ALGER, Washington -- Greg Morgan won the 30-lap main event at Skagit Speedway Saturday night to claim the title of champion of the 1st Annual US Hornet Nationals. Morgan beat out 58 cars over the two-day race to be crowned King Hornet. For his duties, Morgan won $1,000.00 of the $5,000.00 in total purse.
The evening started off with twin C-mains which consisted of 20 cars for 17 laps with the top ten transferring to the back of the twin B-mains. Cars earned points the night before to determine their starting positions in the all-main event Saturday evening program. 15 cars from each of the B-mains moved up to form the two rows of 15 cars making one 30-car and 30-lap feature main event.
Ken Higby and Wendy Johnson led all 15 laps of both C-main events. The second C-main claimed Bill Tomer’s #100 car. Tomer was driving for Ryan Nootenboom after his #27 car blew a motor on Friday night. Points stayed with the car, and Tomer had family visiting from Florida that had come to watch him race. After running a strong second and looking to have a great spot locked up for the B-main, Tomer hit the fence in the backstretch on lap 9 caving in the front suspension and ending his run at a US Hornet Nationals title.
The twin B-mains were won by first night points leader Rick Clark who led all 20 laps for his win, and second in points from the first night Brett Lloyd who led all 20 laps of his main. Clark’s main event win was green flag to checkered flag, non-stop the only main to do so.
The crowd was buzzing after watching the first 77 laps of Outlaw Hornet racing with drivers from British Columbia to the Tri-Cities duking it out for a chance to shoot for the big cash money top prize.
When the green flag fell, Lloyd quickly showed the field the back end of his race car leading the first 12 laps of the main and pulling away from the field. Lloyd got into traffic at the back of the filed by the seventh lap and started putting cars a lap down one at a time. By the 12th lap the traffic looked like Interstate 5 at morning drive with all 30 cars still running. On the unlucky 13th lap, the unexpected happened, Lloyd lost a wheel in turn 2 ending his run at the championship. That handed the lead to Morgan. Morgan dominated the last 17 laps, but was caught very late by Sardis, B.C. driver Garry Radford and Mount Vernon's Clayton Delano who went on to finish second and third. The final main event was slowed by just 4 cautions, almost a world record for a 30-lap Outlaw Hornet race.
Also joining the Saturday night racing program was the Northwest Legends race cars. Ten cars made the trip, and the heat race and main event was won by Evan Margeson.
- Sardis made the most of his alphabet running, coming all the way from his C-main event to finish second.
- Wendy Johnson also pulled off the alphabet run, winning her C-main, finishing 7th in the B and pulling off a 11th place finish in the final to be the highest placing of the three women racing at the US Hornet Nationals.
- 16 year old Bryanna Stotler of Lynnwood, running with just 3 weeks of Hornet racing experience was the last qualifier for the A main after a number of mechanical failures by other racers moved her up from an alternate position. She finished 16th.
- Former Evergreen Speedway Late Model Champion John Zaretzke made his way through all three mains before retiring with mechanical woes midway thru the final main.
- The pit area was dotted with racing celebrities. Skagit Speedway Sprint Car drivers Josh Edson and Josh DeWitt were crew chiefs for two race teams. Many time Washington Midget Racing Association champion Rick Moss was there as well, and ran some hot laps in one of the Northwest Legends cars. Moss is the all-time feature wins leader with WMRA and raced Sprint Cars at Skagit Speedway for a few seasons.
- Skagit Speedway Sprint Car drivers Seth Bergman and Colton Heath drove Outlaw Hornets both nights. Bergman finished 4th overall. Heath was driving Hornet Track Announcer Kaleb Hart’s #11 car, which blew up during the C-main ending his night in 15th place.
- Todd Mask rolled his #42 car down the front stretch during the first C-main. He got out unscathed and took a bow for the audience.
- Larry Jobe and his #34 car won the Best Appearing Car. Jobe’s car looks like a battleship with rusty steel panels being peeled away at the rivets with a giant screw on the top. A really unusual but visually appealing theme car.
This event concludes the 2005 Skagit Speedway Racing Season. Watch the Skagit Speedway website for more information on the off-season news and 2006 developments www.skagitspeedway.com .
RESULTS 9/24/05 US HORNET NATIONALS
C- Main #1: Ken Higby, Garry Radford, Mike Powers Sr., Ed West, Mike Powers Jr., Bill McMeekin, Chris Kelley, Tracy Wilson, Kelly Miller, Doug VanDeGrift, Bill Wade, Steven Durbin, Howard Vos, Jeff Light, Colton Heath, Ryan Gunderson, Todd Mask, Ed Bridges
C- Main #2: Wendy Johnson, J.R. Sundholm, Renny Marose, Phillip Lanphere, Dave Veeser, Jesse Eldridge, Jim Solver, Mike Moran, Mark Richmond, John Zaretzke, Jeremy Eldridge, Mark Light, Dale Hayen, Stacey Dahl, Jim Pruitt, Paul Burdick, Bill Tomer, John Klinginsmith, Nick Williams, Mike Moran Jr.
B- Main #1: Rick Clark, Greg Morgan, Garry Radford, Cory Swatzina, Josh Hammontree, Rod Helmuth, Rick Naylor, Greg Hibma, Powers Sr., West, Brad Ash, Wilson, McMeekin, Powers Jr., Kelley, VanDeGrift, Bryanna Stotler, Miller, Mike Ploeg, Higby
B- Main #2: Brett Lloyd, Cody Koroshes, Clayton Delano, Seth Bergman, Billie Williams, Sundholm, Johnson, Marose, Dane Fortin, Zaretzke, Gaylon Stewart, Jesse Eldridge, James Sims, Solver, Jim Deitz Sr., Lanphere, Veeser, Richmond, Moran
A- Main: Greg Morgan, Radford, Delano, Bergman, Helmuth, Powers Sr., Koroshes, Swatzina, Marose, McMeekin, Johnson, Ash, Williams, Wilson, Naylor, Stotler, Fortin, Solver, Jesse Eldridge, VanDeGrift, Kelley, West, Clark, Sundholm, Hibma, Powers Jr., Sims, Zaretzke, Hammontree, Lloyd
