Saturday, April 28, 2012
Garvey Ends GRAC Win Streak at Five Flags
Garvey shows out in Papa John's 100
The multi-year GARC win streak at Five Flags Speedway has ended
Jim DeWitt , Z3 Sports
jim@z3sports.com
Friday, April 27, 2012
Mike Garvey and Goodson Racing have taken their second victory of 2012 and broken the dominance of GARC manufactured cars in The Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series. (Z3 Sports Photo)
PENSACOLA, FL -- A field of 30 Super Late Models rolled away from The Papa John's 100 starting grid just after 8:30 Friday night, led by Hayden, Alabama's Augie Grill. While Grill is the defending champion in The Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series, he didn't earn the top starting position by way of being the fastest driver in qualifying.
It was Georgia's Bubba Pollard who turned in the fastest time earlier in the day, but his luck with the giant inversion die wasn't as good as his luck on track. A six on the die put Pollard back to sixth and Grill in front of the field.
Grill wasted no time jumping out to a big lead, pulling Brandon Odom and TJ Reaid in tow.
The name Clay Alexander is usually synonymous with Pro Late Model racing and usually only in shows local to his Tennessee home. Friday, however, Clay Alexander was very much a Super Late Model driver. Within laps of the green flag Alexander was quickly headed back to the front, where he qualified before being sent to a fifth place start by the die roll.
A lap six caution put a halt to Alexander's progress. The spinning car of Gary Sullivan Jr., the culprit of the caution, drove away without damage and rejoined the field for the restart. That was only after Tony Clark was sent to pit road for an obvious fluid leak.
Remnants of oil dry filled the hot night air as Grill set sail again on the first restart, but again it was Alexander who brought the fans to their feet. The young Tennessean went to work on the fourth spot, then set his sight on Reaid for fourth. Just when that battle seemed it couldn't get any better, the second caution of the night slowed the field again on lap eight for a spinning car at the bottom of turn one. Again there was no contact and the race resumed quickly under the command of Race Director Dan Spence.
Odom lined up alongside Grill for the double file restart, but couldn't keep the No. 112 under wraps. Instead, Reaid muscled his way under Odom for second, with Casey Smith follwing Reaid through to third.
Within a single lap around the half-mile oval, Grill had a mirror full of the No. 99 Sealmaster machine of Smith.
Lap 13 belonged to Smith, followed by Grill and Reaid. Bubba Pollard had been handling his duties well while the competition ahead of him was distracted; he now ran fourth, with Alexander trailing.
Caution three of the night came for the spinning cars of Allen Karnes and Tyler Miles on lap 16.
Smith was off and running just the same on the restart, but Grill mounted a challenge to the outside through turns one and two. That effort was cut short for Grill as holding off TJ Reaid to his inside became the order of the day.
The damage free caution streak ended on lap 18 with a multi-car pile-up exiting turn four and extending all the way to the finish line.
"It looked like the 40 [of Tyler Miles] got into [turn] three a little hot," said Dwayne Buggay, whose car came to rest against the outside retaining wall after hard contact. "The two [of Donnie Wilson] and the 20 [of Anthony Sergi] got together and the 20 ran out of room and got into me and we just all went spinning. I broke some ribs a while back and re-aggravated that injury," Buggay said after being checked out by speedway emergency personnel.
Limping and seemingly disoriented, Buggay made his way back to the garage area to access the damage to his demolished Ford.
Buggay, Tyler Miles, Donnie Wilson, and Troy Grissaffi were all involved. Only Buggay's car needed assistance to get off the speedway.
Brandon Odom, who started the night strong in his first Super Late Model appearance in some time, found bad luck and couldn't get his No. 16 Royce Johnston Motorsports machine refired after the red flag.
Grill made a brief bid for the lead after the restart, but Smith again showed his hunger for a win. Pollard, however, took advantage of the double file restart and emerged third with some 80 laps still to run.
Clay Alexander brought out caution five with 25 laps in the books, looping his No. 84 to the inside of turn two. Hidden from drivers and spotters by the inside retaining wall, Allen Karnes and Danny Bagwell were unable to avoid each and Alexander both when they sped onto the scene. The two also spun, long after the caution flag flew, but gathered their machines up and rejoined the field. Alexander was also able to continue.
Following a seemingly unfriendly exchange of bumper tags under caution between TJ Reaid and Mike Garvey, the green flag signaled Casey Smith to hammer down again, and the Texan did just that.
Garvey and Reaid, respectively, worked their way into fourth and fifth, all the while still bouncing off of each other. Grill worked to hold off a hard charging Pollard in the second and third spots.
Fan focus shifted the the battle for third at lap 35. Pollard held it; Garvey wanted it. Numerous charges to the inside of Pollard proved unsuccessful at the current stage of the race.
Six more circuits were recorded before Garvey pulled off a move to the inside of Pollard down the back straightaway.
Smith's astounding three second lead was cut down somewhat as he began working the tail end of the field at the halfway mark. The No. 99 continued to hold a solid lead as Smith threaded his way flawlessly through slower traffic.
Turn two was little more challenging for the leaders on lap 63. A pile off racecars rendered the speedway nearly impassible as Smith motored through the corner. He would come to a complete stop to avoid disaster, while Grill miraculously drove through the mess. With the caution flag flying, Smith would retain the lead for the restart.
Kyle Benjamin made his way to pit road for a right front tire after contact with the wall. Daniel Webster made his way to pit road after being involved as well. Also involved were Clay Alexander, Danny Bagwell and Jeremy Pate.
Grill found his groove when the green flag flew again, driving into the lead. Smith wouldn't let him get away for several laps, but finally the No. 112 of Grill began to open up some comfort room.
Snowball Derby runner-up DJ VanderLey made a run at the top five with thirty to go, but settled into sixth and faded to eighth before the seventh caution of the night occurred on lap 73. Grant Enfinger went around inturn four and backed lightly into the outside wall รข€“ the result of hard racing between most cars still on track.
Other cars involved included Danny Bagwell, Clay Alexander, Allen Karnes and Michael Lance.
Enfinger received a stern warning from race control after making what appeared to be purposeful contact with DJ VanderLey under caution, after righting his car.
A handful of laps clicked off before caution number nine flew for the spinning cars of Kyle Benjamin, Daniel Webster, Anthony Sergi and, again, Clay Alexander.
This time, Alexander received damaged and got a tow back to the garage area.
With 26 laps left to go when the green flag flew, the tone of the race was significantly changed when Casey Smith came to pit road under caution. The 99 stopped only briefly before speeding away to set his sights on a long trip back to the front.
Pollard lined up alongside Grill on the outside for the restart. He would contend for the point briefly, before new Pensacola resident Mike Garvey hit the inside groove and motored past them both. Garvey took command with 25 to go. Pollard would slide back to fourth after drag racing the leader on the restart, but Grill was the real loser this time around; shuffling all the way back to eighth.
Garvey checked out on new second place runner David Rogers with 20 to go. TJ Reaid ran third, over Pollard and Donnie Wilson. The only lapped car still running was Anthony Sergi.
Augie Grill's day made a final turn for the worse with three to go. A flat right front tire on the 112 brought about a caution and a trip to pit road.
Pollard made a valiant effort to advance on the restart, but ended up right back in fourth, single file. Any improvement would have been for naught anyway; caution 11 brought fans to attention as smoke and fire encompassed a ball of cars spinning down the front straightaway. Michael Lance was battered even further in an already mangled car. DJ VanderLey, Daniel Webster and Josh Hamner were also entangled.
DJ VanderLey was parked and told to report to officials after the event, following a post-caution incident between himself and Grant Enfinger, extending a feud that began earlier in the night. According to series officials, Enfinger was attempting to climb from his damaged racecar when VanderLey slammed into the door of Enfinger's No. 82 BRG Ford.
Another attempt at declaring a winner failed when caution 12 flew on lap 98. Augie Grill backed hard into the outside turn four wall. Danny Bagwell was involved and spun his Ford as well.
The restart was anything but pretty, but it was flawless for Mike Garvey. The McDonough, Georgia driver claimed his second win of the season and a cash bonus for any team who could put an end to Grand Aamerican Racecars' dominance of The Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series.
TJ Reaid crossed the line second, followed by David Rogers, Bubba Pollard and Austin Theriault.
Stay with Z3Sports.com for more on the developing story surrounding the controversy between Dj VanderLey and Grant Enfinger, including any forthcoming penalties.
