By: Betty Glynn
La Salle, IL – The points chase is wrapping up at La Salle Speedway with only one divisional title still up for grabs. The hottest contest for the championship is in the ultra competitive UMP Late Model division. Two hot shoes are battling for the crown with one week remaining in the quest. Twenty points separated Rich Bell from current leader Mike Provenzano prior to Saturday’s racing. With another night in the books the two are still neck and neck.
UMP Late Models:
Bell scored the quickest lap of the fifteen Late Model contenders with a time of 13.435. During the seventh circuit of the fast qualifiers heat contest, Ed Williams Jr. found his ride barreling into the safety area of pit entrance bringing out the red flag. He hit hard with the result being heavy damage but the driver left on his own. Bell went on to score the victory over Provenzano, Keith Piano, Mike Glynn and Nathan Balensiefen. Billy Weistart Jr. led flag to flag for an unchallenged win in the second heat contest. Ed Williams Sr. took second place in front of John Piccatto, Dale Markham, and Joe Burba.
It took the fourteen starters two complete restarts to get the first lap in the books of the 25 lap main. Bell and Provenzano were seated on the front row ahead of Piano and Glynn. The first attempt ended quickly when Bell set a slow pace and Piano had nowhere to go but into the rear of his ride. The second start was a bottle neck mess concluding with Glynn’s car receiving significant front end damage before even a lap in.
Once the field was under green, they made it three laps until a caution was signaled for Balensiefen who was sitting sideways in turn two. Three laps later, he left the track after another caution. Provenzano stayed on the low line he desperately wanted while Bell managed the high groove. During Lap 14, Provenzano’s lower run started to show signs of being the faster line when he shot up to the door of Bell. The two were running blistering fast for the point when they found themselves needing to maneuver lapped traffic. Their refusal to let off the gas resulted in aggressive contact with anyone in their path. Provenzano stayed full throttle on the tail of one of the unlucky recipients turning his own ride sideways off turn four and a caution called by the flagman. No one was sent to the tail for the single file restart. The lucky leaders got their running positions back.
Five laps later, the two were still battling side by side with Piano holding a strong third place run. With two laps to go, Bell challenged his machine by banging off the outside concrete retaining wall sending sparks in his wake hoping to get the momentum he needed from the top side. He fell back to third during the final lap with Piano darting into second. As the two entered the turn four corner, Bell tried a bonsai move but didn’t have enough power to take back the runner up position back.
When the checkered flag waved, it was Provenzano (2009 track champion) celebrating in victory lane. Piano earned his second place finish in front of Bell, Glynn, Dale Markham, Darin Furar, Piccatto, Lake Knutti, Burba, Brian Lock, Scott Langer, and Ed Williams Sr.
UMP Open Wheel Modified’s:
The UMP Open Wheel Modified class had fourteen competitors for time trials with Jamie Lomax traveling the fasted timed lap of 14.540. Lomax hit the gas hard to win the first heat race over Derek Losh, Tom Knippenberg, Dale Lueth and Justin McCoy. AJ May made his way to the finish line first to beat Mike Marden, Scott Hauge, Kevin Hughes and Brandon Maciejewski in the second heat contest.
Lomax and Losh started on the front row of the grid for their main event ahead of Tom Knippenberg and Dale Lueth. Losh held the point for the first lap but once Lomax had a clear shot at the lead it was the Lomax show all the way through the twentieth lap. He outdistanced the competition while Losh maintained generous real estate from the third place struggle between Knippenberg and Lueth. The battle for third was heating up with side-by-side action for several laps. Eighth place starter, AJ May was quietly working his way up the field. He had his car hooked up on the bottom of the track picking off positions lap after lap. During the final few laps, he closed in on the third place running spot.
Lomax swept the class with dominating style claiming the victory over Losh, May, Knippenberg, Lueth, Matt Gremminger, Austin Hewitt, Marden, Bill Theordorf, Ken Fischer, Hauge, Maciejewski, Justin McCoy, and Hughes.
Gremminger leads the points chase by more than thirty points over McCoy going into the final point’s night next week.
