COTTAGE GROVE, Oregon — As the 2011 continues to go through the final third of the schedule there is still plenty of action that has yet to be covered. This Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will feature three nights of action packed racing at the historic facility in Western Oregon. In those three nights fans will see the biggest Kage Kart race of the season on Saturday and the World of Outlaw Sprints on Monday. All three nights are scheduled to start at normal times.
"On Sunday night Sprint Car fans will be treated to not one but two classes of 360 Sprints both winged and non-winged."
The second annual Cottage Grove Kart Classic will open the weekend up with seven classes scheduled to compete. Last year’s two day event saw a weekend of good racing as well as strong car counts and the same is to be expected for this event. It is also the next to last event for the Karters before the 2011 season closes on September 16th. 2010 Kart Classic winners were Ramsey Wilfong (Pee Wee), Tyler Thompson (5HP), Kyle Alberding (125cc), Brendan Waterman (250cc), David Lyons (Open), Jeff Broadwell (Micro).
On Sunday night Sprint Car fans will be treated to not one but two classes of 360 Sprints both winged and non-winged. It’s the only event on the 2011 calendar when both types of car will run on the same date. Also Hornets will be running as well as their inaugural season has gone very well so far. All the action on Sunday night will be presented by the fine folks at Boyce & Sons Landscaping and Building Materials.
Boyce and Sons has the largest selection of nuts and bolts in South Lane County and is locally owned and operated. Boyce and Sons also has a wide range of landscaping and building materials to create that perfect garden or that next project. Moving anytime soon they also have U-Haul Trucks and Trailers to get your stuff out of your house in fewer trips. Give them a call at (541) 942-4664.
Roger Crockett leads the field with the most wins in 2011 (4) and after some time spent in the Midwest is anxious to get back to the place where he knows so very well. Also credited with wins in 2011 are Dale Smith, Seth Bergman, and Chadd Noland. In the points battle it is only eighteen points separating Nate Morelock and Garen Linder, both drivers looking for their first titles, and a tie for third between aforementioned Crockett and Colin Baker (-26), and Dale Smith (-49) consisting of the top five.
Of the four wingless races there have been three different winners with Kyle Miller looking for his second straight and third overall. Roger Crockett and Brendan Boyce join Miller in the win category with one each in 2011. And the points battle is very interesting amongst the top five as it is a tie between Colin Baker and Miller for the lead followed by Zack Spaulding (-20), Raquel Ivie (-47), and Mike Carrothers (-59) and all drivers in the top five are looking for their first career non-winged title at Cottage Grove.
The Hornets are coming off an exciting race last Saturday as who would have thought that over forty cars would compete in the first full season. Shawn Hand leads the points races and in the win column with four victories in 2011 after twelve races the only other repeat winner has been David Beals (2). Other winners in 2011 include; Chris Pierce, Monte Cox Sr., Monte Cox Jr., Tanton Swain, Kenny Jamison, and Kent Crump. Pierce is behind Hand by only eighteen points while the top five is made up of Jim Simmons (-306), Cox Jr. (-353), Beals (-369), and Andrew Salmon (-419).
Then Monday will cap the whole weekend of with the World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series. It’s the annual event for the tour as well as their only stop in the state of Oregon. Defending champion Jason Meyers is hoping to earn a second career win at “The Grove” after 2009 as he is coming off a win at the Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta as well as three other victories in 2011. Four-time champ Donny Schatz picked up his fifth career Knoxville Nationals win in six years less than a month ago and always looks forward to coming back to the place where he won his first outlaw event in 1998 and won again in 2008 and will look for his seventh win of the season come Monday.
Tony Stewart Racing teammate of Schatz’s is Steve Kinser simply known as “The King” is tied for most wins this season (7) and third in points and the fan favorite is looking for his fourth win at Cottage Grove to tie Danny Lasoski for most wins at this facility in Outlaw competition. Kasey Kahne Racing pilot Paul McMahan has already won three events in 2011 and will look for his first ever Outlaws win at the Cottage Grove Speedway where believe it or not he has credited a Sprint Car win earlier in his career. And Craig Dollansky who is fifth in the standing is the driver tied with Kinser for most wins this year and has never won at the Cottage Grove Speedway.
Monday marks the sixteenth visit in eighteen years as 2001 there was no visit and 2006 there was a National Sprint Tour race in its stead. Expect to see the rest of the cast in action Jason Sides, Brad Sweet, Cody Darrah, Lucas Wolfe, Chad Kemenah, Kraig Kinser, and Bill Rose. Also on hand for the night will be Late Models as the support class for their annual race which has become a fan favorite.
The event has been held since Late Models have ran as a regular class with the Cottage Grove Speedway in 2007 and in those four races there have been four different winners. Rick Wyatt won last year’s event for his only career win so far at Cottage Grove joining the likes of Ryan Gerig, Trevor Glaser, and Kelly McDonald in the quickly becoming prestigious event.
This year for the Late Models there is no limitation for car count (i.e. top twenty-five in points) and this year the ASCS heat race format will be utilizing giving finishing and passing points out to determine who will get in the feature.
The Cottage Grove Speedway is a ¼ mile high banked clay oval located in Western Oregon. The track hosts several sanctioning bodies and series throughout the season including the World of Outlaws, American Sprint Car Series, and the Interstate Sprint Car Series to name a few. Be sure and keep in touch by logging on www.cottagegrovespeedway.com.
World of Outlaw Winners:
2010-Danny Lasoski
2009-Jason Meyers
2008-Donny Schatz
2007-Joey Saldana
2005-Danny Lasoski
2004-Kraig Kinser
2003-Steve Kinser
2002-Danny Lasoski
2000-Steve Kinser
1999-Danny Lasoski
1998-Donny Schatz
1997-Sammy Swindell
1996-Mark Kinser
1995-Steve Kinser
1994-Dave Blaney
Late Model Winners:
2010-Rick Wyatt
2009-Ryan Gerig
2008-Trevor Glaser
2007-Kelly McDonald
