By Ronnie Williams
Lebanon,Mo.-Changing plans can be a good thing as Lancaster,Missouri's Chris"The Hurrying Missourian" Smyser found out Sat after he forgo his plans to run the Mars Special at Joplin and instead pulled to the Lebanon I-44 Speedway and fought off a hard battle from Dave Ware in claiming the top prize in the LateModel Feature to become the 4th different feature winner in 4 shows this season.
Smyser,who won his heat started the 25 lapper on the inside of row 2 and took over the lead from Danny Crane on lap 2 with Dave Ware in tow.As this duo pulled away,Darrell Mooneyham who was 2 rows back on the start quickly shot up to third.
With Smyser in control,Ware was making some noise on the top groove and continued to challange for the top spot.The first yellow waved as point leader Brandon Maggard and early leader Crane got together in turn 3 ending both of there nights.On the restart,Ware pulled to the top and then the bottom as Smyser was making the middle lane work flawlessly as Mooneyham was holding on strong in third place.As the pace began to pick-up,Smyser moved to the low side of the track as Ware began going top side.Behind the lead duo was ooneyham and the battle for fouth place was strong between Jason Meadors and Steve Oerly.The yellow waved on lap 21 for a single car spin as Smyser had placed some lapped traffic between himself and Ware.As the green flew again,Smyser drove away in his Mike Crump Equipment 00 to record the victory followed closely by Ware,Mooneyham,Oerly,and Meadors in the top 5.
"We had planned on traveling to Joplin tonight,but my teammate Reid Millard had motor trouble last night at Bolivar(in which Smyser had won),so we drove back home to the shop and replaced his engine.We finished about 3PM and decided there wasn't enough time to get to Joplin.The hauler just headed to Lebanon and I believe we made the right choice tonight as Reid got a carrer high 6th place finish.The track was in excellent shape.We could put the car low,middle or high as this is becoming one of my favorite places to race at.
The Modified feature was action packed from start to finish as Jeff Cutshaw jumped to the lead lead from his second row starting sot followed closely by Jamie Ragland,Keith Branson,and a host of others.The first yellow waved on lap4 as James Hartman,point leader Eric Hudson,Chris Johnson all got together in turn 4.Hartman would head for the pit as would Hudson,as Hudson made it back out on the tailend of the laed lap.On the restart,Cutshaw was leading the pack over Ragland and Rex Merritt was charging hard from his 11th starting spot to put on the pressure.With Cutshaw setting a fast pace,Merritt made his move on Ragland to take over the runner-up spot while point leader Hudson was slicing through the field.The yellow waved around lap 11 as defending champion Erik Maggard was involved in an incident in turn 4,and 5th place running Bill Gilliam headed to the pits.On the restart,Merrittt moved to the high-side as Cutshaw stayed down low as Eric Lampe who was involved in an earlier incident was making moves through the pack.On lap 15,Merritt moved to the high side again and pulled off the winning pass in turn 4 with Cutshaw close behind.The yellow waved again on lap 17 as Todd Raney lost a driveshaft,and Ragland went to the pits with problems.On the restart,Cutshaw pulled along side of Merritt,but Merritt held on to the top spot as Hudson had now moved into contention into third place.For the final 4 laps,Cutshaw tried several moves on Merritt,but the former Modified champion held on for his first I-44 win of the season followed closely by early leader Cutshaw,Hudson,Lampe,and Kevin Halderman in the top 5.
The SuperStock Feature had Jason Otto jump from his front row spot to take the early command as Rick Brown followed closely with a tight pack behind.As Otto was pulling away,point leader Larry Prewitt started making some noise as the veteran was coming quickly.With Otto really pulling away,Prewitt moved into the top 5 on lap 7 and began his charge on the leader.Defending champion Mike Joplin was following Prewitt through the pack as they disposed of Josh Woody,Tim Petty,Brian Dorrell,and Brown.On lap 11,Prewitt charged into second as Otoo was holding a strong low line.Lap 12 saw Prewitt pull along side Otto as the duo raced side-by-side.Heading for lap 13,Prewitt moved half a car ahead and then Otto took it back until Otto's car began smoking taking him out of contention as Prewitt claimed hid 4th consecutive feature win followed by Joplin,Dorrell,Brown,and Tim Petty in the top 5.
