By: Betty Glynn

La Salle, IL – Saturday night’s racing at La Salle Speedway qualified as one of the best Late Model battles all season long. A fast and furious pace didn’t keep Rich Bell and Bret Sievert from dicing back and forth for the victory trading paint only a few times.

UMP Late Models:

Bell scored the quickest lap of the sixteen Late Model contenders with a time of 13.447. Sievert posted a time of 13.493. A good battle was just heating up between Bell, Glynn and Sievert during the first few laps of the fast qualifiers heat when Glynn’s power plant blew sending him permanently pit side. Sievert went on to beat Bell, Keith Piano and Joe Fratt. Dale Markham and Billy Weistart Jr. had a great challenge in the second heat contest with the young Markham taking home the checkered flag. Their side by side battle ended with Markham winning by a nose. Weistart finished second over Tom Smith and Jon Small.

Fifteen Late’s made up the feature starting grid with Sievert on the pole and Bell in his favored outside starting spot. Piano and Fratt were in row two.  Before the first lap could even be scored contact was already made between Bell and Sievert going for the lead. A caution stalled their run but once the green was flying, for any length of time, the speed demons were heavy on the throttle. During Lap 9, Sievert came up fast on a slower moving ride that was about to go a lap down forcing him and Bell to change the groove they were running in. Two laps later, a caution slowed the pace. Just after the restart, Piano the third place runner found his sheet metal grinding hard into the concrete safety wall and off the track.

The final six laps became a slide job war with the leaders taking turns putting on the best slide job. They each intentionally drove into the corner too hard under the person they are attempting to pass. Once they passed them they had to try and clear the nose of the other car and slide up in front of him. This way the car they passed would have to slow up to keep from hitting the person who attempted the slide job, and the person who did the slide job had more momentum out of the turn.

“What did you think of those slide jobs?” Bell asked after the race. “That was the hardest racing I have ever done.”

As the two leaders were fighting back and forth Bob Cullen saw his opening and made a move for the lead with just two laps to go. As the one lap was signaled, Cullen stole the lead but lost control and spun his ride in turn two. That caution brought the field of nine back nose to tail with Sievert leading Bell, Mike Provenzano, Weistart, Smith, Fratt, Knutti, Markham, and Lock. Bell wasted little time shooting to the topside of the track and stole the lead and Provenzano moved around Sievert for the runner up finish. Weistart took fourth ahead of Smith, Fratt, Markham, Knutti and Lock.

UMP Open Wheel Modified’s:

The UMP Open Wheel Modified class had fourteen competitors for qualifications with Dale Lueth topping the field with a time of 14.923. Lueth hit the gas hard to win the first heat race over Jamie Lomax, Tom Knippenberg, and Justin McCoy. Cody Spirling beat Don Cole, Charlie Harmon and Bil Theodorf in the second heat contest.

Lueth and Lomax started on the front row of the grid for their main event. Lueth set the fast pace for the ultra racey Mod’s. Falling in behind him in the same line was Lomax, and Knippenberg while fourth place starter Justin McCoy shot to the higher line. By the third circuit, Lomax was trying to make room under Lueth’s machine in the turns but the leader had more power on the straight aways. Lueth led until Lap 9 when Lomax managed to put the duo into a nose to nose battle. As they crossed under the flag stand, Lomax took over the point for the first and final time. Shortly after the pass McCoy’s highside run helped him move into second place over Harmon and Lueth.

Lomax took command and pulled into a nice lead to take the checkers. Harmon scored second in front of McCoy, Mike Marden, Knippenberg, Matt Gremminger, Lueth, Spirling, Jason Kolbe, Cole, and Hewitt.

UMP Street Stock’s:                                                                                             

Twelve UMP Street Stock contenders qualified with Roger Rickels having the fastest lap. Rickels was a force to reckon with claiming fast time, the first heat race and then the feature contest. Jamie Balensiefen took second to him in the heat over Mike Hughes, and Steve Lewis. Lewis nearly flipped over after contact was made between him and Balensiefen early in the race. Pole sitter Tim Provenzano won the second preliminary event in front of Randy Lucas, Keith Lucas and Ryan Weistart.

Rickels earned the pole spot and led the event flag to flag to sweep the division’s activities. Mike Hughes finished second over Provenzano, Lewis, Balensiefen, Randy Lucas, Jake Miller, Nick Sell, Keith Lucas, Weistart, Miller, and Hamm.

UMP 4 Cylinder Hornets:

Phil Burdette is the new track record holder for the 4 Cylinder Hornet class. His fast lap of 18.992 gave him the new title. Allen Provenzano won the heat over Burdette, Jeff Seitz and Jon Provenzano. Crystal Provenzano Broyles won her first event with a victory in the second heat race coming from a fourth place start. Colton Arnold finished second in front of Mark Sutton and Rick Wagner.

Allen Provenzano has truly become the dominator of the class this season. He has been an unstoppable force winning week after week. Seitz gave it his all in the feature race but Allen Provenzano did what he does best and held on to the lead for the victory. Jon Provenzano took third in front of Burdette, JR Brown, Broyles, Scott Redden, Freddie Thatcher, Wagner, Mark Sutton, Arnold, Aaron Sutton, Dan Widdecombe, and Brandon Mallery.

La Salle Speedway Results 7/16/11

UMP Late Models: 16 Cars

Qualifying: Rich Bell 13.447

Heat 1: Bret Sievert, Rich Bell, Keith Piano, Joe Fratt

Heat 2: Dale Markham, Billy Weistart Jr., Tom Smith, Jon Small

Feature: Rich Bell, Mike Provenzano, Bret Sievert, Bill Weistart, Tom Smith, Joe Fratt, Dale Markham, Lake Knutti, Brian Lock, Bob Cullen, Keith Piano, Nathan Balensiefen, Jon Small, Jeff Small

UMP Modifieds: 14 Cars

Qualifying: Dale Lueth 14.923

Heat 1: Dale Lueth, Jamie Lomax, Tom Knippenberg, Justin McCoy

Heat 2: Cody Spirling, Don Cole, Charlie Harmon, Bill Theodorf

Feature: Jamie Lomax, Charlie Harmon, Justin McCoy, Mike Marden, Tom Knippenberg, Matt Gremminger, Dale Lueth, Cody Spirling, Jason Kolbe, Don Cole, Geno Hewitt, Bill Theodorf, Scott Hauge

UMP Street Stocks: 12 Cars

Qualifying: Roger Rickels 16.008

Heat 1: Roger Rickels, Jamie Balensiefen, Mike Hughes, Steve Lewis

Heat 2: Tim Provenzano, Randy Lucas, Keith Lucas, Ryan Weistart

Feature: Roger Rickels, Mike Hughes, Tim Provenzano, Steve Lewis, Jamie Balensiefen, Randy Lucas, Jake Miller, Nick Sell, Keith Lucas, Ryan Weistart, Keith Miller, Justin Hamm

UMP 4 Cylinder Hornets: 15 Cars

Qualifying: Phil Burdette 18.992

Heat 1: Allen Provenzano, Phil Burdette, Jeff Seitz, Jon Provenzano

Heat 2: Crystal Provenzano Broyles, Colton Arnold, Mark Sutton, Rick Wagner

Feature: Allen Provenzano, Jeff Seitz, Jon Provenzano, Phil Burdette, JR Brown, Crystal Provenzano Broyles, Scott Redden, Freddie Thatcher, Rick Wagner, Mark Sutton, Colton Arnold, Aaron Sutton, Dan Widdecombe, Brandon Mallery