Sprague, McCaul, Sternberg, Delong and Near are Top Guns at Winston Speedway

Friday, July 11 2008

Sprague, McCaul, Sternberg, Delong and Near are Top Guns at Winston Speedway

Friday July 11th was another great night of racing at Winston Speedway. It was I-96 Speedway Challenge Night for the Late Model and Modified divisions along with the Mid Season Championship for the Sportsman division. For the second week in a row the weather was not a factor in getting in the program. Five classes of racing provided a show for the fans that ran smooth and fast.

In the Integra Racing Shocks and Springs Late Model division out side pole sitter Jim Fairbanks held the early lead. By lap ten Tom Sprague Jr had pulled even with Fairbanks racing him side by side. On Lap thirteen Sprague gained the advantage with a pass going through turns one and two. As Sprague opened up the lead working his way through lapped traffic the next driver on the move was sixth place starter and present points leader Rich Neiser. A late race caution put Neiser on Sprague’s bumper. On the final lap Nesier was able to diamond the final two turns only to come a half car short on the inside of Sprague’s #21 Late Model. The win was Sprague’s third of the season at Winston. Fairbanks held onto third over Andy Sprague and Matt Pickard. Heat Races were won by Jeff Roodvoest and Andy Sprague. The “Dash for Cash” was won by Andy Sprague.

The Modified division continues to be a playground for John McCaul. After three laps being led by Dean Wilkerson it was all McCaul. Drivers in the Modified division have to be scratching their heads at McCaul's dominance. Only one other driver has a main event win at Winston. The race for second was as good as any racing action all season. With ten laps to go Wilkerson, Andy Sprague and Jacob Poel were the best of the rest as they swapped the second position on different occasions. With three to go all eyes were on Andy Sprague and Jacob Poel racing side by side. Coming for the checkered Poel and Sprague made contact. Poel showed the bottom of his race car to the fans as he went by the flag stand riding the wall and fence. The ensuing race for positions was scary as Poel and Sprague were stopped on the front stretch. No solid contact was made with either but cars did clip both of them as they went by. When the smoke cleared four drivers would have their cars taken to the pits on a wrecker. Poel would be credited with second but his car got the worst of all the carnage. The front sub of Poel’s car was bent bad enough to have his motor facing to the left. Sprague was third followed by Jeremy Ferguson and Dan Dykman. Heat Races were won by Poel and Wilkerson. The “Dash for Cash” winner was McCaul.
The Port City Racing Sportsman division was finally able to compete for their Mid-Season championship. After a two week delay drivers lined up by points with Ralph Sternberg holding the pole starting position. Outside of him was Chad Weinrick. The start of the race tuned out to be the big key as Sternberg jumped to the lead with Weinrick glued to his bumper. For the next twenty five laps Sternberg hit all his marks. Weinrick could only hope for a mistake by Sternberg. It never happened as Sternberg picked up his third win of the season. Weinrick was second followed by Tim Tuttle, Jeremy Holman, and Rob Sternberg. Dan Wilson and Holman garnered Heat Race wins.

Bill Delong’s eighth place starting position in the Factory Stock division was not a factor for him as he moved to the point by lap four. Once out front only Tony Weinrick could challenge as these two broke away from the rest of the field. Delong was too strong at the end and beat Weinrick for the win. The third spot went to Loren Peterson. John Person and Paul TenBrink completed the top five. Heat race wins earlier in the evening went to Person, TenBrink, and Delong. The top transfer spot in the consolation feature went to Scott Erickson.

The Sprague Auto Parts Mini Stock division saw Rothbury native Luke Near race his way to another feature win. Starting out front Near held off the hard charges of second and third place finishers, Carl McCann and CJ Rector to take the win. Mark Farber and John Foss completed the top five. Heat races were won by McCann and Near.

Friday July 18th will see another exciting night of action planned. Four divisions of racing along with a Roll Over contest will take place. The Late Model division will have the night off. For the best in Family entertainment along the Lakeshore make your way to Winston Speedway.

