Friday, April 21 2006
Jeffrey A. Shackelford (1962-2006) Honored at Winston Motor Speedway
West Michigan race fans came out to Winston Motor Speedway Friday April 21st to catch some great racing and pay their respect to one of our local racing heroes. Long time area racer and Michigan Modified driver Jeff Shackelford had lost his battle with cancer during the week. Jeff exemplified what we hope every driver and person should be. Jeff was a loving husband, father and son. Jeff’s courage, his caring attitude along with his competitiveness on the track is something we all learned from. The most important event of the night for The Winston Motor Speedway racing family was to celebrate and pay tribute to his life. The Michigan Modified feature was led out onto the track with Jeff’s father taking two laps around the track in Jeff’s #2 Modified before pulling into victory lane. With all of the Modified drivers out of their cars on the front stretch a moment of silence preceded the pouring of Jeff’s ashes around his car in victory lane. At the start of the race a parade lap had all of the drivers and fans waving two fingers in the air in his honor. Jeff’s wife Penny took the flag stand to start the Modified feature showing the same type of courage Jeff had shown during his trying time. In Dale Earnhardt eeriness a caution came out on lap two of the Modified event. Jeff had to be smiling from the heavens. We will miss Jeff but a part of him will be with us forever.
In racing action Late Model driver Tim Stott set the early pace from his pole position before his left front tire came off coming out of turn four and resting up against the front stretch wall. The point was taken by Ed Reyes who found himself racing door to door with Kevin Nelson for the next five laps. These two drivers had the fans on their feet as neither was going to give way. A slight bobble by Reyes gave the lead to Nelson on lap twelve. Nelson continued to hold the top spot and go onto win his second feature of the season in two weeks of racing at Winston. The race for second turned out to be a wild one as Tom Dusen went from fourth to second never lifting off the throttle using the high side to get around third place finisher Rich Neiser and fourth place finisher Reyes. Tom Sprague Jr. completed the top five. Heats were won by Rob Taylor and Sprague Jr. Reyes won the Dash event. Dusen was the fastest in Time Trials.
The Michigan Modified feature saw double duty racer Rich Nesier make his way to the front on lap five with an inside move on leader Ray Wiggers coming out of turn two. Neiser hit all of his marks for the rest of the evening picking up his first win of the season. The race for second was close as Mike Wilburn edged Roger Steig for the runner-up spot. Tim Tuttle and Nate Bostrom rounded out the top five. In Heat race action Roger Flynn III and Neiser took checkered flags. Tuttle took Dash honors. John McCaul was the quick qualifier.
Four time Sportsman champion Greg Smith took advantage of an early caution and some great driving to move from fifth to first in one lap in their main event. Out front Smith was on cruise control leading every lap and winning by twenty car lengths. The race for second was won by Mike Welch. Ken Fitzgibbon, Brian Juusola, and Vinny Homan completed the top five. The Heat race was won by Bud Steinman. Smith swept the Dash and Time Trial events.
The Bomber division provided the best main event of the night. Early leader Stan Dodds was pressured hard from Tim Jeffries in the early going. Before the end of the night Dodds would suffer mechanical problems ended his evening while Jeffries luck was not as good as Dodds. Contact with another car along the backstretch saw Jeffries on his roof over the backstretch banking. Jeffries was OK but his car was worse for wear. The new front- runners Jerry Fairchild and Nathan Walton had the fans on their feet. They exchanged the point three times in the last three laps before Walton secured the top spot and the win. Walton’s win was his first since moving up from the Mini Stock division after winning a track championship in 2005. Fairchild was second followed by Jamie Lorenze, Eric Wadkins, and Bob Shirk. Heat Races were won by Mike Epplett, Stan Dodds, and Tim Jeffries. The “B” feature earned transfer spots for Wadkins, Duane Townsend, Justin Gilmore and Justin Gilland. Rich Seymour was credited with the win for the “B” feature.
Carl McCann led from start to finish in the Mini Stock division. Jared Guinn raced his way to second only to run out of laps as he was right on McCann’s bumper at the finish line. Mark Farber was third followed by Tom Guy and Nathan Tarte. Tom Guy won the Heat race.
In the Young Gun Division it was all Blake Meyering. Every lap of the Young Gun Division on the night was led from Meyering as he swept both Main event and Heat races. Second in the feature belonged to Chris Rice who edged Tyler Wagner for the runner-up spot. Kiley Kennedy and Adam Spencer completed the top five.
The rave so far this season has been the two and three abreast racing. The new clay that was added has been paying dividends to both the drivers and fans. Back to back weeks of 90 plus racecars and stands packed with people has the West Michigan racing community buzzing. For the Best in Family Entertainment along the Lakeshore make your way to Winston Motor Speedway.