In the FactoryStock feature,Steve Schultz took the lead on the opening lap as 16 year old Matt Miller followed closely as the pack of Tim Brown,Brian Schutt,point leader Micheal Maggard were swapping positions behind.With Schultz in control,Miller making only his second career start was looking strong in second as opening night winner Brown was coming through the pack followed closely by Schutt,and Maggard.A lap 5 yellow for Micheal Horrighs stalled car would also see Miller pull in with problems.On the restart,Schultz pulled away only to have Brown run him down and apply the pressure while Schutt,maggard,Melvin Wilson and 18th starting Jordan Holloway fighting for positions.Brown tried several times on the high-side to take control,but Schultz wasn't to be denied as he took his first ever feature win followed closely by Brown,point leader Maggard,Brian Schutt,and Wilson.
The Bomber feature had 24 strong start as James Flood took the opening lead with Donnie Jackson and Justin Foust following closely.Point contender Lonnie Henderson scrapped the frontstretch wall on the opening lap and it would hinder him all night long.With Flood making some quick laps,Foust found himself in conteniton as Brandon Knutdson was coming fast.On lap4 the yellow waved for a stalled car as Knutdson charged into the lead over Foust and then retired to the pits handing the lead back over to Foust.Point leader KC Prettyman was quietly making his way to the front and last weeks winner was into 4th place.On the restart,Foust was holding on as opening night winner David Hendrix was applying pressure to the top spot.A yellow on lap 9 would set-up the final shootout as Foust was leading with Hendrix,Prettyman,Flood,Derrick Peterson and Jackson on the restart.As the green waved,Prettyman made a smooth move down low to gather up second place and set his sights on leader Foust.As the white waved,Prettyman pulled along side of Foust and gathered alot of speed coming off of turn 2.As the duo raced side-by-side,Prettyman made the winning move in turn 3 as Foust pulled back even in turn 4.Heading for the checkered,Prettyman pulled to the high-side with Foust moving down low as Prettyman captured his second straight victory followed closely by Foust,Hendrix,early leader Flood and Peterson.
In the Sprint Car feature,Scott Wedelstadt grabed the opening lead.On lap 4 the yellow waved as JP Compton and John Rowland got together in turn 2.On the restart,Wedelstadt would battle Eric Todd, and Clint Todd as Eric and his brother would pull away from the field as Wedelstadt fell to third.With Eric taking control,Clint would try the high-side while point leader Joe Todd and Micheal White were battling hard for position.Going through lapped traffic,Clint tried several moves to the high-side,but Eric would ride to his first feature win of the season followed closely by Clint,Joe Todd,Micheal White,and early leader Wedelstadt.
Over 120 race teams checked into the pits as regular racing action continues next Sat night with the gates opening at 5 hotlaps at 7 and Racing at 7:30 sharp.
Several new announcments were made as the rainout show from the O'ReillyAutoParts MARS Super LateModel Series is tentatively scheduled for Sat Night Aug.14th and the USAC Non-Winged Sprint Cars will be running a Wed Night Sept. 15 Special Show featuring Modifeds.The USAC Series has brought such superstars as Tony Stewart,jeff Gordon,Kasey Kahne and many more into the Nascar Nextel Cup Series.
Results
LateModels
1st Ht-1)Chris Smyser-Lancaster 2)Brandon Maggard-Willard 3)Steve Oerly-Jamesport
2nd Ht-1)Dave Ware-Springfield 2)Jason Meadors-Fordland 3)Reid Millard-Jefferson City
A Ft-1)Smyser 2)Ware 3)Darrell Mooneyham-Aurora 4)Oerly 5)Meadors 6)Millard 7)Christian Rayburn-Osage Beach 8)Mike Montague-Lebanon 9)Dale Moon-Sedalia 10)Ken Scott-Willard
Modifieds
