Two First Career Feature Winners Highlight
Eastern Michigan Food Bank Night at Dixie Motor Speedway
By Matt Prieur and Chris Fobbe - Owosso Speedway
Birch Run, Michigan (July 23, 2010): Friday
Night, July 23rd
was Eastern Michigan Food Bank Night at the Dixie Motor Speedway
Presented by Draper Auto Group as a strong field of cars in all
divisions turned out for a great night of racing in Birch Run,
Michigan on a hot summer night.
All Six Divisions within the Weekly Local Racing Series were in
action
and the big winners on this night were; Blake Childers - Speedway
Grafix Pro Late Models, Mike Luberda Sr. - O'Guinn Family Funeral
Homes Modifieds, Don Riley - RacerChic.us Pro Stocks, Jake Caverly -
RacingPartSales.com Street Stocks, Kyle Maize - Birch Run / Bridgeport
Herald Bombers, and Ray DerMiner - Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s.
Up first on Eastern Michigan Food Bank Night at the Races was on the
fast 4/10s (0.400) mile progressively banked d-shaped paved oval and
it was the 30-lap Feature for the Speedway Grafix Pro Late Models as
they were led to Chief Starter, Todd Setterington's green flag by
Three-Time Defending Track Champion, Ed Doutre Jr., and 17-year-old
Blake Childers.
Right off the bat, trouble ensued when the field bunched up forcing
several drivers to take evasive action. The end result saw Doutre Jr.,
Fast Qualifier Mark Welch, and Current Rookie Points Leader,
17-year-old Jimmy Novak amongst others, all suffering damage to their
machines. All three returned, but Novak and Welch eventually dropped
out due to their damage and Doutre Jr., returned but was several laps
down.
On the ensuing restart, Childers moved over to the pole position
with
Current Points Leader Tony Hoose along-side of the teenager and it
would be Childers beating Hoose to the first corner after several
restarts, to take the early advantage. Soon, 2004 Track Champion Jay
Reinbold maneuvered his way up to the second position and quickly
chased down Childers.
Several more cautions plagued the event and on each double file
restart, Childers was able to fend off Reinbold and Hoose on each of
those restarts. When all was said and done, Childers, the 2008 Rookie
of the Year would fight off those challenges and the 17-year-old
Flushing, Michigan driver in his Motor City Builders Chevrolet would
go on to win his first Feature since his freshman year!
Reinbold settled for second with Hoose, Marty England, and Adam
Rowe
finishing off the Top Five. 16-year-old Hanna Christensen, the 2009
Rookie of the Year, finished a career high sixth as another
16-year-old Josh Hobson was seventh. Todd Barlass was eighth as Julian
Fluty and Chet Allen completed the Top 10.
Earlier in the afternoon, Welch won his fourth Speedway Grafix
Fast
Qualifier Award of the year with a lap measured at a 16.308 while
Barlass and Novak collected Heat Race wins.
The O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Modifieds were up next on the 4/10s
mile as their 30-lap Feature saw Donny Matteson Jr., and 2009 Rookie
of the Year, 19-year-old John King bring the field down to the
Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth start / finish line and it would be
Matteson Jr., beating King to the first corner to grab the early lead.
Matteson Jr., set an early torrid pace while the rest of the field
maneuvered their way to Matteson Jr's back bumper. The one and only
caution of the race was a big one as on lap 13 two rookies got
together as 16-year-old Kyle Feeney and 17-year-old Trevor Berry, the
top two freshman in the season long points chase, made hard contact
with the turn four wall with Berry hitting so hard that he bounced off
the wall and came to rest at the center of the intersection of the
Figure 8s track!
Both drivers were ok, but were done for the night. On the restart,
Veteran, Mike Luberda Sr., edged Matteson Jr., coming out of turn two
to take the lead away and soon, Current Points Leader, Ken O'Connor
also motored around the pole-sitter to grab second and set his sights
on Luberda Sr.
O'Connor tried every trick in his arsenal to get by the crafty
veteran
from AuGres, Michigan but it was all to no avail as Luberda Sr., would
go on to score his second Feature Win of the 2010 racing season and
would climb out of his Luberda's Wood Products Chevrolet in the
Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth Winners Circle to a rousing ovation from
the crowd!
O'Connor settled for second with Two-Time and Defending Track
Champion
Nick Clemens finished third. Rick Wiecorek was fourth as Matteson Jr.,
completed the Top Five. King fell back to sixth while Matt Severn,
Feeney, Berry, and Don Morse were the Top 10.
In Qualifying, O'Connor won his fourth O'Guinn Family Funeral
Homes
Fast Qualifier Award of the season as he turned in a 16.212 while
Matteson Jr., won the lone Heat Race.
