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Two First Career Feature Winners Highlight
Eastern Michigan Food Bank Night at Dixie Motor Speedway. By Matt Prieur / Chris Fobbe Birch Run, Michigan (Friday, July 23, 2010): Friday Night, July 23rd was Eastern Michigan Food Bank Night at the Dixie Motor Speedway Presented by Draper Auto Group as a strong field of cars in all divisions turned out for a great night of racing in Birch Run, Michigan on a hot summer night. All Six Divisions within the Weekly Local Racing Series were in action and the big winners on this night were; Blake Childers - Speedway Grafix Pro Late Models, Mike Luberda Sr. - O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Modifieds, Don Riley - RacerChic.us Pro Stocks, Jake Caverly - RacingPartSales.com Street Stocks, Kyle Maize - Birch Run / Bridgeport Herald Bombers, and Ray DerMiner - Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s. Up first on Eastern Michigan Food Bank Night at the Races was on the fast 4/10s (0.400) mile progressively banked d-shaped paved oval and it was the 30-lap Feature for the Speedway Grafix Pro Late Models as they were led to Chief Starter, Todd Setterington's green flag by Three-Time Defending Track Champion, Ed Doutre Jr., and 17-year-old Blake Childers. Right off the bat, trouble ensued when the field bunched up forcing several drivers to take evasive action. The end result saw Doutre Jr., Fast Qualifier Mark Welch, and Current Rookie Points Leader, 17-year-old Jimmy Novak amongst others, all suffering damage to their machines. All three returned, but Novak and Welch eventually dropped out due to their damage and Doutre Jr., returned but was several laps down. On the ensuing restart, Childers moved over to the pole position with Current Points Leader Tony Hoose along-side of the teenager and it would be Childers beating Hoose to the first corner after several restarts, to take the early advantage. Soon, 2004 Track Champion Jay Reinbold maneuvered his way up to the second position and quickly chased down Childers. Several more cautions plagued the event and on each double file restart, Childers was able to fend off Reinbold and Hoose on each of those restarts. When all was said and done, Childers, the 2008 Rookie of the Year would fight off those challenges and the 17-year-old Flushing, Michigan driver in his Motor City Builders Chevrolet would go on to win his first Feature since his freshman year! Reinbold settled for second with Hoose, Marty England, and Adam Rowe finishing off the Top Five. 16-year-old Hanna Christensen, the 2009 Rookie of the Year, finished a career high sixth as another 16-year-old Josh Hobson was seventh. Todd Barlass was eighth as Julian Fluty and Chet Allen completed the Top 10. Earlier in the afternoon, Welch won his fourth Speedway Grafix Fast Qualifier Award of the year with a lap measured at a 16.308 while Barlass and Novak collected Heat Race wins. The O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Modifieds were up next on the 4/10s mile as their 30-lap Feature saw Donny Matteson Jr., and 2009 Rookie of the Year, 19-year-old John King bring the field down to the Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth start / finish line and it would be Matteson Jr., beating King to the first corner to grab the early lead. Matteson Jr., set an early torrid pace while the rest of the field maneuvered their way to Matteson Jr's back bumper. The one and only caution of the race was a big one as on lap 13 two rookies got together as 16-year-old Kyle Feeney and 17-year-old Trevor Berry, the top two freshman in the season long points chase, made hard contact with the turn four wall with Berry hitting so hard that he bounced off the wall and came to rest at the center of the intersection of the Figure 8s track! Both drivers were ok, but were done for the night. On the restart, Veteran, Mike Luberda Sr., edged Matteson Jr., coming out of turn two to take the lead away and soon, Current Points Leader, Ken O'Connor also motored around the pole-sitter to grab second and set his sights on Luberda Sr. O'Connor tried every trick in his arsenal to get by the crafty veteran from AuGres, Michigan but it was all to no avail as Luberda Sr., would go on to score his second Feature Win of the 2010 racing season and would climb out of his Luberda's Wood Products Chevrolet in the Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth Winners Circle to a rousing ovation from the crowd! O'Connor settled for second with Two-Time and Defending Track Champion Nick Clemens finished third. Rick Wiecorek was fourth as Matteson Jr., completed the Top Five. King fell back to sixth while Matt Severn, Feeney, Berry, and Don Morse were the Top 10. In Qualifying, O'Connor won his fourth O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Fast Qualifier Award of the season as he turned in a 16.212 while Matteson Jr., won the lone Heat Race. The final race of the night on the 4/10s mile was for the RacerChic.us Pro Stocks as their 25-lap Feature