Skagit Speedway crowned 4 brand new champions Saturday Night as the Coach Corral Season Championship races ended the 2006 regular point’s schedule. Main event winners were John Tharp in the Northwest Auto-Max 410 Sprints, point champion Steve Kilcup winning the Budweiser 360 Sprint main, point champion Kevin Smith capturing the Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprint main and Scott Naylor was the Wilson Auto Brokers Outlaw Hornet main event winner.
Starting off the evening of racing was Jason Bloodgood winning the Budweiser 360 Sprint B main event. Bloodgood and 7 other cars moved up to the final A main of the season after finishing in the top 8 places, as 10 cars were locked into the A main via their car owner points. Winning the trophy dash was Brock Lemley. Before the start of the main, the Skagit Speedway crowd got to witness the ending of an era. For 32 years, Alan Munn has raced at Skagit Speedway. Munn was the last driver to have raced the final season at Sky Valley Speedway in Monroe and at Skagit Speedway. With his racing retirement there are no more drivers running at Skagit that ran the last season both tracks were in existence. Munn was presented with a jacket, plaque and dinner gift certificate to commemorate the event. The crowd honored Munn with a huge ovation.
At the start of the A feature, Munn led the field to the green for two parade laps with the checkered flag, bringing the crowd to their feet for a final tribute to the #42 that has entertained them for these many years. On the Kirby Hoyle green flag, Steve Kilcup jumped out to a lead he would never relinquish. As Kilcup led all 30 laps, he put a stamp on a season that ended in the Budweiser 360 title for both himself as a driver and car owner Mike Anderson. It is a popular title for a guy that has driven for years at Skagit Speedway. On the winner’s podium post-race, Kilcup said “We didn’t start the season points racin’, and we aren’t points racin’ now either!” Congratulations to the M&S racing team on their championship.
In the Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprint division, veteran Kevin Smith has held down the point lead most of the season. Leading all but one of the 25 laps of the main event, Smith cemented both the owners and drivers titles with the win. It was the first Sprint car title for Smith who will move up to the 360 division next year. Rookie-of-the-year Eric Fisher won the trophy dash.
The most bizarre race of the season had to be the final race of the season. The Northwest Auto-Max 410 Sprint 30-lap main event took 4 tries before the first lap was completed. Then another red after lap one left about half the field still running. On the initial start, second place car Brock Lemley turned it around in turn one. On the restart with Lemley now in the back; point leader Travis Jacobson tumbled wildly in turn three bringing out the red flag and virtually destroying his car. Roy Blumenhagen and Jayme Barnes got caught up in the melee but would later return. So now you have your point leader wrecked and in the pit area with a 23 point lead and your second place car of Lemley moving up to the outside third row on the restart. Barry Martinez then spun in front of the field bringing out the yellow and shuffling the starting positions again moving Lemley to fifth. The way the points had shaken out to this point had Lemley having to finish fourth or better with Jacobson sitting in the pits to take away the point lead.
At the end of the first lap, Jimmy Deitz spins in turn one and Adriana Klein with nowhere to go runs over him. Deitz and Klein were 4 points apart for rookie of the year honors in the 410 division, and ended the night in the pits, 4 points apart with Deitz using the spin-to-win tactic to capture the ROY honors. Both cars were done for the night. Meanwhile with all the drama, multiple teams were thrashing on the Jacobson car to try and get it back out for just a few laps to earn the title. On the restart, Lemley was charging hard, rolling up around the outside of Josh Edson when disaster struck as Lemley clipped the right rear tire of Edson and crashed hard into the turn one fence, tearing the tail tank off the car and ending the night dashing the #40 car championship hopes. At this point, Jacobson had the car converted over to a coil-over style front end and came out to get the two laps he needed to finish right behind Lemley and capture his first driver championship and the owner championship for Danny Kirkpatrick.
Once the race got restarted with half the field in the pits trying to get their cars put back together, John Tharp took control. Tharp led the first 11 laps, officially before Martinez, coming from all the way in the back of the field after the early race spin would take over on lap 12. Martinez was hooked up and hauling. Putting cars a lap down and mowing down the field one by one when he lost his power steering on lap 28 and spun in turn four bringing out the final caution. Tharp retook the lead and led the final two laps for his first win of the year. Ending what was certainly the most bizarre season championship race this reporter has ever witnessed.
Visiting for the third and final time of the season was the Deming Speedway 1200cc mini sprints. Represented by 13 cars. Derek Holmwood won both the trophy dash and the main event. After winning Friday night at Deming, Holmwood claimed the clean-sweep for the weekend.
