Archive for Short Track
EASTERN STORM NEWS
Posted by: | CommentsJUNE 10, 2017
CONTACT: BOB MILLER 443 513 4456
THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES
AMSOIL USAC NON-WING SPRINT EASTERN STORM HEADING EAST, GRANDVIEW & LINCOLN TO OPEN SERIES TUESDAY, JUNE 13 AND WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14
USAC DRIVER NICKNAMES, DO THEY TELL A STORY ABOUT THE DRIVERS?
We’re just days away from the arrival of USAC drivers from California to Pennsylvania, heading east to open the 11th Annual Eastern Storm, getting underway at the NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series event at the Grandview Speedway on Tuesday night, June 13. The following night, Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA will showcase this traveling series of non-wing 410 sprint cars joined by the 358 wing sprint cars. Both nights of racing will get underway at 7:30 PM.
The Eastern Storm will continue on Thursday night, June 15 at Williams Grove then close out the weekend on Saturday night, June 17 at Port Royal and Sunday night, June 18 at the Susquehanna Speedway. This will mark the eleventh annual swing of USAC here in the east, a tour organized by local special events organizer Bob Miller.
Nationally known drivers from numerous states are heading east for this five race series offering over $135,000 in prize money. Many of these drivers are heading to town with a nickname attached to them for one reason or another. But what do these nicknames tell us about these drivers?
We can start with Chris Windom from Canton, IL who is known as “The Bear”. There is also Robert Ballou from Rocklin, CA who earned the nickname “The Madman”, certainly explainable if you watched him power his way through Pennsylvania on previous Eastern Storms. One other point, Ballou sustained injuries last year in a crash that put him on the sidelines the balance of the year. In just his second start since the crash, “The Madman” was a feature winner. Is that mad or what?
Carmen Perigo of Stoystown, PA is labeled with, “Wind it Up and Watch Him Go”, not much to explain on this one. Now a little more interesting is Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, IN who is known as “Sunshine”. What’s the story on that one?
Driver’s names also have something to do with those labels or nicknames. For example, Thomas Meseraull of San Jose, CA goes by “T-Mez”, the very popular Jerry Coons, Jr of Tucson, AZ known as “Coon Dog” as Kevin Thomas Jr of Cullman, AL goes by “KTJ”.
Perhaps your hometown has something to do with your nickname, like Chad Boespflug of Hanford, CA. Chad is well recognized as the “Hanford Hornet”, known for stinging the competition and stirring a buzz with the crowd. There is also Tony Dimattia of Malvern, PA, known as the “Malvern Missile”.
Now there are still two drivers that you might want to ask about their nicknames. First, Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, CA who goes by, “The Macho Man” and local favorite Danny Dietrich is “Double D”. How did those nicknames come about?
Last but certainly not least, one of the most recognized USAC drivers, Dave Darland of Lincoln, IN was named by the race fans, “The People’s Champ”.
The Amsoil USAC Non-Wing Sprints Eastern Storm will open at the Grandview Speedway on Tuesday, June 13. This will also mark the opening event of the NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series presented by Pioneer Pole Buildings. If you have never seen a non-wing 410 sprint car race (especially at Grandview Speedway) this is the show to see.
The Tuesday, June 13 event at Grandview Speedway will get underway at 7:30 PM. Joining the USAC non-wing sprints on the program will be the 358 Modifieds chasing a $3,000 payday for the 30 lap run. Craig VonDohren, Duane Howard, Jeff Strunk, Ryan Godown, Billy Pauch Jr., Ryan Watt, Rick Laubach and Frank Cozze, are some of the expected modified entries. Qualifying will take place for both divisions.
Other USAC entries to expect include Fort Branch, Indiana’s Chase Stockon, Kokomo, IN driver Shane Cottle, Sikeston, MO favorite Hunter Schuerenberg, and Landon Simon of Tipp City Ohio. I’m sure we all remember the 2016 Grandview performance by Mooresville, North Carolina’s driver Jarett Andretti, almost taking the win. Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, IN, and Greenfield, IN driver C.J. Leary are hoping to break through for an Eastern Storm taste of victory.
On the local scene, Danny Dietrich a 410 sprint car feature winner at Grandview and the winner of the 2016 National Open at Williams Grove, plans to make his initial foray into USAC for Eastern Storm on the “hill” at Grandview. Defending ARDC Midget champion and 2016 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals preliminary feature winner Alex Bright, is a regular in USAC’s midget division, and will try his hand for the first time in a USAC Sprint Car.
Advance tickets for the Grandview USAC/358 Modified events are available by calling 443 513 4456. Please leave your name, phone number and the number of tickets you need. You may pay for and pick-up your tickets on race night at the Grandview Speedway WILL CALL window after 4 PM. Advance ticket holders may enter the grandstand at 4:30 PM with General Admission tickets going on sale at 5 PM.
Grandview Speedway
GPS USERS: 43 Passmore Road, Bechtelsville, PA 19505
Located less than a mile off Route 100, 10 miles north of Pottstown, PA
Speedway Phone: 610-754-7688
Thunder on the Hill Racing Series Phone: 443-513-4456 (Call for advance tickets)
Series Website: Track Website: www.grandviewspeedway.com
Twitter/Instagram: @TOTHRACING
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thunderonthehill
BLOOMINGTON USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RESULTS: 6/9/2017
Posted by: | CommentsUSAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 9, 2017 - Bloomington, Indiana - Bloomington Speedway - 13th "Indiana Midget Week"
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-11.764; 2. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-11.767; 3. Justin Grant, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-11.865; 4. Shane Golobic, 17w, Clauson-Marshall/Wood-11.897; 5. Michael Pickens, 1NZ, Seamount-11.920; 6. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-11.936; 7. Zach Daum, 5D, Daum-11.965; 8. Tyler Nelson, 88, Nelson-12.017; 9. Rico Abreu, 21, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.019; 10. Jerry Coons Jr., 25, Petry/Goff-12.041; 11. Ronnie Gardner, 25x, Rodela-12.066; 12. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-12.110; 13. Gage Walker, 7, Walker-12.196; 14. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.223; 15. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.224; 16. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.255; 17. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.284; 18. Alex Bright, 77, Bright-12.333; 19. Dave Darland, 11, Gray-12.338; 20. Davey Ray, 33, Team RAYPRO-12.372; 21. Trey Marcham, 32, Marcham-12.391; 22. Cole Fehr, 15F, Live Loud-12.442; 23. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.482; 24. Kade Morton, 8m, Morton-12.508; 25. Chance Morton, 7MF, Morton-12.510; 26. Ryan Greth, 4R, Lesher-12.543; 27. Brayton Lynch, 1K, RKR-12.559; 28. Kyle Jones, 04, Hefler-12.590; 29. Adam Pierson, 76E, Mancini-12.720; 30. Michael Koontz, 17K, Koontz-12.731; 31. Justin Dickerson, 21D, Dickerson-12.894; 32. Dan Biner, 7x, Seven-13.041; 33. Brent Beauchamp, 11B, B & B-NT; 34. Brenden Bright, 92, Bright-NT; 35. Ryan Secrest, 8, Morton-NT.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bayston, 2. Boat, 3. Pickens, 4. Walker, 5. Marcham, 6. Pierson, 7. C. Morton, 8. Beauchamp. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Coons, 2. Bacon, 3. A. Bright, 4. Thorson, 5. Courtney, 6. Fehr, 7. Greth, 8. Koontz. NT
CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Carrick, 2. Shelton, 3. Grant, 4. Darland, 5. Daum, 6. Lynch, 7. Gardner, 8. Dickerson. 2:09.59
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Golobic, 2. Thomas, 3. Robinson, 4. Ray, 5. Jones, 6. K. Morton, 7. Nelson, 8. Biner. NT
SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Courtney, 2. Abreu, 3. Daum, 4. Gardner, 5. Nelson, 6. Marcham, 7. C. Morton, 8. Lynch, 9. Beauchamp, 10. Greth, 11. K. Morton, 12. Dickerson, 13. Jones, 14. Biner, 15. Fehr, 16. Pierson. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Tyler Courtney, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Shane Golobic, 4. Jerry Coons, Jr., 5. Chad Boat, 6. Brady Bacon, 7. Gage Walker, 8. Rico Abreu, 9. Michael Pickens, 10. Zach Daum, 11. Holly Shelton, 12. Tyler Thomas, 13. Ronnie Gardner, 14. Ryan Robinson, 15. Tanner Thorson, 16. Spencer Bayston, 17. Dave Darland, 18. Trey Marcham, 19. Tanner Carrick, 20. Alex Bright, 21. Tyler Nelson, 22. Davey Ray. 6:57.95 (New Track Record)
----------------------------
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-17 Coons, Laps 18-30 Courtney.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Tyler Courtney (7th to 1st)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Ronnie Gardner
PROSOURCE HARD WORK AWARD: Tanner Carrick
NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bacon-488, 2-Bayston-419, 3-Grant-407, 4-Golobic-406, 5-Thorson-368, 6-Courtney-366, 7-Coons-345, 8-Boat-325, 9-Pickens-290, 10-A. Bright-289.