The next round of The Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series goes green at Five Flags Speedway on May 25, but the Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship action continues tomorrow at Mobile (AL) International Speedway with The Miller Lite Series Miller Lite 100. Z3Sports.com will have live Virtual Ticket coverage of the event from start of finish.
The multi-year GARC win streak at Five Flags Speedway has ended
Jim DeWitt , Z3 Sports
jim@z3sports.com
Friday, April 27, 2012
Mike Garvey and Goodson Racing have taken their second victory of 2012 and broken the dominance of GARC manufactured cars in The Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series. (Z3 Sports Photo)
PENSACOLA, FL -- A field of 30 Super Late Models rolled away from The Papa John's 100 starting grid just after 8:30 Friday night, led by Hayden, Alabama's Augie Grill. While Grill is the defending champion in The Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series, he didn't earn the top starting position by way of being the fastest driver in qualifying.
It was Georgia's Bubba Pollard who turned in the fastest time earlier in the day, but his luck with the giant inversion die wasn't as good as his luck on track. A six on the die put Pollard back to sixth and Grill in front of the field.
Grill wasted no time jumping out to a big lead, pulling Brandon Odom and TJ Reaid in tow.
The name Clay Alexander is usually synonymous with Pro Late Model racing and usually only in shows local to his Tennessee home. Friday, however, Clay Alexander was very much a Super Late Model driver. Within laps of the green flag Alexander was quickly headed back to the front, where he qualified before being sent to a fifth place start by the die roll.
A lap six caution put a halt to Alexander's progress. The spinning car of Gary Sullivan Jr., the culprit of the caution, drove away without damage and rejoined the field for the restart. That was only after Tony Clark was sent to pit road for an obvious fluid leak.
Remnants of oil dry filled the hot night air as Grill set sail again on the first restart, but again it was Alexander who brought the fans to their feet. The young Tennessean went to work on the fourth spot, then set his sight on Reaid for fourth. Just when that battle seemed it couldn't get any better, the second caution of the night slowed the field again on lap eight for a spinning car at the bottom of turn one. Again there was no contact and the race resumed quickly under the command of Race Director Dan Spence.
Odom lined up alongside Grill for the double file restart, but couldn't keep the No. 112 under wraps. Instead, Reaid muscled his way under Odom for second, with Casey Smith follwing Reaid through to third.
Within a single lap around the half-mile oval, Grill had a mirror full of the No. 99 Sealmaster machine of Smith.
Lap 13 belonged to Smith, followed by Grill and Reaid. Bubba Pollard had been handling his duties well while the competition ahead of him was distracted; he now ran fourth, with Alexander trailing.
Caution three of the night came for the spinning cars of Allen Karnes and Tyler Miles on lap 16.
Smith was off and running just the same on the restart, but Grill mounted a challenge to the outside through turns one and two. That effort was cut short for Grill as holding off TJ Reaid to his inside became the order of the day.
The damage free caution streak ended on lap 18 with a multi-car pile-up exiting turn four and extending all the way to the finish line.
"It looked like the 40 [of Tyler Miles] got into [turn] three a little hot," said Dwayne Buggay, whose car came to rest against the outside retaining wall after hard contact. "The two [of Donnie Wilson] and the 20 [of Anthony Sergi] got together and the 20 ran out of room and got into me and we just all went spinning. I broke some ribs a while back and re-aggravated that injury," Buggay said after being checked out by speedway emergency personnel.
Limping and seemingly disoriented, Buggay made his way back to the garage area to access the damage to his demolished Ford.
Buggay, Tyler Miles, Donnie Wilson, and Troy Grissaffi were all involved. Only Buggay's car needed assistance to get off the speedway.
Brandon Odom, who started the night strong in his first Super Late Model appearance in some time, found bad luck and couldn't get his No. 16 Royce Johnston Motorsports machine refired after the red flag.
Grill made a brief bid for the lead after the restart, but Smith again showed his hunger for a win. Pollard, however, took advantage of the double file restart and emerged third with some 80 laps still to run.
Clay Alexander brought out caution five with 25 laps in the books, looping his No. 84 to the inside of turn two. Hidden from drivers and spotters by the inside retaining wall, Allen Karnes and Danny Bagwell were unable to avoid each and Alexander both when they sped onto the scene. The two also spun, long after the caution flag flew, but gathered their machines up and rejoined the field. Alexander was also able to continue.
Following a seemingly unfriendly exchange of bumper tags under caution between TJ Reaid and Mike Garvey, the green flag signaled Casey Smith to hammer down again, and the Texan did just that.
Garvey and Reaid, respectively, worked their way into fourth and fifth, all the while still bouncing off of each other. Grill worked to hold off a hard charging Pollard in the second and third spots.
Fan focus shifted the the battle for third at lap 35. Pollard held it; Garvey wanted it. Numerous charges to the inside of Pollard proved unsuccessful at the current stage of the race.
Six more circuits were recorded before Garvey pulled off a move to the inside of Pollard down the back straightaway.
Smith's astounding three second lead was cut down somewhat as he began working the tail end of the field at the halfway mark. The No. 99 continued to hold a solid lead as Smith threaded his way flawlessly through slower traffic.
Turn two was little more challenging for the leaders on lap 63. A pile off racecars rendered the speedway nearly impassible as Smith motored through the corner. He would come to a complete stop to avoid disaster, while Grill miraculously drove through the mess. With the caution flag flying, Smith would retain the lead for the restart.
Kyle Benjamin made his way to pit road for a right front tire after contact with the wall. Daniel Webster made his way to pit road after being involved as well. Also involved were Clay Alexander, Danny Bagwell and Jeremy Pate.
Grill found his groove when the green flag flew again, driving into the lead. Smith wouldn't let him get away for several laps, but finally the No. 112 of Grill began to open up some comfort room.
Snowball Derby runner-up DJ VanderLey made a run at the top five with thirty to go, but settled into sixth and faded to eighth before the seventh caution of the night occurred on lap 73. Grant Enfinger went around inturn four and backed lightly into the outside wall รข€“ the result of hard racing between most cars still on track.
Other cars involved included Danny Bagwell, Clay Alexander, Allen Karnes and Michael Lance.
Enfinger received a stern warning from race control after making what appeared to be purposeful contact with DJ VanderLey under caution, after righting his car.
A handful of laps clicked off before caution number nine flew for the spinning cars of Kyle Benjamin, Daniel Webster, Anthony Sergi and, again, Clay Alexander.
This time, Alexander received damaged and got a tow back to the garage area.
With 26 laps left to go when the green flag flew, the tone of the race was significantly changed when Casey Smith came to pit road under caution. The 99 stopped only briefly before speeding away to set his sights on a long trip back to the front.
Pollard lined up alongside Grill on the outside for the restart. He would contend for the point briefly, before new Pensacola resident Mike Garvey hit the inside groove and motored past them both. Garvey took command with 25 to go. Pollard would slide back to fourth after drag racing the leader on the restart, but Grill was the real loser this time around; shuffling all the way back to eighth.
Garvey checked out on new second place runner David Rogers with 20 to go. TJ Reaid ran third, over Pollard and Donnie Wilson. The only lapped car still running was Anthony Sergi.
Augie Grill's day made a final turn for the worse with three to go. A flat right front tire on the 112 brought about a caution and a trip to pit road.
Pollard made a valiant effort to advance on the restart, but ended up right back in fourth, single file. Any improvement would have been for naught anyway; caution 11 brought fans to attention as smoke and fire encompassed a ball of cars spinning down the front straightaway. Michael Lance was battered even further in an already mangled car. DJ VanderLey, Daniel Webster and Josh Hamner were also entangled.
DJ VanderLey was parked and told to report to officials after the event, following a post-caution incident between himself and Grant Enfinger, extending a feud that began earlier in the night. According to series officials, Enfinger was attempting to climb from his damaged racecar when VanderLey slammed into the door of Enfinger's No. 82 BRG Ford.
Another attempt at declaring a winner failed when caution 12 flew on lap 98. Augie Grill backed hard into the outside turn four wall. Danny Bagwell was involved and spun his Ford as well.
The restart was anything but pretty, but it was flawless for Mike Garvey. The McDonough, Georgia driver claimed his second win of the season and a cash bonus for any team who could put an end to Grand Aamerican Racecars' dominance of The Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series.
TJ Reaid crossed the line second, followed by David Rogers, Bubba Pollard and Austin Theriault.
