THE CROWNING OF TWO CHAMPS

Source: Kristi Palmer
Date: 09/08/2002

After an hour of rain delay, the races on Saturday the 7th went off without a hitch. The first two of five South Sound Speedway Champions were crowned. Nick Behn won the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, presented by Dodge, Late Model Super Stock points battle over Roger Drake. Chad Hinkle squeaked by JJ Hamilton to win the Championship in the Top Notch Trailer Street Stocks by a mere six points. The night started off strangely and the show moved along swiftly. No time-ins were done for the Super Stocks or Legends and no trophy dashes were run for fear of rain.

Chad Hinkle qualified fastest with JJ Hamilton right behind him making his point lead six. In the A-heat race, Hinkle finished fourth and Hamilton third bring his lead back down to four. Then in the main event, Hinkle finished one spot in front of Hamilton bringing the season ending gap to six. In the B- heat race, David Patrick led for two laps before Bill Posh Jr. and Mike Carlson got around him. Posh won the heat race with Carlson and Patrick in tow. In fourth was Robert Foster who drove Mark Boehi's newly painted car. Foster was the year long Crew Chief for Boehi. Dan Woodward and Bill Manney finished first and second in the A-heat. Chad Hinkle started on the pole of the main event with JJ Hamilton on the outside. Hinkle took the lead and never looked back as the top four remained the same the entire race. It finished with Hinkle in first, Hamilton in second, Bill Manney in third and Bobby Micielli in fourth. Ironically, that is how the point standings finished the season also.

The first Late Model Super Stock main event was run without a racing yellow after a double-file realign. Bob Presley took the lead right from the beginning. Nick Behn was running second for a few laps until he got loose and lost track position allowing Ray Wallace and Roger Drake to get around him. Drake got around Wallace 15 laps later and Behn finally got around Wallace on lap 42. Presley won the first main of the night with Drake, Behn and Eric Tibbitts in tow. In the second main event, another double-file realign was needed. Roger Drake took the lead in this race but spun after five laps causing a yellow. Wallace then took the lead with Behn in second and Presley in third. Eric Tibbitts took over the third spot on lap 13. By lap 34, Bob Presley was moving on up and passed Tibbitts and Behn. He was quickly catching Wallace and was a car length away when his motor blew on lap 45. Five laps later, Wallace was the winner with Behn in second and Tibbitts in third. Angela Cope was fourth, Roger Drake was fifth and Amber Cope was sixth.

Jeff Harris and Rich Spooner scored heat race wins on Saturday in the Legends. In the main event, Bob Kronenberg led the first 14 laps. On lap five, Louis Grant took his car into the wall on turns three and four knocking him out of the race for the night. The battle behind Kronenberg was between Tony Carabello and Kenny Armstrong. Then, Carabello and Armstrong got around Kronenberg but Rich Spooner got around them all. Spooner was running first with Garrett Haxby and Rob Hawton behind him when Carabello and Armstrong got together, bringing out a caution. Armstrong was mechanically blacked for his bumper dragging. Spooner won with Haxby, Hawton and Kronenberg in tow.

Craig Derksen led all eight laps and won the heat race for the Bandoleros. Andrew Caddell was second. Derksen led the main event with Caddell in second. Ferderer was third but got around Caddell after seven laps. Bradley Shaw was running fourth. Ferderer got around Derksen on lap 11 to race for the finish and win. Derksen finished second and Caddell in third.

Next week at South Sound Speedway we welcome back the FSCRA, and MMRA Mini-Cups and Future Stars. The Hinkle Homes Pure Stocks, Bumblebees and Figure-8 will also be on hand to gain or lose more points in their Championship running that will end on October 5th. Check out www.southsoundspeedway.com for all your racing information.

Fast Time: Chad Hinkle 16.34

Heat B: Bill Posh Jr., Mike Carlson, David Patrick, Robert Foster, Bobby Micielli, Scott McNeil

Heat A: Dan Woodward, Bill Manney, JJ Hamilton, Chad Hinkle, Jim Jussila, Joe Swanson

Main: Hinkle, Hamilton, Manney, Micielli, Woodward, Jussila, Posh, Swanson, Foster, Carlson, Patrick, McNeil

Main 1: Bob Presley, Roger Drake, Nick Behn, Eric Tibbitts, Ray Wallace, Amber Cope, Angela Cope, Tim Gosch, Curtis Zelmer, Bob Sutphin, Jimmy Clair

Main 2: Wallace, Behn, Tibbitts, Angela Cope, Drake, Amber Cope, Sutphin, Zelmer, Presley, Gosch Clair

Heat 1: Jeff Harris, Jeff Mueller, Rob Hawton, Aaron Bellanca, Tom Matheson, Robert Hornbeck, Joe Martin, Larry Buchanan, Randy Branson, Tracey Titus

Heat 2: Rich Spooner, Tony Carabello, Garrett Haxby, Ken Armstrong, Dave VanAmburg, Louis Grant, Scott Nielsen, Bob Kronenberg

Main: Spooner, Haxby, Hawton, Kronenberg, Buchanan, Bellanca, Mueller, Hornbeck, Martin, Matheson, Nielsen, Titus, Armstrong, Carabello, Harris, Branson, VanAmburg, Grant

Heat: Craig Derksen, Andrew Caddell, Bradley Shaw, Matt Lundstrom, Justin Glave, Rutledge Boykin

Main: Ferderer, Derksen, Caddell, Shaw, Lundstrom, Boykin, Glave

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