NEW USAC INDIANA MIDGET WEEK POINTS: 1-Pickens-290, 2-Bacon-272, 3-Golobic-255, 4-Courtney-253, 5-Grant-239, 6-Bayston-233, 7-Abreu-232, 8-Boat-218, 9-A. Bright-196, 10-Thorson-193.
NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: June 10 - Lawrenceburg, Indiana - Lawrenceburg Speedway - 13th "Indiana Midget Week"
Artic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions
.
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions
(724) 954-4915
altmeyer119@gmail.com
tyler@tonystewart.com
Carson Macedo runs away at Lincoln Speedway; earns first-ever Arctic Cat All Star victory by nearly five seconds
LINCOLN, IL (June 9, 2017) - Lemoore, California’s Carson Macedo officially etched his name into the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions’ history books on Friday night at Lincoln (IL) Speedway, conquering the non-stop, 35-lap main event by nearly five seconds over Paul Nienhiser and Chad Kemenah, earning $5,000 in the process.
Macedo, who started second on the main event grid aboard the Lucas Oil/Weld Wheels/XYZ Machining/No. 3G, made it look effortless at the Lincoln, Illinois, quarter-mile; driving by pole sitter and current Arctic Cat All Star point leader Chad Kemenah on lap seven, ultimately cruising ahead to put 13 cars at least one lap behind, even maintaining his command during periods of heavy traffic. The Arctic Cat All Star victory was a first-ever for Carson Macedo, becoming just the second winner in Series history at Lincoln Speedway.
“A monkey could have driven this car tonight,” Carson Macedo said in victory lane. “This thing was incredible all night long; absolutely phenomenal to drive. I can’t thank everyone enough who makes this possible for me. To come out here and race with these guys and come out on top says so much. This is awesome.”
Alvada, Ohio’s Chad Kemenah set the early pace, leading the first six circuits ahead of local favorite Bret Tripplett and former King of the West champion Carson Macedo. Macedo moved into the runner-up position permanently on lap four, transferring his sights to the Hunter Racing/Seneca Energy/No. 10H. A two-lap battle with Kemenah soon turned into a takeover attempt for Macedo, eventually driving around the defending Arctic Cat All Star champion on the topside of the speedway.
While Macedo pulled away at the top of the running order, a battle for second would soon commence with Chad Kemenah, Ryan Smith and fourth row starter Paul Nienhiser all involved. By lap 27, Nienhiser solidified himself in the second position, surviving a two-lap, side-by-side battle with Kemenah. By the time the Chapin, Illinois, native started to close the gap on Macedo, time was already out.
“Our goal is to repeat tomorrow night at Macon Speedway,” Macedo explained. “This is a great team; Joe (Gaerte), Tim and Cindy Norman. I can't thank them all enough for this opportunity.”
With race-to-race travel time a mere 45 minutes, the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will continue their weekend road trip through the Midwest with a Saturday night visit to the Macon Speedway in Macon, Illinois; the self-proclaimed “World’s Fastest 1/5-Mile Clay Oval.” Despite its Central Illinois locale, the smallest oval on the 2017 Arctic Cat All Star schedule has hosted “America’s Series” on seven separate occasions since 1981, the most recent in 2004. Greg Wilson, a former Arctic Cat All Star Series champion, is the last to visit Macon Speedway victory lane during Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions competition.
Macon Speedway will open pit gates at 3:00pm on Saturday, June 10. General admission gates are scheduled to open to the public at 4:00pm, with racing to hit center stage at 7:00pm, sharp. Those seeking additional information, such as reserved seat information and ticket prices, should visit Macon Speedway live on the Web at www.maconracing.com.
Contingency Awards/Results: Lincoln (IL) Speedway - Friday, June 9, 2017:
EMi Driver’s Meeting: 36 entries
State Water Heaters Warm-Ups: Caleb Armstrong - 12.145 seconds
Lincoln Electric Fast Qualifier: Brandon Spithaler - 11.447 seconds
Ford Performance Heat #1: Tony Stewart
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2: Chad Kemenah
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3: Hunter Schuerenberg
Daido Engine Bearings Heat #4: T.J. Michael
JE Pistons Dash #1: Chad Kemenah
Kistler Racing Products Dash #2: Carson Macedo
Classic Ink USA B-Main: Parker Price-Miller
Daido Engine Bearings Main Event Winner: Paul Nienhiser (2nd)
MSD Performance Hard Charger Award: Parker Price-Miller (+11)
Outback Steakhouse A-Main 5th Place Finisher: Ryan Smith
Outback Steakhouse A-Main 10th Place Finisher: Parker Price-Miller
Outback Steakhouse A-Main 15th Place Finisher: Daniel Harding (16th)
(Lincoln Electric, Daido Engine Bearings, MSD Performance, Outback Steakhouse: Need decal to qualify for contingency award)
Qualifying
Group (A)
1. 22x-Bret Tripplett, 11.797; 2. 35-Tyler Esh, 11.805; 3. 14-Tony Stewart, 11.832; 4. 4K-Kody Kinser, 11.856; 5. 95-Hunter Mackison, 12.058; 6. 84-Brandon Hanks, 12.102; 7. 51-John Garvin, 12.349; 8. 47-Jimmy Hurley, 12.386; 9. 10s-Jeremy Standridge, 12.874
Group (B)
1. 2-Parker Price-Miller, 11.531; 2. 10H-Chad Kemenah, 11.626; 3. 59-Ryan Smith, 11.655; 4. 25-Jake Blackhurst, 11.885; 5. 6R-Ryan Bunton, 12.107; 6. 77U-Chris Urish, 12.15; 7. 1M-Jim Moughan, 12.194; 8. 33-Brent Matus, 12.893; 9. 42-Cory Bruns, 13.653
Group ( C )
1. 3G-Carson Macedo, 11.725; 2. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, 11.741; 3. 33M-Max Stambaugh, 11.772; 4. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg, 11.849; 5. 12-Daniel Harding, 12.101; 6. 9-Ryan Linder, 12.243; 7. 44-AJ Bruns, 12.4; 8. 1T-Tyler Shoemaker, 12.853; 9. 9T-Dylan Tuxhorn, 14.026
Group (D)
1. 22-Brandon Spithaler, 11.447; 2. 7C-Caleb Armstrong, 11.802; 3. 17-Caleb Helms, 11.93; 4. 8M-TJ Michael, 11.945; 5. 29-Joey Moughan, 12.131; 6. 13-Brandon Matus, 12.146; 7. 1080-Jordan Mackison, 12.278; 8. 9C-Roger Campbell, 12.425; 9. 23D-Trey Datweiler, 12.872
Heat #1 - Group (A) (10 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer
1. 14-Tony Stewart [2]; 2. 22X-Bret Tripplett [4]; 3. 84-Brandon Hanks [6]; 4. 4K-Kody Kinser [1]; 5. 35-Tyler Esh [3]; 6. 47-Jimmy Hurley [8]; 7. 51-John Garvin [7]; 8. 95-Hunter Mackison [5]; 9. 10S-Jeremy Standridge [9]
Heat #2 - Group (B) (10 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer
1. 10H-Chad Kemenah [3]; 2. 25-Jake Blackhurst [1]; 3. 59-Ryan Smith [2]; 4. 1M-Jim Moughan [7]; 5. 6R-Ryan Bunton [5]; 6. 42-Cory Bruns [9]; 7. 2-Parker Price-Miller [4]; 8. 33-Brent Matus [8]
Heat #3 - Group ( C ) (10 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer
1. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg [1]; 2. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [3]; 3. 3G-Carson Macedo [4]; 4. 33M-Max Stambaugh [2]; 5. 12-Daniel Harding [5]; 6. 44-AJ Bruns [7]; 7. 9-Ryan Linder [6]; 8. 1T-Tyler Shoemaker [8]; 9. 9T-Dylan Tuxhorn [9]
Heat #4 - Group (D) (10 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer
