EVERGREEN, Washington -- The Evergreen Speedway season closed on Saturday Sept. 27 with a Giant Demolition Derby, special feature races and fireworks. The Hertz Hornets also returned for two mains to please the capacity crowds. A spectacular fireworks show ended the evening.
Demo cars started the first dash of the evening Davey Boyle took the checkered flag for that race. Craig Rowalt of Bothell was the winner of the Hertz Hornet dash. Randy Hilburn took the Bump to Pass dash trophy and the Bryce Kolar team won the 3 Car Train dash.
The Hertz Hornets pleased the crowds with two action packed features. The first main started with Brian Cornell on the pole. Hornet veteran Gus Uribe passed for the lead on lap 3 of the 15 lap race. Lynnwoods Jim Simpson got by Cornell and started chasing Uribe. He took the lead in lap 9 and held on for the checkered flag. Uribe took second.
The second Hornet race had Monroes Joe Strickland in the pole position. He took off well ahead of the pack. Greg Estes was nipping his bumper by lap 3.Estes got by for the lead on lap 4 but Strickland pushed back. In one of those racing mishaps, a new set of leaders emerged after a spin out in lap 8. Rod Helmuth of Woodinville took advantage of the chaos to push ahead. He held on to take the checkered flag with Estes right behind. John Crofoot Sr. took third.
The Bump to Pass feature was almost exclusively a race between Randy Hilburn and Kirsten Pearce until the final laps. Nick Niesen pushed up into second. Hilburn took the checkered flag. Niesen was second and Pearce an official third.
The Figure Eight Bus race was one of the most exciting in recent Evergreen history. Crowd favorite Jason Kooy came out with a strong lead. Bill Wade of Stanwood chased aggressively. Kooy took a hit at the intersection in lap 3 but somehow managed to stay in the race and ahead of Wade. The next lap saw Wade finally pass Kooy. Crowds cheered as Kooey gave Wade a retaliatory smack. Kooey left the track and Wade took the checkered almost unopposed.
The 3 Car Train feature has three cars chained together. Theres a driver in the front car and a brake man in the back with no one in the middle car! The team of Allen Van Dyke and Richard Elliot had a great start and went up a lap over the field. That was just as well because they got tangled up in the final lap of the race. Although it appeared to the crowd that Bryce Kolars team had grabbed the lead, the Van Dyke team prevailed by being a lap ahead and Kolar took second place.
Crowds love a Roll Over Contest and with seven entries, it was guaranteed to be exciting. John Kleman made fans gasp with four and a quarter rolls but Steve Montagna won the contest. He took his car into five complete rolls and landed back upright again, leaping out to hail his cheering fans.
Boating season closed at Evergreen Speedway with a huge boat race. These boats dont use water or a trailer. The car towing the biggest piece of boat at the end of the race wins. Jason Holton was doing great until being taken out by Steve Schoenfeldt. Greg Faye took the checkered flag, not only still towing most of his boat but with Krista LaFountaines car on top of his boat! It was a spectacular finish.
The Giant Demo Derby was the usual melee of crunching metal and steaming engines. It went down to Phil King, Mike Seppi and Davey Boyle. The final car running was Mike Seppi for the win. It was followed by a fireworks spectacular, complete with music, to salute the close of another successful year. See you next season!
Trophy Dash: 1. Bryce Kolar 2. Rick Gentry 3.Dave Bryant 4. Jason Holton
Main: 1. Allen Vandyke 2. Bryce Kolar 3. Rick Gentry 4. Steve Schoenfeldt 5. Sean Wolk 6. Jason Holton 7. Greg Fay 8. Dave Bryant
1. Ross Fay 2. Steve Schoenfeldt 3. Krysta Pearce 4. Jason Holton 5. Bryce Kolar 6. William Pearce 7. Andy Brown
Total Destruction: 1. Mike Seppi 2. Dave Boyle 3. Phil King
Best Appearing: 1. Krista LaFontaine 2. Jeanine Lavery
Trophy Dash: 1. Dave Boyle 2. #68 3. John Klemann 4. Greg Fay
Heat 1: 1. John Klemann 2. Dave Boyle
Heat 2: 1. Jeff Danson 2. Joey Ensminger
Heat 3: 1. Mike Seppi 2. Lance Carter
Heat 4: 1. Dave Boyle 2. Forrest Houle
1. Curt Mantegna 2. John Klemann 3. Nick Williams 4. Billie Williams 5. Ed Taylor
6. Mark Harris 7. Jr Sundholm
Trophy Dash: 1.Craig Rowalt, 2. David Lavely 3. Dole Taylor 4. #125
Heat 1: 1. # 007 2. Joe Strickland 3. Shawn Drew 4. Greg Stork
Heat 2. 1.Adrian Craig 2. Ray Johnson 3. Mark Light 4. Chris Record
Heat 3: 1. Bill Wade 2. Daniel Koster 3. Doyle Taylor 4. #017x
Heat 4: 1.Dale Biddle 2. Robert Hardy 3. David Lavely 4. 95x
Main 1: 1. Jim Simpson 2. Gus Uribe 3. Dave Grayson 4. Tony Baxter
Main 2: 1 Rod Helmuth 2. # 007 3. John Crofoot Sr. 4. Greg Estes