1st Ht-1)Rex Merritt-Clever 2)James Hartman-Camdenton 3)Doug Crider-Marshfield
2nd Ht-1)Jamie Ragland-Lebanon 2)Keith Branson-Springfield 3)Eddie Horn-Ava
3rd Ht-1)Jeff Cutshaw-Cross Timbers 2)Eric Lampe-Springfield 3)Eric Hudson-Rolla
A Ft-1)Merritt 2)Cutshaw 3)Hudson 4)Lampe 5)Kevin Halderman-Camdenton 6)Erik Maggard-Pleasant Hope 7)Crider 8)Justin Neuman-Waynesville 9)Horn 10)Hartman
SuperStocks
1st Ht-1)Josh Woody-Buckhorn 2)Mike Joplin-Springfield 3)Rick Brown-Stoutland
2nd Ht-1)Larry Prewitt-Jerome 2)Jason Otto-Richland 3)Brian Dorrell-Laurie
A Ft-1)Prewitt 2)Jplin 3)Dorrell 4)Brown 5)Tim Petty-Marshfield 6)Woody 7)Fred McAdams-Linn Creek 8)Weston Finley-Willard 9)Otto 10)Fred Lacey Jr-Buffalo
FactoryStocks
1st Ht-1)Micheal Maggard-Springfield 2)Quintin Day-Lebanon 3)Joe Lafferty-Sparta
2nd Ht-1)Tim Brown-Stoutland 2)Brian Schutt-Lebanon 3)Steve Schultz-Lebanon
3rd Ht-1)Matt Miller-Camdenton 2)Melvin Wilson-Buffalo 3)Jason Reckker-Camdenton
A Ft-1)Schultz 2)Brown 3)Maggard 4)Schutt 5)Wilson 6)Jordan Holloway-Monett 7)Jason Huey-Swedborg 8)Ward Fredrick Jr-Camdenton 9)Reckker 10)Lafferty
Bombers
1st Ht-1)James Flood-Lebanon 2)David Hendrix-Richland 3)Lonnie Henderson-Lebanon
2nd Ht-1)Rodney Jones-Aurora 2)Richard Talley-Lebanon 3)Jennifer Couch-Lebanon
3rd Ht-1)KC Prettyman-Waynesville 2)Brandon Knutdson-Lebanon 3)Derrick Peterson-Lebanon
A Ft-1)Prettyman 2)Justin Foust-St.James 3)Hendrix 4)Flood 5)Peterson 6)Donnie Jackson-Lebanon 7)Jones 8)Jeff SCroggins-Brookline 9)Adam Weber-Cuba 10)Chad Cromer-Lebanon
Sprints
1st Ht-1)Micheal White-LaMonte 2)Matt Tatro-Lebanon 3)Jody Juhl-Lebanon
2nd Ht-1)JP Compton-Richland 2)Clint Todd-Falcon 3)Eric Todd-Falcon
A Ft-1)E.Todd 2)C.Todd 3)Joe Todd-Falcon 4)Micheal White-LaMonte 5)Scott Wedelstadt-Lebanon 6)Chad Johnson-Joplin 7)Tatro 8)Scott Bennett-Lebanon 9)Eric Enneking 10)Mike Haley
Lebanon,Mo.-Changing plans can be a good thing as Lancaster,Missouri's Chris"The Hurrying Missourian" Smyser found out Sat after he forgo his plans to run the Mars Special at Joplin and instead pulled to the Lebanon I-44 Speedway and fought off a hard battle from Dave Ware in claiming the top prize in the LateModel Feature to become the 4th different feature winner in 4 shows this season.
Smyser,who won his heat started the 25 lapper on the inside of row 2 and took over the lead from Danny Crane on lap 2 with Dave Ware in tow.As this duo pulled away,Darrell Mooneyham who was 2 rows back on the start quickly shot up to third.
With Smyser in control,Ware was making some noise on the top groove and continued to challange for the top spot.The first yellow waved as point leader Brandon Maggard and early leader Crane got together in turn 3 ending both of there nights.On the restart,Ware pulled to the top and then the bottom as Smyser was making the middle lane work flawlessly as Mooneyham was holding on strong in third place.As the pace began to pick-up,Smyser moved to the low side of the track as Ware began going top side.Behind the lead duo was ooneyham and the battle for fouth place was strong between Jason Meadors and Steve Oerly.The yellow waved on lap 21 for a single car spin as Smyser had placed some lapped traffic between himself and Ware.As the green flew again,Smyser drove away in his Mike Crump Equipment 00 to record the victory followed closely by Ware,Mooneyham,Oerly,and Meadors in the top 5.
"We had planned on traveling to Joplin tonight,but my teammate Reid Millard had motor trouble last night at Bolivar(in which Smyser had won),so we drove back home to the shop and replaced his engine.We finished about 3PM and decided there wasn't enough time to get to Joplin.The hauler just headed to Lebanon and I believe we made the right choice tonight as Reid got a carrer high 6th place finish.The track was in excellent shape.We could put the car low,middle or high as this is becoming one of my favorite places to race at.
