By Dusty Luthy
LEBANON - In their first appearance to the Lebanon I-44 Speedway, the winged 305 Sprint cars found several lanes to race in. Jonathan Cornell of Sedalia showed just what fast really means by winning his seventh straight victory.
Cornell started sixth but quickly worked his way to the front.
"Starting from the third row back, you kind of got to work for your win," Cornell said.
Eric Todd started on the pole of the 18-car Sprint feature, followed by Mike Williams, Jack Potter, Ken Potter and Michael Brown.
Cornell got his jump and immediately went to the high groove of the track on turn one to try and get around Todd. By turn two, he dashed his car down low to pass Todd on the inside and kept driving.
Meanwhile, Ken Potter also pushes to go side by side with Todd, taking second and setting his sights on Cornell. On the fifth lap, Potter was able to close the gap coming out of turn four for a tight side by side battle on the front straightaway. Cornell was able to keep him at bay.
"I started running the bottom and got around a few cars then I saw the 55 car, (Ken) Potter, sneak underneath me coming out of turn two so I figured I ought to try something different," Cornell said.
He then took his car to the high side of the track and found the bite he was looking for.
By the 15th lap, Cornell was lapping the 10th place car.
"Starting to get into lap traffic kind of made me pretty nervous," Cornell said, "You never know which way they are going to dart in front of you, which lines they're going to run."
A 16th-lap caution allowed Jack Potter to come up and put a little pressure on Ken Potter. On the restart, Jack Potter tried to go high around Ken Potter, but was held off. With a lap left, he darted inside to put pressure on Ken Potter, but just wasn't able to push to the front.
Ken Potter was then disqualified from his second-place finish due to tech issues.
Brad Looney won his sixth speedway victory and 15th overall season victory in his Late Model ride. Looney battled motor problems to come out on top.
"Last night, we blew up the motor, so we worked all night last night and changed motors and worked all day," Looney said. "That's how you get motivated for today. But you know what, when we blew up the motor last night, we still won.
"That's how we get motivated to come here after working all day," he said. "To get some satisfaction by winning."
Dusty Johnson started the feature on the pole with Looney on his outside. Jason Meadors, Brandon McCormick and Chris Smyser rounded out the top five starters.
Looney was able to get the jump on Johnson and held the lead flag to flag. On the first lap, Meadors, McCormick and Smyser went three-wide on the back stretch, with Smyser coming out in front.
Smyser then took his car to the high side as he put some distance on the other cars, waiting for the cushion to dial in. On lap seven, he was able to pass Johnson for second. Johnson continued the race on the bottom, keeping his car as tight as he could.
Johnson was able to catch Smyser, battling it out for several laps at the end before Johnson took back second. Smyser kept third followed by McCormick and Meadors.
The Modified race saw a stacked first two rows with Terry Beckham Jr. on the pole with Jeff Cutshaw on his outside. Steve Martin, Justin Neuman and Corey Simpson finished the top five starters.
Cutshaw was able to get around Beckham for the lead and his fourth speedway Modified victory.
Beckham quickly went to the inside and worked the groove there, holding off his competitors for several laps until Cutshaw took his car a little higher and passed him in turn two.
"That's the first time I've passed Terry on the top," Cutshaw said during his post-race interview on the track. "It's usually the other way around. I thought I would wait and pass him on the inside but he didn't go up, so I had to go around him on the high side."
Beckham eventually faded to a fourth placed finish. Justin Neuman won second and Steve Martin took third.
David Hendrix won his fifth straight Factory Stock victory. The points leader said very little had changed in his car from week to week.
"The track gets a little slicker every week," Hendrix said, "and I'm trying to keep it hooked up and trying to be smooth and stay on the bottom."
After the Bomber feature, a fan compared Tyler Brown to NASCAR driver Tony Stewart's famous fence-climbing antics. Only it wasn't Brown climbing the fence - it was his car.
Brown got tangled with several cars only a few laps into the feature and launched his car in the air down the fence on the front stretch, breaking a support pole completely in half.
"Coming around turns three and four I was going to shoot through the middle because I saw Jason Huey coming up on me," Brown said, "and I didn't want to get behind him. He's too fast."
