Lance, Jr,. Shannon, Farris, Butterfield, Koering and Archdale pick up wins
(Peoria,IL) A battle among champions highlighted a fantastic night of racing at Peoria Speedway Saturday night as the track remarkably skirted storms in the area.
In the UMP Modified division, 2010 track champion Erik Bruce used every inch of the Peoriaoval to get by current track points leader Ray Bollinger for a thrilling win. Bollinger jumped to the lead at the start of the race, and Bruce had moved his way into 2nd by lap 3 and the battle began. Bollinger rode the bottom of the track as Bruce blasted the high side on both ends of the track.
Bollinger survived 3 caution periods, and Bruce began trying different lines attempting to catch Bollinger, who currently sits 2nd in the UMP National Championship chase. On lap 16, Bruce finally edged under Bollinger and the duo ran side-by-side over the next 3 laps until securing the lead for good on the white flag lap. Bollinger finished 2nd, followed by Mark Johnson, Dan Turner and Derrick Doerr.
“That was one heckuva race there”, said Bruce. “I was too tight on top so I had to get on the bottom and Ray left the door open just a little and we made it work. I’ve gotta thank the track prep guys as this was the best the track has been all year.”
Steve Lance, Jr, won his 7th straight UMP Late Model feature event, but it did not come easy. Lance out-gunned pole sitter Bobby Pierce on the opening lap. 2 distinct grooves had developed and Brandon Sheppard used the high line to get by Pierce for 2nd on lap 2 and began to chase Lance. A caution on lap 8 bunched the field up, and the chase resumed. By lap 16, Sheppard had closed the gap and was looking to pounce as heavy lapped traffic was blocking the track, with cars in both grooves.
Lance caught a break on lap 18 as the caution flew, giving Lance a clear track. Another caution on lap 23 set up a 7 lap shootout, but Sheppard could never make the pass and had to settle for 2nd. Mike Provenzano, Pierce, and Brian Diveley completed the top 5.
“Brandonbeat us at his home track last Sunday, so we returned the favor tonight”, said Lance in victory lane. “The track was perfect and you could run anywhere you wanted to tonight. We’ve really got this Rayburn dialed in here.”
Steve Shannon went flag-to-flag in the Limited Late Model feature for his 3rd win in a row. The race featured a scary wreck in turn 1 by Cody Wisher, who climbed the wall and knocked out a light pole. Wisher was uninjured. Jack Siegel, Jason Weyeneth, Jim Carmody and Brian Crebo, who rallied from an earlier spin, were the top 5.
“This is the first time the car felt real good, I think we’ve got it figured out”, Shannon said. “I knew Jack was back there, and he is awfully tough here so I’m thankful for this win.”
UMP Street Stock National Championship points leader John Farris dominated the Street Stock feature and extended his lead in his chase for both the National and track titles. Paula Harrison held off Chuck Barnes, Jr., who currently sits 2nd in both National and track points, for the runner-up spot. Aaron Near and Wally Zander rounded out the top 5.
Kenny Butterfield , who won a big race at FarmerCityFriday night, made it 2-for-2 with his 8th win in the UMP Hornet division and may have cemented both the track and National Championship points titles. “This should get us closer to the National Championship”, Butterfield said after the race.
The Vintage cars made their first appearance at the track for the “Legends under the Lights” program and fans were treated to a great race between John Provenzano and Gary Koerning. Koerning and Provenzano traded paint midway through the race, with Koerning holding on for the win in his 1968 Chevelle. “That was a great race there with John”, Koerning told the crowd. “This track was great and we want to thank the promoters and fans for having us here.”
Austin Archdale made a last-to-first charge for the win in the Illinois Lightning Sprints. Archdale blew by race-long leader Brennan Gregory mid-way through the race for the win. “We didn’t run a heat, so we kinda threw a setup at the car we hoped would work and it turned out great.”
Action resumes at Peoria Speedway next Saturday, August 27, with Season Championship events.