Stay with Z3Sports.com for more on the developing story surrounding the controversy between Dj VanderLey and Grant Enfinger, including any forthcoming penalties.
The next round of The Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series goes green at Five Flags Speedway on May 25, but the Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship action continues tomorrow at Mobile (AL) International Speedway with The Miller Lite Series Miller Lite 100. Z3Sports.com will have live Virtual Ticket coverage of the event from start of finish.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Berlin Raceway Postpones April 28th Events
MARNE — Due to low temperatures and possibilities for rain and snow, the events for April 28th at Berlin Raceway have been postponed.
Originally on tap for this Saturday was the Coors Light Super Late Models, Engine Pro Super Stocks, Model Coverall Modifieds, Kerkstra Services Sportsman and Burnips Equipment 4 -Cylinders. There will only be a make up for the Coors Light Super Late Models.
The original $1 beer and hot dog promotion has been moved to Saturday, May 5 for our big lap 100 Port City Racecars / Great Lakes Helicopter Outlaw Late Model night.
Since the opener of the Coors Light Super Late Model division has been postponed they will run twin 75-lap features on Saturday, May 19th, which will also feature a full night with $1 beer and hot dogs! Both 75-lap features will be points events.
"In an effort to not freeze out the fans and competitors we have decided to go ahead and postpone the events for this weekend," stated Berlin Raceway General Manager Mike Bursley. "We have an action-packed schedule and some higher paying events with some drivers traveling a few hours to get here. Between those drivers, their travel time and expenses and our local drivers and fans freezing out we decided it was the right choice to make. On the bright side, next week's temperatures are already looking up for next week's races."
Back in action next week Berlin Raceway will kick off the month of May with $1 beer and hot dogs featuring a 100 Lap Port City Racecars / Great Lakes Helicopter Outlaw Late Model feature event. Also seeing action May 5 will be the Engine Pro Super Stocks, Model Coverall Service Modifieds, Kerkstra Services Sportsman and Burnips Equipment 4 -Cylinders.
Originally on tap for this Saturday was the Coors Light Super Late Models, Engine Pro Super Stocks, Model Coverall Modifieds, Kerkstra Services Sportsman and Burnips Equipment 4 -Cylinders. There will only be a make up for the Coors Light Super Late Models.
The original $1 beer and hot dog promotion has been moved to Saturday, May 5 for our big lap 100 Port City Racecars / Great Lakes Helicopter Outlaw Late Model night.
Since the opener of the Coors Light Super Late Model division has been postponed they will run twin 75-lap features on Saturday, May 19th, which will also feature a full night with $1 beer and hot dogs! Both 75-lap features will be points events.
"In an effort to not freeze out the fans and competitors we have decided to go ahead and postpone the events for this weekend," stated Berlin Raceway General Manager Mike Bursley. "We have an action-packed schedule and some higher paying events with some drivers traveling a few hours to get here. Between those drivers, their travel time and expenses and our local drivers and fans freezing out we decided it was the right choice to make. On the bright side, next week's temperatures are already looking up for next week's races."
Back in action next week Berlin Raceway will kick off the month of May with $1 beer and hot dogs featuring a 100 Lap Port City Racecars / Great Lakes Helicopter Outlaw Late Model feature event. Also seeing action May 5 will be the Engine Pro Super Stocks, Model Coverall Service Modifieds, Kerkstra Services Sportsman and Burnips Equipment 4 -Cylinders.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Busy off-season means big changes at I-96 Speedway this season
Busy off-season means big changes at I-96 Speedway this season
Steve Kaminski Skaminsk@mlive.com MLive.com
LAKE ODESSA, MI – I-96 Speedway’s 2012 season gets under way Saturday at 7 p.m., although the action really never stopped once the checkered flag dropped on last year.
“We have moved about 8,000 pounds of dirt,” I-96 owner Mike Mouch said about all of the renovations that have occurred during the off-season at the raceway, which features three-eighths and half-mile dirt ovals.
• Remember the cement backstretch wall officials put up about three years ago? That has been torn down, so the only wall that remains can be found along the frontstretch.
“When you came out of (turn) two, (the wall) comes up on you real fast, and it ate cars up,” Mouch said. “With this economy, you put cars into the wall, the guys don’t have the money to fix them. Now you can drive off the track without tearing your car up.”
• Officials also have built a motocross track that has been spread out in the infield, and it will incorporate turns three and four. A pro-am has been scheduled for Aug. 11, and it will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Sunday for practice beginning in May.
“The motocross course is going to be huge,” Mouch said. “Motocross is going to attract a younger crowd for us, and it’s going to give them something to do. There aren’t a whole lot of things for kids to do in this area, so they will come in and take advantage of this.”
• The three-eighths mile oval has been revamped. Look for the World of Outlaws to tackle the three-eighths mile when it returns to Lake Odessa June 2, instead of the half-mile like it has raced in the past.
“We have built up the backstretch by about eight feet, and we have extended the backs in turn one and four and raised the frontstretch banking by a couple of feet and widened it out,” Mouch said. “I think the World of Outlaws show will be a lot better. The passing and racing will be a lot better. And with the configuration of the track, they should be wide open all the way around.”
I-96 will open the season with the 7th annual Icebreaker, featuring the track’s weekly UMP Super Late Models, Modifieds, Street Stocks and Sport Compacts. Drivers to watch this season include defending Late Model champion Tom Sprague Jr, while Jacob Poel returns to defend his Modified title.
Popular touring series from years past will be back. The track is hosting the Michigan Dirt Cup Late Model Tour on May 19 and June 30, while the Michigan Modified Dirt Cup Modifieds Tour is back July 28. The AMA Grand National is slated for July 14, and the UMP Summer Nationals Hell Tour is June 24. In addition, the USAC Sprints are scheduled to race on Aug. 10.
Here’s what’s going on at other West Michigan tracks this weekend.
BERLIN RACEWAY
Berlin’s Super Late Model class will make its 2012 debut 7 p.m. Saturday. The program will include Super Stocks, Modifieds, Sportsman and 4 Cylinder cars.
CRYSTAL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
The SOD Sprints will join Crystal’s Late Models, Pro Stocks, Pro Trucks, IMCA Modifieds and Factory Stocks at 7:30 p.m.
U.S. 131 MOTORSPORTS PARK
Drivers will have one more test-and-tune session on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. before weekly points racing opens May 5.
Steve Kaminski Skaminsk@mlive.com MLive.com
LAKE ODESSA, MI – I-96 Speedway’s 2012 season gets under way Saturday at 7 p.m., although the action really never stopped once the checkered flag dropped on last year.
“We have moved about 8,000 pounds of dirt,” I-96 owner Mike Mouch said about all of the renovations that have occurred during the off-season at the raceway, which features three-eighths and half-mile dirt ovals.
• Remember the cement backstretch wall officials put up about three years ago? That has been torn down, so the only wall that remains can be found along the frontstretch.
“When you came out of (turn) two, (the wall) comes up on you real fast, and it ate cars up,” Mouch said. “With this economy, you put cars into the wall, the guys don’t have the money to fix them. Now you can drive off the track without tearing your car up.”
• Officials also have built a motocross track that has been spread out in the infield, and it will incorporate turns three and four. A pro-am has been scheduled for Aug. 11, and it will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Sunday for practice beginning in May.
“The motocross course is going to be huge,” Mouch said. “Motocross is going to attract a younger crowd for us, and it’s going to give them something to do. There aren’t a whole lot of things for kids to do in this area, so they will come in and take advantage of this.”
• The three-eighths mile oval has been revamped. Look for the World of Outlaws to tackle the three-eighths mile when it returns to Lake Odessa June 2, instead of the half-mile like it has raced in the past.
“We have built up the backstretch by about eight feet, and we have extended the backs in turn one and four and raised the frontstretch banking by a couple of feet and widened it out,” Mouch said. “I think the World of Outlaws show will be a lot better. The passing and racing will be a lot better. And with the configuration of the track, they should be wide open all the way around.”
I-96 will open the season with the 7th annual Icebreaker, featuring the track’s weekly UMP Super Late Models, Modifieds, Street Stocks and Sport Compacts. Drivers to watch this season include defending Late Model champion Tom Sprague Jr, while Jacob Poel returns to defend his Modified title.