Brown said he might have sprained his wrist, but was otherwise fine. Jason Huey took the Bomber victory.
Jeff Scroggins took his second Super Stock victory of the season and Shawn Strong won his third Rookie trophy.
Up next: The Lebanon I-44 Speedway will once again host its annual giant fireworks display. A lengthy fireworks display will be set off at intermission by Premier Pyrotechnics of Richland. Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Bombers and Rookies will all be racing. Although not on the schedule, Factory Stocks will compete in a non-points race.
RESULTS
305 Winged Sprints
Heat 1
1. 6 Jack Potter
2. 55 Ken Potter
3. 10 Clint Todd
4. 51 Matt Walden
5. 49 John Rowland
6. 99r Rusty Quick
7. 4m Mike Shady
Heat 2
1. 82 Michael Brown
2. 1 Joe Todd
3. 99 JR Rowland
4. 7x Tony Fincher
5. 7 Scott Wedelstadt
6. 59 Rob Pardun
7. 8 Keith Breedlove
Heat 2
1. 28c Jonathan Cornell
2. 21 Eric Todd
3. 5x Mike Williams
4. 28t Mike Tatro
5. 15 Jeremy Hazel
DNS 9 Eric Enneking
Feature
1. 28c Jonathan Cornell
2. 6 Jack Potter
3. 10 Clint Todd
4. 1 Joe Todd
5. 82 Michael Brown
6. 7x Tony Fincher
7. 7 Scott Wedelstadt
8. 5x Mike Williams
9. 28t Matt Tatro
10. 49 John Rowland
11. 15 Jeremy Hazel
12. 99r Rusty Quick
13. 8 Keith Breedlove
14. 59 Rob Pardun
15. 21 51 Matt Walden
16. 99 JR Rowland
Late Models
Heat 1
1. 16 Dusty Johnson
2. 00 Chris Smyser
3. 42 Brandon McCormick
4. 14m Reid Millard
5. 26 Burl Woods
6. 17m Matt Miller
7. 4a Danny Atkinson
Heat 2
1. 71 Jason Meadors
2. 14L Brad Looney
3. 20 Darrell Mooneyham
4. 99 Larry Jones
5. 72 Larry Moon
6. 60 Darrin Barton
Feature
1. 14L Brad Looney
2. 16 Dusty Johnson
3. 00 Chris Smyser
4. 42 Brandon McCormick
5. 71 Jason Meadors
6. 26 Burl Woods
7. 20 Darrell Mooneyham
8. 99 Larry Jones
9. 14m Reid Millard
10. 17m Matt Miller
11. 72 Larry Moon
12. 60 Darrin Barton
13. 4a Danny Atkinson
Modifieds
Heat 1
1. 118 Terry Beckham Jr.
2. 21m Steve Martin
3. 47 Corey Simpson
4. 71c Doug Crider
DNS 4g Bill Glawson
Heat 2
1. 98 Jeff Cutshaw
2. 14n Justin Neuman
3. 71e Dave Elson
4. 11w Jimmy Willis
5. 23 Mook Cunningham
Feature
1. 98 Jeff Cutshaw
2. 14n Justin Neuman
3. 21m Steve Martin
4. 118 Terry Beckham Jr.
