Three wide action like this was common place Saturday night during the MARS/NCRA DIRTcar late model challenge at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas
(Credit Ron Mitchell)
Park City, Kansas – May 7, 2011 - In what ranks up there as one of the most exciting late model features in the tracks illustrious history, Jesse Stovall of Galena, Missouri snuck past the two front runners and lapped traffic down the front stretch and held on the final three laps to claim the National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Smiley’s Racing products DIRTcar late model feature finale Saturday night before a near capacity crowd at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas. The race was billed as the “Battle for the Park City Cup” with the MARS DIRTcar late model series.
Tony Jackson, Jr. of Lebanon, Missouri started on the pole for the 30 lap feature but it was outside front row starter Tommy Weder, Jr. of Woodward, Oklahoma taking the lead as the green flag fell with Brad Looney giving chase.
His pace out front would slow after the first lap was complete when the first and only caution of the race fell when Bryan Allison and Corey Zeitner got together in turns three and four.
The restart saw Weder, Jr. throttle out front and would eventually open up his lead to fifteen car lengths over Looney by lap six. Mike Collins of Council Bluffs, Iowa had the third spot nailed down as Weder continued to stretch his advantage to a half stretch lead by lap nine.
Heavy lapped traffic would come into play one lap later allowing Looney to cut the lead down to five car lengths and on lap twelve, Looney moved underneath the leader to take the lead on lap thirteen. While both drivers continued to work lapped traffic, this allowed ninth starting Stovall and fourth starting Al Purkey to close in and make it a wild five car battle for the lead.
As the leader and lapped traffic were coming out of turn four to complete lap fifteen, Purkey, a two-time NCRA DIRTcar late model champion would get credit as the laps leader before Weder would make his way back around both Looney and Purkey to retake the lead down the backstretch.
Weder would continue well out front while behind him, Stovall had his Steve Rushin owned/Rushin Towing, Swafford’s Amoco sponsored Larry Shaw Race Car would begin his battle with Looney for the runner up position.
It looked as though Weder, his third night out aboard a new Victory Circle race car, would pick up his first career late model victory as he would open a five car length lead with five laps to go. However Looney made one final run on the leader and entering turn one and two on twenty-eight, would make contact with Weder sending both drivers up off the racing surface allowing Stovall to sneak underneath to take the lead down the back stretch.
From there it was smooth sailing for Stovall as he led the final three laps to take his third career NCRA DIRTcar feature victory, fourth career with MARS DIRTcar and second on the season overall.
Five-time and defending MARS DIRTcar champion Terry Phillips of Springfield, Missouri passed both Looney and Weder during their squeamish in turns one and two to finish second with Weder, Looney and Purkey rounding out the top five.
”Wow I’m impressed!” said a jubilant Stovall in victory lane. “I thought we had a good hot rod. When lapped traffic comes into play, as a racer that is what you’re looking for and I was just hoping I wouldn’t screw up and I almost did there at the end in turns one and two.”
The ten lap heat races for the twenty-eight car field were won by Weder, Jackson and Purkey while NCRA DIRTcar series regular Zeitner topped the twelve lap “B” feature.
The next two events for the National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Smiley’s Racing Products DIRTcar late model division will be coming up over Memorial Day weekend for their annual trek in Nebraska. It all kicks off on Saturday night, May 28th at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool, Nebraska before heading to I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park in Greenwood, Nebraska for the 10th annual Alphabet Soup with the DART Corn Belt Clash and Lucas Oil late model series on Sunday night, May 29th.
The National Championship Racing Association would like to thank the following for their partnership with the late model division for the 2011 race season:
Official Sponsors: Park City, Kansas, Smiley’s Racing Products, Hoosier Racing Tires, Sunoco Race Fuels, DIRTcar
NCRA/Mars Late Model results from 81 Speedway
1st Heat: 1) 02 Tommy Weder Jr, 2) 14L Brad Looney, 3) 3C Mike Collins (Carter Lake, Ia), 4) 14m Dean Moore (Grand Junction, Co), 5) 15 Shane Essary, 6) 40 Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, Ne), 7) 51 Billy Koons Jr, 8) 7c Gary Gorby (Caney, Ks), 9) 99 Cliff Morrow (Enid, OK), 10) 3f Michael Furthmyer (Mulvane, Ks),
2nd Heat: 1) 56 Tony Jackson (Lebanon, Mo), 2) 52 Ryan McAninch (Wichita, Ks), 3) 74 Jeremy Payne, 4) 28 Leroy Johnson, 5) 26jr Corey Zeitner (Omaha, Ne), 6) 1a Byron Allison, 7) 49 Wylan Petrie (Solomon, Ks), 8) 29k Bill Koons (Omaha, Ne), 9) 16 Rick Leatherman (Benton, Ks),
3rd Heat: 1) 33 Al Purkey (Coffeyville, Ks), 2) 75 Terry Phillips (Springfield, Mo), 3) 42 Brandon McCormick (Lebanon, Mo), 4) 00 Jesse Stovall, 5) 42t Eric Turner, 6) 90 Steve Kempt (Shelton, Ne), 7) 53 Joe Kosiski (Omaha, Ne), 8) 96t R.C. Whitwell, 9) 21w Ronnie Warman (Wichita, Ks),
B Feature: 1) 26jr Corey Zeitner (Omaha, Ne), 2) 42 Brandon McCormick (Lebanon, Mo), 3) 96t R.C. Whitwell, 4) 7c Gary Gorby (Caney, Ks), 5) 51 Billy Koons Jr, 6) 49 Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, Ne), 7) 53 Joe Kosiski (Omaha, Ne), 8) 29t Bill Koons (Omaha, Ne), 9) 49 Wylan Petrie (Solomon, Ks), 10) 90 Steve Kempt (Shelton, Ne), 11) 99 Cliff Morrow (Enid, OK), 12) 3f Michael Furthmyer (Mulvane, Ks), 13) 16 Rick Leatherman (Benton, Ks), 14) 21w Ronnie Warman (Wichita, Ks),
30 Lap A Feature (st): 1) (9) Jesse Stovall, 2) (7) Terry Phillips (Springfield, Mo), 3) (1) Tommy Weder Jr, 4) (4) Brad Looney, 5) (4) Al Purkey (Coffeyville, Ks), 6) (17) R.C. Whitwell, 7) (8) Ryan McAninch (Wichita, Ks), 8) (6) Jeremy Payne, 9) (16) Eric Turner, 10) (1) Tony Jackson (Lebanon, Mo), 11) (10) Brandon McCormick (Lebanon, Mo), 12) (11) Dean Moore (Grand Junction, Co), 13) (20) Joe Kosiski (Omaha, Ne), 14) (12) Leroy Johnson, 15) (18) Gary Gorby (Caney, Ks), 16) (19) Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, Ne), 17) (22) Bill Koons (Omaha, Ne), 18) (5) Mike Collins (Carter Lake, Ia), 19) (21) Steve Kempt (Shelton, Ne), 20) (15) Corey Zeitner (Omaha, Ne), 21) (14) Shane Essary, 22) (13) Byron Allison,