Popular touring series from years past will be back. The track is hosting the Michigan Dirt Cup Late Model Tour on May 19 and June 30, while the Michigan Modified Dirt Cup Modifieds Tour is back July 28. The AMA Grand National is slated for July 14, and the UMP Summer Nationals Hell Tour is June 24. In addition, the USAC Sprints are scheduled to race on Aug. 10.
Here’s what’s going on at other West Michigan tracks this weekend.
BERLIN RACEWAY
Berlin’s Super Late Model class will make its 2012 debut 7 p.m. Saturday. The program will include Super Stocks, Modifieds, Sportsman and 4 Cylinder cars.
CRYSTAL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
The SOD Sprints will join Crystal’s Late Models, Pro Stocks, Pro Trucks, IMCA Modifieds and Factory Stocks at 7:30 p.m.
U.S. 131 MOTORSPORTS PARK
Drivers will have one more test-and-tune session on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. before weekly points racing opens May 5.
Mike Garvey Becomes Bounty Hunter for Port City Racing
Bounty Placed On Grand American Race Cars at Papa John's 100 Blizzard Series Event April 27th
With 13-Race GARC Chassis Win Streak On the Line, $513 Bonus Up for Grabs
Series PR
Customers of Alabama Late Model chassis manufacturer Grand American Race Cars, owned and operated by noted short trackers Frankie and Augie Grill, have won the last 13 Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series Super Late Model events at Pensacola, Florida’s Five Flags Speedway.
Other chassis manufacturers have come close to de-throning the GARC nameplate in that span, but for the first time ever, there will be some extra incentive for a non-GARC car to take the win in the Papa John’s 100 Blizzard Series event on Friday, April 27th.
Five Flags Speedway has placed a $513 “bounty” on GARC cars in the 100-lap affair. If another chassis manufacturer’s car goes to victory lane, the winning driver will go home with the bonus.
"I guess that means business is good,” said Augie Grill, a two-time Snowball Derby winner, defending Blizzard Series Champion and GARC principle. “We’ve got to get our car a little bit better and Bubba (Pollard) was a little bit off in the last race, but maybe as long as Chase (Elliott, winner of the season-opening Blizzard Series race in March) keeps coming, we’ll be okay."
The streak of 13 wins has been made possible by the efforts of three drivers, lead Grill with six wins. Chase Elliott owns four Blizzard Series victories in that span and Bubba Pollard has three.
Even though he puts the work in on the cars, Grill knows that there is still more to gain with his racing machine if he is going to keep the GARC domination in tact.
"We were pretty close, we just needed a little bit more off the corner at the end of the race," said Grill. "Hopefully we can get that between now and then."
The chasers are in line for a $513 bonus from Five Flags Speedway in an effort to draw in support from other cars. The win by a non-GARC chassis must come within the lines of the Five Flags Speedway Blizzard Series rule book and cannot be captured by wrecking the leader for the trophy. The bounty will be up for three races for non-GARC cars.
"That’s perfect, they need to raise the money even more," joked an excited Mike Garvey, who competes with a Port City Race Cars chassis. "They’ve earned it. They’ve won, what, 13 in a row? We’ve got our cars running pretty good so hopefully we can get it."
Many would consider Garvey the top non-GARC threat as he was racing with the leaders in the first Blizzard race when mechanical problems ended his day early. Garvey won the most recent Pro Late Model race at Five Flags Speedway a few weeks back.
"The chassis are identical," said Garvey of his Pro and Super Late Models. "The engines are different, but what we run in one we run in the other. What we learned the other week will go right to our Super. We were really good in the last race in the Super until the A-frame bolt broke."
Other key drivers in the mix will be Hamke Race Cars chassis drivers such as Kyle Benjamin, DJ VanderLey, Casey Smith and Donnie Wilson. Mike Garvey Dwayne Buggay and Chris Davidson will be threats in Port City cars, while other drivers in a multitude of different types of chassis will all take on the challenge on April 27th.
The Papa John's 100 starts will commence on Friday, April 27th at Five Flags Speedway with practice from 4pm to 5:30pm Central Time. Blizzard qualifying will be at 7pm and racing starts at 8pm.
Fans unable to attend the Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series event at Five Flags can hear it live on Speed51.com thanks to Speed 51 Radio. The broadcast will start shortly before the feature events on Friday night.
The five Blizzard Series’ and five Miller Lite Series’ events at Mobile International Speedway (AL) will make up the Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship series, where drivers competing at both tracks are eligible for overall Championship.
For more information about Five Flags Speedway, the Papa John's 100 or the 45th Annual Snowball Derby, please visit www.5flagsspeedway.com or contact the track by calling (850) 944-8400.
With 13-Race GARC Chassis Win Streak On the Line, $513 Bonus Up for Grabs
Series PR
Customers of Alabama Late Model chassis manufacturer Grand American Race Cars, owned and operated by noted short trackers Frankie and Augie Grill, have won the last 13 Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series Super Late Model events at Pensacola, Florida’s Five Flags Speedway.
Other chassis manufacturers have come close to de-throning the GARC nameplate in that span, but for the first time ever, there will be some extra incentive for a non-GARC car to take the win in the Papa John’s 100 Blizzard Series event on Friday, April 27th.
Five Flags Speedway has placed a $513 “bounty” on GARC cars in the 100-lap affair. If another chassis manufacturer’s car goes to victory lane, the winning driver will go home with the bonus.
"I guess that means business is good,” said Augie Grill, a two-time Snowball Derby winner, defending Blizzard Series Champion and GARC principle. “We’ve got to get our car a little bit better and Bubba (Pollard) was a little bit off in the last race, but maybe as long as Chase (Elliott, winner of the season-opening Blizzard Series race in March) keeps coming, we’ll be okay."
The streak of 13 wins has been made possible by the efforts of three drivers, lead Grill with six wins. Chase Elliott owns four Blizzard Series victories in that span and Bubba Pollard has three.
Even though he puts the work in on the cars, Grill knows that there is still more to gain with his racing machine if he is going to keep the GARC domination in tact.
"We were pretty close, we just needed a little bit more off the corner at the end of the race," said Grill. "Hopefully we can get that between now and then."
The chasers are in line for a $513 bonus from Five Flags Speedway in an effort to draw in support from other cars. The win by a non-GARC chassis must come within the lines of the Five Flags Speedway Blizzard Series rule book and cannot be captured by wrecking the leader for the trophy. The bounty will be up for three races for non-GARC cars.
"That’s perfect, they need to raise the money even more," joked an excited Mike Garvey, who competes with a Port City Race Cars chassis. "They’ve earned it. They’ve won, what, 13 in a row? We’ve got our cars running pretty good so hopefully we can get it."
Many would consider Garvey the top non-GARC threat as he was racing with the leaders in the first Blizzard race when mechanical problems ended his day early. Garvey won the most recent Pro Late Model race at Five Flags Speedway a few weeks back.
"The chassis are identical," said Garvey of his Pro and Super Late Models. "The engines are different, but what we run in one we run in the other. What we learned the other week will go right to our Super. We were really good in the last race in the Super until the A-frame bolt broke."
Other key drivers in the mix will be Hamke Race Cars chassis drivers such as Kyle Benjamin, DJ VanderLey, Casey Smith and Donnie Wilson. Mike Garvey Dwayne Buggay and Chris Davidson will be threats in Port City cars, while other drivers in a multitude of different types of chassis will all take on the challenge on April 27th.
The Papa John's 100 starts will commence on Friday, April 27th at Five Flags Speedway with practice from 4pm to 5:30pm Central Time. Blizzard qualifying will be at 7pm and racing starts at 8pm.
Fans unable to attend the Buddy's Home Furnishings Blizzard Series event at Five Flags can hear it live on Speed51.com thanks to Speed 51 Radio. The broadcast will start shortly before the feature events on Friday night.
The five Blizzard Series’ and five Miller Lite Series’ events at Mobile International Speedway (AL) will make up the Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship series, where drivers competing at both tracks are eligible for overall Championship.
For more information about Five Flags Speedway, the Papa John's 100 or the 45th Annual Snowball Derby, please visit www.5flagsspeedway.com or contact the track by calling (850) 944-8400.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Eric Jones Second at Plymouth
Daniel Hemric Makes The All Night Drive Count After Winning The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Season Opener
Hemric Takes the Lead With a Three-Wide Pass of Jones & Jurkovic
JEGS/CRA All-Stars PR
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts began their sophomore campaign on Sunday, April 22nd at the 3/8s (0.375) mile semi-banked paved oval of Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, Indiana with the running of the Eric Saunders I Can I Will 100 Presented by JEGS.com
Kannapolis, North Carolina stand out, Daniel Hemric made the overnight trip from Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, North Carolina where he was competing in a NASCAR Whelen Southern Modifieds Tour event and didn’t arrive in Northern Indiana until Sunday morning having never seen the vulnerable facility.