rolled out and were led to the Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth start / finish line by a pair of rookies in Barry Vance and Jamie Jacobson and it would be Vance just edging out Jacobson heading into the first turn to take the early lead while the rest of the field jockeyed for position behind him. It would only take Defending Track Champion and Current Points Leader, Don Riley just four laps to get to Vance's back bumper from his outside the third row starting spot and on the next lap, Riley, who had been held winless at Dixie over the last three races, drove around Vance, originally from Birch Run, Michigan but now calling Sarasota, Florida home, to take the lead on lap five. From their, Riley was simply gone while the rest of the field scrambled for the remaining positions. Fast Qualifier and Winner of the last Three RacerChic.us Pro Stocks Features, Jon Giffel finally worked himself into second place, but Riley had nearly a half a track lead over Giffel and the remainder of the field. When all was said and done, Riley returned to his dominating ways in his Stevens Cycle Sales Chevrolet and the Bay City, Michigan veteran would go on to win his Fifth Feature of the 2010 racing season and Eighth Overall between Dixie and Dixie's sister track to the Southwest, the Owosso Speedway. Giffel finished second while 2008 Track Champion Kevin Harder claimed the last podium position in third. Current Rookie of the Year Points Leader, 19-year-old Tim Cummings was fourth as Gary Shank Jr., finished up the Top Five. Jacobson fell back to sixth over another 19-year-old, Nicole Korbinski as Buddy McGeathy, Rick Osborn Jr., and Vance were the Top 10. Giffel scored his second RacerChic.us Fast Qualifier Award of the 2010 racing season as he laid down a 17.338 while Vance and Riley won the Heat Races. With action on the 4/10s mile complete, it was time to move down to the adjoining 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked paved oval and the 20-lap Birch Run / Bridgeport Herald Bomber Feature kicked things off on the smaller oval with Mike Wines and Ricky Dinius Jr., bringing the 19-car field down to the green flag as Wines would grab the early advantage while the rest of the field settled in behind him. Several early cautions plagued the event bunching the field up each and every time with the double file restarts. On each restart, Wines would continue to maintain his advantage until 17-year-old Kyle Maize took the lead away from Wines on lap six and tried desperately to pull away from the rest of the field. Andrew Burton, the winningest driver of the 2009 racing season at Dixie with Eight combined Feature Wins, pressured Maize all around the 1/3 mile while feeling pressure himself from 18-year-old Rookie, Eric Lake and the rest of the field. All the while, Maize maintained the top spot. Burton and Lake tried one last time to motor by Maize but the Otter Lake, Michigan driver was up to the task as the driver of the Ron's Auto Repair Chevrolet would fend off the challenges from Burton and the rest of the field and the 17-year-old would go on to score an emotional First Ever Feature Win! At the line, Burton beat Lake to finish second while Lake scored a career high Third Place finish. Jordan Lechota was fourth over Anthony Jurek who wrapped up the Top Five. Current Points Leader Cam Hiltz finished sixth while Wines slipped back to seventh ahead of Dinius Jr., New Rookie of the Year Points Leader Rick Kiger, and Andy Karg, who slipped back to second in the freshman title chase, completed the Top 10. Lechota scored his second Birch Run / Bridgeport Herald Fast Qualifier Award of the year as he toured the 1/3 mile at an 18.275 with Wines and Burton winning the Heat Races. The final oval track race of the night was also on the 1/3 mile and it was the 25-lap RacingPartSales.com Street Stocks Feature as Current Rookie of the Year Points Leader, Andy Moss started on the pole along-side 2009 Rookie of the Year Runner-Up, Jake Caverly and it would be Caverly winning the race to the first two corner to take over the early lead with the rest of the field in tow. Caverly would maintain the early lead until 2009 Rookie of the Year Aaron Spearling made his move to the front and took over the top spot on lap 11 and he brought two drivers with a combined Six Feature Won between them this season in 2001 Pro Late Model Track Champion Robby Johnston, and Two-Time Defending Street Stocks Track Champion Ed Newman Jr. As the crossed flags signal was given signifying halfway, Johnston drove by Spearling to take the lead and soon Newman Jr., followed suit and the long awaited battle between the two most successful Street Stock drivers in Eastern Michigan over the past five seasons was on! Newman Jr., searched high and low, trying to find a way around Johnston and several times the two collided batting with each other, and each time, they straightened each other out to continue the war. Then things finally came to a dramatic ending on the white flag lap when Newman Jr., dive