Anderson Wins Sportsman Invitational at Winston Speedway

Friday, July 4 2007
Anderson Wins Sportsman Invitational at Winston Speedway
The Port City Racing Sportsman Invitational highlighted the events at Winston Speedway on Friday July 6th. Another near capacity crowd was treated to great racing and an awesome display of “Fireworks”. The pit area was packed with 108 racecars. For many on hand the biggest highlight of the night was watching one of Winston’s true gentlemen pick up his first career main event win at the youthful age of sixty. Mike Anderson not only won his first main event, it came in biggest race of the season for Sportsman division. Anderson started racing at the seasoned age of fifty-four. Anderson’s reputation is nothing less than one of the most well liked and respected drivers in the pit area. Anderson proved tonight that “Nice Guys” can finish first.

The twenty-five laps of the Sportsman Invitational main event had to seem like a hundred to Mike Anderson. Starting on the pole Anderson was able to hold off some of the best Sportsman drivers in the state to pick up the $500 Port City Racing winners check. The win did not come easy. Anderson was pressured early by last week’s feature winner Jamie Gilmore. Late in the race Anderson would have to hold off three- time “Great Lakes Nationals” winner Ralph Sternberg. In both cases Anderson rose to the occasion. Anderson raced a perfect line from start to finish. Ralph Sternberg finished in the second spot followed Gilmore, Rob Sternberg, and Brian Lasak. The transfer spots from the Consolation Feature were won by Kyle Borgman and Larry Passenier. The Consolation Feature win and the TenBrink Motorsports $175 winners check went to Justin Gilmore. Heats were won by Chad Weinrick, Ralph Sternberg, and Lasak.

In the Integra Racing Shocks and Springs Late Model division Matt Pickard used the low line the from his seventh place starting position to pull even with leader Kevin Nelson Jr with four laps to go. Nelson had paced the field running the high line most of the event but with five laps to go went to the bottom of the track to look for better traction and protect his lead. What transpired coming out of turn two was one of those racing deals. If you were a Nelson Jr fan you would say Pickard spun Nelson Jr coming out of turn two. If you were a Pickard fan you would say that Nelson Jr came down into Pickard and spun himself. Ultimately Nelson Jr was placed to the rear of the field and Pickard was left at the point. With three laps to go Pickard held off a hard charging Jim Fairbanks to pick up his second third Feature win of the season. Tim Stott, Tom Sprague Jr, and Dean Huizenga completed the top five. Heat race wins went to Kevin Juusola and Elex Leyton. The fastest Late Model in Time Trial was Sprague Jr with a time of 15.517 seconds around the 3/8th’s oval.

UMP Modified driver Andy Sprague did not want a “Dejavu’ moment. Two weeks ago Sprague was beaten at the line after a restart with one lap to go. Sprague had dominated that entire event only to lose to John McCaul in the last ten feet of the race. Tonight nineteen laps went without a caution. During this time Sprague had made his way from fifth to first and was pulling away from the field on the high side. Then the unthinkable happened. As Sprague powered out of turn two of the last lap the caution would fly. John McCaul would be placed on his bumper just as he was two weeks ago. Sprague’s short-term memory kicked in. Unlike two weeks ago where he stayed at the top of the track for the one lap shoot out, this time moved to the bottom of the track. McCaul was able to stay glued Sprague’s bumper but could not complete the pass. Sprague’s win was his third of the season and showed his fast qualifying effort in Time Trials was no fluke. The race for third was a wild one as Dan Dykman, Derek Poland and Mike Wilbern were left spinning and crashing on the front stretch as the checkered flag was waved. When the dust cleared Tim Tuttle was third followed by Dykman and Poland. Dean Wilkerson and Wilbern won Heat Races.

In the Factory Stock main event driver Robert Erickson picked up another main event win. It only took Erickson five laps to make his way to the front and go onto take the win. The race for second turned into a dodge fest as a lapped car caused a spin of the front-runners in turn four of the last lap left. Jerry Fairchild was the first to maneuver his way through the melee to second followed by Tony Weinrick, Devin Vanderstelt, and Tim Epplett. Heat Races were won by Erickson, Weinrick and Bill Delong.

Mini Stock drivers Don Keech and Luke Near swapped the lead back and forth throughout the Sprague’s Auto Parts main event. The last pass by Keech caused Near to catch an inside tire sending Near’s car airborne but still running. Fans were brought to their feet as Near battled back closing a gap of twenty car lengths to only lose by two feet at the finish line. John Foss, Joe McCormick and Kyle Hulett rounded out the top five. Keech also won the Heat Race.

Andrew Bartoszek continued his fine season sweeping the Main Event and Heat race in the Young Gun division. Seth Moody, CJ Rector, Glenn Parker and Cody Moorman completed the top five of the main event.

Next Friday July 13th hopes to be lucky for some drivers as the Point standings are tight in all racing divisions. All six classes of racing will be in full force as the second half of the season is under way. For the best in Family Entertainment along the Lakeshore make your way to Winston Speedway.