It didn’t matter to the 21-year-old as he retook the lead from Defending JEGS/CRA Tour Champion, 15-year-old Erik Jones on lap 60 with a daring three-wide pass of Jones and Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier, Boris Jurkovic, the 2011 Winchester 400 Winner and then held off a furious charge from Jones to win his first career JEGS/CRA race and first win in the first ever start for Scott Neal Racing.
"Boris (Jurkovic) and Erik (Jones) got side-by-side and made contact," Hemric explained as he relived the bold three-wide pass. “We were just in the right place at the right time. This is so awesome. We drove all night to get here and I had never even seen this place before this morning, but (Car Owner) Scott Neal did an awesome job preparing this car. He's the heart and soul of this deal, him and Richard Clark. This was just an awesome team effort overall!” He added.
Neal climbed behind the wheel of Hemric #54 McGunegill Engine Performance Chevrolet the day before on Practice Day to shake the car down and was recorded within the top 10 throughout the afternoon. “ "Scott told me he was very fast in the car, and I thought, 'Maybe you need to get back in it.'” Hemric laughed. “Maybe he was a little better than I was. But he had faith in me, and I had faith in him and it all worked out.” Hemric added.
After Jurkovic won the Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier Award, he then drew a six (6) for an inversion placing Hemric and Jones on the front row for the 2012 Season Opener for the second year tour. Hemric would beat Jones to the first corner to pace the early laps before developing an ignition issue just a few laps into the race. Jones took advantage on lap eight and would take over the top spot. "I didn’t know if it would make it or not. We got those lucky cautions throughout the race to cool everything down and eventually it went away.” Hemric added.
The most serious of the nine cautions occurred on lap seven when 2011 TBRA Series Champion, 18-year-old Ali Kern slammed the turns 1-2 wall forcing officials to throw the red flag and bringing the field to a stop on the front stretch. She was ok, but very disappointed as her car was completely destroyed.
It would be the next restart and a lap later when Jones would pass Hemric for the lead on hold off Hemric and later Jurkovic throughout the middle stages of the race and through a series of cautions. Then after another restart on lap 59, Jurkovic got around Hemric and immediately went after Jones for the lead as the Joliet, Illinois veteran pulled up side-by-side with the reigning series champion. After contact between the two, Hemric made it three-wide on the inside and emerged as the new leader on lap 60 bringing Jones, who recovered from the collision with Jurkovic, with him.
For the rest of the event, Jones threw everything he had in his arsenal at Hemric in an effort to reclaim the lead he took from him in the early stages. But in the end, Jones in his #4 Paragon Corvette Reproductions Chevrolet couldn’t get around the eventual winner and settled for the runner-up spot.
“We tried everything we could to get back by Daniel, but we just didn’t have anything left,” Explained the Byron, Michigan teenager who will miss some JEGS/CRA races this season due to his 10-race commitment with Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards. “I just couldn't get going on the top on restarts like I needed to and we ended up coming in second. It was a good day for us though and we’ll head to Winchester in a couple of weeks.” He added.
Jones finished second ahead of new Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year Presented by Howe Racing Enterprises Points Leader, 14-year-old Anderson Bowen who surprised many on lookers by Qualifying an impressive fourth quick out of the 32 teams on the grounds. From there, the Suwanee, Georgia teenager ran with the leaders throughout the day and in the end brought his #29 One Harvest Food Ministries Chevrolet home on the podium in third in his JEGS/CRA debut.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for working so hard and giving me a great racecar. I didn’t want to push things and let them guys in front of me battle. I was just hoping to turn some laps, gain experience and not wreck the car,” The Peach State teenager remarked. “We’re very happy to come out of here with the Rookie points lead and I hope we can continue our good start at Winchester. I hear that’s a bad fast track and I can’t wait to get there.” He ended.
Josh Nelms finished fourth ahead of Brent Downey, who rebounded from a lap 59 incident and worked his way back into fifth place at the end. Jeremy Lepak finished sixth ahead of 15-year-old Rookie Cole Williams who started 23rd after winning the Last Chance Race and emerged seventh as Eddie Hoffman, who needed a provisional to get into the show, started 21st and would finish eighth while Chris Koslek and 16-year-old rookie, Taylor Ferns, who started 22nd, would complete the top 10.
Jurkovic won the Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier Award with 13.157 that measured out to 102.607mph which established the JEGS/CRA Track Record in Plymouth, Indiana. Also earlier in the afternoon Williams won the 15-Lap Last Chance Race to transfer into the 100-Lap main. Wes Griffith Jr., finished second to also transfer in.
Race #2 for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts will occur on Sunday Afternoon, May 6th as the legendary ½ (0.500) mile high-banked paved oval of Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana will host the Winchester 100 Presented by JEGS.com. The Top Speed Fabrication CRA Late Model Sportsman Series and the Vore’s Welding Front Wheel Drive Compacts will also be on the card. For more information, go to: www.craracing.net and www.winchesterspeedway.com
Hemric Takes the Lead With a Three-Wide Pass of Jones & Jurkovic
JEGS/CRA All-Stars PR
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts began their sophomore campaign on Sunday, April 22nd at the 3/8s (0.375) mile semi-banked paved oval of Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, Indiana with the running of the Eric Saunders I Can I Will 100 Presented by JEGS.com
Kannapolis, North Carolina stand out, Daniel Hemric made the overnight trip from Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, North Carolina where he was competing in a NASCAR Whelen Southern Modifieds Tour event and didn’t arrive in Northern Indiana until Sunday morning having never seen the vulnerable facility.
It didn’t matter to the 21-year-old as he retook the lead from Defending JEGS/CRA Tour Champion, 15-year-old Erik Jones on lap 60 with a daring three-wide pass of Jones and Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier, Boris Jurkovic, the 2011 Winchester 400 Winner and then held off a furious charge from Jones to win his first career JEGS/CRA race and first win in the first ever start for Scott Neal Racing.
"Boris (Jurkovic) and Erik (Jones) got side-by-side and made contact," Hemric explained as he relived the bold three-wide pass. “We were just in the right place at the right time. This is so awesome. We drove all night to get here and I had never even seen this place before this morning, but (Car Owner) Scott Neal did an awesome job preparing this car. He's the heart and soul of this deal, him and Richard Clark. This was just an awesome team effort overall!” He added.
Neal climbed behind the wheel of Hemric #54 McGunegill Engine Performance Chevrolet the day before on Practice Day to shake the car down and was recorded within the top 10 throughout the afternoon. “ "Scott told me he was very fast in the car, and I thought, 'Maybe you need to get back in it.'” Hemric laughed. “Maybe he was a little better than I was. But he had faith in me, and I had faith in him and it all worked out.” Hemric added.
After Jurkovic won the Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier Award, he then drew a six (6) for an inversion placing Hemric and Jones on the front row for the 2012 Season Opener for the second year tour. Hemric would beat Jones to the first corner to pace the early laps before developing an ignition issue just a few laps into the race. Jones took advantage on lap eight and would take over the top spot. "I didn’t know if it would make it or not. We got those lucky cautions throughout the race to cool everything down and eventually it went away.” Hemric added.
The most serious of the nine cautions occurred on lap seven when 2011 TBRA Series Champion, 18-year-old Ali Kern slammed the turns 1-2 wall forcing officials to throw the red flag and bringing the field to a stop on the front stretch. She was ok, but very disappointed as her car was completely destroyed.
It would be the next restart and a lap later when Jones would pass Hemric for the lead on hold off Hemric and later Jurkovic throughout the middle stages of the race and through a series of cautions. Then after another restart on lap 59, Jurkovic got around Hemric and immediately went after Jones for the lead as the Joliet, Illinois veteran pulled up side-by-side with the reigning series champion. After contact between the two, Hemric made it three-wide on the inside and emerged as the new leader on lap 60 bringing Jones, who recovered from the collision with Jurkovic, with him.
