ELKO, Nevada -- Some of the hottest Northeastern Nevada race drivers were on display Friday night at Summit Raceway as the track put on its second auto race of the new season. Lamoille star Dennis Pruitt, the current point leader in the Mini Mod class at both Battle Mountain and Summit, reached into his top hat in the feature race for a rabbit but found a feature win instead. Defending track champion Bobby Steensen, from Elko, was cruising on the quarter-mile clay in first place when back marker Jason Teuscher collided with him on the nineteenth lap of the twenty-lap event. The hit was just enough to allow the second place driver Pruitt the lead. Pruitt, winner of three out of four features between the two venues, added victory number four a few laps later. Steensen held on for the runner-up position while Euscher picked-up third over Steve Pruitt.
A full fourteen car field took starter Lincoln Litchfield’s initial green flag to start the I.M.C.A. Modified feature race, as front row drivers Jimmy Delaney and Keith Greenwood raced into the first turn. Greenwood led the first five laps with Delaney his shadow. Delaney tried to pass the Elko Flash as the two left turn two but Delaney had his steering wheel come off in his hands, sending his car high into the middle of the backstretch hill. The yellow flag saw Tonopah ace Levi Kiefer in the runner-up position to Greenwood. Starting eighth, Kiefer took only three laps to pull behind Delaney. Kiefer suffered a neck injury last season at his hometown track but apparently is recovered. Following the green, the visitor shadowed the leader for a couple of laps before zooming past for the lead. Unnoticed by all this was defending Western Regional champion Dan Fitzgerald who raced into four from tenth starting position. But Kiefer was the man to beat in this one as he toured the track in first place, lap after lap. Greenwood’s developed problems and called it a night on lap thirteen. Meanwhile, Elko’s Scott Steensen had a strong outing as he ran second to Kiefer for seven go-a-rounds until Fitzgerald won a drag race with him on lap nineteen to claim second. Current Regional point leader Billy Smith III from Sparks roared into sixth place from twelve starting by lap nineteen. Battle Mountain’s Nick Ayers forced a yellow on the same lap, and that set up the race.
For several laps Kiefer’s right front tire appeared to be on the verge of loosing its air. But the restart flag waved Fitzgerald took the inside route for the lead but Kiefer was the victim of the tire, slowing out of the groove, and necessitated another caution flag. Fitzgerald took command of the thirty-lap at the next green and never let up to the checkered. Smith raced into third and finished there behind Steensen. Dan Basanez was a strong fourth while Randy Artz won out over Corey Steensen for fifth. Although Kiefer returned to the track with a new tire, scorers credited him for a eighth place finish. With his second place finish Scott Steensen is now the new point leader over broth Corey by two points.
Although veteran Elko driver Randy Hadlock won the only previous race held here this season, he entered Friday’s race listed as eighth place in the ECAR Pro Stocks point standings. Due to dual points at head-to-head races at Battle Mountain Raceway several times each season, Hadlock lost big time by being unable to race here last weekend. He entered Friday’s race forty-six points behind leader Bernie Sethaler, but was undaunted. John Levie, subbing for Tasha Dayton, won the heat race over Hadlock and had a huge lead in the twenty-five-lap feature race. A yellow flag foiled Levie as Hadlock raced past him on the restart and the young man dropped back to fourth before the lap ended. At the checkered it was Hadlock, Winnemucca’s Rodney Sample, point leader Bernie Sethaler, and Levie. With his victory, Hadlock moved into fifth in the points.
Elko’s Teri Kellum is the defending champion in the Gen-X division but had problems here and at Battle Mountain so far this season. But Friday night Kellum turned in a sparkler in the ECAR feature race by defeating current point leader Jay McLeod with a half lap cushion. Eric Morehead was third and Ashleigh Bame finished in the four spot.
The next races here will be the BUD SHOOT-OUT at Summit Raceway on Friday and Saturday nights June 10 & 11, starting at 7 p.m.
Summit Raceway Results -- May 27, 2005
| IMCA Modifieds |
| Heat one: Nick Ayers, Jimmy Delaney, Corey Steensen, Dan Basanez, George Lewis |
| Heat two: Dan Fitzgerald, Keith Greenwood, Scott Steensen, Billy Smith III, J. R. Caha |
| Heat three: Levi Kiefer, Randy Artz, Joe Rigsby, Chad Farstveet |
| Dash: Scott Steensen, Nick Ayers, Levi Kiefer, Randy Artz, Keith Greenwood |
| Feature: Dan Fitzgerald, Scott Steensen, Billy Smith III, Dan Basanez, Randy Artz, Corey Steensen, Joe Rigsby, Levi Kiefer, J, R, Caha, Chad Farstveet, Jimmy Delaney, George Lewis, Nick Ayers, Keith Greenwood |
| ECAR Pro Stocks |
| Heat one: Marnie Thorp, George Quintana, Bernie Sethaler, Austin Senecal |
| Heat two: John Levie, Randy Hadlock, Rodney Sample, Terry Lister |
| Dash: Randy Hadlock, Marnie Thorp, John Levie, George Quintana |
| Feature: Randy Hadlock, Rodney Sample, Bernie Sethaler, John Levie, George Quintana, Terry Lister, Tom Senecal, Marnie Thorp, Cody Unger DNS, Tracy Greenwood DNS |
| ECAR Mini Mods |
| Heat one: Bobby Steensen, Steve Pruitt, Scott Coffelt, Denis Pruitt, Mike Fietzek |
| Dash: Bobby Steensen, Denis Pruitt, Steve Pruitt, Scott Coffelt |
| Feature: Dennis Pruitt, Bobby Steensen, Jason Teusher, Steve Pruitt, Mike Fietzek, Jack Hammond, Scott Coffelt, Lee Bosch |
| ECAR GEN-X |
| Heat one: Teri Kellum, Jay McLeod, Cody Maier, Mark Andrade, Eric Moorhead |
| Dash: Jay McLeod, Teri Kellum, Cody Maier, Mark Andrade |
| Feature: Teri Kellum, Jay McLeod, Eric Moorhead, Ashleigh Bame, Mark Andrade, Cody Maier, James Lister, Ed Brooks DNS |
