LEBANON, Ore — Sprint car veteran Roger Crockett, a many-time winner at Willamette Speedway, had never run without the wings before Saturday night. When Willamette Speedway and its sponsors put up $2,000 to win a special non-wing 360 sprint car event that was part of a “Wingless Warrior“ night, Crockett and the Henderson Motorsports team decided to give it shot.
Crockett and crew walked out of Willamette Speedway with that $2,000 after winning the race. Take the wings off and get the same result, it seems. Crockett, however, struggled earlier in the evening in practice and qualifying. Crockett though still benefited from the invert, which put him on the pole. The Medford, Ore. driver would lead every lap of the race.
Joe Bosso Jr., who started outside the front row, ran second the entire event and finished there behind Crockett. Theo McCarthy and Jay Barnes, from Washington, finished third and fourth respectively. Mark Nichols advanced seven positions to finish fifth and fast qualifier Sterling Kane also advanced seven positions to finish sixth.
The other big winner of the night was Marysville, Wash. driver Jeff Bell, who took his Ford Focus midget to a $700 victory in the open competition midget car feature. Bell, who won the Grays Harbor Raceway championship a week earlier, took the lead on lap three and won at Willamette Speedway for the second time this season.
Bell was one of eight Ford Focus midgets drivers who decided to challenge the more powerful motors that are more common in Oregon. Most of those drivers were racing at Willamette Speedway for the first time. His was one of three Ford Focus motors to finish in the top five. Austin Hespe, the grandson of former sprint car track champion Fred Brownfield, raced his way to a third place finish and Lee St. Paul finished fourth with Ford Focus motors as well. With regular motors Mike Morris finished second and Doug Kammerzell.
Both open wheel classes were on hand as a special event and both drew a solid 14 cars. Both the wingless sprint cars and midgets will be racing again at Willamette Speedway in the Wingless Warrior Fall Classic on October 4. Most of the drivers in both divisions are expected to return for that event.
A full field of 25 dwarf cars also filled the pit area as the Pacific Hardtop Racing Association made its first ever visit to Willamette Speedway. Rick Adams outran Mike Chadwick and Corey Esteban win his fourth PHRA main event of the season. Their 20-lap main event was the only A-Main event that went non-stop.
Kevin Keeney was the winner of the modified main event, passing Glen Hackney for the lead 15 laps into the race and backing up his heat race victory earlier in the evening. Hackney finished second ahead of Dale Holland, Sam Potter and Randy Robinson.
Sean Gentry also put the No. 37 on his car to give the absent Rob Mayea owner points and move him closer to the modified championship, and started off the evening by qualifying fastest. Mayea was at Grays Harbor Raceway, where he won the Bud I-5 Late Model feature.
Justin Dittman was one of 32 sportsman drivers on hand Saturday. Dittman was second fastest in qualifying, was fourth in his heat race and won the sportsman stock feature from near the back of the field. Points leader Bob Kingsberry won the classic stock feature over fast qualifier Kevin Roberts.
The sportsman stocks ran five heat races that were won by Casey Rhoades, Jeff Marson, Bill Gibbs, Dann Altom and Brad Landers. Mike Bennett, the sportsman point leader, set fast time in qualifying. Rhoades won the A-Main and Marson won the B-Main. Modified heat races were won by Hackney, Keeney and Kenny Miller after Sam Potter won the dash.
In the sprint cars, McCarthy topped Crockett in the first heat race and Tony Thomas beat out Mike Romig in the second heat. Ryan Martinez won the dash. The midget dash was won by Morris and Dave Pugsley won the first heat race and 16-year-old Allison Journey, driving a Ford Focus car, won the second heat race. Dwarf car heats were won by Adams, Esteban, Charles Millar and Dave Cantu. Esteban won the A-Dash and Mitch Meeuwsen won the dwarf car B-Dash. Meeuwsen went on to win the B-Main event.
