Ron Bennett
For The New Era
Outlaw, Super Sport & Sportsman
Dirt Late Models.
Lebanon, Oregon?..June 26, 2004.
Track knowledge and car set-up were the key to winning the 40 lap Outlaw Main event at Willamette Speedway on Saturday night. The track was dust-free and dry-slick throughout time trials and the heat races but liberal doses of water between events led to the upper groove ?coming in? during the main events portion of the 3-Division program and was a deciding factor in the Outlaw feature win for Glaser who put on a rim-riding, cushion banging, clinic while winning the Mid-Season Championship main event.
The 16 fastest timers were lined up in the usual full-reversed line-up with the last row reserved for the top two from the B-main. B-Main winner, Jeff Diller, declined and 2nd place B-transer Billy Workman Jr. made his first-ever A-Main event start at the rear of the pack.
Part-time racer, Skeet Phillips of Springfield, made the ?Sweet 16? in qualifying to earn a front-row start position and led the 17 car field down to starter Bill Arnold?s green flag. Steve Moore started on the pole and led lap 1 but gave way to Phillips on lap 2. Phillips used a bottom groove set-up to easily lead the next 24 circuits before a bizarre lap 25 accident saw the first four cars involved in a chain-reaction crash at the start/finish line.
As a yellow flag flew for a spun car at mid-pack behind the leaders, Phillips quickly slowed at the flag stand. Trevor Glaser, Bob Boyd and Randy Boyd were bumper-to-bumper and were trapped by the slowing leader. Glaser hit the rear of Phillips as the Boyd brothers clipped the pair and slid to a halt. Luckily, a large gap between the first 4 cars and 5th running Scott Byrum, allowed the field to get stopped before piling in to the track-blocking melee. Amazingly, Phillips was able to continue but with the rear quarter-panels and spoiler destroyed, he was a sitting duck as he fell back to 13th and pitted on lap 28.
Glaser, grabbed the lead on the lap 25 restart and quickly moved up to his favorite high-groove to easily lead the remaining 15 laps despite a couple of cushion jumping incidents that saw him graze the outside wall in turns one and two. The Boyd brothers ran bumper-to-bumper during the closing laps to grab 2nd (Bob) and 3rd (Randy) while Scott Byrum and Bruce Hipple came on strong to round-out the top 5.
Veteran Super Sport driver Glen Hackney is earning a reputation as the fastest senior-citizen racer in Oregon as he put on another high groove ?workshop? to win his second Super Sport Main event in-a-row since turning his Outlaw car duties over to the talented Rick Hodges a few weeks ago. Hackney is showing that his 30-plus years of dirt track racing experience stacks up well against the talented ?youngsters? in the tough Super Sport division races. Ron Berry, Ron Burchard, Randy Barley and B-Main winner, Dean Archer posted top-5 finishes.
Crowd favorite Brad Hopkins put his White Dodge Dakota pickup in the winner?s circle in the Sportsman A-Main as he beat out defending champion David Cronk and Jim Sapp in ?Mighty Mouse? car. Glenn Blanton and Gregg Shandy finished 4th and 5th.
Next weekend, July 3rd and 4th will see the ?Super Bowl? of Northwest Dirt Late Model racing at Willamette Speedway as the top Willamette Speedway, Bud I-5 Challenge and Pacific Coast Extreme Dirtcars gather for two nights of Bud I-5 Challenge action-packed racing.
The Weld Racing Wheel 50 lap feature will highlight a 3 division show that may have to highest car-count in the 39 year history of Willamette Speedway.
On Sunday night the same cars will gather for another complete racing program that will headline the Red Line Oil 100 lapper.
Time trials are set for 4 p.m. on both evenings with racing at 6:30 p.m. Fans may want to turn out early as large crowds are expected each night. The Willamette Speedway event will be the only Dirt Late Model race scheduled in the entire Pacific Northwest for the Independence Day holiday weekend.
Summary ? Sportsman Division
Fast time ? 17.281 ? David Cronk-Portland
Fast Four Trophy Dash ? Mike Bennett-Estacada
1st Heat race: 1-Rob Burchard-Salem, 2-Sue Futral-Sweet Home, 3-Floyd Thorp-Albany.
2nd Heat race: 1-Brad Landers-Lebanon, 2- Paul Moses Jr.-Stayton, 3-Darryl Blanchard-Depoe Bay.
3rd Heat race: 1-RJ Stevenson-Portland, 2-Donald Schott-Portland, 3-Keith Marson-Molalla.
4th Heat race: 1-Dale Holland-Portland, 2-Bill Gibbs-Canby, 3-Bob Trusty-Scio.
5th Heat race: 1-Brad Hopkins-Albany, 2-Glenn Blanton-Dallas, 3-Gary Archer-Brownsville.
6th Heat race: 1-Jim Sapp-Albany, 2-David Cronk, 3-Mike Bennett.