1. 8M-TJ Michael [1]; 2. 17-Caleb Helms [2]; 3. 29-Joey Moughan [5]; 4. 13-Brandon Matus [6]; 5. 7C-Caleb Armstrong [3]; 6. 23D-Trey Datweiler [9]; 7. 22-Brandon Spithaler [4]; 8. 1080-Jordan Mackison [7]; 9. 9C-Roger Campbell [8]
Dash #1 (4 Laps)
1. 10H-Chad Kemenah [2]; 2. 22X-Bret Tripplett [1]; 3. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg [3]; 4. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [4]; 5. 17-Caleb Helms [5]
Dash #2 (4 Laps)
1. 3G-Carson Macedo [2]; 2. 14-Tony Stewart [1]; 3. 59-Ryan Smith [3]; 4. 25-Jake Blackhurst [4]; 5. 8M-TJ Michael [5]
B-Main (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 2-Parker Price-Miller [2]; 2. 95-Hunter Mackison [3]; 3. 22-Brandon Spithaler [1]; 4. 44-AJ Bruns [8]; 5. 1080-Jordan Mackison [5]; 6. 47-Jimmy Hurley [7]; 7. 51-John Garvin [6]; 8. 42-Cory Bruns [14]; 9. 23D-Trey Datweiler [11]; 10. 9C-Roger Campbell [9]; 11. 10S-Jeremy Standridge [12]; 12. 9T-Dylan Tuxhorn [15]; 13. 1T-Tyler Shoemaker [10]; 14. 33-Brent Matus [13]; 15. 9-Ryan Linder [4]; 16. 77U-Chris Urish [16]
A-Main (35 Laps)
1. 3G-Carson Macedo [2]; 2. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [7]; 3. 10H-Chad Kemenah [1]; 4. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg [5]; 5. 59-Ryan Smith [6]; 6. 22X-Bret Tripplett [3]; 7. 84-Brandon Hanks [11]; 8. 25-Jake Blackhurst [8]; 9. 29-Joey Moughan [12]; 10. 2-Parker Price-Miller [21]; 11. 14-Tony Stewart [4]; 12. 17-Caleb Helms [9]; 13. 33M-Max Stambaugh [13]; 14. 7C-Caleb Armstrong [17]; 15. 1M-Jim Moughan [16]; 16. 12-Daniel Harding [19]; 17. 4K-Kody Kinser [14]; 18. 8M-TJ Michael [10]; 19. 13-Brandon Matus [15]; 20. 6R-Ryan Bunton [20]; 21. 95-Hunter Mackison [22]; 22. 44-AJ Bruns [24]; 23. 22-Brandon Spithaler [23]; 24. 35-Tyler Esh [18]; 25. 1080-Jordan Mackison [25] Lap Leaders: Chad Kemenah [1-6]; Carson Macedo [7-35]
Current Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions Standings (June 9, 2017):
1. Chad Kemenah - 2008
2. Caleb Armstrong - 1860
3. Caleb Helms - 1842
4. Ryan Smith - 1830
5. Max Stambaugh - 1648
6. T.J. Michael - 1564
7. Tim Shaffer - 1538
8. Brandon Matus - 1468
9. Brandon Spithaler - 1435
10. Brent Matus - 1394
Additional Arctic Cat All Star Series Info:
Those seeking additional information regarding the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions should visit its official online home at www.allstarsprint.com. Series updates and breaking news will be posted regularly on the official Twitter account of the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions: https://twitter.com/ASCoC. Find full text results from each and every event, as well as an up-to-date schedule, online at www.allstarsprint.com/schedule/.
About the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions:
All Star Enterprises, LLC, wholly owned by Tony Stewart, d/b/a the All Star Circuit of Champions, is a winged sprint car series. The All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series is one of the oldest traveling 410 sprint car organizations and is a staple of grassroots, open-wheel racing. Formed in 1970 by Bud Miller, the series has largely been considered the first 'outlaw' Sprint Car organization of the modern era. After a 10 year stint as owner of the All Stars, Miller passed control of the series to Bert Emick in 1980; a reign that would continue through 2002. Guy Webb then purchased the series from Emick in the summer of 2002 and served as the series President for the next 12 years. Motorsports entrepreneur Tony Stewart agreed to terms with Guy Webb to become the sole owner of the original winged sprint car tour in January of 2015.
About Arctic Cat:
The Arctic Cat brand is among the most widely recognized and respected in the recreational vehicle industry. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and markets all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), side-by-sides and snowmobiles, in addition to related parts, garments and accessories under the Arctic Cat® and Motorfist® brand names. Arctic Cat Inc.’s world headquarters is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More information about Arctic Cat and its products is available at www.ArcticCat.com.
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions
(724) 954-4915
altmeyer119@gmail.com
tyler@tonystewart.com
Sweet Victory at Knoxville Raceway
Posted by: | Comments
World of Outlaws
Contact: Cristina Cordova
World of Outlaws PR
(704) 707-0236 | ccordova@dirtcar.com
Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article
Sweet Battles Rubber to Take Night One at Knoxville
KNOXVILLE, IA - June 9, 2017 - Kasey Kahne Racing driver Brad Sweet scored his second consecutive win (after last week's Jackson Nationals win), second Knoxville Raceway career win, and fourth win of the season during Night One of the Brownells Big Guns Bash at Knoxville Raceway, leading all 25 laps of the Feature from green to checkers after starting on the pole.
The battle between the Outlaws and Team Knoxville began with one of each in the front row - Sweet and Brian Brown. But the unexpected challenger appeared in the form of rubber about 15 laps into the race.
"It's good to be out front when the rubber went down there. I just had to search around," said Sweet. "I made a lot of mistakes there, and honestly, we have a little bit of work to do. We were better earlier in the night and weren't that great right there, for whatever reason, but obviously good enough to hold off Donny and David Gravel. So we must have been pretty good."
Sweet quickly shot to the lead at the start of the race, leaving the battle behind him as first David Gravel and then Shane Stewart fought past Brown, exchanging slide jobs for third.
By Lap 4, Donny Schatz was in on the action, making an outside pass on Brown for fourth. But he didn't stop there. Ten laps in, Schatz sailed past Stewart, after which he began making his play for second. But Gravel wasn't having it.
With ten laps to go, Gravel closed in on Sweet, but the rubber got the better of him.
"I was just conserving my tires there," said Gravel. "Once it took rubber I knew that I didn't really have a shot. I would have liked to have seen if that didn't take rubber. I think it would have been a really good race. I thought I was gaining on [Sweet] and then kind of started taking rubber. We did the best we could tonight."
A few laps later, with seven to go, Gravel was having to fend off Schatz just to hold onto second.
"Actually, I think our car got really good there in the rubber," said Schatz. "At that point you have nothing to hold back on if you're going to try to win the race. They weren't going to make that big a mistake, but we were trying. We were trying to get around [Gravel] and just couldn't make it happen."
Despite the rubbered up top groove, the Outlaws beat out Team Knoxville in Night One, taking all three podium spots with Sweet at the helm, followed by Gravel and Schatz. Knoxville regulars Kerry Madsen and Brian Brown came in fifth and sixth respectively, followed by Hard Charger Ian Madsen, who worked his way up from 13. Last year's Knoxville Nationals Champion Jason Johnson followed I. Madsen in eighth.
The action continues Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway.