The Modified feature was action packed from start to finish as Jeff Cutshaw jumped to the lead lead from his second row starting sot followed closely by Jamie Ragland,Keith Branson,and a host of others.The first yellow waved on lap4 as James Hartman,point leader Eric Hudson,Chris Johnson all got together in turn 4.Hartman would head for the pit as would Hudson,as Hudson made it back out on the tailend of the laed lap.On the restart,Cutshaw was leading the pack over Ragland and Rex Merritt was charging hard from his 11th starting spot to put on the pressure.With Cutshaw setting a fast pace,Merritt made his move on Ragland to take over the runner-up spot while point leader Hudson was slicing through the field.The yellow waved around lap 11 as defending champion Erik Maggard was involved in an incident in turn 4,and 5th place running Bill Gilliam headed to the pits.On the restart,Merrittt moved to the high-side as Cutshaw stayed down low as Eric Lampe who was involved in an earlier incident was making moves through the pack.On lap 15,Merritt moved to the high side again and pulled off the winning pass in turn 4 with Cutshaw close behind.The yellow waved again on lap 17 as Todd Raney lost a driveshaft,and Ragland went to the pits with problems.On the restart,Cutshaw pulled along side of Merritt,but Merritt held on to the top spot as Hudson had now moved into contention into third place.For the final 4 laps,Cutshaw tried several moves on Merritt,but the former Modified champion held on for his first I-44 win of the season followed closely by early leader Cutshaw,Hudson,Lampe,and Kevin Halderman in the top 5.
The SuperStock Feature had Jason Otto jump from his front row spot to take the early command as Rick Brown followed closely with a tight pack behind.As Otto was pulling away,point leader Larry Prewitt started making some noise as the veteran was coming quickly.With Otto really pulling away,Prewitt moved into the top 5 on lap 7 and began his charge on the leader.Defending champion Mike Joplin was following Prewitt through the pack as they disposed of Josh Woody,Tim Petty,Brian Dorrell,and Brown.On lap 11,Prewitt charged into second as Otoo was holding a strong low line.Lap 12 saw Prewitt pull along side Otto as the duo raced side-by-side.Heading for lap 13,Prewitt moved half a car ahead and then Otto took it back until Otto's car began smoking taking him out of contention as Prewitt claimed hid 4th consecutive feature win followed by Joplin,Dorrell,Brown,and Tim Petty in the top 5.
In the FactoryStock feature,Steve Schultz took the lead on the opening lap as 16 year old Matt Miller followed closely as the pack of Tim Brown,Brian Schutt,point leader Micheal Maggard were swapping positions behind.With Schultz in control,Miller making only his second career start was looking strong in second as opening night winner Brown was coming through the pack followed closely by Schutt,and Maggard.A lap 5 yellow for Micheal Horrighs stalled car would also see Miller pull in with problems.On the restart,Schultz pulled away only to have Brown run him down and apply the pressure while Schutt,maggard,Melvin Wilson and 18th starting Jordan Holloway fighting for positions.Brown tried several times on the high-side to take control,but Schultz wasn't to be denied as he took his first ever feature win followed closely by Brown,point leader Maggard,Brian Schutt,and Wilson.
The Bomber feature had 24 strong start as James Flood took the opening lead with Donnie Jackson and Justin Foust following closely.Point contender Lonnie Henderson scrapped the frontstretch wall on the opening lap and it would hinder him all night long.With Flood making some quick laps,Foust found himself in conteniton as Brandon Knutdson was coming fast.On lap4 the yellow waved for a stalled car as Knutdson charged into the lead over Foust and then retired to the pits handing the lead back over to Foust.Point leader KC Prettyman was quietly making his way to the front and last weeks winner was into 4th place.On the restart,Foust was holding on as opening night winner David Hendrix was applying pressure to the top spot.A yellow on lap 9 would set-up the final shootout as Foust was leading with Hendrix,Prettyman,Flood,Derrick Peterson and Jackson on the restart.As the green waved,Prettyman made a smooth move down low to gather up second place and set his sights on leader Foust.As the white waved,Prettyman pulled along side of Foust and gathered alot of speed coming off of turn 2.As the duo raced side-by-side,Prettyman made the winning move in turn 3 as Foust pulled back even in turn 4.Heading for the checkered,Prettyman pulled to the high-side with Foust moving down low as Prettyman captured his second straight victory followed closely by Foust,Hendrix,early leader Flood and Peterson.
In the Sprint Car feature,Scott Wedelstadt grabed the opening lead.On lap 4 the yellow waved as JP Compton and John Rowland got together in turn 2.On the restart,Wedelstadt would battle Eric Todd, and Clint Todd as Eric and his brother would pull away from the field as Wedelstadt fell to third.With Eric taking control,Clint would try the high-side while point leader Joe Todd and Micheal White were battling hard for position.Going through lapped traffic,Clint tried several moves to the high-side,but Eric would ride to his first feature win of the season followed closely by Clint,Joe Todd,Micheal White,and early leader Wedelstadt.