5. 71e Dave Elson
6. 11w Jimmy Willis
7. 23 Mook Cunningham
8. 47 Corey Simpson
9. 71c Doug Crider
DNS 4g Bill Glawson
Factory Stock
Heat 1
1. 37c Gary Chambers
2. 37p Derrick Peterson
3. 76 Lonnie Henderson
4. 83e James Ellis
5. 83r Tim Riffle
6. 40m Mike Chandler
7. m18 Ferrell Mansfield
8. 16 B.J. Frisbie
Heat 2
1. 54 David Hendrix
2. 44 Tyson Troutman
3. 42 Robert Rydeen
4. 18 Trent Harrison
5. 03 Tim Ellis
6. 14p Bud Pursley
DNS 5 Lake Mooneyham
Feature
1. 54 David Hendrix
2. 5 Lake Mooneyham
3. 76 Lonnie Henderson
4. 83r Tim Riffle
5. 44 Tyson Troutman
6. 37c Gary Chambers
7. 14p Bud Pursley
8. 42 Robert Rydeen
9. 37p Derrick Peterson
10. 40m Mike Chandler
11. 03 Tim Ellis
12. m18 Ferrell Mansfield
13. 83e James Ellis
14. 18 Trent Harrison
DNS 16 B.J. Frisbie
Super Stocks
Heat 1
1. 83 Ben Newell
2. 21 Josh Woody
3. 8 Jeff Scroggins
4. 29 Jeff Kinsley
5. 17t Ted Ballinger
6. 14 Tim Ballinger
Feature
1. 8 Jeff Scroggins
2. 83 Ben Newell
3. 21 Josh Woody
4. 17t Ted Ballinger
5. 14 Tim Ballinger
6. 29 Jeff Kinsley
Bombers
Heat 1
1. 23 Jason Huey
2. 42 Donnie Jackson
3. 9 Darrin Crisler
4. 32 Joe Francis
5. t10r Rick Brown
6. 3 Jerry Goring
7. b21 Brian Warner
8. 7p Brandon Pister
9. t10t Tyler Brown
Feature
1. 23 Jason Huey
2. 42 Donnie Jackson
3. 32 Joe Francis
4. 9 Darrin Crisler
5. t10r Rick Brown
6. 3 Jerry Goring
7. t10t Tyler Brown
8. 7p Brandon Pister
Rookie
Heat 1
1. 14 Shawn Strong
2. 6 J.C. Morton
3. 7r Rich Reynolds
4. 17 Jeff Brown
5. 45 Lee Quick
6. 7L Josh Lewis
7. 07 Tim Hall
8. 8 Mario Jones
Feature
1. 14s Shawn Strong
2. 6 J.C. Morton
3. 7L Josh Lewis
4. 17 Jeff Brown
5. 7r Rich Reynolds
6. 8 Mario Jones
7. 07 Tim Hall
8. 45 Lee Quick
LEBANON - In their first appearance to the Lebanon I-44 Speedway, the winged 305 Sprint cars found several lanes to race in. Jonathan Cornell of Sedalia showed just what fast really means by winning his seventh straight victory.
Cornell started sixth but quickly worked his way to the front.
"Starting from the third row back, you kind of got to work for your win," Cornell said.
Eric Todd started on the pole of the 18-car Sprint feature, followed by Mike Williams, Jack Potter, Ken Potter and Michael Brown.
Cornell got his jump and immediately went to the high groove of the track on turn one to try and get around Todd. By turn two, he dashed his car down low to pass Todd on the inside and kept driving.
Meanwhile, Ken Potter also pushes to go side by side with Todd, taking second and setting his sights on Cornell. On the fifth lap, Potter was able to close the gap coming out of turn four for a tight side by side battle on the front straightaway. Cornell was able to keep him at bay.
"I started running the bottom and got around a few cars then I saw the 55 car, (Ken) Potter, sneak underneath me coming out of turn two so I figured I ought to try something different," Cornell said.
He then took his car to the high side of the track and found the bite he was looking for.
By the 15th lap, Cornell was lapping the 10th place car.
"Starting to get into lap traffic kind of made me pretty nervous," Cornell said, "You never know which way they are going to dart in front of you, which lines they're going to run."
A 16th-lap caution allowed Jack Potter to come up and put a little pressure on Ken Potter. On the restart, Jack Potter tried to go high around Ken Potter, but was held off. With a lap left, he darted inside to put pressure on Ken Potter, but just wasn't able to push to the front.
Ken Potter was then disqualified from his second-place finish due to tech issues.
Brad Looney won his sixth speedway victory and 15th overall season victory in his Late Model ride. Looney battled motor problems to come out on top.
"Last night, we blew up the motor, so we worked all night last night and changed motors and worked all day," Looney said. "That's how you get motivated for today. But you know what, when we blew up the motor last night, we still won.
"That's how we get motivated to come here after working all day," he said. "To get some satisfaction by winning."
