Kale Freedman started the season just like he started, qualifying quick and winning the main event. This driver, in his late model lite sophomore season, was the quickest qualifier 9 out of the 10 races. Freedman’s only won two main events this season, the first and last race. Freedman ended the first night of the season with a 22 point lead over last years Champion Joe Barton, the 2005 Late Model Champion, was as close as 11 points earlier in the season but bad luck over the last couple of races gave freedman the Mulder’s Auto Machine Late Model Championship by 101 points. Rob Powers finished 3rd followed by Jim Bailey and Matt Wolfkiel rounded out the top 5. Shaun Tubbs captured the Rookie of the Year Honors.
In Saturday’s main event Jeff Hill took the early lead from the outside pole position. Hill and Bailey got together in turn 2 bringing out the caution and John Peterson inherited the lead. Wolfkiel got the lead on the restart going outside of Peterson. Barton moved to 2nd on 5 while Freedman moved into 3rd on the next lap. Freedman moved outside Barton on the 8th lap for the 2nd spot. Freedman went outside Wolfkiel for the lead on the 12th of 40 laps for the lead. He had a 3.5 second lead over Wolfkiel by the 20th lap when Peterson spun bringing out another caution. Freedman pulled away from the field on this restart and a subsequent one on lap 31. He crossed the line 2.8 seconds in front of Wolfkiel.
Mulder’s Auto Machine Late Model Lite Results
Qualifying: Kale Freedman – 14.100
Trophy Dash: Rob Powers
B heat: Jeff Hill, Jim Bailey, Kenny Chandler, John Peterson, Donovan Parker
A heat: Matt Wolfkiel, Freedman, Joe Barton, Powers, Mike Bailey
Main event: Freedman, Wolfkiel, Barton, Chandler, Shaun Tubbs
Mulder’s Auto Machine Late Model Lites Top 10 Final Points Standings:
Kale Freedman 814, Joe Barton 713, Rob Powers 580, Jim Bailey 528, Matt Wolfkiel 519, (R)Shaun Tubbs 494, Kenny Chandler 463, (R)Jeff Hill 425, Ron Hayes 322, (R)Jeff Bard 241
Ken Hamilton went into Saturday Night’s Winged Sprint race with a 27 point lead over Brandon Johnson. Johnson qualified quickest with 11.966-second lap. Hamilton was 2nd with a 12.172. Johnson cut into Hamilton’s lead by 2 points. Hamilton finished the A heat race 2nd behind Sierra Jackson, while Johnson finished this race in 3rd. Hamilton gained 2 points back.
In the 50-lap feature event the field was bunched up on the start and cars jockeyed for position. Alan MacLean starting on the pole had the lead. Dan Lyons, who started 2nd row inside was in 2nd. Sierra Jackson starting 3rd row inside was third followed by Hamilton and Johnson. Lyons took the lead from MacLean on the first lap and never relinquished it. Jackson cleared MacLean on the 2nd lap, while Hamilton and Johnson cleared him on the next round. Jimmy Ingham cleared Mclean on lap 4 and these 5 cars ran nose to tail. Ingham challenged Johnson several times and ran in front of Johnson at the line a couple times over the several laps. Dick Ingham, fighting a loose car all night, spun on lap 18 bringing out the first caution of the race. D. Ingham spun 3 laps later bringing out another caution and retired from the race.
Lyons continued to lead the field on lap 33 the leaders came up on MacLean Lyons, Jackson, Hamilton went high to pass while Johnson went low to try to gain a position on Hamilton. Johnson’s brakes were glowing red were not gripping well and he made contact with MacLean sending them both spinning in turn 1 just missing Jackson and Hamilton who were in the process of passing MacLean. Johnson suffered a flat tire and went to the pits for repairs while MacLean was refired and debris cleared off the track. Johnson was able to rejoin the race before the field went green. Lyons opened up a small lead over Jackson on the restart while Hamilton and Jackson was nose to tail. Johnson taking the restart at the rear of the field was back in fifth place on lap 36.
