CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES FOR SWEET TURN SOUR AT WRR


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Nov 22, 2008

WINNEMUCCA REGIONAL RACEWAY

Source: Bruce Crowley
Date: 09/01/2004

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Winnemucca, NV -- When Sparks driver Billy Smith III took Lincoln Litchfield’s checkered flag for his sixth feature win of the season Friday night at Winnemucca Regional Raceway, you could see the disappointment etched on Rodney Sweet’s face. Smith, the leading I.M.C.A. Modified driver in the state of Nevada, won the exciting thirty-lap feature over some heavy-duty chauffeurs, extending his track point lead to thirteen digits over local star Sweet. Smith had a three-point advantage over Sweet going into this event, the next to last race here this season. Sweet lined-up in the second row, right alongside of Smith in the eleven car field. At the start, Smith split the two pole row cars, Chad Farstveet and Heinz Woelki, and sped to the lead on the backstretch. Yerington star Gene Kay followed likewise as he pulled into second from his third row start, with Reno’s Billy Hiney behind him. Tonopah flyer James Thibodeaux was fourth as Sweet dropped to fifth place on lap number two. Sweet, going for his second feature win in a row, sensed that his car was having problems. Sweet wanted to stay as close to Billy as he could and not to disappear in the point chase. On the fourth go-a-round, Sweet’s Dirt Works car lost its rear end, ending Rodney’s race before it really started. Sweet became an interested spectator, but a spectator nevertheless. Meanwhile, Farstveet looped his car leaving turn two but, instead of stopping, the young man poured it on and did a 360 and continued racing. During the sixth lap, Thibodeaux went under Smith in turn two to take the lead but the yellow flowed due to debris on the front chute. Cars don’t race to the yellow at Winnemucca, hence Smith was allowed to regain his previous position from the lap before. Thibodeaux’s developed mechanical woes and pitted. Kay inherited the runner-up position as the green once again waved. Kay, the 2003 Fallon I.M.C.A. champion, took a page out of Thobodeaux’s book of racing, went low in two and emerged with the lead over Smith down the back chute. At this point it was Kay, Smith, Hiney, Wayne Richards, and Woelki in that order. But on lap 15, Smith got even with Kay. Smith went low in two to regain his lead but Farstveet, Woelki, and Byron Hutchinson came together in turn one/two, resulting with Farstveet flipping on his side. Kay was rewarded first place with Smith back to second. On the restart, Smith got under Kay once more but this time to stuck. A lap later, Kay was out of the race and Richards resumed to right to chase Smith but the last fourteen or so laps were no changes. A high rate of attrition caused only four cars to finish the event. After Smith, who won his sixth here, it was Richards, who was here for his first time from Fernley, Hiney, and Woelki. For Sweet, he wasn’t kicked off of the island but…..he must win on the last race on Sunday afternoon September 26, pray that sixteen cars show up and have Smith finish last or next to last.

In all probability, Winnemucca’s Tim Mazour will probably need the same scenario as Sweet does. Mazour trails fellow townsman Ken Knight by fifteen points after Knight hung on to win the WRRA Mini Mod feature Friday night over previous winner Chris Cokelich from Fernley. At the start of the twenty-lap feature, it was all Cokelich who roared away with the initial green. Point leader Knight started fifth on the field but was in third place after the first lap. For the first six laps, Cokelich led Richard Scott from Fernley, Knight, and Mazour. On the seventh lap, Knight raced past the leader but a yellow reverted the lead back to Cokelich. On the ensuing green, Cokelich and Knight raced wheel to wheel around the quarter-mile clay oval but Knight went for a ride the next lap, spinning and causing a yellow. Worse, Knight was sent to the rear of the rack. On the green, Mazour took up the cause in second with Brian Jonas in third. All of a sudden, Cokelich lost it and handed the lead over to Jonas who had passed Mazour when Jonas spun leaving turn four. The line-up was now Mazour in first, Knight in second, and Jonas back to third. On the green, Knight flashed by Mazour to reclaim the lead over Mazour. Several laps later, Cokelich went by Mazour but by then Knight had checked out for his fifth feature win of the season. Dave Williams finished in fourth while Jonas was fifth. Fernley ace Rich Baum, who had suffered broken axles on both previous outings on the Winnemucca track, took the lead on the first lap in the WRRA Pro Stock feature race from his second row starting position. Spring Creek driver Brian Thorp had his hands full all night as he was trying to catch point leader Brandon Vandermay, the local rookie. Baum led for the first ten laps before giving way to Winnemucca’s Rodney Sample before Eshavio Gonzalez spun him to take the lead. Gonzales was immediately sent to the back of the pack and the new leader was Thorp. Thorp thought that win number seven had been delivered but that thought perished as with four laps remained, he spun out in turn four. The new leader (fifth of the race) was standout driver Dave Wearin from Battle Mountain. Wearin wasn’t going to befall the previous leaders as he held on to capture his fourth career feature race. Second went to Thorp, who was able to pick up only one point in his battle with third place finisher Vandermay. Thorp trails Vandermay by nine with one race remaining.

That last race will be held on Sunday afternoon September 26 at 2 p.m.

I.M.C.A. Modifieds

Heat one: Rodney Sweet, Bill Hiney, Bryon Hutchinson, Nick Keller, Chad Farstveet

Heat two: Gene Kay, Billy Smith III, James Thibodeaux, Wayne Richards, Heinz Woelki

Dash: Gene Kay, Rodney Sweet, James Thibodeaux, Bryon Hutchinson

Feature: Billy Smith III, Wayne Richards, Bill Hiney, Heinz Woelki, Gene Kay, Bryon Hutchinson, Chad Farstveet, Nick Keller, Rob Creamer, James Thibodeaux, Rodney Sweet, Jimmie Delaney DNS

WRRA Pro Stocks

Heat one: Rich Baum, Reldon Hatch, Brandon Vandermay, Walt Frazier, Mike Miller

Heat two: Brian Thorp, Dave Wearin, Rodney Sample, Dennis Bennett, Jerry Mock

Dash: Reldon Hatch, Rich Baum, Brian Thorp, Dave Wearin

Feature: Dave Wearin, Brian Thorp, Brandon Vandermay, Reldon Hatch, Rich Baum, Rodney Sample, Jerry Mock, Mike Miller, Walt Frazier, Eshavio Gonzalez Dennis Bennett DNS

WRRA Mini Mods

Heat: Gary Ogburn, Jr. Chris Cokelich, Brian Jonas, Ken Knight, Richard Scott

Dash: Chris Cokelich, Brian Jonas, Ken Knight, Gary Ogburn, Jr.

Feature: Ken Knight, Chris Cokelich, Tim Mazour, Dave Williams, Brian Jonas, Ehin Nugent, Richard Scott, Ken Howard, Jr. Gary Ogburn, Jr. DNS ####