Dusty Johnson started the feature on the pole with Looney on his outside. Jason Meadors, Brandon McCormick and Chris Smyser rounded out the top five starters.
Looney was able to get the jump on Johnson and held the lead flag to flag. On the first lap, Meadors, McCormick and Smyser went three-wide on the back stretch, with Smyser coming out in front.
Smyser then took his car to the high side as he put some distance on the other cars, waiting for the cushion to dial in. On lap seven, he was able to pass Johnson for second. Johnson continued the race on the bottom, keeping his car as tight as he could.
Johnson was able to catch Smyser, battling it out for several laps at the end before Johnson took back second. Smyser kept third followed by McCormick and Meadors.
The Modified race saw a stacked first two rows with Terry Beckham Jr. on the pole with Jeff Cutshaw on his outside. Steve Martin, Justin Neuman and Corey Simpson finished the top five starters.
Cutshaw was able to get around Beckham for the lead and his fourth speedway Modified victory.
Beckham quickly went to the inside and worked the groove there, holding off his competitors for several laps until Cutshaw took his car a little higher and passed him in turn two.
"That's the first time I've passed Terry on the top," Cutshaw said during his post-race interview on the track. "It's usually the other way around. I thought I would wait and pass him on the inside but he didn't go up, so I had to go around him on the high side."
Beckham eventually faded to a fourth placed finish. Justin Neuman won second and Steve Martin took third.
David Hendrix won his fifth straight Factory Stock victory. The points leader said very little had changed in his car from week to week.
"The track gets a little slicker every week," Hendrix said, "and I'm trying to keep it hooked up and trying to be smooth and stay on the bottom."
After the Bomber feature, a fan compared Tyler Brown to NASCAR driver Tony Stewart's famous fence-climbing antics. Only it wasn't Brown climbing the fence - it was his car.
Brown got tangled with several cars only a few laps into the feature and launched his car in the air down the fence on the front stretch, breaking a support pole completely in half.
"Coming around turns three and four I was going to shoot through the middle because I saw Jason Huey coming up on me," Brown said, "and I didn't want to get behind him. He's too fast."
Brown said he might have sprained his wrist, but was otherwise fine. Jason Huey took the Bomber victory.
Jeff Scroggins took his second Super Stock victory of the season and Shawn Strong won his third Rookie trophy.
Up next: The Lebanon I-44 Speedway will once again host its annual giant fireworks display. A lengthy fireworks display will be set off at intermission by Premier Pyrotechnics of Richland. Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Bombers and Rookies will all be racing. Although not on the schedule, Factory Stocks will compete in a non-points race.
RESULTS
305 Winged Sprints
Heat 1
1. 6 Jack Potter
2. 55 Ken Potter
3. 10 Clint Todd
4. 51 Matt Walden
5. 49 John Rowland
6. 99r Rusty Quick
7. 4m Mike Shady
Heat 2
1. 82 Michael Brown
2. 1 Joe Todd
3. 99 JR Rowland
4. 7x Tony Fincher
5. 7 Scott Wedelstadt
6. 59 Rob Pardun
7. 8 Keith Breedlove
Heat 2
1. 28c Jonathan Cornell
2. 21 Eric Todd
3. 5x Mike Williams
4. 28t Mike Tatro
5. 15 Jeremy Hazel
DNS 9 Eric Enneking
Feature
1. 28c Jonathan Cornell
2. 6 Jack Potter
3. 10 Clint Todd
4. 1 Joe Todd
5. 82 Michael Brown
6. 7x Tony Fincher
7. 7 Scott Wedelstadt
8. 5x Mike Williams
9. 28t Matt Tatro
10. 49 John Rowland
11. 15 Jeremy Hazel
12. 99r Rusty Quick
13. 8 Keith Breedlove
14. 59 Rob Pardun
15. 21 51 Matt Walden
16. 99 JR Rowland
Late Models
Heat 1
1. 16 Dusty Johnson
2. 00 Chris Smyser
3. 42 Brandon McCormick
4. 14m Reid Millard
5. 26 Burl Woods
6. 17m Matt Miller
7. 4a Danny Atkinson
Heat 2
1. 71 Jason Meadors
2. 14L Brad Looney
3. 20 Darrell Mooneyham
4. 99 Larry Jones
5. 72 Larry Moon
6. 60 Darrin Barton
Feature
1. 14L Brad Looney
2. 16 Dusty Johnson
3. 00 Chris Smyser
4. 42 Brandon McCormick
5. 71 Jason Meadors
6. 26 Burl Woods
7. 20 Darrell Mooneyham
8. 99 Larry Jones
9. 14m Reid Millard
10. 17m Matt Miller
11. 72 Larry Moon
12. 60 Darrin Barton
13. 4a Danny Atkinson
Modifieds
Heat 1
1. 118 Terry Beckham Jr.