Abridged Race Results:
Feature (25 Laps) - 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$10,000]; 2. 5-David Gravel [3][$5,000]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$3,000]; 4. 2-Shane Stewart [5][$2,700]; 5. 2M-Kerry Madsen [6][$2,500]; 6. 21-Brian Brown [2][$2,200]; 7. 18-Ian Madsen [13][$2,000]; 8. 41-Jason Johnson [8][$1,800]; 9. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [9][$1,600]; 10. 24-Terry McCarl [10][$1,450]; 11. 19-Brent Marks [11][$1,300]; 12. 17-Joey Saldana [7][$1,200]; 13. 9-Daryn Pittman [15][$1,100]; 14. 4-Paul McMahan [17][$1,000]; 15. 3-Tim Kaeding [16][$950]; 16. 55-Brooke Tatnell [22][$900]; 17. 2KS-Austin McCarl [12][$850]; 18. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [21][$750]; 19. 11K-Kraig Kinser [18][$725]; 20. 7S-Jason Sides [23][$700]; 21. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [24][$700]; 22. O9-Matt Juhl [20][$700]; 23. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [19][$700]; 24. 1M-Danny Lasoski [14][$700]; Lap Leader: Brad Sweet 1-25; KSE Hard Charger Award: 18-Ian Madsen[+6]
Qualifying Flight-A - 1. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 15.387; 2. 19-Brent Marks, 15.508; 3. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 15.519; 4. 2-Shane Stewart, 15.523; 5. 18-Ian Madsen, 15.526; 6. 20-A.J. Moeller, 15.592; 7. 5-David Gravel, 15.618; 8. 15-Donny Schatz, 15.633; 9. 4-Paul McMahan, 15.642; 10. 9-Daryn Pittman, 15.709; 11. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 15.778; 12. 12-Lynton Jeffrey, 15.808; 13. 82-Cap Henry, 15.809; 14. 44-Chris Martin, 15.877; 15. 49J-Josh Schneiderman, 15.904; 16. 71A-R.J. Johnson, 15.955; 17. 1A-Jacob Allen, 16.06; 18. W20-Greg Wilson, 16.075; 19. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 16.11; 20. 9Z-Jared Goerges, 16.286; 21. 7W-Tasker Phillips, 16.444
Qualifying Flight-B - 1. 17-Joey Saldana, 15.682; 2. 49-Brad Sweet, 15.685; 3. 24-Terry McCarl, 15.729; 4. 2KS-Austin McCarl, 15.803; 5. 21-Brian Brown, 15.852; 6. 55-Brooke Tatnell, 15.923; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 16.04; 8. 41-Jason Johnson, 16.101; 9. 1M-Danny Lasoski, 16.109; 10. O9-Matt Juhl, 16.182; 11. 4X-Dakota Hendrickson, 16.195; 12. 7S-Jason Sides, 16.239; 13. 1B-Dustin Selvage, 16.244; 14. 56N-David Heskin, 16.278; 15. 22-Rager Phillips, 16.381; 16. 3-Tim Kaeding, 16.55; 17. 19P-Paige Polyak, 16.588; 18. 15X-Bobby Mincer, 16.773; 19. 19W-Bobby Weuve, 16.91; 20. 13-Clyde Knipp, 16.987; 21. 85-Chase Wanner, NT
Heat #1 - Flight (A) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer - 1. 2M-Kerry Madsen [1]; 2. 5-David Gravel [4]; 3. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [2]; 4. 18-Ian Madsen [3]; 5. 4-Paul McMahan [5]; 6. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [6]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart [10]; 8. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [8]; 9. 7W-Tasker Phillips [11]; 10. 82-Cap Henry [7]; 11. 1A-Jacob Allen [9]
Heat #2 - Flight (A) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer - 1. 2-Shane Stewart [2]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 3. 19-Brent Marks [1]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [5]; 5. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [6]; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [9]; 7. 44-Chris Martin [7]; 8. 20-A.J. Moeller [3]; 9. 71A-R.J. Johnson [8]; 10. 9Z-Jared Goerges [10]
Heat #3 - Flight (B) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer - 1. 21-Brian Brown [3]; 2. 17-Joey Saldana [1]; 3. 24-Terry McCarl [2]; 4. 1M-Danny Lasoski [5]; 5. 11K-Kraig Kinser [4]; 6. 4X-Dakota Hendrickson [6]; 7. 1B-Dustin Selvage [7]; 8. 22-Rager Phillips [8]; 9. 19W-Bobby Weuve [10]; 10. 19P-Paige Polyak [9]; 11. 85-Chase Wanner [11]
Heat #4 - Flight (B) (8 Laps) - Top 5 Transfer - 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [4]; 3. 2KS-Austin McCarl [2]; 4. 3-Tim Kaeding [8]; 5. O9-Matt Juhl [5]; 6. 7S-Jason Sides [6]; 7. 55-Brooke Tatnell [3]; 8. 56N-David Heskin [7]; 9. 15X-Bobby Mincer [9]; 10. 13-Clyde Knipp [10]
Craftsman Club Dash (6 Laps) - 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 2. 21-Brian Brown [3]; 3. 5-David Gravel [5]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [7]; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [2]; 6. 2M-Kerry Madsen [4]; 7. 17-Joey Saldana [6]; 8. 41-Jason Johnson [8]
C-Main (10 Laps) - Top 2 Transfer - 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5][-]; 2. 1A-Jacob Allen [1][-]; 3. W20-Greg Wilson [3][$150]; 4. 7W-Tasker Phillips [9][$150]; 5. 15X-Bobby Mincer [4][$150]; 6. 19W-Bobby Weuve [6][$125]; 7. 19P-Paige Polyak [2][$125]; 8. 9Z-Jared Goerges [7][$125]; 9. 85-Chase Wanner [8][$125]; 10. 13-Clyde Knipp [11][$125]
Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer - 1. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [3][-]; 2. 55-Brooke Tatnell [2][-]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [6][-]; 4. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [9][-]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [13][$300]; 6. 1B-Dustin Selvage [8][$250]; 7. 71A-R.J. Johnson [11][$225]; 8. 22-Rager Phillips [12][$200]; 9. 82-Cap Henry [5][$200]; 10. 56N-David Heskin [10][$200]; 11. 20-A.J. Moeller [1][$200]; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen [14][$200]; 13. 44-Chris Martin [7][$200]; 14. 4X-Dakota Hendrickson [4][$200]
CONTINGENCY WINNERS: MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Jason Sides; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Brad Sweet; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Brent Marks; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Terry McCarl; Extended Stay America ($50 cash): Brent Marks; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Joey Saldana; Super Flow ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; Craftsman Club Fast Five ($100 cash): Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Shane Stewart, Joey Saldana, Jason Johnson; Craftsman/Sears: Brian Brown; KSE Hard Charger: Ian Madsen; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Brad Sweet; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Sheldon Haudenschild; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Kraig Kinser.
SEASON WINNERS
Donny Schatz - 9 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, LoneStar Speedway on March 3, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 9, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 10, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 18, Missouri State Fair Speedway on May 5, 81 Speedway on May 6, Eldora Speedway May 13);
David Gravel - 8 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 17, Placerville Speedway on March 29, Perris Auto Speedway on April 1, Gator Motorplex on April 13, Plymouth Speedway on April 28, Lincoln Speedway on May 17, Williams Grove on May 19, New Egypt Speedway on May 24.)
Brad Sweet - 4 (Stockton Dirt Track on March 25, Devil’s Bowl on April 15, Jackson Motorplex on June 3, Knoxville Raceway on June 9)
Logan Schuchart - 3 (Keller Auto Speedway on March 31, Eldora Speedway on May 12, Charlotte on May 26)
Jason Johnson - 2 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17, Devil’s Bowl on April 14)
Brian Brown – 1 (Cocopah Speedway on April 7)
Rico Abreu – 1 (Arizona Speedway on April 8)
Shane Stewart – 2 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 20, Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 29)
Parker Price-Miller – 1 (Tri-State Speedway on May 14)
Ian Madsen – 1 (Jackson Motorplex on June 1)
Kerry Madsen – 2 (Jackson Motorplex on June 2)
DANNY CREEDEN SMOKES THE FIELD TO CAPTURE ACCORD SPEEDWAY MODIFIEDS
Posted by: | CommentsACCORD SPEEDWAY NEWS
Accord, NY- Danny Creeden Smokes The Field To Capture Accord Speedway Modifieds
By: Steve Pados, Accord Speedway Media
The 2017 racing season has all of the makings of the summer that was never was as rain, rain and more rain has continuously altered what many families have planned for the so-called summer vacation months. The same can be said for race track promoters as the unpredictable weather has left promoters scrambling for all that can be salvaged. This past Thursday finally saw a break in the weather and placed Promoter Gary Palmer in a total catch-up capacity in order to have the Accord Speedway ready for the Friday night racing action. Palmer accomplished his mission by race time and the seven division show went off without a hitch and produced positive results for some while for others it was back to the shop or garages to attempt to coax more speed out of their race cars. The evening of speed was presented by Williams Lumber. Their website is: www.williamslumber.com The checkered flag bonus was posted by Dreaming of the Mouse Vacations.