The final race of the night on the 4/10s mile was for the RacerChic.us
Pro Stocks as their 25-lap Feature rolled out and were led to the
Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth start / finish line by a pair of rookies
in Barry Vance and Jamie Jacobson and it would be Vance just edging
out Jacobson heading into the first turn to take the early lead while
the rest of the field jockeyed for position behind him.
It would only take Defending Track Champion and Current Points
Leader,
Don Riley just four laps to get to Vance's back bumper from his
outside the third row starting spot and on the next lap, Riley, who
had been held winless at Dixie over the last three races, drove around
Vance, originally from Birch Run, Michigan but now calling Sarasota,
Florida home, to take the lead on lap five.
From their, Riley was simply gone while the rest of the field
scrambled for the remaining positions. Fast Qualifier and Winner of
the last Three RacerChic.us Pro Stocks Features, Jon Giffel finally
worked himself into second place, but Riley had nearly a half a track
lead over Giffel and the remainder of the field.
When all was said and done, Riley returned to his dominating ways
in
his Stevens Cycle Sales Chevrolet and the Bay City, Michigan veteran
would go on to win his Fifth Feature of the 2010 racing season and
Eighth Overall between Dixie and Dixie's sister track to the
Southwest, the Owosso Speedway.
Giffel finished second while 2008 Track Champion Kevin Harder
claimed
the last podium position in third. Current Rookie of the Year Points
Leader, 19-year-old Tim Cummings was fourth as Gary Shank Jr.,
finished up the Top Five. Jacobson fell back to sixth over another
19-year-old, Nicole Korbinski as Buddy McGeathy, Rick Osborn Jr., and
Vance were the Top 10.
Giffel scored his second RacerChic.us Fast Qualifier Award of
the 2010
racing season as he laid down a 17.338 while Vance and Riley won the
Heat Races.
With action on the 4/10s mile complete, it was time to move down to
the adjoining 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked paved oval and the 20-lap
Birch Run / Bridgeport Herald Bomber Feature kicked things off on the
smaller oval with Mike Wines and Ricky Dinius Jr., bringing the 19-car
field down to the green flag as Wines would grab the early advantage
while the rest of the field settled in behind him.
Several early cautions plagued the event bunching the field up
each
and every time with the double file restarts. On each restart, Wines
would continue to maintain his advantage until 17-year-old Kyle Maize
took the lead away from Wines on lap six and tried desperately to pull
away from the rest of the field.
Andrew Burton, the winningest driver of the 2009 racing season
at
Dixie with Eight combined Feature Wins, pressured Maize all around the
1/3 mile while feeling pressure himself from 18-year-old Rookie, Eric
Lake and the rest of the field. All the while, Maize maintained the
top spot.
Burton and Lake tried one last time to motor by Maize but the
Otter
Lake, Michigan driver was up to the task as the driver of the Ron's
Auto Repair Chevrolet would fend off the challenges from Burton and
the rest of the field and the 17-year-old would go on to score an
emotional First Ever Feature Win!
At the line, Burton beat Lake to finish second while Lake scored
a
career high Third Place finish. Jordan Lechota was fourth over Anthony
Jurek who wrapped up the Top Five. Current Points Leader Cam Hiltz
finished sixth while Wines slipped back to seventh ahead of Dinius
Jr., New Rookie of the Year Points Leader Rick Kiger, and Andy Karg,
who slipped back to second in the freshman title chase, completed the
Top 10.
Lechota scored his second Birch Run / Bridgeport Herald Fast Qualifier
Award of the year as he toured the 1/3 mile at an 18.275 with Wines
and Burton winning the Heat Races.
The final oval track race of the night was also on the 1/3 mile and it
was the 25-lap RacingPartSales.com Street Stocks Feature as Current
Rookie of the Year Points Leader, Andy Moss started on the pole
along-side 2009 Rookie of the Year Runner-Up, Jake Caverly and it
would be Caverly winning the race to the first two corner to take over
the early lead with the rest of the field in tow.
Caverly would maintain the early lead until 2009 Rookie of the
Year
Aaron Spearling made his move to the front and took over the top spot
on lap 11 and he brought two drivers with a combined Six Feature Won
between them this season in 2001 Pro Late Model Track Champion Robby
Johnston, and Two-Time Defending Street Stocks Track Champion Ed
Newman Jr.
As the crossed flags signal was given signifying halfway, Johnston
drove by Spearling to take the lead and soon Newman Jr., followed suit
and the long awaited battle between the two most successful Street
Stock drivers in Eastern Michigan over the past five seasons was on!
