Memphis, MO (Friday, March 20, 2015) - My 2015 racing season got kicked off on Friday, March 20th at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO, with the "Midwest Bottom Heavy Spring Nationals". In action on the night was the Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts. At the end of the night Michael Long (Modifieds), Michael Jaennette (Stock Cars), Jenae Gustin (SportMods), Austin Luellen (Hobby Stocks), and Kimberly Abbott (Sport Compacts) were all standing in victory lane.
The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap Sport Compacts, with Kimberly Abbott and Travis DeMint drawing the front row for the event. Abbott would take advantage of her front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Josh Barnes, who started 5th, and Trent Orwig. While Abbott set a fast pace out front, Michael Grossman who started 8th was working his way towards the front. Grossman would over take Barnes for second on lap 10, and then tried to chase down Abbott for the lead. But without a caution Abbott was able to hold on to pick up her first win of the season. Grossman settled for 2nd, Orwig was 3rd, DeMint was 4th, with Seith Woodruff coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 16 lap SportMod feature, with Jim Gillenwater and Jenae Gustin leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Gillenwater would edge out Gustin at the line to lead lap 1. Those two driver would run the first few laps side-by-side, before Gillenwater would grab a little bid of an advantage. Gustin would try to get under Gillenwater coming off turn four on laps 10, 11, and 12. But Gillenwater would hold her off every time. That was until lap 13, when she slipped under him to grab the top spot away. Gillenwater would use the middle groove coming off turn 2 to grab the lead back on lap 14. Coming to the white flag Gustin would slip under Gillenwater to take the lead back and then held him off on the final lap to pick up the win. Gillenwater was 2nd, Austin Howes was 3rd, Joey Gower came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Brett Lowry finishing 5th after starting in 8th in Shawn Ritter's #7SR machine.
Dustin Griffith and Nick Ulin drew the front row for the 14 lap Hobby Stock feature. But it was fourth place starter Austin Luellen who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Ulin and Ryan Grochala, who started 5th. Ulin's run up front came to a stop early, as he lost a right rear wheel down the backstretch on lap 2 to bring out the one and only caution of the event. On the restart Luellen jumped back out front, but now had Shannon Anderson, who started 6th, and Mike Kincaid, who started 11th, glued to his back bumper. Despite Anderson staying close to Luellen over the final laps, Luellen was able to hold on to pick up the win. Anderson settled for 2nd, Kincaid was 3rd, Grochala was 4th, with Bill Bonnett passed 8 cars from his 13th place starting spot to finish in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap Modified feature, with Scott Dickey and Cayden Carter leading the field to green, after Jim Lynch, who was suppose to start second, scratched from the event with troubles. Carter would take advantage of his move from the fourth place starting spot to starting second to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dickey and Hunter Marriott, who started 6th. Just as Carter started to pull away from the battle behind him, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 5. Shane DeMey would slow in turns 1 and 2 with a right rear flat to bring out the yellow. On the restart Michael Long, who started 11th, slipped under Carter in turn 3 to grab the top spot away. Carter, who was running the bottom of the track, and Marriott, who was up top, ran side-by-side for the next several laps, until Marriott grabbed the spot away on lap 12. Just as Carter did earlier in the race, Long started to pull away from the battle behind him until the second caution of the race came out on lap 17. Dylan Hoover would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Long jumped back out front on the restart, with Carter over taking Marriott for the second spot. There was no catching Long on the final 3 laps, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Carter would edge out a 2nd place finish over Marriott in 3rd at the line by inches, Todd VanEaton came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Mike Densberger charging from 20th to finish in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap Stock Car, with Michael Jaennette and Erick Knutsen drawing the front row. Jaennette would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over John Oliver Jr. and Damon Murty, who started 6th. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 2, when Tyler Pickett, who was running 4th, spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jaennette moved back out front over Oliver Jr. and Dalton Lynch, who started in 8th. Jaennette then started to pull away from second, when the second caution of the race appeared on lap 6. This time Knutsen would spin in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Once again Jaennette grabbed the lead on the restart, with Murty and Dalton Lynch over taking Oliver Jr. for the second and third spots. Just when Jaennette started to put some distance between himself and Murty, the third and final caution came out on lap 11. Dalton Lynch, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 and collected Ryan Fullenkamp, who was running 5th, to bring out the yellow. The final restart saw Jaennette jump back out front, with Murty and Jim Lynch, who started 11th, close behind. But there was no stopping Jaennette on this night, as he held on to claim the win. Murty was 2nd, Jim Lynch was 3rd, Oliver Jr. was 4th, with Abe Huls coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Notes from Memphis: The Sport Compact feature went caution FREE!!!....John Girdley started 9th and finished 7th....Kevin Garrett came from 10th to finish in 8th....Billy Cain started 11th and finished in 9th....Jordan O'Haver came from 12th to finish in 10th....Brandon Lambert passed 4 cars from his 15th place starting spot to finish in 11th....Josh Barnes, who was running 3rd, pulled off on lap 10 with a right front flat to end his night in 12th....William Michel had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......The SportMod feature also went caution FREE!!!....Clint Luellen, who had a flat in his heat race, passed 10 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Jason McDaniel started 16th and finished in 13th......Adam Armstrong who made the pull over from Beatrice, Nebraska had a strong run going in the Hobby Stock feature, until troubles late in the race forced him to retire for a 10th place finish......Mike Densberger of Lincoln, Nebraska arrived at the track late. But called ahead to have someone draw for his heat race starting spot in the Modified division. He would start heat race 2 on the outside of the front row and then drove away to the win. But was disqualified after taking the checkered flag and driving past the exit into the infield in the middle of the backstretch and taking an extra lap. At the driver's meeting every driver was told if you did this exact thing you would be disqualified, as the next event is coming onto the track after the checkered flag waves in order to keep the program going. As a result Densberger started the feature in 20th and used the two cautions to come up to a 5th place finish....Jeff James started 12th and finished 6th....Tyler Groenendyk passed 8 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Johnathan Huston was suppose to start the feature in 3rd, but during the parade lap he didn't like something and went pit side. He would pull out onto the track just as the green flag dropped and then climbed his way back up to a 11th place finish....Blake Woodruff started 21st and passed 8 cars to come home in 13th....Brian Woodruff, was suppose to start 5th, but elected to go to the rear. He would come home in 14th....Dylan Hoover finished 15th after spinning on lap 17 to bring out the caution....Jim Lynch was suppose to start 2nd in the feature but was a scratch after troubles in the heat race......Jerry Pilcher drove Mike McClure's #4M Stock Car and started the feature in 9th and finished in 6th....Tyler Picket, who spun on lap 2 while running 4th, recovered from that spin to come back up to 7th....Dalton Lynch recovered from his spin on lap 11 to come back up to finish in 8th....Ryan Fullenkamp also recovered from the spin on lap 11 to come back up to finish in 10th....Jason Cook arrived late and missed his heat race, which resulted in him starting 15th in the feature. He would climb his way up to 8th, before exiting on lap 8 with troubles to end his night in 15th.
No comments:
Post a Comment