Securing wins at the sixth event of the season were "The DC Express" Danny Creeden as he blistered through the field to capture his first Modified win of the season at Accord. Brandon McGill put on a strong show and held off a group of top talent to go on and capture his first win of the season in the Arkel Motors Sportsman division finale. Garden Stater Rich Mellor worked his magic off of the hub rail to earn his first win of the season in his Woodland Trucking sponsored Sprinter. Emerson Cargain Jr regained his winning form to wire the field in the Upstate Auto Pure Stock feature run. Tyler Banks led all of the way to capture the National tour win in the Want Ad Digest Junior Slingshot main event. "The Italian Stallion" Vinny Visconti earned a hard fought win in the WRWD Radio Rookie Sportsman feature and it was his first victory at Accord in a full size division racer.
Richie Eurich blasted into the lead at the start of the United Pump & Tank Modified main with Scott Ferrier in tow. Eurich gave way to Scott Ferrier after some laps of trading the lead back and forth with the narrowest of margins. Jimmy Wells made some early move to become a player and Danny Creeden came hustling forward in his Smokers Choice Sponsored hot rod. Creeden made the most of the race track as he closed the distance between he and Wells and then set out after Ferrier. Creeden dogged Ferrier for a few laps and found the winning move off of turn four on lap twenty. Once in front, Creeden became the man with a plan as he led the remaining laps although the final laps produced a strong running Jimmy Wells and he closed the distance but it would be Creeden capturing the win with Wells in a runner-up role. Scott Ferrier was third with Jesse Marks and Danny Tyler from 17th position rounding out the top five. Heading up the second five were Brad Rothaupt, Joe Judge, Richard Smith, Brian Malcolm and Anthony Perrego.
The Arkel Motors Sportsman main proved to be another fantastic show. Brandon McGill outhustled Milton Mann at the start to assume command of the lead but Mann had ideas of his own and began to apply pressure to McGill from all angles of the raceway. At times Mann was able to pull even only to have McGill squeezing a bit more throttle to his racer to remain at the point. After troubles in his heat event relinquished Kyle Rohner to a 20th position start, the former two time track champion blasted forward and by lap seven had moved into the top five. By the midway point, the race was still a five car battle with McGill, Mann and Rohner now stepping away from the field. With five to go, Mann tried again to unseat McGill but McGill remained a tough hombre and fought off the advances to claim his first win of the season. Mann did a great job as he finally was able to finish a race with a fine runner-up performance. Rohner was third in a stellar drive with Jim Johnson and Tony Kowalchuk completing the top five. Tyler Johnston, Cole Hentschel, Robbie Knipe, Leo Fotopolous and Matt Shultz rounded out the top ten.
The Upstate Auto Pure Stock feature attraction found Emerson Cargain jump out front with a great start and although the field remained close it would be Cargain leading all laps on his way to his first victory at the speedway in a few seasons. John Hechinger was second with Chris Kanuk in an excellent run grabbing third place. Travis Brockner, Steve Williams, Ray Tarantino, Allen Tarantino, Harry Bachman and Tanner Granacker completed the field.
Eric Jennings led the first two laps of the WRWD Radio NEWS Sprint Car finale but a slick running Rich Mellor slipped past him with an excellent move off of the baseline to take over the lead. As they raced back into turns one and two Jennings had climbed to the top of the speedway in an attempt to grab the lead but got sideways and ripped the tail tank off of his sprinter. On the restart, Mellor got a challenge from Heidi Hedin but Mellor turned up the wick and raced to his first win of the season. Jeremy Quick raced hard and grabbed up second late in the race with Heidi Hedin third, Larry Ricci and Larry McVay following. .
Vinny Visconti led the first two laps of the WRWD Radio Rookie Sportsman main but was overtaken by Ryan McCartney on a restart. McCartney would lead for three laps until Visconti would grab the lead back on a restart in lap six. A couple of laps later McCartney and Jake Granacker were seeking the same piece of real estate and got together. On the restart, Visconti was still in command but now would be pressured by Hunter Lapp. Lap twelve found McCartney hard into the Redi Rock wall. On the final restart Visconti held on and captured his win ever in the full size division race cars. Lapp was second in a great run for him, Jimmy Devitt was third, George Begg fourth and Jared Miller fifth. John Miller, Michael Corbin, Jake Granacker, RJ Daley and Tanner Johnson rounded out the top ten.
The National Tour for the Want Ad Digest Junior Slingshot main event found Tyler Banks hustling his JCO Environmental Services hot rod to the front from his outside pole start. Banks pulled away from the field and built up a good lead until young Brock Pinkerous became involved in a losing battle with the second turn boiler plated and getting upside down. Pinkerous was unhurt in the incident. On the restart, it was still Banks at the point but Jake Mason, who was on a five feature win streak at Accord, came a calling. Mason tried everything he had to unseat Banks and even ran side by side on a couple of laps but it would be Tyler Banks earning his first win at Accord and on the National Tour circuit. Mason was a solid second with Tanner VanDoren third, Tyler Ulsh fourth, Shelby McLaughlin fifth and Adam Buchel sixth. Nico Flammer has been a strong runner all season but as he made a bid in his heat event, something went amiss with his racer and withdrew for the evening.
GEMSTONES:
Racing began later than normal as Promoter Gary Palmer put in a ton of extra hours to have the track ready and racy for the evening's events. He accomplished his mission as the track saw four channels of racing taking place and some dared to go five wide. Unfortunately, lightning struck the lap counter during the week and was rendered unusable for the evening.
Heat races were run off quickly and Rich Mellor captured the lone heat for the sprinters. Tanner VanDoren and Tyler Banks captured the Junior Slingshot heats. Rookie heats were claimed by Vinny Visconti and Tanner Johnson. The lone Pure Stock heat was captured by John Hechinger. Sportsman heats went to Leo Fotopolous, Tony Kowalchuk and Robbie Knipe. Modified heats found Danny Creeden, Richie Eurich and Brian Malcolm capturing wins.
Mike Traver returned to action in the Sportsman. Allan Tarantino returned to action in the Pure Stocks. Junior Slingshot drivers included Nico Flammer, Tyler Ulsh, Tanner VanDoren, Adam Buchel, Shelby McLaughlin and Kyle Swart.
The fine folks at Williams Lumber brought out one of their trucks to pace the Modified feature and Sue and Gleason headed up the contingent of Williams folks enjoying the races. They brought along T-shirts, carry bags and hats that were handed out to the feature event winners while Miss Accord Speedway, Michelle Campbell offered shirt and hats out to the crowd.
Grandma Ann's Pies were also handed out to all of the feature winners.