For the rest of the event, Jones threw everything he had in his arsenal at Hemric in an effort to reclaim the lead he took from him in the early stages. But in the end, Jones in his #4 Paragon Corvette Reproductions Chevrolet couldn’t get around the eventual winner and settled for the runner-up spot.
“We tried everything we could to get back by Daniel, but we just didn’t have anything left,” Explained the Byron, Michigan teenager who will miss some JEGS/CRA races this season due to his 10-race commitment with Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards. “I just couldn't get going on the top on restarts like I needed to and we ended up coming in second. It was a good day for us though and we’ll head to Winchester in a couple of weeks.” He added.
Jones finished second ahead of new Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year Presented by Howe Racing Enterprises Points Leader, 14-year-old Anderson Bowen who surprised many on lookers by Qualifying an impressive fourth quick out of the 32 teams on the grounds. From there, the Suwanee, Georgia teenager ran with the leaders throughout the day and in the end brought his #29 One Harvest Food Ministries Chevrolet home on the podium in third in his JEGS/CRA debut.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for working so hard and giving me a great racecar. I didn’t want to push things and let them guys in front of me battle. I was just hoping to turn some laps, gain experience and not wreck the car,” The Peach State teenager remarked. “We’re very happy to come out of here with the Rookie points lead and I hope we can continue our good start at Winchester. I hear that’s a bad fast track and I can’t wait to get there.” He ended.
Josh Nelms finished fourth ahead of Brent Downey, who rebounded from a lap 59 incident and worked his way back into fifth place at the end. Jeremy Lepak finished sixth ahead of 15-year-old Rookie Cole Williams who started 23rd after winning the Last Chance Race and emerged seventh as Eddie Hoffman, who needed a provisional to get into the show, started 21st and would finish eighth while Chris Koslek and 16-year-old rookie, Taylor Ferns, who started 22nd, would complete the top 10.
Jurkovic won the Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier Award with 13.157 that measured out to 102.607mph which established the JEGS/CRA Track Record in Plymouth, Indiana. Also earlier in the afternoon Williams won the 15-Lap Last Chance Race to transfer into the 100-Lap main. Wes Griffith Jr., finished second to also transfer in.
Race #2 for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts will occur on Sunday Afternoon, May 6th as the legendary ½ (0.500) mile high-banked paved oval of Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana will host the Winchester 100 Presented by JEGS.com. The Top Speed Fabrication CRA Late Model Sportsman Series and the Vore’s Welding Front Wheel Drive Compacts will also be on the card. For more information, go to: www.craracing.net and www.winchesterspeedway.com
7th annual Ice Breaker/Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club Night Highlight Opening Night 2012 THIS Saturday, April 28th at I-96 Speedway
Lake Odessa, Michigan (Monday, April 23rd, 2012): The Two Pre-Season Test & Tunes have been completed and now it’s time to go racing at the newly revamped and fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked dirt oval of I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan THIS Saturday, April as the 7th annual Ice Breaker / Opening Night 2012 / Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club Night will highlight a festive season opener.
Co-Owners / Promoters, Mike & Sarah have a very aggressive schedule planned throughout the year and it all starts this Saturday featuring a full four in one show highlighted by the high-powered UMP Super Late Models who’ll be joined by the UMP Modifieds, Rudd’s Septic Service UMP Street Stocks, and Smyrna Bar UMP Sport Compacts as all four divisions begin their quests for the 2012 Track Championship within the UMP DIRTcar Racing Series.
Coming into the 2012 racing season, Tom Sprague Jr., will lead a stellar field of UMP Super Late Models as the premier divisions' Defending Track Champion while rising superstar, Jacob Poel will head up one of the strongest weekly fields of UMP Modifieds in the state of Michigan as he'll come into the season as the open-wheeled divisions' Defending Track Champion. Hometown favorite, Bill Brandt Jr., will try and fend off and expected stout cast of Rudd's Septic Service UMP Street Stocks as the Defending Track Champion and Rick Peck will lead the army of Smyrna Bar UMP Sport Compacts as the Defending Track Champion.
Every Regular Racing Night in 2012, The UMP Super Late Models will race for a minimum of $1,200 to Win and $200 to start while the UMP Modifieds will go for minimum of $500 to Win ad $125 to Start. The Rudd’s Septic Service UMP Street Stocks will be gunning for the highest payout in the state for their division at $500 to Win and $100 to start and the Smyrna Bar UMP Sport Compacts will be racing for a hefty $200 to Win and $25 to Start.
Get tickets exclusively with ShowClix! Just click on the link below for more information: http://getik.it/222645?f Those Ticket Prices for the 2012 season opener are: Adults (13-61): $12.00 – Seniors (62 and Over): $8.00 – Children (6-12) $6.00 – Kids (5 and Under): FREE – Family Pass $32.00 (*A family pass will get 2 adults and 2 children into the races. Once inside, the Kid’s Club is Free for the Kids!) – Pit Passes: $25.00 (for any age that can walk, infants are free).
In addition, it's also Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club (MARFC) Night, as all 2012 MARFC members who show their membership cards will get into OPENING NIGHT for absolutely FREE! This is the first MARFC Night of the 2012 season anywhere! To learn more about MARFC and to become a member, go to their website at: www.marfc.org
For the 2012 racing season, there will be some new starting times implemented. Pit Gates will Open at 3:00p.m., and the Grandstand Gates will open at 5:00p.m., just like in previous seasons. However Practice will now start earlier than in the past as the cars hit the track on race day starting at 5:30p.m. and will take turns on the track on a rotating basis until 6:25p.m. Then after the Drivers Meeting at 6:30p.m., followed by Pre-Race Ceremonies / Invocation / National Anthem(s), Racing will begin at 7:00p.m.
I-96 Speedway is located at 3823 Portland Road in Lake Odessa, Michigan. For more information, please call: 1 (616) 642-0555 or visit the website at: www.i96speedway.com You can also follow all of the off-season happenings in Lake Odessa, Michigan by becoming a fan on the tracks Facebook Fan Page. Just go to: www.facebook.com/i96speedway and click on “Like” button. You can even follow us on Twitter as well, just go to: www.twitter.com/i96speedway and “Follow” us today.
Co-Owners / Promoters, Mike & Sarah have a very aggressive schedule planned throughout the year and it all starts this Saturday featuring a full four in one show highlighted by the high-powered UMP Super Late Models who’ll be joined by the UMP Modifieds, Rudd’s Septic Service UMP Street Stocks, and Smyrna Bar UMP Sport Compacts as all four divisions begin their quests for the 2012 Track Championship within the UMP DIRTcar Racing Series.
Coming into the 2012 racing season, Tom Sprague Jr., will lead a stellar field of UMP Super Late Models as the premier divisions' Defending Track Champion while rising superstar, Jacob Poel will head up one of the strongest weekly fields of UMP Modifieds in the state of Michigan as he'll come into the season as the open-wheeled divisions' Defending Track Champion. Hometown favorite, Bill Brandt Jr., will try and fend off and expected stout cast of Rudd's Septic Service UMP Street Stocks as the Defending Track Champion and Rick Peck will lead the army of Smyrna Bar UMP Sport Compacts as the Defending Track Champion.
Every Regular Racing Night in 2012, The UMP Super Late Models will race for a minimum of $1,200 to Win and $200 to start while the UMP Modifieds will go for minimum of $500 to Win ad $125 to Start. The Rudd’s Septic Service UMP Street Stocks will be gunning for the highest payout in the state for their division at $500 to Win and $100 to start and the Smyrna Bar UMP Sport Compacts will be racing for a hefty $200 to Win and $25 to Start.
Get tickets exclusively with ShowClix! Just click on the link below for more information: http://getik.it/222645?f Those Ticket Prices for the 2012 season opener are: Adults (13-61): $12.00 – Seniors (62 and Over): $8.00 – Children (6-12) $6.00 – Kids (5 and Under): FREE – Family Pass $32.00 (*A family pass will get 2 adults and 2 children into the races. Once inside, the Kid’s Club is Free for the Kids!) – Pit Passes: $25.00 (for any age that can walk, infants are free).
In addition, it's also Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club (MARFC) Night, as all 2012 MARFC members who show their membership cards will get into OPENING NIGHT for absolutely FREE! This is the first MARFC Night of the 2012 season anywhere! To learn more about MARFC and to become a member, go to their website at: www.marfc.org
For the 2012 racing season, there will be some new starting times implemented. Pit Gates will Open at 3:00p.m., and the Grandstand Gates will open at 5:00p.m., just like in previous seasons. However Practice will now start earlier than in the past as the cars hit the track on race day starting at 5:30p.m. and will take turns on the track on a rotating basis until 6:25p.m. Then after the Drivers Meeting at 6:30p.m., followed by Pre-Race Ceremonies / Invocation / National Anthem(s), Racing will begin at 7:00p.m.
