WURTZ FAMILY GIVES ONE TWO PUNCH TO GRAND AMERICAN MODIFIEDS

The conditions were just right for the Wurtz family on Saturday night August 4, 2007 at ASA sanctioned Meridian Speedway. Jeff Wurtz took home the win to defend the family's win last time out in the Grand American Modifieds. Two weeks ago Dennis Wurtz won the main event at Meridian Speedway in the same class.

Dylan Caldwell, rookie in the Grand American Modifieds this year, has been showing fans at Meridian Speedway that he has what it takes to run with this class. Caldwell qualified in the top 4 for the second time in two weeks and has been climbing the ladder since his first night out.

A win was not in the cards for Caldwell, however, even though his car is fast. In the non points trophy dash it looked like a win for Caldwell even though Jeff Wurtz was trying to pass on the outside of the five lap race. A little loose condition by the leaders coming around the apex of turns one and two on the last lap put Tim Lawrence in position to make an inside pass for the lead. They were three wide on the back stretch with Lawrence having a clear lead at turn three to the finish line.

At the start of the race Al Colwell had the pole and took the lead for the first 24 laps. Colwell, who has multiple wins at Meridian Speedway in the Grand American Modifieds class, looked like he was going to win another but Jeff Wurtz who started 13th had other plans and showed them to Colwell by passing him on the outside on lap 25. Wurtz began to run away with the lead and had almost a half lap advantage at one point. A spin on lap 40 brought out the caution and a restart with Dennis Wurtz in second place behind his cousin. The final ten lap shootout had Wurtz and Wurtz running away from the rest of the pack with the faster Jeff Wurtz putting a comfortable distance between him and his cousin Dennis at the end.

At the end of the Grand American Modifieds 50 lap main event race it was Jeff Wurtz in first with Dennis Wurtz in second. Chris Fenton, Al Colwell and Travis Milburn rounded out the top five. Dylan Caldwell's bad luck of the night was not over however. A last turn of the last lap spin by another car put Caldwell hard in the wall just past the finish line at the end of the race. Caldwell who has been improving every race this year walked off disappointed due to the extensive damage to his car.

The Bandeleros started the night of racing with a trophy dash, one heat race and a twelve lap main event. Young driver, Sharde` Bement, did the "hat trick" by wining all three races in the class. Camille Shaffer, one of two rookies of the night in the Bandeleros class, not only had the fastest lap time of the night but overcame a fifth place starting position in the 12 lap main to put the heat on Bement and needed only another lap or two to possibly take the lead. Bement held off Shaffer's inside pass attempt at the finish to complete the hat trick. After Sharde` Bement and Camille Shaffer came Alyson Clark in third with Andrew Clark, Blade Ince and Madison Warren following.

The Mini Stocks class is growing this year and is getting more competitive every race with fifteen cars starting the 35 lap main event race. Duane Gerber had the pole position at the start with Eddie Ables on the outside. In the first lap of the race Ables got loose on the outside and could not find his way to the inside until lap four. Ables was not the only car out of the single file line though because Jason Sanders was moving his way up through the field on the outside from a fourteenth place starting position.

With Duane Gerber in the lead and Matt Barfuss in second the race continued with the faster cars working their way to the front in the inverted starting order. Casey Hart and Jason Sanders leap frogged to the middle of the pack and encountered tough competition from Kirk Sanders, Quentin Ward and Brandon Shira. Shira moved to the outside to pass Richard Brees and stopped Jason Sanders' rush to the front. When Quentin Ward passed Brandon Shira on the inside and Shira move back in single file Jason Sanders made his move on the outside. Jason Sanders still needed to pass his father, Kirk Sanders, and Quentin Ward before he could battle with the top three but time ran out for him. Not so for Duane Gerber who was able to hold off everyone else and lead every lap, including the most important one, the last one. Matt Barfuss, Rich Brees, Jason Sanders, and Quentin Ward came in second through fifth.

The racing continued in another class that is growing this year at Meridian Speedway. The Non Wing Sprints in a new, this year, crate motor V8 class that still allows the previous class' six cylinder motors to compete is in its inaugural year at this ASA sanctioned track. Cameron Sinsel had the pole and stayed there until Tyler Bailey move up from fifth to take the lead on lap eleven. Bailey's outside pass took him from third to first in one lap. Bailey began to run away with the lead but Jeff Russell, who also drives a Supermodified, began to close the gap after he got around Cameron Sinsel and Rob Grice. Russell was running the fastest lap times during the 35 lap main but Bailey had the advantage of position and held it to the end. The finish was Tyler Bailey, Jeff Russell, Cory Lockwood, Johnny Giesler and Rob Grice in the top five.

In the Late Model Lites class there is always some good racing action and Saturday night a Meridian Speedway was no exception. Scott Wilcox started on the pole with Pat Young on the outside. After a yellow flag and a restart Casey Tillman passed Wilcox on the inside to take the lead with Pat Young soon in second place. Tillman held the lead for 13 laps until Neal Latham took over. A few laps later Kale Freedman had worked his way up from a twelfth place starting position to put a move on Latham. With Freedman on the outside the two traded first and second place six times until the pressure got to Latham and he spun on lap 33 of the 40 lap main and brought out the yellow flag.

With Latham restarting at the rear of the lead lap the only competition left for Freedman was Matt Wolfkiel, who had been involved in a caution earlier in the race and had to work to the front for the second time. Freedman was ultimately the faster of the two and ran away with the race and had a 1.5 second lead at the end. The finish was Freedman, Wolfkiel, Tillman, Young, and Marc Burchtorf.

The trailer races completed the night of racing with a good turn out of Thunder Stocks pulling trailers. The under powered six cylinder car of Darrell Stogsdill won the race with his trailer still mostly in one piece after fifteen laps of mayhem.

Next week on August 11 racing continues at ASA sanctioned Meridian Speedway. Gates open at 4 with time trials at 5 and racing at 6. See the Meridian Speedway website at www.meridianspeedway. com for more information.