RESULTS:
United Pump & Tank Modifieds: Danny Creeden, Jimmy Wells, Scott Ferrier, Jesse Marks, Danny Tyler, Brad Rothaupt, Joe Judge, Richard Smith, Brian Malcolm, Anthony Perrego, Richie Eurich, Ken Ferrier, Brian Krummel, Mark Pullen, Tyler Treacy, Chad Loiodice, Kyle VanDuser, Kevin Ward, Ed Dachenhausen
Arkel Motors Sportsman: Brandon McGill, Milton Mann, Kyle Rohner, Jimmy Johnson, Tony Kowalchuk, Tyler Johnston, Cole Hentschel, Robbie Knipe, Leo Fotopolous, Matt Shultz, Austin Smith, Dave Demorest, Jim Kraus, Michael Traver, Shane Henion, Mike DuBois, Ralph Ronk, Nick Plumstead, Corey Cormier, Chris VanDuser
WRWD Radio NEWS Sprint Cars: Rich Mellor, Jeremy Quick, Heidi Hedin, Larry Ricci, Larry McVay, Eric Jennings, Brandon Gates
Upstate Auto Pure Stocks: Emerson Cargain, John Hechinger, Chris Kanuk, Travis Brockner, Steve Williams, Ray Tarantino, Alan Tarantino, Harry Bachman, Tanner Granacker
WRWD Radio Rookie Sportsman: Vinny Visconti, Hunter Lapp, Jimmy Devitt, George Begg, Jared Miller, John Miller, Michael Corbin, Jake Granacker, RJ Daley, Tanner Johnson, Ryan McCartney, Fred Smith, Jeff Higham, Stan Vishinski, Brandon Daley, Mike DuBois Jr
Want Ad Digest Junior Slingshots: (Tour Event) Tyler Banks, Jake Mason, Tanner VanDoren, Tyler Ulsh, Shelby McLaughlin, Adam Buchel, Brock Pinkerous, Kyle Swart, Nico Flammer (DNS)
Racing is on tap every Friday night at Accord Speedway from April through September. Please make note of the new starting times: Pit Gates open at 5:00; Spectator Gates open at 5:30; Hot Laps begin at 7:00 and the racing begins at 7:30 PM. Admission for Adults $14.00; Seniors (65+) $12.00; Children $3.00 (11+ under) Indoor Seating $20.00; Family four pack special: 2 Adults + 2 Children and $20.00 in Accord Bucks for $44.00 (a savings of $10.00)
Special event shows do have an increase in admission.
June 16th brings in all regular divisions for action on a night sponsored by our good friends at Dig Safely. The evening of speed will also highlight the return of the Emmanuel's Marketplace 4-Cylinder Enduro event.
June 23rd will bring in Kingston Nissan to the speedway along with Bike Night and the Northeast Vintage Modifieds
For further updates and information regarding all of the news and additions to the Accord Speedway, log on to their well documented website at: www.accordspeedway.com or call the speedway hotline at: 845 626 3478.
At the Accord Speedway............................................
A TRAIL OF DIRT LEADS RIGHT TO OUR DOOR
PICKENS DOUBLES DOWN AT PUTNAMVILLE FOR 2ND STRAIGHT INDIANA MIDGET WEEK VICTORY
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The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
PICKENS DOUBLES DOWN AT PUTNAMVILLE FOR 2ND STRAIGHT INDIANA MIDGET WEEK VICTORY
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Putnamville, Indiana......June 8, 2017 - A standing ovation is reserved for a performance that transcends the ordinary.
What is considered the common or run-of-the-mill may be admirable, but when an individual witnesses one of those handful of instances when the stars align to create a lasting image that will be ingrained in memory, the event is elevated to a status above the norm.
Michael Pickens performance in the final laps of Thursday's Indiana Midget Week round at Lincoln Park Speedway was certainly not ordinary and the audience responded in kind by rising to their feet and applauding the New Zealand driver who captivated them in a mesmerizing five-lap sequence.
One night after bringing a healthy contingent of supporters from his homeland to their feet with a victory at Gas City, Pickens directed an academy award winning performance. In true dramatic fashion, Pickens kept the large crowd in suspense as he saved his best performance for the final act, swapping the race lead back-and-forth between he and Spencer Bayston in a dramatic finish that's fate wasn't decided until the final corner.
Pickens' victory brought race fans to a fever pitch as the veteran driver finally begins to receive his due as one of the top drivers in the sport of midget racing and an international racing star with his electric stage act that has the U.S. midget racing scene abuzz.
Pickens' night began in a completely different light after pulling off in the first practice session without taking a single lap at speed. Apparently, two laps were all that were necessary as the 34-year-old from Auckland set ProSource Fast Qualifying time in his Brett & Leigh Morris/Seamount Racing - Tony Elliott Foundation/King/GRD Toyota.
Funny enough, after being docked two rows in Wednesday night's feature at Gas City for arriving late to pre-race staging, Pickens was the first car to hit the track Thursday at Lincoln Park, making sure that he wouldn't have to make his job any more difficult than it already was.
Pickens would start six, but for the third consecutive night, USAC/ARDC point leader Alex Bright began the feature event from the pole and, as he did in the IMW opener at Montpelier, would jump his way out to the lead on the opening lap.
Back a handful of positions behind Bright was fifth-running Pickens who, on the fifth lap would find himself nearly running into trouble as he got sideways and airborne after elevating all four wheels off the ground. He would gather it up and ride on, but not without losing a position to drop to six.
While much of the field remained on the bottom, Bayston was the top front runner to venture to the outside and pass at will in the first third of the 30-lap event. Sure enough, those dues he paid up top would pay off as he entered the top-three on the eighth lap around the outside of Chad Boat, then swooped to the bottom to swipe Boat's line away on the bottom entry into turn one.
Bayston's crew had replaced the powerplant of the No. 97 prior to the feature event after finishing second in the third heat race. The engine was a songbird as Bayston stuck to his guns to complete the same move on Brent Beauchamp for second into the first turn on lap 11 and, a lap later, the lead would be his own after utilizing another outside pass around A. Bright.
Immediately, Bayston opened up a substantial gap for the lead until a lap 15 yellow for a Tyler Thomas/Brayton Lynch turn two tangle brought out the yellow at the halfway point. Shortly after the ensuing restart, eighth-running Gage Walker received contact to the rear bumper that sent him sideways at the entrance of turn three, collecting Lynch, as another yellow flag hit the speedway.
Time and again, Bayston was a force on the restarts and, on the lap 17 resumption, the 2015 series Rookie of the Year would jump out to an eight car-length lead over Bright. With 12 to go, the push was on as Bright slid up the track in turn two, allowing Boat to squeeze underneath for second.
Meanwhile, Pickens began to pound the cushion entering turn one with the right rear, then instantly flicked the steering wheel to the left and used the momentum from diamonding down the hill to blast around Bright for third.
Following a caution for the stoppage of reigning Putnamville Indiana Midget Week winner Tanner Thorson and Ronnie Gardner, Pickens continued to hold down his own patented line, entering turn one higher than any man or woman had ventured as he kept tabs on Bayston.
An outside backstretch pass for second around Boat moved Pickens to second on the leaderboard with just eight laps remaining. With anticipation building and senses working overtime, the decreasing gap between the two was increasingly visible as voices from the crowd began to murmur in excitement about the potential finish with the tension so evident, you could feel it seeping into your pores.
Pickens had closed to the tail of Bayston with five to go when sixth-running Brent Beauchamp attempted to exit the track after losing power, but was not able to get far away enough off the racing surface to set up one final shootout for the win.
The final five laps will be remembered for those in attendance as one of the most exciting midget racing duels in Lincoln Park Speedway's history, immediately bringing to mind Kyle Larson and Bryan Clauson's savage duel in 2011. Yet again, though, Bayston was strong enough on the restart to gap Pickens who stayed true to the top and his diamonding pattern off turns one and three to find any extra ounce of speed he could get like a downhill skier.
On laps 26, 27 and 28, Pickens was able to get a big enough launch from the turn one berm, but the momentum would cease off the exit where Bayston was strong enough to keep Pickens an arm's distance away. Through turns three and four, Bayston took the high road as Pickens followed suit.
Coming to the white flag, Pickens attacked the cushion like a rabid animal, lifting the left side wheels off the ground as he flat-footed the turn three cushion and countered underneath off of four to beat Bayston to the stripe with one to go. Pickens, who had so spectacularly executed the entry into turn one time-after-time, wasn't so graceful on his final entry as he bounced his way through the corner, getting completely with a half-spin that caused a slight disruption in his rhythm before pointing his car in the right direction as Bayston pulled alongside underneath.
Amazingly, little ground was lost as Pickens regained control and stood on the pedal to pull even with Bayston halfway down the back straight. Both entered the high line in three with Bayston a couple car lengths ahead, but Pickens had his plan stapled to his mind as he countered below Bayston in a wheel-to-wheel drag race to the line that Pickens prevailed in by a single car length.
