MADERA, California -- In a race that honored late CASA sprintcar driver Mike McCreary, it was one of his former friends, Tony Hunt, that showed why McCreary¹s driving brilliance wouldn¹t be forgotten in the division that he raced in.
On this Fourth of July, it was Hunt, in car 4, that dominated the race and gave remembrance to McCreary after his main event win in the second annual Mike McCreary Memorial at the Madera Speedway featuring the California Asphalt Sprintcar Association (CASA) 71-lap main event, Late Model cars, Selsor Construction & Demolition Company Street Stocks, Toyota Sedans, Hornets and Lucas Motorsports Modifieds. After Hunt won the race, he paid homage to McCreary on the winner¹s circle stage by addressing the crowd and saying what winning the event meant to him.
”It’s been a great and memorable night,” Hunt said. “Mike McCreary was a good friend of mine, and if any of you didn¹t know, he was a special guy, not only a fabricator but a great race car driver. It’s truly an honor to win the race on behalf of him. Hopefully this will become an annual event so we can keep Mike’s memory on our minds every year.”
With the thought of McCreary on his mind, Hunt put together an unforgettable win. Hunt was placed in the fourth line, leaving him to start off the race in the eight positions. While patiently making his way towards the front, Hunt waited for the perfect opportunity, seizing the lead on lap 20, where he would stay ahead for the next 51 laps.
The only threat of the race for Hunt came on lap 56, when his lead was jeopardized after a spinout by Tony Iacobbitti. That caused a caution, which lined up the cars back together after Hunt worked hard throughout the race to separate from them.
”You hate to see a yellow because you get in a rhythm,” Hunt said. “Although, you¹re really tired after awhile. The yellow let’s you take a break and then you got to get back into your zone again, sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get your rhythm going again.”
Lacobbitti’s spinout didn¹t hurt Hunt, as he got an ideal jump after the restart to increase his. The stoppage, in a way, gave Hunt some much needed rest to finish the race strong.
”We ran 46 laps on green and that is almost longer than what our normal features are, which go 50 laps. So it was really lengthy and wore you out quite a bit. But I got a good start and had a clear track ahead of me.” The closest driver to Hunt was Nick Green, who was battling the 2005 CASA track champion Nick Rescino Jr., and Joe Helberg for second place.
Early in the race, while Hunt was making his way to the front, no other driver was taking command of the race. Fresno’s Anthony Simone, Helberg, Rescino, and Green were all intertwined in the front with each driver taking turns in first place throughout first 19 laps. Once Hunt passed those drivers, the only question was who would finish second. Green filled that slot, while Helberg finished third.
As proficient as Hunt was, Kevin Gottula was just as impressive winning the 50-lap Late Model Sportsmen race. Gottula led after 10 laps and continued to stay ahead for the remaining 35 laps. He was closely followed by Richard Herzog and Ernie Coppo Jr., both whom have had strong seasons so far. Herzog didn¹t finish the race, while Coppo came in second and Rick Thompson was third.
Another driver who won with ease was Lucas Motorsports Modified driver Jeremy Grasty. Grasty took the early lead over John Highfill and won the 20-lap race that didn¹t have a caution. It took Grasty a little over five minutes to win the race, while Highfill claimed second.
It took 20 minutes for Toyota Sedans driver Jason Kerns to pick up his fourth win of the year. After watching 2005 track champion Randy Fleming Jr. win three in a row over him, Kerns has started a streak of his own, winning four in a row, and is creeping up on Fleming’s point lead. Fleming finished second for the fourth consecutive race, while John McCollum Jr. rounded out the top three.
Former Toyota Sedans driver and current Hornets driver, Rick Minor, was at it again by winning another main event race. He overcame a little adversity prior to the race, which included not having his Hornet car when he arrived at the track. After getting some work done to the car he races in, there was a miscommunication by both sides when he went to pick it up. When Minor went to the shop to get the car, it was closed, leaving him without a car the day of the race. “It was just a big misunderstanding,” Minor said. “I couldn’t believe it.” Minor was offered another car to race in by the Speedway managers, but a few hours before the race “Luckily one of the guys that showed up to help Randy (Fleming) out and was able to open up the shop,” Minor said. “We got it here within an hour of the main event, luckily I was able to qualify but I only got one lap to prepare, I didn’t even get to heat the tires up.” Despite the troubles before the race for Minor, he pulled out the win with Sue Hannah coming in second and Joe Garcia ending in third place.
In the Selsor Construction & Demolition Street Stocks 35-lap main event, Charlie Clawson took first. Points leader Tony Schmitz finished second and Willie Guthrie came in third.
After review of the July 4’s fireworks on and off the track, track officials were forced to disqualify Selsor Construction & Demolition Street Stocks Tony Schmitz and Jerry Selsor for unsportsmanlike conduct. In the Late Models, Kevin Gottula and Patrick Selsor were disqualified for speedway rule infractions placing Ernie Coppo the main event winner.
The Madera Auto Center pace car takes July 8th off to prepare for the ASA Speed Truck Challenge inaugural appearance to Northern California on July 22nd for the ESPN Radio Night Speed Truck 100 composed of excitement and adrenalin captured by the Outdoor Living Network (OLN), an extreme sports network television channel. The night will also feature the speedway’s Late Models, Selsor Construction & Demolition Company Street Stocks, Toyota Sedans and the always entertaining Hornets. ESPN girls will also join in the fun and offer giveaways to fans in conjunction with the Bouncin Bins Kids Zone inflatables to complete the family entertainment and motorsports excitement Madera Speedway offers.
For further information, visit www.MaderaSpeedway.net or call (559) 673-RACE (7223).
Ticket Information:
General: $16
Seniors (Ages 60 & over): $12
Juniors (Ages 7-12): $8
Family Pack (2 General & 2 Juniors): $35
Children 6 & Under: Free!