I-96 Speedway is located at 3823 Portland Road in Lake Odessa, Michigan. For more information, please call: 1 (616) 642-0555 or visit the website at: www.i96speedway.com You can also follow all of the off-season happenings in Lake Odessa, Michigan by becoming a fan on the tracks Facebook Fan Page. Just go to: www.facebook.com/i96speedway and click on “Like” button. You can even follow us on Twitter as well, just go to: www.twitter.com/i96speedway and “Follow” us today.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Needles Spoils Home Opener For Bozell in Intimidator 100
Needles Spoils Home Opener For Bozell in Intimidator 100
Tops 12-time Kalamazoo Champ To Win Intimidator 100
By Jason Christley, NASCAR via www.nascarhometracks.com
Andy Bozell put enough fast laps around Kalamazoo Speedway enough to accumulate 12 Outlaw Super Late Model Division track championships.
But Saturday night, he needed a few more laps.
The 48-year-old Bozell, of Portage, Mich., was edged by visiting Steve Needles as Kalamazoo kicked off its 62nd season with its annual extra-distance opener for its top division, the Intimidator 100.
Needles, 27, took the lead on a Lap 72 restart and held on to capture one of the premier short-track events in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for the first time.
The Berrien Springs, Mich., driver has previously won the Kalamazoo Klash, the track’s 150-lap event scheduled this year for Aug. 15.
“Andy is such a good racer, especially here,” said Needles. “I just kept digging and digging and digging, and he was digging. It was just good, hard racing.”
JR Roahrig finished third, followed by Tom Thomas and defending track champion Phil Bozell, who was in and out of the pits all night.
Kalamazoo is a 3/8-mile oval with 14 degree banking, located two hours outside of Detroit. It’s been a NASCAR-sanctioned track since 1989 and Bozell’s 12 NASCAR track titles tie him for fourth all-time in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Last year, he won the state championship and his son, Phil, won the track title.
“It’s a fast little joint,” said Andy Bozell. “Our Late Models are go karts on steroids – they’re just wicked. It’s a great field of race cars. We separate cars by the thousands of a second on a week-to-week basis, draw for inversion. You just have to have a good car to race with. It’s a tough little place.”
Saturday night, Needles started eighth and quickly moved to the front. Bozell, qualified second and started 15th after the inversion, took advantage of a long green-flag from Laps 36 to 72 to take the lead on Lap 56 and build a comfortable lead. But a caution on Lap 72 set up a crucial restart.
“We had a good car tonight,” Bozell said. “It got late in the race and I needed a long green-flag run. I was just better on the bottom. After three laps my car got going good and I knew the restart was going to be trouble.”
As the leader on the restart, Bozell had lane choice on the restart and took the bottom. Needles took advantage of it and shot into the lead. He was able to withstand Bozell’s challenge on a pair of ensuing restarts and then hold off on over the final 26-lap, green-flag run.
“I was really good for about 20 lap runs, and then I started tightening up quite a bit,” Needles said. “I knew if I took the bottom I wasn’t going to be able to get the drive off I needed to get him. So when he took the bottom, I knew I could get it wound up on the top. There was just a lot of grip up there.”
From there, Needles only had one thing on his mind in the closing laps.
“Getting in a groove,” Needles said. “Getting in a groove and not making any mistakes. Just make smooth, smart decisions.”
Other NASCAR winners on opening night included Brandon Lyons in the Div. II Super Stock feature, Lloyd Books in the Div. III Pro Stock feature, Bobby Stremme - brother of NASCAR national series driver David Stremme - in the Div. IV Mini Stock feature, and Jerry Jansen Jr. in the Div. V Cyber Stock feature.
Tops 12-time Kalamazoo Champ To Win Intimidator 100
By Jason Christley, NASCAR via www.nascarhometracks.com
Andy Bozell put enough fast laps around Kalamazoo Speedway enough to accumulate 12 Outlaw Super Late Model Division track championships.
But Saturday night, he needed a few more laps.
The 48-year-old Bozell, of Portage, Mich., was edged by visiting Steve Needles as Kalamazoo kicked off its 62nd season with its annual extra-distance opener for its top division, the Intimidator 100.
Needles, 27, took the lead on a Lap 72 restart and held on to capture one of the premier short-track events in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for the first time.
The Berrien Springs, Mich., driver has previously won the Kalamazoo Klash, the track’s 150-lap event scheduled this year for Aug. 15.
“Andy is such a good racer, especially here,” said Needles. “I just kept digging and digging and digging, and he was digging. It was just good, hard racing.”
JR Roahrig finished third, followed by Tom Thomas and defending track champion Phil Bozell, who was in and out of the pits all night.
Kalamazoo is a 3/8-mile oval with 14 degree banking, located two hours outside of Detroit. It’s been a NASCAR-sanctioned track since 1989 and Bozell’s 12 NASCAR track titles tie him for fourth all-time in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Last year, he won the state championship and his son, Phil, won the track title.
“It’s a fast little joint,” said Andy Bozell. “Our Late Models are go karts on steroids – they’re just wicked. It’s a great field of race cars. We separate cars by the thousands of a second on a week-to-week basis, draw for inversion. You just have to have a good car to race with. It’s a tough little place.”
Saturday night, Needles started eighth and quickly moved to the front. Bozell, qualified second and started 15th after the inversion, took advantage of a long green-flag from Laps 36 to 72 to take the lead on Lap 56 and build a comfortable lead. But a caution on Lap 72 set up a crucial restart.
“We had a good car tonight,” Bozell said. “It got late in the race and I needed a long green-flag run. I was just better on the bottom. After three laps my car got going good and I knew the restart was going to be trouble.”
As the leader on the restart, Bozell had lane choice on the restart and took the bottom. Needles took advantage of it and shot into the lead. He was able to withstand Bozell’s challenge on a pair of ensuing restarts and then hold off on over the final 26-lap, green-flag run.
“I was really good for about 20 lap runs, and then I started tightening up quite a bit,” Needles said. “I knew if I took the bottom I wasn’t going to be able to get the drive off I needed to get him. So when he took the bottom, I knew I could get it wound up on the top. There was just a lot of grip up there.”
From there, Needles only had one thing on his mind in the closing laps.
“Getting in a groove,” Needles said. “Getting in a groove and not making any mistakes. Just make smooth, smart decisions.”
Other NASCAR winners on opening night included Brandon Lyons in the Div. II Super Stock feature, Lloyd Books in the Div. III Pro Stock feature, Bobby Stremme - brother of NASCAR national series driver David Stremme - in the Div. IV Mini Stock feature, and Jerry Jansen Jr. in the Div. V Cyber Stock feature.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Justin Ryan beats Seth Moody in cat-and-mouse game at Berlin Raceway
Justin Ryan beats Seth Moody in cat-and-mouse game at Berlin Raceway
By Steve Kaminski
Skaminsk@mlive.com MLive.com
MARNE – Every time Justin Ryan of Grand Rapids pulled away late in Saturday night’s 75-lap Super Stock feature race at the Berlin Raceway, caution waved to wipe out his lead.
Strangely, Ryan said that was the best thing that could have happened to him.
Ryan held off Seth Moody over the caution-filled waning laps to capture his second consecutive win of the season. Ryan also won last week’s season-opener.
“I think if we would have had a longer green flag run, he would have got to me,” Ryan said. “My car would start to go away a little bit after the longer runs, so I think the caution helped me out a little bit. I was able to cool off the tires running around under yellow, then get away for a couple of laps.
“That’s not always the case, but I will take them any way that I can get them.”
Moody dominated the first half of the feature, only to watch his lead disappear on a lap 37 caution. Ryan was able to charge past Moody when the race was restarted, and while he led the rest of the way, Moody continued to hound him to the finish.
Saturday marked the season debut of Berlin’s Modified division, and Ryan Hamm said that he was expecting to finish second to Billy Shotko. But he was able to overtake Shotko with eight laps to go in the 30-lap main. Hamm then held Shotko off for a 1.3 second win.