bombed into turns three and four to take the lead as the white flag was flying. When they drove into turns one and two Johnston and Newman Jr., collided again sending both around. Caverly, who had driven back around Spearling with five laps to go, dove underneath both spinning drivers and when all was said and done, a surprised Caverly, in his unsponsored Caverly Motorsports Chevrolet, would find himself in the Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth Victory Lane to give the Freeland, Michigan driver his First Career Feature Win! Spearling inherited second with Josh Hahn, Gary Stevens, and Moss completed the Top Five. Rookie Matt Singer finished sixth over fellow Rookie, 19-year-old Brandan Adams while Newman Jr., Johnston, and Al Boitel Jr., finished off the Top 10. Winning the RacingPartSales.com Fast Qualifier Award was Johnston who scored his sixth such award of the year with Caverly picking up the Heat Race win. The final race overall of the evening was the Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s 12-lap main event with Ray DerMiner and Rookie Terry Montney starting on the front row and DerMiner would shoot out into the lead and taking off from the rest of the field early as the rest of the pack scrambled to keep pace. DerMiner set a torrid early pace while the past two track champions as well as First and Second in the Current Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s Points Standings, 2008 Track Champion Jordan Lechota and Defending Track Champion Andrew Burton were methodically maneuvering their way through the field from their 12th and Seventh starting spots respectively. Lechota got by Burton early in the race, but Burton wouldn't let Lechota out of his sights and the two drivers teamed up to try and chase down the race long leader, DerMiner who avoided several close calls at the Intersection to build up an already huge advantage over the rest of the pack. DerMiner stayed a safe distance ahead of the two past track champions and the Flint, Michigan veteran in his Second Hand World Two Chevrolet would make his return to the Birch Run, Michigan speed plant after a nearly two month absence and collect his second Feature Win of the year and he led all 13 laps in the process. Lechota fended off Burton for second while Burton's teammate, Tony Williams finished fourth and Ricky Dinius Jr., completed the Top Five. John Hitsman was sixth while Rookie Terry Montney, Cam Hiltz, Current Rookie of the Year Points Leader, 18-year-old Eric Lake, and Mike Wines wrapped up the Top 10. The Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s do not Qualify or run Heat Races as they draw for their starting positions in their Feature in a blind draw held during the Drivers Meeting with Last Week's Feature Winner, in this case, Lechota, starting last in the event. THIS Friday, July 30th will be the annual Classic Car Cruise Night at the Races as the fans in the grandstands get the chance to check out some great looking classic vehicles of yesteryear in the parking lot before and during the races and then watch them in a special parade around the 4/10s mile at Intermission. On the track, the 4/10s (0.400) mile progressively banked d-shaped paved oval will be a busy place one more time as the Speedway Grafix Pro Late Models, O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Modifieds, and RacereChic.us Pro Stocks are all on the card. On the adjoining 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked paved oval the Birch Run / Bridgeport Herald Bombers will have the inner oval all to themselves for the night as the Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s will wrap things up once again on the inner Figure 8s track. The RacingPartSales.com Street Stocks get the night off, but will return to action on Friday, August 6th as part of BIG ONE VIII with the third jewel of the Dixie Cup Triple Crown Series for the Outlaw Super Late Models; The 4th annual Mid-Michigan Dixie Challenge 100 and the second appearance of 2010 by the fire breathing, winged warriors of the Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series co-headlining the biggest single day event in Michigan during the 2010 racing season. For Friday, July 30th, Ticket Prices are: Adults (18-59) $12.00 - Seniors (60 and Over) $10.00 - Teens (13-17) $8.00 - Children (6-12) $5.00 - Kids (5 and Under) FREE - Pit Passes $25.00. The Pit Gates will open at 2:00p.m., with Practice Beginning at 3:00p.m. The Grandstands Open at 5:00p.m., as Qualifying starts at 5:15p.m., then after Pre-Race Ceremonies, the Invocation, and National Anthem(s), Racing is set for 7:30p.m. For more information about the 2010 racing season, please call: 1 (989) 624-9778 or 1 (989) 395-0933. You can also log onto the website as well at: www.dixiemotorspeedway.com So come out and watch all the exciting action every Friday Night and One Sunday a Month at the only track in Michigan where the Past, Present, and Future Collide; the Dixie Motor Speedway Presented by Draper Auto Group. |