Jeffrey A. Shackelford (1962-2006) Honored at Winston Motor Speedway
West Michigan race fans came out to Winston Motor Speedway Friday April 21st to catch some great racing and pay their respect to one of our local racing heroes. Long time area racer and Michigan Modified driver Jeff Shackelford had lost his battle with cancer during the week. Jeff exemplified what we hope every driver and person should be. Jeff was a loving husband, father and son. Jeff’s courage, his caring attitude along with his competitiveness on the track is something we all learned from. The most important event of the night for The Winston Motor Speedway racing family was to celebrate and pay tribute to his life. The Michigan Modified feature was led out onto the track with Jeff’s father taking two laps around the track in Jeff’s #2 Modified before pulling into victory lane. With all of the Modified drivers out of their cars on the front stretch a moment of silence preceded the pouring of Jeff’s ashes around his car in victory lane. At the start of the race a parade lap had all of the drivers and fans waving two fingers in the air in his honor. Jeff’s wife Penny took the flag stand to start the Modified feature showing the same type of courage Jeff had shown during his trying time. In Dale Earnhardt eeriness a caution came out on lap two of the Modified event. Jeff had to be smiling from the heavens. We will miss Jeff but a part of him will be with us forever.
In racing action Late Model driver Tim Stott set the early pace from his pole position before his left front tire came off coming out of turn four and resting up against the front stretch wall. The point was taken by Ed Reyes who found himself racing door to door with Kevin Nelson for the next five laps. These two drivers had the fans on their feet as neither was going to give way. A slight bobble by Reyes gave the lead to Nelson on lap twelve. Nelson continued to hold the top spot and go onto win his second feature of the season in two weeks of racing at Winston. The race for second turned out to be a wild one as Tom Dusen went from fourth to second never lifting off the throttle using the high side to get around third place finisher Rich Neiser and fourth place finisher Reyes. Tom Sprague Jr. completed the top five. Heats were won by Rob Taylor and Sprague Jr. Reyes won the Dash event. Dusen was the fastest in Time Trials.
The Michigan Modified feature saw double duty racer Rich Nesier make his way to the front on lap five with an inside move on leader Ray Wiggers coming out of turn two. Neiser hit all of his marks for the rest of the evening picking up his first win of the season. The race for second was close as Mike Wilburn edged Roger Steig for the runner-up spot. Tim Tuttle and Nate Bostrom rounded out the top five. In Heat race action Roger Flynn III and Neiser took checkered flags. Tuttle took Dash honors. John McCaul was the quick qualifier.
Four time Sportsman champion Greg Smith took advantage of an early caution and some great driving to move from fifth to first in one lap in their main event. Out front Smith was on cruise control leading every lap and winning by twenty car lengths. The race for second was won by Mike Welch. Ken Fitzgibbon, Brian Juusola, and Vinny Homan completed the top five. The Heat race was won by Bud Steinman. Smith swept the Dash and Time Trial events.
The Bomber division provided the best main event of the night. Early leader Stan Dodds was pressured hard from Tim Jeffries in the early going. Before the end of the night Dodds would suffer mechanical problems ended his evening while Jeffries luck was not as good as Dodds. Contact with another car along the backstretch saw Jeffries on his roof over the backstretch banking. Jeffries was OK but his car was worse for wear. The new front- runners Jerry Fairchild and Nathan Walton had the fans on their feet. They exchanged the point three times in the last three laps before Walton secured the top spot and the win. Walton’s win was his first since moving up from the Mini Stock division after winning a track championship in 2005. Fairchild was second followed by Jamie Lorenze, Eric Wadkins, and Bob Shirk. Heat Races were won by Mike Epplett, Stan Dodds, and Tim Jeffries. The “B” feature earned transfer spots for Wadkins, Duane Townsend, Justin Gilmore and Justin Gilland. Rich Seymour was credited with the win for the “B” feature.
Carl McCann led from start to finish in the Mini Stock division. Jared Guinn raced his way to second only to run out of laps as he was right on McCann’s bumper at the finish line. Mark Farber was third followed by Tom Guy and Nathan Tarte. Tom Guy won the Heat race.
In the Young Gun Division it was all Blake Meyering. Every lap of the Young Gun Division on the night was led from Meyering as he swept both Main event and Heat races. Second in the feature belonged to Chris Rice who edged Tyler Wagner for the runner-up spot. Kiley Kennedy and Adam Spencer completed the top five.
The rave so far this season has been the two and three abreast racing. The new clay that was added has been paying dividends to both the drivers and fans. Back to back weeks of 90 plus racecars and stands packed with people has the West Michigan racing community buzzing. For the Best in Family Entertainment along the Lakeshore make your way to Winston Motor Speedway.