It was Pickens fourth-career USAC National Midget victory and his second in as many nights to become the first driver to win consecutive races in a single Indiana Midget Week since Bryan Clauson in 2009! By virtue of finishes of 2nd, 1st and 1st in the first three Indiana Midget Week feature, Pickens now holds a 31-point lead over Brady Bacon at the midway point of the six-race series.
Lebanon, Indiana's Spencer Bayston just narrowly missed his second career USAC win and his second straight year with an Indiana Midget Week victory, coming home second in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Curb Records - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota.
Tyler Courtney's crew had to swap out the engine overnight after mechanical trouble sidelined the Montpelier winner the previous night at Gas City. A rough start and a 20th place starting position would not hold back Courtney as he raced to a third-place finish to earn KSE Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race in his Clauson-Marshall Racing/Driven 2 Save Lives - Indiana Donor Network/Spike/Stanton SR-11.
Contingency award winners Thursday night at Lincoln Park Speedway include Michael Pickens (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Ronnie Gardner (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Tanner Carrick (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Alex Bright (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Zach Daum (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner), Tyler Courtney (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Dave Darland (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher) and Holly Shelton (ProSource Hard Work Award).
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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 8, 2017 - Putnamville, Indiana - Lincoln Park Speedway - 13th "Indiana Midget Week"
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Michael Pickens, 1NZ, Seamount-13.036; 2. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-13.133; 3. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.150; 4. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.159; 5. Rico Abreu, 21, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.218; 6. Shane Golobic, 17w, Clauson-Marshall/Wood-13.227; 7. Steve Buckwalter, 25B, Buckwalter-13.262; 8. Chance Morton, 7MF, Morton-13.322; 9. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-13.349; 10. Brent Beauchamp, 11B, B & B-13.360; 11. Alex Bright, 77, Bright-13.369; 12. Jerry Coons Jr., 25, Petry/Goff-13.375; 13. Courtney Crone, 25c, Rodela-13.379; 14. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.387; 15. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-13.394; 16. Justin Grant, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.424; 17. Ronnie Gardner, 25x, Rodela-13.485; 18. Brenden Bright, 92, Bright-13.486; 19. Gage Walker, 7, Walker-13.508; 20. Dave Darland, 11, Gray-13.545; 21. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.546; 22. Ryan Greth, 4R, Lesher-13.566; 23. Michael Koontz, 17K, Koontz-13.574; 24. Zach Daum, 5D, Daum-13.587; 25. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.588; 26. Brayton Lynch, 1K, RKR-13.602; 27. Jake Neuman, 3N, Neuman-13.646; 28. Davey Ray, 33, Team RAYPRO-13.659; 29. Jimi Quin, 8GQ, Quin-13.702; 30. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.731; 31. Trey Marcham, 32, Marcham-13.946; 32. Kade Morton, 8m, Morton-14.286; 33. Cole Fehr, 15F, Live Loud-14.464; 34. Kyle Jones, 04, Hefler-14.773; 35. Paul Raynes, 7x, Seven-15.095; 36. Andrew Felker, 37, Felker-NT; 37. Tony DiMattia, 50, DiMattia-NT
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Gardner, 2. Abreu, 3. Thorson, 4. Pickens, 5. Courtney, 6. Boat, 7. Quin, 8. Fehr, 9. Crone. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Carrick, 2. Beauchamp, 3. Bacon, 4. Greth, 5. Golobic, 6. B. Bright, 7. Shelton, 8. Lynch, 9. Jones. NT
CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. A. Bright, 2. Bayston, 3. Walker, 4. Thomas, 5. Koontz, 6. Buckwalter, 7. Neuman, 8. Marcham, 9. Raynes. NT
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Daum, 2. Grant, 3. Darland, 4. Coons, 5. Robinson, 6. C. Morton, 7. K. Morton, 8. Ray. 2:17.52
SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Golobic, 2. Courtney, 3. Boat, 4. Shelton, 5. Robinson, 6. Lynch, 7. B. Bright, 8. Quin, 9. Neuman, 10. Jones, 11. Fehr, 12. Raynes, 13. Koontz, 14. Buckwalter, 15. Marcham, 16. K. Morton, 17. C. Morton. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Michael Pickens, 2. Spencer Bayston, 3. Tyler Courtney, 4. Rico Abreu, 5. Justin Grant, 6. Shane Golobic, 7. Chad Boat, 8. Brady Bacon, 9. Alex Bright, 10. Jerry Coons, Jr., 11. Ryan Robinson, 12. Zach Daum, 13. Dave Darland, 14. Holly Shelton, 15. Tyler Thomas, 16. Tanner Carrick, 17. Brayton Lynch, 18. Ronnie Gardner, 19. Brent Beauchamp, 20. Tanner Thorson, 21. Gage Walker, 22. Ryan Greth. NT
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**Felker flipped during qualifying. Crone flipped during the first heat.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-12 A. Bright, Laps 13-28 Bayston, Laps 29-30 Pickens
KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Tyler Courtney (20th to 3rd)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Dave Darland
PROSOURCE HARD WORK AWARD: Holly Shelton
NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bacon-421, 2-Bayston-380, 3-Golobic-331, 4-Grant-330, 5-Thorson-330, 6-Courtney-291, 7-Coons-276, 8-A. Bright-260, 9-Boat-254, 10-Thomas-237.
NEW USAC INDIANA MIDGET WEEK POINTS: 1-Pickens-236, 2-Bacon-205, 3-Bayston-194, 4-Golobic-180, 5-Courtney-178, 6-Abreu-178, 7-A. Bright-167, 8-Grant-162, 9-Thorson-155, 10-Boat-147.
NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: June 9 - Bloomington, Indiana - Bloomington Speedway - 13th "Indiana Midget Week"
- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
COURTNEY CONNECTS ON FIRST USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WIN IN MONTPELIER INDIANA MIDGET WEEK OPENER
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Montpelier, Indiana.........June 6, 2017 - Just four nights ago, Tyler Courtney had yet to break into the win column in USAC competition for 2017.
A mere four nights later, the Indianapolis, Indiana native is two victories richer following last Friday night's USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car score at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Nebraska, before the latest triumph - his very first USAC National Midget points-paying victory - in Tuesday's opener for the 13th installment of Indiana Midget Week at Montpelier Motor Speedway.
The 23-year-old driver used the bottom to slip past Alex Bright for the lead on the fifth lap, then immediately fended off a slider thrown by hard-charging Brady Bacon. Courtney then mastered a late-race restart to drive away for a commanding win to become the first driver ever to earn both his first USAC National Midget and National Sprint Car wins in Indiana Midget Week and Indiana Sprint Week.
The 2016 Gas City "Sprint Week" winner began Tuesday night's race from the fifth spot, but quickly became a challenger after moving to third on the opening lap. Meanwhile, up front, pole sitter Alex Bright held the point as Zach Daum pursued. On lap four, Daum scampered to the high side to complete the pass of race leader Bright exiting turn two, but the yellow flag fell for a spinning Tanner Carrick before the lap could be scored, thus negating Daum's good fortune.
On the restart, the battle at the front became a three-car dance as the trio stacked up wheel-to-wheel-to-wheel with Bacon, Courtney and Bright even-Steven exiting the second turn. One lap later, Courtney skimmed the bottom lane to take ownership of the lead between turns one and two.
"With how many good guys we had up front like Michael (Pickens) and (Kyle) Larson, I knew we had to go to the bottom at the beginning," Courtney recalls. "I knew those guys were able to stay with me up top, so once I got past them, I knew I was going to have to get back to the top. I did that and, luckily, it started cleaning off and getting dark, so I knew I needed to stay up there because it was going to take rubber pretty soon. I feel like I had my own line in (turns) three and four by going in high and coming across the bottom. That worked for me in the heat race and I stuck with it in the feature."
Following the same trail as Courtney was Bacon, who slid across the bottom of turn three to the top of four in front of Bright for second. He then immediately pointed his arrow squarely in the direction of race leader Courtney. Brady took a run at Courtney, serving up a slider exiting turn two on the sixth lap. Bacon came up short, and lost a tad of momentum, allowing Courtney to break away.