UMP Street Stock’s:                                                                                            Â
Roger Rickels topped the fourteen Street Stocks with a fastest lap time of 15.635. The speed demon took the first heat win in front of Aaron Near, Mike Hughes, Nick Sell and Mike McKinney. Keith Miller claimed the second preliminary event as Randy Lucas crossed the line second in front of Ryan Weistart, Keith Lucas and Jerry Legner.
McKinney and Sell rolled into the front row of the grid for the twenty lap feature event. McKinney was fast from the start taking the point early. He held on to the lead until the eleventh circuit when Hughes took command. Two laps later, Rickels and McKinney were door to door for second with Rickels coming out ahead. During the fifth lap, Jake Miller’s drive shaft flew out on to the track ending his night with Weistart tangled up with him in the corner of turn two. Both left with the help of the tow truck.
Hughes claimed the win over Rickels, McKinney, Near, Tim Provenzano, Sell, Randy Lucas, Keith Lucas, Jerry Legner, Keith Miller, Jim Prokup and Ande Bivens.
Rickels boasts a comfortable lead in the points chase with over fifty points separating him from Tim Provenzano.
UMP 4 Cylinder Hornets:
Jon Provenzano claimed the new track record with a lap time of 17.704. Nine contenders raced one heat and the feature event with Allen Provenzano taking top honors in both events. Jon Provenzano took second in their heat ahead of JR Brown, Freddie Thatcher, and Crystal Provenzano Broyles. Allen Provenzano quickly took command of the feature from the pole. His victory came over Jon Provenzano, Thatcher, Broyles, Aaron Sutton, Mark Sutton, Brown and Eric Miller.
Allen Provenzano’s domination in the division has earned him the title chase without needing the last night of competition. Before Saturday’s racing he was already seated in the lead by more than one hundred and sixty points over his brother Jon.
La Salle Speedway Results 8/6/11
UMP Late Models: 15 Cars
Qualifying: Rich Bell 13.435
Heat 1: Rich Bell, Mike Provenzano, Keith Piano, Mike Glynn, Nathan Balensiefen
Heat 2: Billy Weistart Jr., Ed Williams Sr., John Piccatto, Dale Markham, Joe Burba
Feature: Mike Provenzano, Keith Piano, Rich Bell, Mike Glynn, Dale Markham, Darin Furar, John Picatto, Lake Knutti, Joe Burba, Brian Lock, Scott Langer, Ed Williams Sr., Nathan Balensiefen, Billy Weistart Jr.
UMP Modifieds: 14 Cars
Qualifying: Jamie Lomax 14.540
Heat 1: Jamie Lomax, Derek Losh, Tom Knippenberg, Dale Lueth, Justin McCoy
Heat 2: AJ May, Mike Marden, Scott Hauge, Kevin Hughes, Brandon Maciejewski
Feature: Jamie Lomax, Derek Losh, AJ May, Tom Knippenberg, Dale Lueth, Matt Gremminger, Autsin Hewitt, Mike Marden, Bill Theodorf, Ken Fischer, Scott Hauge, Brandon Maciejewski, Justin McCoy, Kevin Hughes
UMP Street Stocks: 14 Cars
Qualifying: Roger Rickels 15.635
Heat 1: Roger Rickels, Aaron Near, Mike Hughes, Nick Sell, Mike McKinney
Heat 2: Keith Miller, Randy Lucas, Ryan Weistart, Keith Lucas, Jerry Legner
Feature: Mike Hughes, Roger Rickels, Mike McKinney, Aaron Near, Tim Provenzano, Nick Sell, Randy Lucas, Keith Lucas, Jerry Legner, Keith Miller, Jim Prokup, Ande Bivens, Jake Miller, Ryan Weistart
UMP 4 Cylinder Hornets: 8 Cars
Qualifying: Jon Provenzano 17.704 (Track Record)
Heat 1: Allen Provenzano, Jon Provenzano, JR Brown, Freddie Thatcher, Crystal Provenzano Broyles
Feature: Allen Provenzano, Jon Provenzano, Freddie Thatcher, Crystal Provenzano Broyles, Aaron Sutton, Mark Sutton, JR Brown, Eric Miller