(LEBANON, Missouri . . . by Sarah Woodhurst) Saturday, August 20 turned out to be an excellent night of ASA racing, as the rain stayed away to allow six divisions to compete on the high-banked 3/8 mile paved oval of I-44 Speedway. Late Model points leader, Chrissy Wallace, collected her sixth win of the season and Jason Otto also visited Monster Energy Victory Lane in the Modified division. Rick Sharp of Fair Grove took home the Sportsman feature win and Shawn Jones won the Charger event, while Dustin Reeves won the Road Warrior feature, and Joe Bunkers grabbed the OMSRA “Outlaw Mini Stock” feature win.
Wallace put on a show in the 30-lap Late Model main event, as she maneuvered her way from the back to the lead by lap thirteen. Jim Reaves of Strafford jumped out to the front at the beginning of the race and gained a big lead over the field until a lap seven caution packed the thirteen-car field back together. Reaves was not able to hold off the hard-charging #93 car of Wallace on the restart, and the #10 car of Dale Roper Jr. joined the front-runners. A caution came out on lap 25 setting up a battle for third place between Cole Williams of Sellersburg, Indiana and Jimmy Vanzandt of Springfield during the final five laps. Door-to-door racing action and minimal cautions made for an exciting race as Wallace crossed the checkers first, followed by Roper Jr. in second, Vanzandt in third, Williams in fourth, and Grant Sharp of Conway in fifth. Roper Jr., Wallace, and Williams took the qualifying Heat race wins.
“It feels awesome to be here,” Wallace said in Monster Energy Victory Lane. “I want to thank the fans first of all for coming out here and supporting us. It’s a huge accomplishment. We’re going to keep trying – setup wise – and making it faster to where we can run the high side and get back in the gas quicker.”
Eight cars checked in to a rowdy 20-lap Modified feature event that was full of hard racing. Otto was able to maintain the lead from start to finish throughout a race that featured bumping and spinouts in the back of the pack. Championship points leader Tyler Scott of Nixa worked his way up from last place to second after a door-to-door battle with Fair Grove’s David Bates in the final laps. Bates finished third, followed by Phil Harris of Springfield in fourth, and Fair Grove’s Payton Lucas in fifth. Otto was excited after the well-deserved win and said that he couldn’t have done it without all of his sponsors. Mike Slone and Scott were the Heat race winners.
The Sportsman division proved just how competitive they are to I-44 Speedway fans, as the five cars that checked into the feature event swapped positions throughout the entire race. The winner was decided at the line as Sharp, JC Newell, Jr. of Stoutland, and Ozark’s Toby Harden fought hard for the lead. Sharp took the win, with Newell, Jr. in second, and Harden in third. Aaron Douglas joined in on the battle and finished the race in fourth place. Chuck Higdon pulled off to the pit area and was unable to finish the race. Newell was the Heat race winner.
Shawn Jones of Belle made his way back to victory lane by leading every lap of the Charger event. Weekly racers, Gary Davenport of Marshfield, Belle’s Caston Jones, and Ben Kramer of Richland had a scary moment on lap six as contact between the three sent cars spinning on the front stretch. The single-file restart was exciting as Shawn Jones and Ratliff fought for the lead, while Kramer, Nick Cherry, and Jimmy Poindexter were door-to-door for third. Ratliff followed Shawn Jones across the finish line in second, with Kramer in third, Cherry in fourth, and Poindexter in fifth. Davenport and Ratliff took the Heat race wins.
The Road Warrior feature started out with a bang, as cars were three-wide all the way around the track for the opening laps. Dustin Reeves took the lead on lap two and held onto it for the remaining laps. Steve Shaw of Rogersville had his hands full for a majority of the race as he spun out on lap four and was able to keep moving to finish in an impressive second place. Brandon Henderson of Lebanon took home third place, with points leader Mike Scott of Rogersville in fourth, and Lebanon’s Gary Ball in fifth. Reeves and Shaw were the Heat race winners.
Joe Bunkers was able to pull off an exciting win in the OMSRA “Outlaw Mini-Stock” division. Bunkers had a big lead over the field throughout the entire race, which served to his advantage on the last lap as he spun his car coming out of turn four and was able to pull it together and still cross the finish line first. The husband and wife team of Michael and Ashley Deschenes put on a great battle for second and Ashley claimed the runner-up spot at the line. Michael Deschenes finished third, followed by Kevin Hunt in fourth, and JW Blankenship in fifth. Michael Deschenes won the ‘Outlaws’ Heat race.
Bunkers thanked the Deschenes’ for helping him out in major ways prior to the race. “When I blew the motor out of mine, they just didn’t even hesitate to jump up and offer me their ‘Saab’, so I gotta thank them,” Bunkers said.
Two cars entered the ‘Cookin’ From Scratch Burnout Extravaganza’ finale, but both entrants provided intermission entertainment for the fans. Entrants signed up at Cookin’ From Scratch restaurant and c-store in Doolittle. Both entrants received free pit passes for themselves and a guest, plus Cookin’ From Scratch gift certificates. First place in the burnout competition went to Dexter Frye of Richland in a ‘demo-derby’ car dedicated to the memory of his wife, who recently lost her battle with cancer, with the runner-up spot awarded to Rolla’s Nicholas Findley in his Chevy pick-up.