"In conditions like that, you just have to stay in it and hope he knows well enough not to just keep going and take both he and you out, especially when both of us are racing for a championship. Brady's a smart racer, obviously. There was a little bit of worry, but you just have to make sure you pull your belts tight and keep going after it. The race is just 30 laps and you have to get going when you have guys like that behind you and you know they're coming after you. You must play defense with these guys because they'll be playing offense when you're in the lead."
With 20 laps remaining, Courtney's burst saw him expand his lead to a full-straightaway as he attacked lapped traffic with authority until a yellow with three to go slowed his pace for the stopped car of Tyler Thomas. By rule, the lapped cars between first and second moved to the tail of the field at that point, erasing the substantial gap that Courtney had constructed.
When the green dropped, a mad scramble ensued for the runner-up spot as Michael Pickens, Bacon, Bright and defending Montpelier winner Kyle Larson all wagered for the runner-up spot. All that did was allow Courtney to pull away unchallenged and unscathed on the final circuits to land his first USAC Midget points win in his Clauson-Marshall Racing/Driven 2 Save Lives - Indiana Donor Network/Spike/Stanton SR-11 over Pickens, Larson, Bacon and Bright.
"I knew it was going to be tough when they took those lapped cars out. That's the rule and, I know when I'm running second, I'm excited when they take the lapped cars out because it gives you a fresh chance at the leader. Luckily, we were good enough tonight to where we didn't have to battle anybody there at the end. It made my job a little bit easier."
The win snapped Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports' seemingly unrelenting grasp on the Indiana Midget Week series in which his drivers had won seven feature events in a row dating to 2015 coming into Tuesday night's event. The name Clauson has its fingerprints on the bookends surrounding KKM's IMW winning streak. Bryan Clauson raced to victory in the last event prior to the KKM's lengthy succession of wins, while Tuesday's was captured by a car fielded by Bryan's father, Tim Clauson.
The Clauson-Marshall Racing team has already proven themselves to be a formidable foe to challenge Kunz/Curb-Agajanian's reign of supremacy in its first full-year of existence, with Justin Grant also nabbing a win in the season opener at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin.
"I think we're definitely on our way," Courtney believes. "With that said, Keith has one heck of a lineup. They've definitely proven what they've got. Our goal this year was to come in and make them get up on their heels. I feel like we've got them a little bit against the ropes right now, but I know they're going to dig deep and they're going to come back at us just like we're going at them right now. It's going to be fun. It's not easy to win these races and you have to take advantage of them every chance you get. You can never take them for granted. That's what we love about racing and competition. I have a ton of respect for Pete and Keith and all those guys over there. They've got a hell of a group over there racing against us. It's going to be tough, but this is why we race. This is why we do what we do."
Auckland, New Zealand's Michael Pickens returned to the Indiana Midget Week tour for the first time since 2014, taking second-place honors in his Brett & Leigh Morris/Seamount Racing - Tony Elliott Foundation/King/GRD Toyota.
Kyle Larson used a rare day off between Monster Energy NASCAR Cup duties to play in the dirt where he made a late-race charge to run third in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Walker Filtration - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota.
Contingency award winners Tuesday night at Montpelier Motor Speedway include Kyle Larson (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Shane Golobic (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner & KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Tanner Thorson (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Tanner Carrick (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Spencer Bayston (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner), Davey Ray (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher) and Jerry Coons, Jr. (ProSource Hard Work Award).
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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 6, 2017 - Montpelier, Indiana - Montpelier Motor Speedway - 13th "Indiana Midget Week"
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Kyle Larson, 21, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.965; 2. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall/Wood-14.102; 3. Michael Pickens, 1nz, Morris-14.346; 4. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-14.386; 5. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-14.419; 6. Ryan Greth, 4R, Lesher-14.429; 7. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.456; 8. Zach Daum, 5D, Daum-14.466; 9. Alex Bright, 77, Bright-14.578; 10. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.586; 11. Rico Abreu, 97k, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.591; 12. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.622; 13. Trey Marcham, 32, Marcham-14.625; 14. Steve Buckwalter, 25B, Buckwalter-14.679; 15. Justin Grant, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-14.690; 16. Dave Darland, 11, Gray-14.718; 17. Shane Golobic, 17w, Clauson/Marshall/Wood-14.769; 18. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-14.886; 19. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-14.922; 20. Tony DiMattia, 50, DiMattia-14.947; 21. Davey Ray, 33, Team RAYPRO-14.949; 22. Ronnie Gardner, 25x, Rodela-14.965; 23. Tanner Carrick, 71lk, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.997; 24. Holly Shelton, 67k, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-15.009; 25. Justin Peck, 7k, Irwin-15.013; 26. Kyle Jones, 04, Hefler-15.053; 27. Brayton Lynch, 1k, Kunz-15.084; 28. Jerry Coons Jr., 25, Petry/Goff-15.093; 29. Chris Baue, 2, Baue-15.240; 30. Jimi Quin, 8GQ, Quin-15,256; 31. Michael Koontz, 17k. Koontz-15.323; 32. Kade Morton, 8M, Morton-15.436; 33. Brad Kraus, 6B, Knaus-15.445; 34. Justin Dickerson, 21D, Dickerson-15.514; 35. Chance Morton, 7MF, Morton-15.538; 36. Jake Neuman, 3N, Neuman-15.608; 37. Ryan Secrest, 17o, Koontz-15.753; 38. Courtney Crone, 25c, Rodela-15.770; 39. Tylar Rankin, 95, Rankin-16.236; 40. Gage Walker, 47, Mason-NT; 41. Tyler Nelson, 88T, Nelson-NT.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Golobic, 2. Ray, 3. Larson, 4. Thomas, 5. Bright, 6. Marcham, 7. Peck, 8. Baue, 9. Kraus, 10. Seacrest. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Thorson, 2. Courtney, 3. Gardner, 4. Windom, 5. Buckwalter, 6. Greth, 7. Crone, 8. Quin, 9. Jones, 10. Dickerson. NT
CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Carrick, 2. Pickens, 3. Grant, 4. Boat, 5. Abreu, 6. Chance Morton, 7. Robinson, 8. Lynch, 9. Koontz, 10. Rankin. NT
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bayston, 2. Daum, 3. Coons, 4. Bacon, 5. Shelton, 6. Darland, 7. Neuman, 8. DiMattia, 9. Kade Morton. 2:55.38
C-MAIN: (10 laps) 1. Chance Morton, 2. Neuman, 3. Crone, 4. Dickerson, 5. Kraus, 6. Seacrest. NT
SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Thomas, 2. Robinson, 3. Abreu, 4. Ray, 5. Darland, 6. Shelton, 7. Buckwalter, 8. Chance Morton, 9. Jones, 10. Koontz, 11. Crone, 12. Dickerson, 13. Neuman, 14. Lynch, 15. Greth, 16. DiMattia, 17. Quin, 18. Lynch. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Tyler Courtney, 2. Michael Pickens, 3. Kyle Larson, 4. Brady Bacon, 5. Alex Bright, 6. Shane Golobic, 7. Justin Grant, 8. Tanner Thorson, 9. Ryan Robinson, 10. Spencer Bayston, 11. Chad Boat, 12. Tanner Carrick, 13. Davey Ray, 14. Rico Abreu, 15. Chris Windom, 16. Justin Peck, 17. Zach Daum, 18. Dave Darland, 19. Holly Shelton, 20. Ronnie Gardner, 21. Jerry Coons Jr., 22. Jake Neuman, 23. Tyler Thomas. NT
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**Quin flipped during the semi.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Bright, Laps 5-30 Courtney.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Shane Golobic (14th-6th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH-PLACE FINISHER: Davey Ray
PROSOURCE HARD WORK AWARD: Jerry Coons Jr.
NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bacon-285, 2-Bayston-237, 3-Thorson-232, 4-Grant-226, 5-Golobic-214, 6-Coons-198, 7-Robinson-162, 8-Bright-157, 9-Boat-153, 10-Darland-148.
NEW USAC INDIANA MIDGET WEEK POINTS: 1-Courtney-82, 2-Pickens-78, 3-Larson-77, 4-Bacon-69, 5-Bright-64, 6-Golobic-63, 7-Grant-58, 8-Thorson-57, 9-Bayston-51, 10-Robinson-49.
NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: June 7 - Gas City (IN) I-69 Speedway - 13th "Indiana Midget Week"