Mid Season Champions Crowned at Winston Speedway

Friday, July 4

Mid Season Champions Crowned at Winston Speedway

Friday July 4th was reason for celebration at Winston Speedway. Not only was it Independence Day, but for the first time this season there was no threat of rain. Fans were treated to four Mid-Season Championship races, a Sportsman Invitational and a great Fireworks display. All of the championship races lined up by points while the Sportsman Invitational drivers raced there way to their starting spots for their main event through Heat races. One-hundred twenty race cars battled two and three abreast putting a great show on for the fans.

In the Integra Racing Shocks and Springs Late Model Mid-season Championship race Rich Neiser started on the pole and stayed at the point the entire 30 lap event. Neiser continues to be excel picking up his third feature win of the season and increasing his lead at the top of the point standings. Matt Pickard finished in the second position. Brothers Tom and Andy Sprague raced each other side by side for third with Tom Sprague Jr earning the third position by a quarter-panel over his younger sibling. Tim Stott rounded out the top five. Heat races were won Kyle Borgman, Neiser, and Tom Sprague Jr.

The Modified division continues to be a playground for John McCaul. Points leader McCaul has won all but one feature at Winston this season. McCaul did not disappoint his fans as he led every lap besting the field by half a track. The runner-up position was the talk of the night in the pit area as McCaul’s teammate Stan Dodds had the run of the night. Starting in the 18th position Dodds charged his way through the field to the runner-up position. A freshened motor and some set-up tips might come back to haunt McCaul as Dodds run was nothing less than impressive. Dan Dykman earned the third spot ahead of Randy Whitten and Jason Ferguson. Heat race winners were Dykman, Whitten and Nate Bostrom.

The Port City Racing Sportsman Invitational saw a familiar name in the winners circle. The Weisner racing name has been around for years. Michigan racing legend Paul Weisner’s legacy is being carried on by his grandson Kody who led every single lap to take home the $500 winners share. Weisner held on for the win through nine caution restarts. It was Wesiner’s third win of the season. Rob Sternberg won the race for second over Mike Lynn, Jeremy Holman, and Brian Williams. Heat race winners included Kyle Borgman, Weisner and Rob Sternberg.

The Factory Stock division continues to see a good balance of competition. Bill Delong and Scott Erickson both got by leader Tony Weinrick with seven laps to go to set up a show down. When the checkered was waved fans were on their feet as Delong edged Erickson for the win by less than two feet. Tony Weinrick settled for third followed by pole starter Derek Passenier and Paul TenBrink. Justin Gilmore earned the top transfer position in the consolation feature. Heats were won by Erickson, Dennis Bringedal, Paul TenBrink, and Loren Peterson. The “Dash for Cash” event was won by TenBrink.

The Mini Stock division had one of the most exciting finishes of the season. Coming out of turn four of the final lap you could have thrown a blanket over the top three. At the line points leader CJ Rector held on for dear life as he beat Luke Near to the line by a bumper and Carl McCann by a quarter panel. The win for Rector was his second of the season. Andrew Bartoszek and Cody Moorman rounded out the top five. Heat races were won by Near and Bartoszek. The “Dash for Cash” event winner was Bartoszek.

Winston Speedway will run the Sportsman Mid Season Championship along with a full race program on Friday July 11th. For the best in Family Entertainment along the Lakeshore make your way to Winston Speedway.

