by Dusty Wiegert
Talk around the O’Reilly TORA scene the last few weeks has been centered around Delbert Smith and how the “Iceman” was back to his dominant self. He proved that once again Saturday night with a wild west showdown between himself and season points leader Steve Kosiski.
A very low car count was on hand, which was expected for the long trip out to the Southwestern part of the state of Kansas. Although the number of cars was the lowest ever in an O’Reilly TORA sanctioned event, it produced one of the best races ever as well.
Smith started the night off winning his heat race and a special pole dash to claim the pole position with Kosiski starting right beside. The race got off to a quick start as Smith jumped out to the front with Kosiski in second, Larry McDaniels third, Ryan McAninch fourth, and David Brack fifth. Smith quickly pulled away as the fifth place position changed hands on lap 5 with Darrick Klima powering past Brack. On lap 8 the leaders began closing in on lapped traffic and as they did so Kosiski worked his way to the front using the lapped traffic. Klima also pulled off of the track on lap 8 with mechanical problems, moving Brack back into the top 5. The 2 leaders sliced and diced their way through the lapped traffic and on lap 12 Smith used the same tactic as Kosiski used earlier and surged into the lead. Smith pulled away with open track in front of him but by lap 15 he encountered it again. This let Kosiski pull in close to Smith again, and Kosiski took a short lead on lap 18. Smith quickly regained the lead in turn 1 of lap 19 as he used an Iceman-esque move to the high side to make it 3 wide between he, Kosiski and a lapped car and made it stick. The 2 leaders also passed McDaniels and McAninch with 3 laps to go to put the entire field a lap down. The only caution came out on lap 23 for Brad Fortney after Smith made contact with him in turn 3 sending Fortney spinning to the top of the track. That set up a green white checkered shoot out that had the crowd standing. Smith pulled away though and wasn’t challenged to win his third out of the last four O’Reilly TORA events. Kosiski finished second, McDaniels third, McAninch fourth, and Brack fifth.
Smith won the Pole Dash with Kosiski, McDaniels, and Fortney behind.
Smith also won heat race 1 after starting in the sixth place starting spot and passing early leader Fortney with Brack finishing third. In heat 2 McDaniels would hold off Kosiski to take the win, followed in third by Steve Foster.
The series will now move on to their final show in the month of July on the 24th at the Belleville High Banks in a race co-sanctioned by the World Dirt Racing League. The July 29th race at the Outlaw Motor Speedway has been canceled and a race has been added on September 3 at the Thunderhill Speedway.
For more information on the O’Reilly TORA Late Models visit www.toraracing.org
RESULTS
Entries: 12
Top Qualifier: Delbert Smith
Provisionals: none
Lap Leaders: Delbert Smith 1-8, 12-17, 19-25; Steve Kosiski 9-11, 18
Cautions: 1
Heat 1 (10 Laps) – 1) 92 Delbert Smith, Wichita, KS 2) 59 Brad Fortney, Wichita, KS 3) 701 David Brack, Great Bend, KS 4) 52 Ryan McAninch, Wichita, KS 5) D7 Doug Clark, Park City, KS 6) 93X Rusty Miller, Norton, KS
Heat 2 (10 Laps) - 1) 50B Larry McDaniels, Valley Center, KS 2) 52K Steve Kosiski, Papillion, NE 3) 21 Steve Foster, Abilene, KS 4) 15X Darrick Klima, Belleville, KS 5) M15 Mike Martin, Dodge City, KS 6) 7 Rod Bencken, Oakley, KS
Pole Dash (6 Laps) - 1) 92 Smith 2) 52K Kosiski 3) 50B McDaniels 4) 59 Fortney
A Feature (25 Laps) - 1) 92 Smith 2) 52K Kosiski 3) 50B McDaniels 4) 52 McAninch 5) 701 Brack 6) 21 Foster 7) M15 Martin 8) D7 Clark 9) 7 Bencken 10) 59 Fortney 11) 93X Miller 12) 15X Klima
Talk around the O’Reilly TORA scene the last few weeks has been centered around Delbert Smith and how the “Iceman” was back to his dominant self. He proved that once again Saturday night with a wild west showdown between himself and season points leader Steve Kosiski.