By virtue of taking the green flag, Mike Powers, Jr. duplicated his fathers efforts the previous season in winning the Wilson Auto Brokers Outlaw Hornet track championship. Starting on the pole, Powers, Jr. was passed by Scott Naylor going into turn one and watched as the #3 Earnhardt tribute car would sail away to lead every one of the 20-lap Outlaw Hornet main event win. With Naylor’s win and Powers, Jr. 6th place finish, the title was decided by just 5 points for the closest points finish of all four local divisions. Naylor made a clean sweep of the night also winning the trophy dash.
Next weekend, it’s the Skagit Powersports Flat Track Motorcycle and Outlaw Quad Challenge, featuring the shifter karts at Skagit Speedway. In two weeks, it is the second annual US Hornet Nationals presented by Wilson Auto Brokers to wrap up the 2006 racing season.
RESULTS 9/2/06
BUDWEISER 360'S DASH: 40 Brock Lemley, 18 Steve Kilcup, 8r Travis Rutz, 59 Andy Jacobson B MAIN: 38 Jason Bloodgood, 73 Brandon Harkness, 8b Blake Brigge, 98 Bob Stevens, 42 Alan Munn, 4 Robby Vaughn, 6 Jayme Barnes, 5k Brian Kirkpatrick, 57 Chuck Ashe, 59j Jim Hard, 21 Chris Fraser, 66 Jason Cocking, 47 Eric Drake A MAIN: 18 Steve Kilcup, 40 Brock Lemley, 66 Barry Martinez, 8e Evan Funk, 3 Dan Pierson, 38 Jason Bloodgood, 10 Cory Chamberlain, 8b Blake Brigge, 98 Bob Stevens, 7k Danny Kirkpatrick, 42 Alan Munn, 73 Brandon Harkness, 69p Rod Perkins, 4j Robby Vaughn, 5k Brian Kirkpatrick, 8r Travis Rutz, 6 Jayme Barnes, 59 Andy Jacobson
COOK ROAD SHELL SPORTSMAN SPRINTS DASH: 59 Eric Fisher, 75 Kevin Smith, 21 Robby Vaughn, 06 Frank Scherman MAIN: 75 Kevin Smith, 13c Colton Heath, 59 Eric Fisher, 90 Martin Koetje, 14 Kelleigh Johnson, 22 Todd Rork, 9 Paul Burdick, 69 Justin Knowles, 06 Frank Scherman, 72 Butch Gilbert, 13gr Glen Reinstra, 89 Lake Gemmer, 3v Dave Mead, 8 Matt LeHay, 21 Robby Vaughn, 29w Steve James
DEMING 1200CC MINI SPRINTS HEAT: 17 Derek Holmwood, 6 Jared Peterson, 33 Bill Rude, 22 Eric Drake MAIN: 17 Derek Holmwood, 6 Jared Peterson, 22 Eric Drake, 7 Kyle Kenoyer, 9 Clennon Holloway, 85 Robin Cully, 24 Lee Hornbeck, 10 JR Thomas, 7b Dave Black, 19 Sherman Holloway, 58 Tyler Kope, 33 Bill Rude
WILSON AUTO BROKERS OUTLAW HORNETS DASH: 3 Scott Naylor, 58 Clayton Delano, 26 Mike Powers, Jr., 40 Mike Powers, Sr. MAIN: 3 Scott Naylor, 58 Clayton Delano, 11m Bill McMeekin, 30 Matt VanDerSys, 12 Matt Cozza, 26 Mike Powers, Jr., 40 Mike Powers, Sr., 39 Cory Swatzina, 19 Greg Hibma, 0 Terry Feeney, 88 Jesse Whitney, 6% Jesse Eldridge, 46 Mark Richmond, 90 Matt Shaw, 29 Brett Lloyd, 8 Ken Higby, 99 Jerry Birdsey, Jr., 55 Greg Morgan, 41b Brad Pritchard, 04 Matt Powers, 66s Larry Kwik, 69r Chris Gnyp, 9p Stacey Dahl, 7 Travis Meins, 66 Eric Vickery, 24 Chris Erickson, 66t Tom Martin, 74 Rich Eldridge, 91 Gary Galensyes, 44 Josh Hanson
NORTHWEST AUTO-MAX 410'S
DASH: 40 Brock Lemley, 7j Travis Jacobson, 66 Barry Martinez, 41b Brad Pritchard
MAIN: 69 John Tharp, 9 Jayme Barnes, 41b Brad Pritchard, 77 Kirk Fellers, 18 Steve Kilcup, 76e Josh Edson, 31 Danny Bullock, 23 Steve Parker, 17 Kelly Barnett, 66 Barry Martinez, 75 Roy Blumenhagen, 24 Nick Evans, 8r Travis Rutz, 40 Brock Lemley, 7j Travis Jacobson, 1 Jimmy Deitz, 25 Adriana Klein,
88 Jesse Whitney