A ‘Back to School Bash’, presented by Fohn’s Furniture & Lawn Equipment in Lebanon, is in order for next Saturday night’s ‘Kickin’ Asphalt’ show at Lebanon I-44 Speedway. Fans will have the opportunity to receive autographs from their favorite drivers during an on-track autograph session. The Pro National Series ‘Baby Grand’ cars will also be joining the track’s five ASA stock car classes. Complete information about I-44 Speedway’s remaining 2011 ‘Kickin Asphalt’ racing schedule, racecar construction specifications and general rules may be found on the track’s official website, www.i44speedway.com.
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THE RESULTS
LATE MODELS
HEAT 1
1) 10 Dale Roper Jr
2) 45 Cris Beaver
3) 66 Brian Woods
4) 2 Grant Sharp
5) 98 Terry Smith
HEAT 2
1) 93 Chrissy Wallace
2) 21 Ken Dickinson
3) 7 Jeremy Manes
4) 2-DNS Grant Sharp
5) 20-DNS Austin Fullerton
HEAT 3
1) 46 Cole Williams
2) 5 Mike VanNoy
3) 18 Jim Reaves
4) 67 Jimmy VanZandt
5) 12 Dale Roper Sr
FEATURE
1) 93 Chrissy Wallace Concord, NC
2) 10 Dale Roper Jr Fair Grove
3) 67 Jimmy Vanzandt Springfield
4) 46 Cole Williams Sellersburg, IN
5) 2 Grant Sharp Conway
6) 2X Tony Jackson Jr Lebanon
7) 98 Terry Smith Belton
8) 18 Jim Reaves Strafford
9) 66 Brian Woods Leawood, KS
10) 45 Cris Beaver Joplin
11) 5 Mike VanNoy Kansas City
12) 12 Dale Roper Sr Fair Grove
13) 21 Ken Dickinson Camdenton
14) 7 DNS Jeremy Manes Nixa
15) O2 DNS Brian Brown Springfield
16) 20 DNS Austin Fullerton
MODIFIEDS
HEAT 1
1) 15 Mike Slone
2) 26 Payton Lucas
3) 66 Terry Taylor
4) 8 Jason Otto
5) 9 Phil Harris
HEAT 2
1) 57 Tyler Scott
2) 25 Stephen Counterman
3) 5 Mike Coryell
4) 91 David Bates
FEATURE
1) 8 Jason Otto Richland
2) 57 Tyler Scott Nixa
3) 91 David Bates Fair Grove
4) 9 Phil Harris Springfield
5) 26 Payton Lucas Fair Grove
6) 25 Stephen Counterman Fair Grove
7) 5 Mike Coryell Lebanon
8) 15 Mike Slone Rolla
9) 66 DNS Terry Taylor
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1
1) 83 JC Newell, Jr.
2) 7 Aaron Douglas
3) 10 Rick Sharp
4) 63 Chuck Higdon
5) 1 DNS Toby Harden
FEATURE
1) 10 Rick Sharp Fair Grove
2) 83 JC Newell Stoutland
3) 1 Toby Harden Nixa
4) 7 Aaron Douglas Lebanon
5) 63 Chuck Higdon Strafford
ROAD WARRIORS
HEAT 1
1) 6 Dustin Reeves
2) 33 Mike Scott
3) 7 Adam Lowrance
4) 98 Sam Shaw
5) 21 Gary Burrows
HEAT 2
1) 90 Steve Shaw
2) 12 Nick Moore
3) 76 Brandon Henderson
4) 35 Gary Ball
FEATURE
1) 6 Dustin Reeves Camdenton
2) 90 Steve Shaw Rogersville
3) 76 Brandon Henderson Lebanon
4) 33 Mike Scott Rogersville
5) 35 Gary Ball Lebanon
6) 7 Adam Lowrance Lebanon
7) 12 Nick Moore Richland
8) 21 DNS Gary Burrows Versailles
9) 98 DNS Sam Shaw Rogersville
CHARGERS
HEAT 1
1) 10 Gary Davenport
2) 14 Ben Kramer
3) 27 Nick Cherry
4) 5 Jimmy Poindexter
HEAT 2
1) 21 Josh Ratliff
2) 74 Larry Hunter
3) 34 Caston Jones
4) 7 Shawn Jones
FEATURE
1) 7 Shawn Jones Belle
2) 21 Josh Ratliff Rolla
3) 14 Ben Kramer Richland
4) 27 Nick Cherry Springfield
5) 5 Jimmy Poindexter Willard
6) 74 Larry Hunter Laquey
7) 34 Caston Jones Belle
8) 10 Gary Davenport Marshfield
OMSRA “OUTLAW MINI STOCKS”
HEAT
1) 86 Michael Deschenes
2) 26 Kevin Hunt
3) 12 Ashley Deschenes
4) 80 JW Blankenship
5) 4 Joe Bunkers
6) 27 Tyler Berry
FEATURE
1) 4 Joe Bunkers
2) 12 Ashley Deschenes
3) 86 Michael Deschenes
4) 26 Kevin Hunt
5) 80 JW Blankenship
6) 27 Tyler Berry