Jr.
12 Landon Cling
13 Derrick Griffin
14 John VanDoorn
15 Terry Fisher, Jr.
16 Joe Beaver
17 Rick Turner
18 Jay Niewiek
19 Robert Maynor
20 CJ Leary
21 Colin Nickolai
22 Andy Ponstein
23 Jason Atkinson
24 Damon Ecoff
25 Jack Smith
26 Ryan Blaney
27 Scott Hantz
28 Ken Schrader
29 Ross Kenseth
30 Fred Hopkins
31 Ben Tunny (DNS)
Ross Meeuwsen, Brian Tillema not giving up in chase for Berlin Raceway points titles
Ross Meeuwsen, Brian Tillema not giving up in chase for Berlin Raceway points titles
By Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
MARNE -- Brian Tillema and Ross Meeuwsen agreed that their respective championship runs are in big-time jeopardy during Berlin Raceway’s 61st anniversary program Saturday night.
Meeuwsen is the three-time defending Late Model champion, while Tillema has won Berlin’s past four Pro Stocks titles. And while both drivers entered this weekend’s action second in points, Meeuwsen was 81 points behind Terry Senneker and Tillema trailed Brandon Hermiller by 54.
Neither driver is giving up, though. Tillema won the 25-lap Pro Stocks feature, while Meeuwsen won the 60-lap Late Model main.
"(Hermiller) has us outclassed, and we are just kind of racing for second right now," said Tillema, who earned his fourth win of the year. "We were worried about it when it was real close, but at this point, we are just having fun again. We can’t doing anything about it, but we’ll keep trying."
The victory was the first of the season for Meeuwsen, who took the lead away from Chris Koslek on a lap 50 restart. Meeuwsen, of Zeeland, found racing on the high groove to be the place to be as the laps wound down.
"I thought my car was a little better up there, it was a little tight on the bottom," Meeuwsen said. "They were telling me what my lap times were on the radio, so I figured I would just try it up there. I ran it up there a few times to see what it could do.
"I ran it a lot harder at the beginning of the race than I wanted to. Those other guys seemed like they wanted to go all out right away. I was running it about 85 percent at the beginning. They told to pick it up a little bit, and that’s when I started to pick it up."
Here's a wrapup of weekend action from around West Michigand and the state:
BERLIN RACEWAY
•Late Models: Ross Meeuwsen
•Super Stocks: Justin Ryan
•Modifieds: Dave Lake
•Pro Stocks: Brian Tillema
•4 Cylinders A: Chris McKinley
•4 Cylinders B: Tyler Nawrocki
CRYSTAL RACEWAY
•Late Models: Zach Olger
•Modifieds: Bob Hutson
•MORA Mini Outlaw Sprints: Cyle McNeese
•Street Stocks: Doug Helsel
•Pro Stocks: Gary Buskirk
•Pro Trucks: Scott Nieman
•Flinn Stocks: Garrett Wiles
AROUND THE STATE
BUTLER SPEEDWAY
•Winged Sprints: Kevin Atkins
•Modifieds: Josh Lolmaugh
•Sportsman: Tim Wiber
•Street Stocks: Bob Rendel
FLAT ROCK SPEEDWAY
•Stan Yee Memorial: Eric Lee
•Street Stocks A: Scott Selmi
•Street Stocks B: Jimmy Rae
KALAMAZOO SPEEDWAY
•Super Late Models: Todd Harrington
•Modifieds: Matt Bainbridge
•Super Stocks: Todd Foote
•Pro Stocks: John Foote Jr.
•Cyber Stocks: Doug Smith
MERRITT SPEEDWAY
•Late Models: David Hilliker
•Modifieds: Joe Rokos
•Sportsman: T.J. Erickson
•Factory Stocks: Jim Miller
SPARTAN SPEEDWAY
•Sprints: Tommy Fedewa
•Modifieds: Leroy Ellis
•Spartan Stocks A: Ron Heeney
•Spartan Stocks B: Marc Childers
•Pony Stocks A: Wayne Beckner Jr.
•Pony Stocks B: Brandon Moody
SPRINGSPORT SPEEDWAY
•Late Models: Joe McNett
•Modifieds: Bobby Heyink
•ABC A: John Trudell
•ABC B: Tanner Tallarico
•Ideal Stocks: Garry Janow
WINSTON SPEEDWAY
•Modifieds: Jacob Poel
•Street Stocks: Dan Dykman
•Factory Stocks: Spike Grega
•4 Cylinders: Paul Namey
•Warriors: Gary Gagnon
By Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
MARNE -- Brian Tillema and Ross Meeuwsen agreed that their respective championship runs are in big-time jeopardy during Berlin Raceway’s 61st anniversary program Saturday night.
