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Four Feature Winners all score their Second
Feature Wins of the 2010 Season at Owosso Speedway. By Matt Prieur / Chris Fobbe - Owosso Speedway Ovid, Michigan (Saturday, June 26, 2010): It was Classic Car Cruise Night and Food Bank Night at the Owosso Speedway on Saturday, June 26th as the racing excitement on the track was only matched by the very vocal and enthusiastic crowd that was on hand at the Big "O" to watch a great night of racing action. The fans in the grandstands were treated to four thrilling features as all Four Feature Winners won their second of the season. Bill Luckhurst - Modifieds, Don Riley - Pro Stocks, Bob Robinson - Pure Stocks, and Matt Vainner - Sport Stocks were the winners on this night. The first Feature of the night was for the Drive Train Specialists Modifieds as Current Rookie of the Year Points Leader, 16-year-old Kyle Feeney and Greg Fullerton brought the field down to Chief Starter Jeremy Sladen's green flag and it would be Fullerton beating Feeney to the first corner to grab the early lead in the 30-lap Feature. Fullerton set a nice early pace while the rest of the field sorted themselves out. Adam Hudson, a former competitor in the CRA Sportsmen Series from near-by Elsie, Michigan, who was ironically making his first ever appearance at the Owosso Speedway and making his Modifieds debut, reeled in Fullerton and took the lead for himself on lap 15. Hudson tried to pull away from the rest of the field but Seven-Time Defending and 11-Time Overall Track Champion Bill Luckhurst had other ideas as he had worked his way up to second from his eight starting spot and followed Hudson by Fullerton. With Hudson running up high, Luckhurst went to the bottom groove and on lap 18 took the lead away. Two-Time and Defending Track Champion at Owosso's sister track to the Northeast, Dixie Motor Speedway, Nick Clemens, who was making a rare appearance at the Big "O" also got by Hudson and tried in vain to reel in Luckhurst and did manage to get to his back bumper. But Luckhurst was up to the task as the Ovid, Michigan veteran in his Jet's Pizza of Owosso Chevrolet would take control of the remainder of the race and would score his Second Feature Win of the 2010 Racing Season and take over the Points Lead in the process! Clemens finished second while Hudson, Steve Bates Jr., and Fullerton completed the Top Five. Mark Abee grabbed sixth ahead of Feeney while 14-year-old Alex Donnert, his Father Laci Donnert, and 16-year-old Megan Carpenter finished off the Top 10. Earlier in the afternoon in Qualifying, Luckhurst won his first Fast Qualifier Award of the season with a lap measured at a 16.395 around the 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked paved oval while Clemens won the Dash and Fullerton scored the Heat Race Win. 2009 Rookie of the Year Ron Hart and 2010 Rookie competitor Bob Elliott led the Shattuck Specialty Advertising Pure Stocks to the D-L Auto Sales start / finish line to start their 20-lap Feature and it would be the sophomore pilot Hart grabbing the early lead while the rest of the field jockeyed for position. Current Points Leader Bob Robinson, who started on the outside of the second row, quickly got up to second and made short work of Hart as he took the lead away on the second lap and began pulling away from the rest of the field. The Adkins Father / Son combination of Hurley and Kevin Adkins soon found themselves in second and third and tried to reel in the race long leader. Robinson had built up a nice lead by this point and although the Adkins duo did reel in the leader, they couldn't muster up a challenge. In the end, Robinson would hang on and the Midland, Michigan driver would take the checkered flag and pull into the D-L Auto Sales victory lane after winning his Second Feature of the season in the caution free race and extending his points lead in the process. Hurley Adkins finished second over his son, Kevin Adkins while Rick Gokee Sr., and 18-year-old Eric Lake were the Top Five. 19-year-old Steve Pelky II took over the Rookie of the Year Points Lead with his sixth place finish while Bob Elliott, Fred Adkins, George Harris, and Chris Wood wrapped up the Top 10. Hurley Adkins collected his fourth Fast Qualifier Award of the season with a 19.382 while Gary Dabney and Hart won the Heat Races. Rookie Josh Shiver and Veteran Bill McBride started on the front row of the 20-lap Okemos Auto Service Sport Stocks Feature and it was a very rough start for their feature as it took three tries before the Sport Stocks finally got going. When they did though, McBride would lead the first two laps while the rest of the field finally settled in behind him. 16-year-old Matt Vainner, who started 10th, quickly made his way up to the front and on lap three would motor around McBride to take over the lead. He brought 14-year-old Kyle Crump, the Rookie of the Year Points Leader and the battle was on for the top spot between the two teenagers. Three more teenagers joined the fray led by 13-year-old