C-Main event: 1-Rob Burchard, 2-Brad Landers, 3-Christian Keeney-Sweet Home, 4-Billy Slover-Salem, 6-Scott Akin-Eugene, 7-Darryl Blanchard, 8-Sue Futral, Sweet Home, 9-Anne Campbell-Dallas, 10-Jared Steward-Sweet Home, 11-52-Paul Moses Jr., 12-Floyd Thorp, 13-David Bennett-Lebanon, 14-Rick Hickman-Brownsville.
B-Main event: 1-Jeff Marson-Molalla, 2-Jason Sommer-Lebanon, 3-Dale Holland, 4-RJ Stevenson, 5-Bob Trusty, 6-Dale Holland, 7-Kye Frick-Sweet Home, 8-Zac Hales-Scio, 9-Bill Gibbs, 10-Shawn Benton-Mill City, 11-Keith Marson, 12-Laurie Stevenson-Mill City, 13-Bill Tewalt-Lebanon, 14-Danny Asher-Oregon City.
A-Main event: 1-Brad Hopkins, 2-David Cronk, 3-Jim Sapp, 4-Glenn Blanton, 5-Gregg Shandy-Salem, 6-Gary Archer, 7-Anthony Hopper-Lebanon, 8-Erik Jarnport-Monmouth, 9-Todd Cummings-Sweet Home, 10-Justin Dittman-Aumsville, 11-Mike Bennett, 12-Isreal Melson-Albany, 13-Stacy Kreger-Albany, 14-Mike Wolfe-Scotts Mills.
Super Sport Division
Fast time ? Todd Shandy ? 17.031
Fast Four Trophy Dash ? Todd Shandy-Albany.
1st Heat race: 1-Tom Pitts-Lebanon, 2-Bill Story-Jefferson, 3-Mike Scofield-Eugene.
2nd Heat race: 1-Dean Archer-Halsey, 2-Jason McKerrell-Dayton, 3-Bill Payne-Albany.
3rd Heat race: 1-Glen Hackney-Lebanon, 2-Ron Burchard-Philomath, 3-Bob Day-Lebanon.
4th Heat race: 1-Ron Berry-Salem, 2-Rob Hoefs-Newport, 3-Bob Boyd-Albany.
B-Main event: 1-Dean Archer, 2-Mike Scofield, 3-Bill Story, 4-Tom Pitts, 5-Bill Payne, 6-Jason McKerrell, 7-Peg Pitts-Lebanon, 8-Dan Jones-Sweet Home.
A-Main event: 1-Glen Hackney, 2-Ron Berry, 3-Ron Burchard, 4-Randy Barley-Albany, 5-Dean Archer, 6-Bob Boyd, 7-Bob Day, 8-Tony Seeley-Salem, 9-James Slover-Salem, 10-Wade Savic-Lebanon, 11-Bob Kingsberry, 12-Rob Hoefs, 13-Todd Shandy, 14-Michael Day-Salem, 15-Chris Robertson-Albany,
Outlaw Division
Fast Time ? 16.308 ? Casey Vitale-Lebanon.
Fast Four Trophy Dash ? Linc Houfek-Albany.
1st Heat race: 1-Billy Workman Jr.-Aurora, 2-Curt Lewallen-Clackamas, 3-Jim Pearce-Brownsville.
2nd Heat race: 1-Mike DeSilva-Springfield, 2-Virgil Bradbury-Aumsville, 3-Gary Smith-Lebanon.
3rd Heat race: 1-Steve Moore-Scio, 2-Bob Boyd-Albany, 3-Trevor Glaser-Tangent.
4th Heat race: 1-Kevin Keeney-Sweet Home, 2-Lynn McDonald-Sweet Home, 3-Rick Hodges-Albany.
B-Main event: 1-Jeff Diller-Albany, 2-Billy Workman Jr., 3-Mike Bennett-Estacada, 4-Wayne Sturdevant-Springfield, 5-Curt Lewallen, 6-Justin Evans-Salem, 7-Gary Smith, 8-Virgil Bradbury, 9-Jim Pearce, 10-Mike DeSilva, 11-Jim Futral-Sweet Home.
A-Main event: 1-Trevor Glaser, 2-Bob Boyd, 3-Randy Boyd-Lebanon, 4-Scott Byrum-Lebanon, 5-Bruce Hipple-Salem, 6-Kevin Keeney, 7-Linc Houfek, 8-Casey Vitale, 9-Rick Hodges-Albany, 10-Lynn McDonald, 11-Billy Workman Jr., 12-Rick Hazen-Redmond, 13-Jayme Van-Portland, 14-Dan Kingsberry-Lebanon, 15-Skeet Phillips-Springfield, 16-Jimmy Schram-Vancouver, Wa., 17-Steve Moore, 18-Jeff Diller-DNS.