Stott and Wilson Garner Wins at Winston Speedway

Friday, June 27

Stott and Wilson Garner Wins at Winston Speedway

Winston Speedway owner Tom Sprague put it best during the Friday June 27th drivers meeting. “I have never seen anything like this in my 35 years of racing” stated Sprague when refering to the weather. For the sixth time this season Winston would have to cancel their race program. It was Mid-season championship night for all classes, but only two make-up features from the previous weeks rain shortened program took place. The drivers were willing to run their features first, the program even started earlier to try to beat Mother Nature. To no avail a thunderstorm an hour into the program wiped out another Friday night of racing.
The make-up late model feature had some excitement from start to finish. The line-up was set from the previous week. Pole sitter Tim Stott paced the field early with Matt Pickard in hot pursuit. An Early race caution saw the demise of Tom Dusen when cars piled up on the front stretch. Rich Neiser was also involved on his charge to the front. Neiser’s car showed no worse for wear as he found himself in a heated battle with Pickard midway throughout the race. Neiser finally made it past Pickard late in the race but his charge to the front came up a little short as Stott never slipped once. The win was Stott’s first feature win of the season at Winston. Neiser’s runner-up position was followed by Pickard, Kyle Borgman, and Andy Sprague. Rounding out the top ten were Scott Wenell, John McDonald, Brian McQueen, Kevin Nelson Jr and Mike Wilbern.
In the Sportsman event Dan Wilson used his pole position start to full advantage. Wilson led from start to finish holding off the Sternberg brothers. Ralph edged his brother Rob for the second position. Cody Weisner and Tim Tuttle completed the top five. The second half of the top ten was Chad Weinrick, Bean Falbe, Jeremy Holman, Robert McDonald, and Brian Juusola.
The Fourth of July Friday night program will have a Sportsman Invitational as part of the program along with the make-up of Mid Season Championship races. Fireworks will also light the nighttime skies on Friday and then again on Saturday. Winston will have cars smashing and crashing as part of the Demolition Derby and Off Road Scramble schedule that will take place Saturday night July 5th. For the best in Family entertainment make your way to Winston Speedway.

McCaul is the King of "Kids Night" at Winston Speedway

Friday, June 20 2008

McCaul is the King of "Kids Night" at Winston Speedway

Winston Speedway’s June 20th race program saw a little bit of everything. The crowds at Winston continue to be strong. It was standing room only for the second week in a row. Look for more bleachers to be added as part of owners Tom & Lois Sprague’s plans for the future. The pits were also full with 120 racecars taking part in the night’s events. It was “Kids Night” and close to 500 children under the age of 12 took part in a variety of prerace activities. Every child walked away with something including over 60 bicycles. One driver showed why he owns multiple track championships and once again the weather was unpredictable. The evening started with sunshine and clear skies and ended with rain showers. Ludington Late Model driver Frank Morrison’s car was being cleared off the track when the rains hit. Morrison rolled his car over three times on the front stretch when he snagged his right front tire on the wall. The “Happy go lucky” Morrison has been battling cancer for over a year. Tonight’s accident was just a bump in the road for him. The Winston Speedway racing family looks forward to seeing his return.

There were two performances on the night that stood out. They both just happen to be by the same driver. The UMP Modifieds held two features on the night. Thirty cars were in the pits for this respective division. Both events were won by John McCaul . In the $1000 dollar to win Invitational McCaul showed why he is one of the best Modified drivers in the state. McCaul found the high groove to his liking and stayed there for the entire event. Drivers were able to race side by side as a mist in the air made the track very racey. Todd Feutz looked like a man on a mission early as he powered his way by Mark Anderson for the second position. Feutz’s challenge of McCaul ended with him spinning out in turn two with nine laps remaining. Anderson’s strong hold on the runner-up position was also put in jeopardy late in the race. Greg Smith might have been the fastest driver on the track when the checkered flag was waved. Smith charged from tenth to third before running out of laps. Dave Baker and Randy Whitten completed the top five. In the June 13th makeup feature McCaul took just three laps to make his way to the front. In the caution free feature McCaul hit all his marks. Strong runs by Jason Ferguson, Greg Smith, Walt Wisnewski, and Jeremy Ferguson garnered them top five finishes. Heat races were won by Feutz, Baker and Jeremy Ferguson. Todd Cowan earned the top transfer spot out of the consolation feature and later finished a respectable 6th in the Invitational “A” main.

The Factory Stock division also had double features. Thirty cars were on hand for this tough division. In the make-up event the race started with some excitement. Pole sitter Brad Bates and Paul TenBrink swapped the lead, shared the same space and ultimately shared some paint before Bates brought out a caution in his attempt to get under TenBrink coming out of turn two on lap three. TenBrink remained strong out front for the rest of the event to take the win. Longtime driver Bill May’s return to racing at Winston was stout. After breaking an axle in the heat race and having to race his way into the “A” main through the consolation feature, May finished in the runner-up spot. Bill Delong, Scott Erickson and Tony Weinrick completed the top five. In the nights main event Tony Weinrick made the move of the race getting by Paul Tenbrink and Bill May who were holding down the top two spots with just six laps to go. Weinrick went on to win over TenBrink, May, Delong, and Chuck Smith. Scott Erickson earned the top Transfer spot in the “B’ feature for the night while Bill Delong earned it for the make-up event from June 13th. Heats were won by Dennis Bringedal, Bill May, Tony Weinrick and Paul TenBrink.