“Billy Shotko has always been fast,” Hamm said. “He was fast last year and he is fast this year. We were good in practice, and in the second practice, we fell on our face. We missed something. We got it back in the heat race a little bit, and then we made a couple of more adjustments for the feature, and it worked out good. I had a lot of fun. It feels great.”
Tony Davis of Wyoming outdueled Brian Tillema of Byron Center to win the 25-lap Sportsman feature for his second career feature win and first since 2008. Tillema, who won last week’s opener, grabbed the lead on lap five, but he was never able to escape Davis. Davis caught Tillema at the race’s halfway, and the two then battled door-to-door without making contact over the next seven laps before Davis pulled away.
“It is career win No. 2, and it feels great,” Davis said. “We put in a lot of hard work and I feel we made a lot of good decisions with our body style. We contacted some people, and they helped us out a lot.
“Brian treats everyone with respect out here, and he has treated me as good as anyone has out here. I wanted to do the same.”
Mike Speet, of Holland, earned his second consecutive win, too, taking first in the 10-lap 4 Cylinders main. He won the feature race, set fast time and captured a heat race, just like he did last week.
Speet started 15th in the 17-car field, but he needed only three laps to charge into the lead. He barely stayed out of trouble, though, since there were two cautions even before a lap was completed. Speet said he was fortunate to escape unscathed.
“I started way in the back, and there was a lot of trouble around me,” Speet said. “Every single (accident) was a near miss. I got tagged a little bit one time when a guy was trying to get underneath me.”
SUPER STOCKS (75 LAPS) 1. Justin Ryan, 2. Seth Moody, 3. Nate Walton, 4. Will Olmsted, 5. Dave Lake, 6. Bob Bliss, 7. Denny Anderson, 8. Andrew Nylaan, 9. Dave Hull, 10. Dennis Mann, 11. Cole Roelofs, 12. Warren Speet, 13. Joel Baker, 14. Jeremy Munniksma, 15. Tim Stuart, 16. Trever McCoy, 17. Kelsey Steele
MODIFIEDS (30 LAPS) 1. Ryan Hamm, 2. Billy Shotko, 3. Billy Eppink, 4. Kevin DeGood, 5. Adam Chase, 6. Randy DeBoer, 7. Ryan Gruppen, 8. Ben Welch
SPORTSMAN (25 LAPS) 1. Tony Davis, 2. Brian Tillema, 3. Randy Veldman, 4. Andrew MacIntosh, 5. Mitch Meppelink, 6. Nick Sherrington, 7. Allen Davis, 8. Kirk Meissner, 9. Tyler Nawrocki, 10. Tyler Sterken, 11. Gerry Shepard, 12. Dave Cutler, 13. Scott Root
4 CYLINDERS (10 LAPS) 1. Mike Speet, 2. Charlie DeJong, 3. Chuck Norris, 4. Darrell Holtzlander, 5. Dave Duyst, 6. Jackson Walker, 7. Seth VanHorssen, 8. Paul Ritchie, 9. Dan Schoenborn, 10. Kyle VanDrunen, 11. Jason Essex, 12. Jerry Smith, 13. Rob Ream, 14. Robbie Ream, 15. Dan Ream, 16. Zack Clark, 17. Jake Loesch
HEAT WINNERS: Ryan Hamm (Modifieds); Randy Veldman, Scott Root (Sportsman); Mike Speet, Zack Clark (4 Cylinders)
FAST QUALIFIERS: Nate Walton (Super Stocks) 92.130 mph; Kevin DeGood (Modifieds) 92.340 mph; Tony Davis (Sportsman) 85.519 mph; Mike Speet (4 Cylinders) 78.385 mph
By Steve Kaminski
Skaminsk@mlive.com MLive.com
MARNE – Every time Justin Ryan of Grand Rapids pulled away late in Saturday night’s 75-lap Super Stock feature race at the Berlin Raceway, caution waved to wipe out his lead.
Strangely, Ryan said that was the best thing that could have happened to him.
Ryan held off Seth Moody over the caution-filled waning laps to capture his second consecutive win of the season. Ryan also won last week’s season-opener.
“I think if we would have had a longer green flag run, he would have got to me,” Ryan said. “My car would start to go away a little bit after the longer runs, so I think the caution helped me out a little bit. I was able to cool off the tires running around under yellow, then get away for a couple of laps.
“That’s not always the case, but I will take them any way that I can get them.”
Moody dominated the first half of the feature, only to watch his lead disappear on a lap 37 caution. Ryan was able to charge past Moody when the race was restarted, and while he led the rest of the way, Moody continued to hound him to the finish.
Saturday marked the season debut of Berlin’s Modified division, and Ryan Hamm said that he was expecting to finish second to Billy Shotko. But he was able to overtake Shotko with eight laps to go in the 30-lap main. Hamm then held Shotko off for a 1.3 second win.
“Billy Shotko has always been fast,” Hamm said. “He was fast last year and he is fast this year. We were good in practice, and in the second practice, we fell on our face. We missed something. We got it back in the heat race a little bit, and then we made a couple of more adjustments for the feature, and it worked out good. I had a lot of fun. It feels great.”
Tony Davis of Wyoming outdueled Brian Tillema of Byron Center to win the 25-lap Sportsman feature for his second career feature win and first since 2008. Tillema, who won last week’s opener, grabbed the lead on lap five, but he was never able to escape Davis. Davis caught Tillema at the race’s halfway, and the two then battled door-to-door without making contact over the next seven laps before Davis pulled away.
“It is career win No. 2, and it feels great,” Davis said. “We put in a lot of hard work and I feel we made a lot of good decisions with our body style. We contacted some people, and they helped us out a lot.
“Brian treats everyone with respect out here, and he has treated me as good as anyone has out here. I wanted to do the same.”
Mike Speet, of Holland, earned his second consecutive win, too, taking first in the 10-lap 4 Cylinders main. He won the feature race, set fast time and captured a heat race, just like he did last week.
Speet started 15th in the 17-car field, but he needed only three laps to charge into the lead. He barely stayed out of trouble, though, since there were two cautions even before a lap was completed. Speet said he was fortunate to escape unscathed.
“I started way in the back, and there was a lot of trouble around me,” Speet said. “Every single (accident) was a near miss. I got tagged a little bit one time when a guy was trying to get underneath me.”
SUPER STOCKS (75 LAPS) 1. Justin Ryan, 2. Seth Moody, 3. Nate Walton, 4. Will Olmsted, 5. Dave Lake, 6. Bob Bliss, 7. Denny Anderson, 8. Andrew Nylaan, 9. Dave Hull, 10. Dennis Mann, 11. Cole Roelofs, 12. Warren Speet, 13. Joel Baker, 14. Jeremy Munniksma, 15. Tim Stuart, 16. Trever McCoy, 17. Kelsey Steele
MODIFIEDS (30 LAPS) 1. Ryan Hamm, 2. Billy Shotko, 3. Billy Eppink, 4. Kevin DeGood, 5. Adam Chase, 6. Randy DeBoer, 7. Ryan Gruppen, 8. Ben Welch
SPORTSMAN (25 LAPS) 1. Tony Davis, 2. Brian Tillema, 3. Randy Veldman, 4. Andrew MacIntosh, 5. Mitch Meppelink, 6. Nick Sherrington, 7. Allen Davis, 8. Kirk Meissner, 9. Tyler Nawrocki, 10. Tyler Sterken, 11. Gerry Shepard, 12. Dave Cutler, 13. Scott Root
4 CYLINDERS (10 LAPS) 1. Mike Speet, 2. Charlie DeJong, 3. Chuck Norris, 4. Darrell Holtzlander, 5. Dave Duyst, 6. Jackson Walker, 7. Seth VanHorssen, 8. Paul Ritchie, 9. Dan Schoenborn, 10. Kyle VanDrunen, 11. Jason Essex, 12. Jerry Smith, 13. Rob Ream, 14. Robbie Ream, 15. Dan Ream, 16. Zack Clark, 17. Jake Loesch
HEAT WINNERS: Ryan Hamm (Modifieds); Randy Veldman, Scott Root (Sportsman); Mike Speet, Zack Clark (4 Cylinders)
FAST QUALIFIERS: Nate Walton (Super Stocks) 92.130 mph; Kevin DeGood (Modifieds) 92.340 mph; Tony Davis (Sportsman) 85.519 mph; Mike Speet (4 Cylinders) 78.385 mph
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