By Dusty Wiegert
Mayetta, Kan. (April 10, 2004) – On a cold, blustery night in early April the O’Reilly Auto Parts Topless Outlaw Racing Association presented by Morris Communications (WIBW 580AM, WIBW 94.5FM, KY94 93.7FM, and KSAL 1150AM) kicked off their 2004 Season, and Omaha, Nebraska hot shoe Steve Kosiski took home the honors and the opening night points lead.
Kosiski blasted off the outside of the front row at the start, distancing himself from pole sitter Alan Vaughn by the end of lap 1 with Scott Drake, John Anderson, and David Turner battling for the top 5. On lap 3 the only yellow of the race was brought out as rookie driver Chris Morgan spun his #47 in turn 3. On the restart it was all Kosiski again, leaving the rest of the field behind. At good battle developed on lap 5 between Turner and Kyle Berck, who had worked his way from a twelfth place starting spot to sixth. The duo ran side by side for nearly five laps before Berck finally powered past and into the top 5. Turner continued to follow right on the heels of Berck as they came upon Anderson at the halfway point. A three way battle for fourth kept the fans on the edge of their seats until the checkered flag, with Kosiski on top, Vaughn second, Drake third, Berck fourth, and Anderson fifth.
Ryan McAninch led flag to flag as well in the B Feature. Tony Gregg, starting his first event for Greg Junghans, settled for second, Steve Foster in third, and Robert Garst in fourth.
In heat race action Anderson took the lead at the start of heat 1 from the outside pole and held off eventual A Feature winner Kosiski with Tim Echevarria in third.
Heat race 2 saw Drake pick up the win in his first ever O’Reilly/TORA start, after dueling with fellow show-me state driver Turner. The “Iceman” Delbert Smith took third.
Larry McDaniels continued where he left off last year but in a bit different fashion as he drove his new Rocket chassis to victory in heat 3 over WaKeeney Speedway promoter Rod Bencken and Chris Morgan.
After coming from the fourth place Vaughn won his heat race after fighting for the front with the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” Earl Kinderknecht and earning him enough passing points to win the pole. Berck fininshed third behind Kinderknecht.
Berck also picked up the Lonnie Smith Racing Hard Charger award for the evening, passing 8 cars en route to a fourth place finish in the main event.
Racing continues next Friday night for the O’Reilly TORA Late Models as they visit the Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Nebraska for the first time ever. Racing action begins at 7:00 PM.
For any information pertaining to TORA visit the official TORA website at www.toraracing.org.
RESULTS
Entries: 35
Top Qualifier: Alan Vaughn
Lonnie Smith Racing Hard Charger: Kyle Berck
Provisionals: Dimond Mundy (1), Chase Austin (1)
Lap Leaders: Steve Kosiski, 1-30
Cautions: 1
Margin of Victory: 2.60 seconds
A Feature (30 Laps): 1) Kosiski 2) Vaughn 3) Drake 4) Berck 5) Anderson 6) Turner 7) Randolph 8) Kinderknecht 9) Murphy 10) McDaniels 11) Smith 12) Humphrey 13) Echevarria 14) McAninch 15) LaFollette 16) Bencken 17) Garst 18) Austin 19) Mundy 20) Gregg 21) Morgan 22) Foster
B Feature (15 Laps): 1) McAninch 2) Gregg 3) Foster 4) Garst 5) Larsen 6) Morris 7) Mundy 8) Austin 9) Danburg 10) Fortney 11) Grist 12) D. Conkwright 13) Breeden Jr. 14) Hobbs 15) Miller 16) Keim 17) Lyle 18) M. Conkwright
1st Heat (10 Laps): 1) John Anderson, Omaha, NE 2) Steve Kosiski, Omaha, NE 3) Tim Echevarria, Junction City, KS 4) Billy Murphy, Lincoln, NE 5) Tony Gregg, Hastings, NE 6) Mike Conkwright, Manhattan, KS 7) Dimond Mundy, Wichita, KS 8) Robert Garst, Topeka, KS 9) Chase Austin, Eudora, KS
2nd Heat (10 Laps): 1) Scott Drake, Harrisonville, MO 2) David Turner, Creighton, MO 3) Delbert Smith, Wichita, KS 4) Charlie Randolph, Muskogee, OK 5) Dave Conkwright, Manhattan, KS 6) Brad Morris, Junction City, KS 7) Jerry Breeden Jr., Salina, KS 8) Jimmie Hobbs, Wichita, KS 9) Rusty Miller, Norton, KS
3rd Heat (10 Laps): 1) Larry McDaniels, Valley Center, KS 2) Rod Bencken, Oakley, KS 3) Chris Morgan, Topeka, KS 4) Jason Humphrey, Phillips, NE 5) Brett LaFollette, Kansas City, KS 6) Steve Foster, Abilene, KS 7) Greg Larsen, Plattsmouth, NE 8) Tom Grist, Topeka, KS 9) Ed Mueller, Admire, KS
4th Heat (10 Laps): 1) Alan Vaughn, Belton, MO 2) Earl Kinderknecht, Salina, KS 3) Kyle Berck, Marquette, NE 4) Ryan McAninch, Goddard, KS 5) C.J. Lyle, Shawnee, KS 6) Mike Danburg, Council Bluffs, IA 7) Brad Fortney, Wichita, KS 8) Jason Keim, Lawrence, KS
Mayetta, Kan. (April 10, 2004) – On a cold, blustery night in early April the O’Reilly Auto Parts Topless Outlaw Racing Association presented by Morris Communications (WIBW 580AM, WIBW 94.5FM, KY94 93.7FM, and KSAL 1150AM) kicked off their 2004 Season, and Omaha, Nebraska hot shoe Steve Kosiski took home the honors and the opening night points lead.