The twenty car Mini Stock feature had trouble making consecutive laps without a caution. Eight cautions made their feature reach the time limit. Pole sitter CJ Rector was credited with the win over Luke Near, Seth Moody, Cody Moorman, and Brandon Tramper. Heats were won by April Spriggs and Rector. Cody Dykman won the 3 car front wheel drive Warrior division race.In the Sportsman division Rob Sternberg and Chad Weinrick were heat race winners.

In the Late Model division Rich Neiser, Steve Fairbanks and Kevin Nelson Jr all took checkered flags. Both the Sportsman and Late Model divisions will have double features in a future race program.

Next week is Mid-Season Championship night for all divisions. Hopefully “Mother Nature” will be kind as there is no doubt that the drivers, crews and fans are excited to be at Winston Speedway on Friday nights. For the best in Family entertainment along the Lakeshore make your way to Winston Speedway.

Winston Speedway Defies the Weather

Friday, June 13

Winston Speedway Defies the Weather
Give credit to Winston Speedway owners Tom and Lois Sprague along with the fans, and drivers for their patience. Mother Nature has not been kind to Friday night race tracks in Michigan. Winston has lost five race dates already this season. The Winston Speedway racing family was not about to let another race night fall victim to the weather on "Friday the 13th". After battling the rain and a track that looked like it would never be race ready, a standing room only crowd witnessed some of the fastest laps turned at Winston in recent years. The first race did not start until 9:15 but it was worth the wait. Praxair Welding Supply was the sponsor of the night’s events. Their employees, patrons and families made up a large contingency of the huge Friday night crowd.

Nineteen Integra Racing Shocks and Springs Late Model drivers weathered the storm and had the opportunity to turn the fastest laps of the season. Front row starter Kyle Borgman started the main event with a bang as he hit the front stretch wall ending his evening and bringing out the red flag before lap one was in the record books. Pole sitter Tim Stott was the early leader, but it did not last long. One car was the class of the field. Starting in the sixth position Tom Sprague Jr put on a clinic. By races end Sprague’s nearest competitors were a half track behind. Sprague’s win was his second of the season. Earning the runner-up position was Stott. Andy Sprague’s charge from 17th to 3rd was impressive. Matt Pickard and Rich Neiser completed the top five. Heat Race winners were Sprague Jr and Rob Taylor.

Sportsman driver Ralph Sternberg leap frogged his brother Rob in the Point Standings of the Port City Racing Sportsman division. Rob’s night was cut short with mechanical problems while Ralph flourished. Ralph Sternberg’s sixth place starting position was not a deterrent as he powered his way to the front within 4 laps and stayed there. Tim Tuttle was able to pull even with Sternberg late in the race but his charge from tenth ended with a second place finish. Mike Lynn’s first race of the season ended with a third place finish ahead of Larry Passenier and Cody Weisner. Heat race winners included Weisner and Robert McDonald.

In the Sprague’s Auto Parts Mini Stock division it was veteran Luke Near and youngster CJ Rector who battled bumper to bumper the entire main event. Near’s three track championships did not intimidate the 14 year old Rector. Both drivers raced each other hard and clean with Near being the winner and Rector gaining respect from his competitors and the fans. Andrew Bartoszek, Mark Farber and Carl McCann completed the top five. Heats were won by Farber and Seth Moody. Derek Dykema won the Warrior division four cylinder race.

The Modifed and Factory Stock divisions were not able to run their main events as the tracks 11:30 curfew was met. Both divisions will run double features on June 20th. Modified Heat winners were John McCaul and Derek Poland. Factory Stock heat races were won by Brad Bates, Chuck Smith and Paul TenBrink.

Friday June 20th will be our annual “Kids Night” Every child will receive a ticket for a free hotdog, bag of chips and juice. There will be games for the kids from 4PM to 7PM. Door prizes along with over 60 bicycles will be part of a ticket drawing that every child will have the opportunity to be part of. It is one of the most rewarding nights for the drivers and fans. There is nothing better than seeing the faces of children light up with excitement and laughter. For the best in Family Entertainment along the lakeshore make your way to Winston Speedway.