Over 120 race teams checked into the pits as regular racing action continues next Sat night with the gates opening at 5 hotlaps at 7 and Racing at 7:30 sharp.
Several new announcments were made as the rainout show from the O'ReillyAutoParts MARS Super LateModel Series is tentatively scheduled for Sat Night Aug.14th and the USAC Non-Winged Sprint Cars will be running a Wed Night Sept. 15 Special Show featuring Modifeds.The USAC Series has brought such superstars as Tony Stewart,jeff Gordon,Kasey Kahne and many more into the Nascar Nextel Cup Series.
Results
LateModels
1st Ht-1)Chris Smyser-Lancaster 2)Brandon Maggard-Willard 3)Steve Oerly-Jamesport
2nd Ht-1)Dave Ware-Springfield 2)Jason Meadors-Fordland 3)Reid Millard-Jefferson City
A Ft-1)Smyser 2)Ware 3)Darrell Mooneyham-Aurora 4)Oerly 5)Meadors 6)Millard 7)Christian Rayburn-Osage Beach 8)Mike Montague-Lebanon 9)Dale Moon-Sedalia 10)Ken Scott-Willard
Modifieds
1st Ht-1)Rex Merritt-Clever 2)James Hartman-Camdenton 3)Doug Crider-Marshfield
2nd Ht-1)Jamie Ragland-Lebanon 2)Keith Branson-Springfield 3)Eddie Horn-Ava
3rd Ht-1)Jeff Cutshaw-Cross Timbers 2)Eric Lampe-Springfield 3)Eric Hudson-Rolla
A Ft-1)Merritt 2)Cutshaw 3)Hudson 4)Lampe 5)Kevin Halderman-Camdenton 6)Erik Maggard-Pleasant Hope 7)Crider 8)Justin Neuman-Waynesville 9)Horn 10)Hartman
SuperStocks
1st Ht-1)Josh Woody-Buckhorn 2)Mike Joplin-Springfield 3)Rick Brown-Stoutland
2nd Ht-1)Larry Prewitt-Jerome 2)Jason Otto-Richland 3)Brian Dorrell-Laurie
A Ft-1)Prewitt 2)Jplin 3)Dorrell 4)Brown 5)Tim Petty-Marshfield 6)Woody 7)Fred McAdams-Linn Creek 8)Weston Finley-Willard 9)Otto 10)Fred Lacey Jr-Buffalo
FactoryStocks
1st Ht-1)Micheal Maggard-Springfield 2)Quintin Day-Lebanon 3)Joe Lafferty-Sparta
2nd Ht-1)Tim Brown-Stoutland 2)Brian Schutt-Lebanon 3)Steve Schultz-Lebanon
3rd Ht-1)Matt Miller-Camdenton 2)Melvin Wilson-Buffalo 3)Jason Reckker-Camdenton
A Ft-1)Schultz 2)Brown 3)Maggard 4)Schutt 5)Wilson 6)Jordan Holloway-Monett 7)Jason Huey-Swedborg 8)Ward Fredrick Jr-Camdenton 9)Reckker 10)Lafferty
Bombers
1st Ht-1)James Flood-Lebanon 2)David Hendrix-Richland 3)Lonnie Henderson-Lebanon
2nd Ht-1)Rodney Jones-Aurora 2)Richard Talley-Lebanon 3)Jennifer Couch-Lebanon
3rd Ht-1)KC Prettyman-Waynesville 2)Brandon Knutdson-Lebanon 3)Derrick Peterson-Lebanon
A Ft-1)Prettyman 2)Justin Foust-St.James 3)Hendrix 4)Flood 5)Peterson 6)Donnie Jackson-Lebanon 7)Jones 8)Jeff SCroggins-Brookline 9)Adam Weber-Cuba 10)Chad Cromer-Lebanon
Sprints
1st Ht-1)Micheal White-LaMonte 2)Matt Tatro-Lebanon 3)Jody Juhl-Lebanon
2nd Ht-1)JP Compton-Richland 2)Clint Todd-Falcon 3)Eric Todd-Falcon
A Ft-1)E.Todd 2)C.Todd 3)Joe Todd-Falcon 4)Micheal White-LaMonte 5)Scott Wedelstadt-Lebanon 6)Chad Johnson-Joplin 7)Tatro 8)Scott Bennett-Lebanon 9)Eric Enneking 10)Mike Haley