Kosiski blasted off the outside of the front row at the start, distancing himself from pole sitter Alan Vaughn by the end of lap 1 with Scott Drake, John Anderson, and David Turner battling for the top 5. On lap 3 the only yellow of the race was brought out as rookie driver Chris Morgan spun his #47 in turn 3. On the restart it was all Kosiski again, leaving the rest of the field behind. At good battle developed on lap 5 between Turner and Kyle Berck, who had worked his way from a twelfth place starting spot to sixth. The duo ran side by side for nearly five laps before Berck finally powered past and into the top 5. Turner continued to follow right on the heels of Berck as they came upon Anderson at the halfway point. A three way battle for fourth kept the fans on the edge of their seats until the checkered flag, with Kosiski on top, Vaughn second, Drake third, Berck fourth, and Anderson fifth.
Ryan McAninch led flag to flag as well in the B Feature. Tony Gregg, starting his first event for Greg Junghans, settled for second, Steve Foster in third, and Robert Garst in fourth.
In heat race action Anderson took the lead at the start of heat 1 from the outside pole and held off eventual A Feature winner Kosiski with Tim Echevarria in third.
Heat race 2 saw Drake pick up the win in his first ever O’Reilly/TORA start, after dueling with fellow show-me state driver Turner. The “Iceman” Delbert Smith took third.
Larry McDaniels continued where he left off last year but in a bit different fashion as he drove his new Rocket chassis to victory in heat 3 over WaKeeney Speedway promoter Rod Bencken and Chris Morgan.
After coming from the fourth place Vaughn won his heat race after fighting for the front with the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” Earl Kinderknecht and earning him enough passing points to win the pole. Berck fininshed third behind Kinderknecht.
Berck also picked up the Lonnie Smith Racing Hard Charger award for the evening, passing 8 cars en route to a fourth place finish in the main event.
Racing continues next Friday night for the O’Reilly TORA Late Models as they visit the Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Nebraska for the first time ever. Racing action begins at 7:00 PM.
For any information pertaining to TORA visit the official TORA website at www.toraracing.org.
RESULTS
Entries: 35
Top Qualifier: Alan Vaughn
Lonnie Smith Racing Hard Charger: Kyle Berck
Provisionals: Dimond Mundy (1), Chase Austin (1)
Lap Leaders: Steve Kosiski, 1-30
Cautions: 1
Margin of Victory: 2.60 seconds
A Feature (30 Laps): 1) Kosiski 2) Vaughn 3) Drake 4) Berck 5) Anderson 6) Turner 7) Randolph 8) Kinderknecht 9) Murphy 10) McDaniels 11) Smith 12) Humphrey 13) Echevarria 14) McAninch 15) LaFollette 16) Bencken 17) Garst 18) Austin 19) Mundy 20) Gregg 21) Morgan 22) Foster
B Feature (15 Laps): 1) McAninch 2) Gregg 3) Foster 4) Garst 5) Larsen 6) Morris 7) Mundy 8) Austin 9) Danburg 10) Fortney 11) Grist 12) D. Conkwright 13) Breeden Jr. 14) Hobbs 15) Miller 16) Keim 17) Lyle 18) M. Conkwright
1st Heat (10 Laps): 1) John Anderson, Omaha, NE 2) Steve Kosiski, Omaha, NE 3) Tim Echevarria, Junction City, KS 4) Billy Murphy, Lincoln, NE 5) Tony Gregg, Hastings, NE 6) Mike Conkwright, Manhattan, KS 7) Dimond Mundy, Wichita, KS 8) Robert Garst, Topeka, KS 9) Chase Austin, Eudora, KS
2nd Heat (10 Laps): 1) Scott Drake, Harrisonville, MO 2) David Turner, Creighton, MO 3) Delbert Smith, Wichita, KS 4) Charlie Randolph, Muskogee, OK 5) Dave Conkwright, Manhattan, KS 6) Brad Morris, Junction City, KS 7) Jerry Breeden Jr., Salina, KS 8) Jimmie Hobbs, Wichita, KS 9) Rusty Miller, Norton, KS
3rd Heat (10 Laps): 1) Larry McDaniels, Valley Center, KS 2) Rod Bencken, Oakley, KS 3) Chris Morgan, Topeka, KS 4) Jason Humphrey, Phillips, NE 5) Brett LaFollette, Kansas City, KS 6) Steve Foster, Abilene, KS 7) Greg Larsen, Plattsmouth, NE 8) Tom Grist, Topeka, KS 9) Ed Mueller, Admire, KS
4th Heat (10 Laps): 1) Alan Vaughn, Belton, MO 2) Earl Kinderknecht, Salina, KS 3) Kyle Berck, Marquette, NE 4) Ryan McAninch, Goddard, KS 5) C.J. Lyle, Shawnee, KS 6) Mike Danburg, Council Bluffs, IA 7) Brad Fortney, Wichita, KS 8) Jason Keim, Lawrence, KS