Johnson passed J. Ingham on lap 38 for the 4th spot and was right behind Hamilton with 10 laps remaining in the race. Johnson made several attempts to pass Hamilton but with the brake problem he was unable to control the car the way he wanted to and had to back off. He made one final attempt with 5 laps to go and could not get it done and backed off and settled for 4th place. However, his incident on lap 33 would hurt even more when the Race Director accessed a 3-position penalty for rough driving causing himself and MacLean to spin. Johnson’s official finish was 7th.
The Winged Sprints will complete their season in 2 weeks in a combination ASA Northwest Sprint car Racing Association Championship and local Winged Sprint Championship weekend. The local winged sprints will run with the ASA NSRA sprint cars as both close out their season September 29th and 30th. Thirty plus sprint cars are expected from throughout the Northwest and Canada that weekend as the NSRA will crown their champion and the local sprint car championship is determined. Hamilton earned 14 points more than Johnson in the feature and takes a 41-point lead into this two-night show.
Winged Sprint Results
Qualifying: Brandon Johnson – 11.966
Trophy Dash: Jimmy Ingham
B heat: Dan Lyons, Matt Elliot, Dick Ingham, Steve Freeman, Alan MacLean
A heat: Sierra Jackson, Ken Hamilton, Brandon Johnson, Jimmy Ingham, Toby Robbins
Feature Event: Lyons, Jackson, Hamilton, J. Ingham, Robbins
In the Cingular Wireless Grand American Modified division, point’s leader Craig Bell was absent to run his Late Model in a 150-lap race in Twin Falls. Bell had a 128-point lead over Al Colwell before the night started. Colwell could have made up ground on Bell but a bad night for him netted only 31 points and he is still 97 points behind Bell as they have one race remaining in their season, September 30th.
In the 50-lap feature event Jeff Goade took the lead from the pole position as the drivers in the rear fought to get to the front. In a very fast-paced 5 laps the field setteled in. with Goade leading Chris Fenton, Bob Wood, Bryan McDaniel, Tony Ackerland and Tim Elam. Ackerland gained 2 positions from his starting position while Elam had moved up 3. Tom Elliot spun on lap 6 bringing out the caution and forcing the field into single file.
Goade and Fenton separated themselves from the rest of the field on the restart. The two ran nose to tail as Ackerland battled Wood and McDaniel for position. Ackerland moved into 3rd past Wood on the 20th lap and began closing the gap between himself and the leaders. Within 5 laps Ackerland had joined the 2 leaders running nose to tail. Ackerland got around Fenton on lap 33 and waited patiently to get around Goade, who had a power steering problem. Goade got high on lap 41 giving Ackerland the room to move under and take the lead. Within 1 lap there was daylight between him and Goade. He had almost a 3 second lead over Goade on lap 48 when Tom Elliot and Burton West got together bringing out a caution and closing up the field for a 2-lap shootout. Ackerland pulled away from the field easily on the restart and crossed the line 1.2 seconds in front of Goade.
Saturday Night’s main event was run in Memory of Sean Miller. Sean raced many years at Meridian Speedway. We lost Sean to a non-racing accident Sept 15th 2001. This race was originally scheduled for Memorial Day but was rescheduled when that race was rained out. Sean’s Daughters, Hanna and Ali, were on hand to present Ackerland with the traveling trophy.
Cingular Wireless Grand American Results:
Qualifying: Tim Lawrence – 14.453
Trophy Dash: Tony Ackerland
B heat: Tom Elliot, Bob Wood, Chris Fenton, Burton West, Jeff Goade
A heat: Bryan McDaniel, Tim Elam, Travis Milburn, Jeff Wurtz, Akerland
Main Event: Ackerland, Goade, Fenton, Lawrence, Wurtz
David Short set a new track record in the Impact Wireless Hornet division. Short qualified with a 17.782 second lap. Scott Woods won the 30-lap action filled main event that saw Gene Meeks on flip and land on his lid on the 5th lap.
Impact Wireless Results
Qualifying: David Short – 17.782 new track record
Trophy Dash: Scott Woods
B heat: Josh Calley, Tyler Burlingane, Julie Meniloa, Jeremy Lawson, Gene Meeks
A heat: Rich Lawson, Steve McCorkel, Cory Mitchell, Short, Vern Bolinger
Main Event: Woods, Short, Scott Shoecraft, Bolinger, Calley