More information on Willamette Speedway can be found online at http://www.trophymotorsports.com.
| Wingless 360 sprint cars |
|---|
| Fast time: Sterling Kane, 15.015 seconds Dash: Ryan Martinez, Bob Ream Jr., Mark Nichols, Sterling Kane Heat 1: Theo McCarthy, Roger Crockett, Joe Bosso Jr., Jay Barnes, Nick Tomlinson Heat 2: Tony Thomas, Mike Romig, Mark Nichols, Jeff Rivers, Ryan Martinez Main: Roger Crockett, Joe Bosso Jr., Theo McCarthy, Jay Barnes, Mark Nichols |
| Open competition midgets |
| Fast time: Steve Dickenson, 16.154 Dash: Mike Morris, Steve Dickenson, Doug Kammerzell, Todd Hartmann Heat 1: Dave Pugsley, Lee St. Paul, David Veeder, Stephen Veltman, Shon Valland Heat 2: Allison Journey, Doug Kammerzell, Jeff Bell, Todd Hartmann, Austin Hespe Main: Jeff Bell, Mike Morris, Austin Hespe, Lee St. Paul, Doug Kammerzell |
| PHRA Dwarf Cars |
| Heat 1: Rick Adams, Jim Pavel, Mitch Meeuwsen, Richard Petty, Jess Turner Sr. Heat 2: Dave Cantu, Jim Fischer, Troy Kunas, Clay Goben, Roger Moore Jr. Heat 3: Charles Millar, Gary Sause, Adam Stoecklein, Kyle Thompson, Roy Jaha Heat 4: Corey Esteban, Mike Chadwick, Ron Love, Roger Moore Sr., Steve Smith B-Dash: Mitch Meeuwsen, Troy Kunas, Ron Love, Adam Stoecklein A-Dash: Corey Esteban, Rick Adams, Dave Cantu, Charles Millar B-Main: Mitch Meeuwsen, Jess Turner Sr., Ronnie Gilmore Jr., Steve Smith, Ron Love A-Main: Rick Adams, Mike Chadwick, Corey Esteban, Charles Millar, Jim Fischer |
| Modifieds |
| Fast time: Sean Gentry, 17.106 Dash: Sam Potter, Chris Murphy, Frank Hazen, Sean Gentry Heat 1: Kenny Miller, Russell Schultz, Don Gilder, Jason St. Paul, Chris Pierce Heat 2: Glen Hackney, Dale Holland, Randy Robinson, Lester Free, Dick Wright Heat 3: Kevin Keeney, Sean Gentry, Jonathan Lewis, Sam Potter, Frank Hazen B-Main: Jonathan Lewis, Kenny Miller, Scott Miller, Russell Schultz, Jason St. Paul A-Main: Kevin Keeney, Glen Hackney, Dale Holland, Sam Potter, Randy Robinson |
| Sportsman |
| Fast time: Mike Bennett, 17.163 Dash: Justin Dittman, Jason Sommer Brian Goetz, Mike Bennett Heat 1: Casey Rhoades, James Slover, Mike Campbell, Brian Gary Heat 2: Jeff Marson, Roy Kirk Jr., Tim Archer, Chris Bishop, Don Duddles Heat 3: Bill Gibbs, Tubby Thomas, Bill Allison, Spencer Warlick, Bob Trusty Heat 4: Dann Altom, Brad Hopkins, Jordan Wright, Brian Crook, Brian Brown Heat 5: Brad Landers, Jordan Sim, Jason Sommer, Justin Dittman, Mike Bennett C-Main: Casey Rhoades, Mike Campbell, James Slover, Brian Gary, Leo Brown B-Main: Jeff Marson, Bill Gibbs, Tubby Thomas, Roy Kirk Jr., Bob Trusty A-Main: Justin Dittman |
| Classic Stock |
| Fast time: Kevin Roberts, 18.223 Dash: Rick Speer, Dave Kingsberry, Kevin Roberts, Frank Looney Heat 1: Craig Brown, Mark Gaylord, Jason McCarrol, Steve Meaney, Donny Allison Heat 2: Dave Kingsberry, Bob Kingsberry, Kevin Roberts, Frank Looney, David Northey Main: Bob Kingsberry, Kevin Roberts, Dave Kingsberry, Mark Gaylord, Donny Allison |