A very low car count was on hand, which was expected for the long trip out to the Southwestern part of the state of Kansas. Although the number of cars was the lowest ever in an O’Reilly TORA sanctioned event, it produced one of the best races ever as well.
Smith started the night off winning his heat race and a special pole dash to claim the pole position with Kosiski starting right beside. The race got off to a quick start as Smith jumped out to the front with Kosiski in second, Larry McDaniels third, Ryan McAninch fourth, and David Brack fifth. Smith quickly pulled away as the fifth place position changed hands on lap 5 with Darrick Klima powering past Brack. On lap 8 the leaders began closing in on lapped traffic and as they did so Kosiski worked his way to the front using the lapped traffic. Klima also pulled off of the track on lap 8 with mechanical problems, moving Brack back into the top 5. The 2 leaders sliced and diced their way through the lapped traffic and on lap 12 Smith used the same tactic as Kosiski used earlier and surged into the lead. Smith pulled away with open track in front of him but by lap 15 he encountered it again. This let Kosiski pull in close to Smith again, and Kosiski took a short lead on lap 18. Smith quickly regained the lead in turn 1 of lap 19 as he used an Iceman-esque move to the high side to make it 3 wide between he, Kosiski and a lapped car and made it stick. The 2 leaders also passed McDaniels and McAninch with 3 laps to go to put the entire field a lap down. The only caution came out on lap 23 for Brad Fortney after Smith made contact with him in turn 3 sending Fortney spinning to the top of the track. That set up a green white checkered shoot out that had the crowd standing. Smith pulled away though and wasn’t challenged to win his third out of the last four O’Reilly TORA events. Kosiski finished second, McDaniels third, McAninch fourth, and Brack fifth.
Smith won the Pole Dash with Kosiski, McDaniels, and Fortney behind.
Smith also won heat race 1 after starting in the sixth place starting spot and passing early leader Fortney with Brack finishing third. In heat 2 McDaniels would hold off Kosiski to take the win, followed in third by Steve Foster.
The series will now move on to their final show in the month of July on the 24th at the Belleville High Banks in a race co-sanctioned by the World Dirt Racing League. The July 29th race at the Outlaw Motor Speedway has been canceled and a race has been added on September 3 at the Thunderhill Speedway.
For more information on the O’Reilly TORA Late Models visit www.toraracing.org
RESULTS
Entries: 12
Top Qualifier: Delbert Smith
Provisionals: none
Lap Leaders: Delbert Smith 1-8, 12-17, 19-25; Steve Kosiski 9-11, 18
Cautions: 1
Heat 1 (10 Laps) – 1) 92 Delbert Smith, Wichita, KS 2) 59 Brad Fortney, Wichita, KS 3) 701 David Brack, Great Bend, KS 4) 52 Ryan McAninch, Wichita, KS 5) D7 Doug Clark, Park City, KS 6) 93X Rusty Miller, Norton, KS
Heat 2 (10 Laps) - 1) 50B Larry McDaniels, Valley Center, KS 2) 52K Steve Kosiski, Papillion, NE 3) 21 Steve Foster, Abilene, KS 4) 15X Darrick Klima, Belleville, KS 5) M15 Mike Martin, Dodge City, KS 6) 7 Rod Bencken, Oakley, KS
Pole Dash (6 Laps) - 1) 92 Smith 2) 52K Kosiski 3) 50B McDaniels 4) 59 Fortney
A Feature (25 Laps) - 1) 92 Smith 2) 52K Kosiski 3) 50B McDaniels 4) 52 McAninch 5) 701 Brack 6) 21 Foster 7) M15 Martin 8) D7 Clark 9) 7 Bencken 10) 59 Fortney 11) 93X Miller 12) 15X Klima