Newman Jr., searched high and low, trying to find a way around
Johnston and several times the two collided batting with each other,
and each time, they straightened each other out to continue the war.
Then things finally came to a dramatic ending on the white flag lap
when Newman Jr., dive bombed into turns three and four to take the
lead as the white flag was flying.
When they drove into turns one and two Johnston and Newman Jr.,
collided again sending both around. Caverly, who had driven back
around Spearling with five laps to go, dove underneath both spinning
drivers and when all was said and done, a surprised Caverly, in his
unsponsored Caverly Motorsports Chevrolet, would find himself in the
Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth Victory Lane to give the Freeland,
Michigan driver his First Career Feature Win!
Spearling inherited second with Josh Hahn, Gary Stevens, and Moss
completed the Top Five. Rookie Matt Singer finished sixth over fellow
Rookie, 19-year-old Brandan Adams while Newman Jr., Johnston, and Al
Boitel Jr., finished off the Top 10.
Winning the RacingPartSales.com Fast Qualifier Award was Johnston
who
scored his sixth such award of the year with Caverly picking up the
Heat Race win.
The final race overall of the evening was the Mike's Auto Parts Figure
8s 12-lap main event with Ray DerMiner and Rookie Terry Montney
starting on the front row and DerMiner would shoot out into the lead
and taking off from the rest of the field early as the rest of the
pack scrambled to keep pace.
DerMiner set a torrid early pace while the past two track champions
as
well as First and Second in the Current Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s
Points Standings, 2008 Track Champion Jordan Lechota and Defending
Track Champion Andrew Burton were methodically maneuvering their way
through the field from their 12th and Seventh starting spots
respectively.
Lechota got by Burton early in the race, but Burton wouldn't let
Lechota out of his sights and the two drivers teamed up to try and
chase down the race long leader, DerMiner who avoided several close
calls at the Intersection to build up an already huge advantage over
the rest of the pack.
DerMiner stayed a safe distance ahead of the two past track champions
and the Flint, Michigan veteran in his Second Hand World Two Chevrolet
would make his return to the Birch Run, Michigan speed plant after a
nearly two month absence and collect his second Feature Win of the
year and he led all 13 laps in the process.
Lechota fended off Burton for second while Burton's teammate,
Tony
Williams finished fourth and Ricky Dinius Jr., completed the Top Five.
John Hitsman was sixth while Rookie Terry Montney, Cam Hiltz, Current
Rookie of the Year Points Leader, 18-year-old Eric Lake, and Mike
Wines wrapped up the Top 10.
The Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s do not Qualify or run Heat Races
as
they draw for their starting positions in their Feature in a blind
draw held during the Drivers Meeting with Last Week's Feature Winner,
in this case, Lechota, starting last in the event.
THIS Friday, July 30th will be the annual Classic Car Cruise Night at
the Races as the fans in the grandstands get the chance to check out
some great looking classic vehicles of yesteryear in the parking lot
before and during the races and then watch them in a special parade
around the 4/10s mile at Intermission.
On the track, the 4/10s (0.400) mile progressively banked d-shaped
paved oval will be a busy place one more time as the Speedway Grafix
Pro Late Models, O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Modifieds, and
RacereChic.us Pro Stocks are all on the card.
On the adjoining 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked paved oval the Birch
Run
/ Bridgeport Herald Bombers will have the inner oval all to themselves
for the night as the Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s will wrap things up
once again on the inner Figure 8s track.
The RacingPartSales.com Street Stocks get the night off, but will
return to action on Friday, August 6th as part of BIG ONE VIII with
the third jewel of the Dixie Cup Triple Crown Series for the Outlaw
Super Late Models; The 4th annual Mid-Michigan Dixie Challenge 100 and
the second appearance of 2010 by the fire breathing, winged warriors
of the Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series
co-headlining the biggest single day event in Michigan during the 2010
racing season.
For Friday, July 30th, Ticket Prices are: Adults (18-59) $12.00
-
Seniors (60 and Over) $10.00 - Teens (13-17) $8.00 - Children (6-12)
$5.00 - Kids (5 and Under) FREE - Pit Passes $25.00.
The Pit Gates will open at 2:00p.m., with Practice Beginning at
3:00p.m. The Grandstands Open at 5:00p.m., as Qualifying starts at
5:15p.m., then after Pre-Race Ceremonies, the Invocation, and National
Anthem(s), Racing is set for 7:30p.m.
For more information, please call: 1
(989) 624-9778 or 1 (989) 395-0933. You can also log onto the
Dixie Motor Speedway website at: www.dixiemotorspeedway.com |