Amber Slagle, as well as 16-year-old Joey Rodgers who was involved in the first caution on the opening lap when he tagged the turn four wall, and 14-year-old Jake Thom, who was making his first appearance at the Big "O" since the 2009 Owosso Fall Nationals. The quintet of Teenagers sliced and diced their way all over the 3/8s mile, but in the end Vainner, who earlier in the day set fast time and won his heat, completed the Hat Trick as the Holt, Michigan driver in his Papa Motorsports Dodge would Win his Second Feature of the Season and take over the points lead thanks to his perfect night. Crump settled for second while Slagle finished a career high third with Rodgers and Thom trailing as well as finishing off the Top Five. McBride slipped back to sixth while Scott Rodgers, Shiver, Osen DeBarr, and Brian Beckner, the point's leader coming into the night, wrapped up the Top 10. Earlier in the day, Vainner scored his fourth Fast Qualifier Award of the 2010 racing season as he went out and turned 20.070 and then won his heat to complete the first two legs of his Hat Trick. McBride triumphed in the other Heat Race. Finally to close out the night, the 25-lap Shiawassee Shores Pro Stocks Feature rolled out with 2009 Dixie Motor Speedway Track Champion, Current Points Leader, and Feature Winner the previous night, Don Riley starting on the pole along-side Defending Owosso Speedway Pro Stocks Track Champion, Tony Basalone. Riley beat Basalone the first corner in the battle of Defending Track Champions to take the early lead while the rest of the field settled in behind them. Fast Qualifier Dave Buswell and Dennis Roys challenge Basalone for second while Riley slowly but surely began pulling away from the rest of the pack. Current Points Leader Tom Stone also joined the battle for second and soon it was a four-car battle for second through fifth between Basalone, Roys, Buswell, and Stone. All the while, Riley opened up his lead while the quartet behind him battled it out for the remaining Top Five positions. Roys finally escaped from the pack and tried to bring Riley closer to him, but Riley wasn't to be denied as the Bay City, Michigan veteran in his Stevens Cycle Chevrolet would lead all 25 laps in the caution free race to score his Second Feature of the Weekend, Second Feature of the season at Owosso, and Sixth Overall of 2010 between Dixie and Owosso. Roys finished a season high second while Buswell, Basalone, and Stone completed the Top Five. Eric Olsen finished sixth with Ed Newman Jr., Jim Severn, Mark Ragsdale, and Rookie of the Year Points Leader, 14-year-old Travis Skarvi wrapped up the Top 10. Buswell won his first Fast Qualifier Award of the season as he went a 17.161 as Newman Jr., and Basalone collected Heat Race Wins. The Fourth of July Holiday Weekend at the Big "O" will see Fireworks on and off the race track highlighted by the one and only appearance of the 2010 racing season by the fire breathing, winged warriors of the Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series on Saturday, July 3rd. The Three Rivers, Michigan based series drew an overflow capacity crowd to the Big "O" in 2009 and this time around expect more of the same on the edge of your seat excitement that only the "World's Fastest Short Track Show" can bring. In addition, a huge Fireworks show will go off after dark in celebration of our great nation's 234th birthday. The night before on Friday, July 2nd, the Auto Value Super Sprints will be at Owosso's sister track to the Northeast, the Dixie Motor Speedway Presented by Draper Auto Group in Birch Run, Michigan. For more information on the Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper Super Sprint Series, visit their Website at www.supersprints.com The Auto Value Super Sprints will be joined on the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked paved oval by the Shiawassee Shores Pro Stocks, Shattuck Specialty Advertising Pure Stocks and Okemos Auto Service Sport Stocks for an action packed night of racing to celebrate the Holiday Weekend. The Affordable Tire and Service Center Pro Late Models are off until Saturday, July 10th and the Drive Train Specialists Modifieds are now on vacation until Saturday, July 31st. Ticket Prices for Saturday, July 3rd are: Adults (17-59) $20.00 - Seniors (60 and Over): $18.00 - Students (9-16) $15.00 - Kids (8 and Under) FREE - Pit Passes $25.00. The Pit Gates AND Grandstands BOTH open at "High Noon" 12:00p.m., every Saturday as Fans get the chance to spend the entire day at the track by tailgating in the parking lot, watching Practice and enjoying a great day at the races. Practice Starts at 2:00p.m., with Qualifying starting at 5:00p.m. Racing gets the green flag at 7:00p.m. For more information about the 2010 racing season, please call: 1 (989) 834-5948, 1 (810) 965-6698, or 1 (989) 395-0933. You can also log onto the website at: www.owossospeedway.com So come on out every Saturday Night to the track where Legends are Born, Stars Shine, and Young Lions Roar, only at the Owosso Speedway. |