Meeuwsen is the three-time defending Late Model champion, while Tillema has won Berlin’s past four Pro Stocks titles. And while both drivers entered this weekend’s action second in points, Meeuwsen was 81 points behind Terry Senneker and Tillema trailed Brandon Hermiller by 54.
Neither driver is giving up, though. Tillema won the 25-lap Pro Stocks feature, while Meeuwsen won the 60-lap Late Model main.
"(Hermiller) has us outclassed, and we are just kind of racing for second right now," said Tillema, who earned his fourth win of the year. "We were worried about it when it was real close, but at this point, we are just having fun again. We can’t doing anything about it, but we’ll keep trying."
The victory was the first of the season for Meeuwsen, who took the lead away from Chris Koslek on a lap 50 restart. Meeuwsen, of Zeeland, found racing on the high groove to be the place to be as the laps wound down.
"I thought my car was a little better up there, it was a little tight on the bottom," Meeuwsen said. "They were telling me what my lap times were on the radio, so I figured I would just try it up there. I ran it up there a few times to see what it could do.
"I ran it a lot harder at the beginning of the race than I wanted to. Those other guys seemed like they wanted to go all out right away. I was running it about 85 percent at the beginning. They told to pick it up a little bit, and that’s when I started to pick it up."
Here's a wrapup of weekend action from around West Michigand and the state:
BERLIN RACEWAY
•Late Models: Ross Meeuwsen
•Super Stocks: Justin Ryan
•Modifieds: Dave Lake
•Pro Stocks: Brian Tillema
•4 Cylinders A: Chris McKinley
•4 Cylinders B: Tyler Nawrocki
CRYSTAL RACEWAY
•Late Models: Zach Olger
•Modifieds: Bob Hutson
•MORA Mini Outlaw Sprints: Cyle McNeese
•Street Stocks: Doug Helsel
•Pro Stocks: Gary Buskirk
•Pro Trucks: Scott Nieman
•Flinn Stocks: Garrett Wiles
AROUND THE STATE
BUTLER SPEEDWAY
•Winged Sprints: Kevin Atkins
•Modifieds: Josh Lolmaugh
•Sportsman: Tim Wiber
•Street Stocks: Bob Rendel
FLAT ROCK SPEEDWAY
•Stan Yee Memorial: Eric Lee
•Street Stocks A: Scott Selmi
•Street Stocks B: Jimmy Rae
KALAMAZOO SPEEDWAY
•Super Late Models: Todd Harrington
•Modifieds: Matt Bainbridge
•Super Stocks: Todd Foote
•Pro Stocks: John Foote Jr.
•Cyber Stocks: Doug Smith
MERRITT SPEEDWAY
•Late Models: David Hilliker
•Modifieds: Joe Rokos
•Sportsman: T.J. Erickson
•Factory Stocks: Jim Miller
SPARTAN SPEEDWAY
•Sprints: Tommy Fedewa
•Modifieds: Leroy Ellis
•Spartan Stocks A: Ron Heeney
•Spartan Stocks B: Marc Childers
•Pony Stocks A: Wayne Beckner Jr.
•Pony Stocks B: Brandon Moody
SPRINGSPORT SPEEDWAY
•Late Models: Joe McNett
•Modifieds: Bobby Heyink
•ABC A: John Trudell
•ABC B: Tanner Tallarico
•Ideal Stocks: Garry Janow
WINSTON SPEEDWAY
•Modifieds: Jacob Poel
•Street Stocks: Dan Dykman
•Factory Stocks: Spike Grega
•4 Cylinders: Paul Namey
•Warriors: Gary Gagnon
Byron teen, Erik Jones, wins 100-lap late-model race
Byron teen, Erik Jones, wins 100-lap late-model race
By Greg Tunnicliff | Flint Journal The Flint Journal
LOVES PARK, ILL. — Byron resident Erik Jones took the lead on the 32nd lap and never looked back in taking the checkered flag in the Champion Racing Association All-Star Tour Stanley Steemer 100 Saturday at Rockford Speedway in Loves Park, Ill.
The 15-year-old became the youngest winner of not only an CRA All-Star Tour race, but the youngest winner of a late-model race at Rockford.
Next up for Jones is an event on Aug. 20 at Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Ind.
By Greg Tunnicliff | Flint Journal The Flint Journal
LOVES PARK, ILL. — Byron resident Erik Jones took the lead on the 32nd lap and never looked back in taking the checkered flag in the Champion Racing Association All-Star Tour Stanley Steemer 100 Saturday at Rockford Speedway in Loves Park, Ill.
The 15-year-old became the youngest winner of not only an CRA All-Star Tour race, but the youngest winner of a late-model race at Rockford.
Next up for Jones is an event on Aug. 20 at Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Ind.
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