2. 21m Steve Martin
3. 47 Corey Simpson
4. 71c Doug Crider
DNS 4g Bill Glawson
Heat 2
1. 98 Jeff Cutshaw
2. 14n Justin Neuman
3. 71e Dave Elson
4. 11w Jimmy Willis
5. 23 Mook Cunningham
Feature
1. 98 Jeff Cutshaw
2. 14n Justin Neuman
3. 21m Steve Martin
4. 118 Terry Beckham Jr.
5. 71e Dave Elson
6. 11w Jimmy Willis
7. 23 Mook Cunningham
8. 47 Corey Simpson
9. 71c Doug Crider
DNS 4g Bill Glawson
Factory Stock
Heat 1
1. 37c Gary Chambers
2. 37p Derrick Peterson
3. 76 Lonnie Henderson
4. 83e James Ellis
5. 83r Tim Riffle
6. 40m Mike Chandler
7. m18 Ferrell Mansfield
8. 16 B.J. Frisbie
Heat 2
1. 54 David Hendrix
2. 44 Tyson Troutman
3. 42 Robert Rydeen
4. 18 Trent Harrison
5. 03 Tim Ellis
6. 14p Bud Pursley
DNS 5 Lake Mooneyham
Feature
1. 54 David Hendrix
2. 5 Lake Mooneyham
3. 76 Lonnie Henderson
4. 83r Tim Riffle
5. 44 Tyson Troutman
6. 37c Gary Chambers
7. 14p Bud Pursley
8. 42 Robert Rydeen
9. 37p Derrick Peterson
10. 40m Mike Chandler
11. 03 Tim Ellis
12. m18 Ferrell Mansfield
13. 83e James Ellis
14. 18 Trent Harrison
DNS 16 B.J. Frisbie
Super Stocks
Heat 1
1. 83 Ben Newell
2. 21 Josh Woody
3. 8 Jeff Scroggins
4. 29 Jeff Kinsley
5. 17t Ted Ballinger
6. 14 Tim Ballinger
Feature
1. 8 Jeff Scroggins
2. 83 Ben Newell
3. 21 Josh Woody
4. 17t Ted Ballinger
5. 14 Tim Ballinger
6. 29 Jeff Kinsley
Bombers
Heat 1
1. 23 Jason Huey
2. 42 Donnie Jackson
3. 9 Darrin Crisler
4. 32 Joe Francis
5. t10r Rick Brown
6. 3 Jerry Goring
7. b21 Brian Warner
8. 7p Brandon Pister
9. t10t Tyler Brown
Feature
1. 23 Jason Huey
2. 42 Donnie Jackson
3. 32 Joe Francis
4. 9 Darrin Crisler
5. t10r Rick Brown
6. 3 Jerry Goring
7. t10t Tyler Brown
8. 7p Brandon Pister
Rookie
Heat 1
1. 14 Shawn Strong
2. 6 J.C. Morton
3. 7r Rich Reynolds
4. 17 Jeff Brown
5. 45 Lee Quick
6. 7L Josh Lewis
7. 07 Tim Hall
8. 8 Mario Jones
Feature
1. 14s Shawn Strong
2. 6 J.C. Morton
3. 7L Josh Lewis
4. 17 Jeff Brown
5. 7r Rich Reynolds
6. 8 Mario Jones
7. 07 Tim Hall
8. 45 Lee Quick
