(LEBANON, Missouri . . . by Sarah Woodhurst) One of the largest crowds of the 2011 season was on hand for a great night of racing at Lebanon I-44 Speedway on Saturday, August 13. 15-year-old Cole Williams of Sellersburg, Indiana showed superb driving talent as he won his first Late Model feature of the season on ‘Hardee’s Night at the Races’. Tyler Scott claimed his eighth Modified victory of the season, while Josh Ratliff won the 20-lap ‘Charger Mania’ feature event, his fifth win of the season. Blake Sanford of Rolla was crowned the winner of the Sportsman feature and Sam Shaw of Rogersville won the Road Warrior race.

The feature division Late Model class is arguably the most competitive it has been all year, with drivers chasing not only wins, but championship points as well. Youngster Cole Williams traveled six hours from Indiana to race at the paved I-44 Speedway, and was all smiles at the end of the 30-lap event as he announced, “I feel like I just won the Daytona 500.”

Williams took the lead from Conway’s Grant Sharp on lap three and was able to hold the position for the remainder of the race. The previous week’s winner, Justin Jennings, worked his way from ‘tailback’ to third place by mid-race, but contact between him and Camdenton’s Ken Dickinson, who was driving Robert Baltzell’s #16 car after his #9 back-up car went up in smoke in hot laps, sent Dickinson to the pits with damage and Jennings to the back of the pack. Points leader Chrissy Wallace of Concord, NC then took over the second spot as she gained ground on Williams in the final laps, and finished the race close behind. Crispen Beaver of Joplin came home in third, Sharp in fourth, and Springfield’s ‘Jammin’ Jimmy’ Vanzandt rounded out the top five.

‘The Nixa Nightmare’ Tyler Scott made his way back to Monster Energy Victory Lane for the eighth time this season after he dominated the 20-lap Modified race. Jason Otto of Richland grabbed the second position from Fair Grove’s Stephen Counterman on lap nine and was able to maintain the position for the remaining 11 laps. A caution on lap 16 ended Kevin Blackburn and Riley Sharp’s night due to a collision in turn four that left both cars with a lot of damage. Scott widened his lead again on the restart with Otto finishing second, Payton Lucas of Strafford in third, Phil Harris in fourth, and Counterman in fifth.

Eight cars checked in for the special 20-lap ‘Charger Mania’ event and, as always in the Charger division, drivers were door-to-door for the majority of the race. Cars were lined up three-wide on the exciting race start where Seth Jacobs rocketed from the back to first place on the first lap. Josh Ratliff of Rolla worked his way up to second place before a ‘competition caution’ on lap ten. During the mid-race stop, a coin flip decided that there would be a full invert of the field on the restart. This put Jacobs and Ratliff in the back. Gary Davenport of Marshfield took the lead on the restart, but couldn’t hold off the hard-charging #21 car of Ratliff. Jacobs and LaQuey’s Larry Hunter fought hard for the second position for the last few laps. Jacobs ended up in second, followed by Hunter in third, Davenport in fourth, and Nick Cherry of Springfield in fifth.

“It was a tough race,” Ratliff said. “I knew in those first ten laps that I had my hands full. I knew I could catch him (Jacobs), I just didn’t know how hard it would be to get around him. As always, I appreciate everybody coming out tonight and I hope everybody’s enjoying this as much as I am.”

Blake Sanford of Rolla won his first Sportsman feature event of the season in his third race in a stock car. Sanford, who is driving a car owned by Kevin Crider, previously raced go-karts and is now gaining seat-time in a stock car, hoping to continue his journey in the sport. JC Newell of Stoutland raced his way around the track in second place until a power move by Marshfield’s Toby Harden on lap seven which put Harden in the runner-up spot. A battle for third then commenced as Newell, Rick Sharp of Fair Grove, and Aaron Douglas of Lebanon were bumper to bumper for the remaining laps. Sanford strolled into victory lane followed by Harden in second, Newell in third, Sharp in fourth, and Douglas in fifth.

Nine cars checked into the Road Warrior feature, but no one was able to beat the #98 car driven by Sam Shaw of Rogersville. Modified racer, Jason Otto, showed his driving talent in a full-size, steel-bodied car by finishing second after a hard-fought battle with Shaw’s brother Steve, also of Rogersville. Another Rogersville native, Mike Scott, claimed the fourth position, and dirt-track racer Brandon Henderson of Lebanon finished fifth.

On a night when the track and event sponsor Hardee’s were saluting the accomplishments and history of Scouting, several area Boy and Girl Scout troops, as well as Cub Scout packs, took advantage of free admission for their members who showed up in Scout uniforms. The Scouts also participated in the Opening Ceremonies, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, singing the National Anthem and serving as the Official Color Guard.

Next Saturday night’s ‘Kickin’ Asphalt’ show at Lebanon I-44 Speedway will feature the first annual ‘Cookin’ From Scratch Burnout Extravaganza’, all five ASA-sanctioned stock car racing classes, plus the return of the OMSRA ‘Outlaw Mini Stock’ racecars. Complete information about I-44 Speedway’s 2011 racing schedule, racecar construction specifications and general rules may be found on the track’s official website, www.i44speedway.com.

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RACE RESULTS

LATE MODELS
HEAT 1
1) 10 DALE ROPER JR
2) 45 CRISPEN BEAVER
3) O2 BRIAN BROWN
4) 2 GRANT SHARP
5) 3 TUCKER CORY

HEAT 2
1) 56 JUSTIN JENNINGS
2) 16/21 KEN DICKINSON
3) 46 COLE WILLIAMS
4) 67 JIM VANZANDT
5) 22 SCOTT ATKINSON

HEAT 3
1) 93 CHRISSY WALLACE
2) 18 JIM REAVES
3) 7 JEREMY MANES

FEATURE
1) 46 COLE WILLIAMS SELLERSBURG, IN
2) 93 CHRISSY WALLACE CONCORD, NC
3) 45 CRISPEN BEAVER JOPLIN
4) 2 GRANT SHARP CONWAY
5) 67 JIM VANZANDT SPRINGFIELD
6) 18 JIM REAVES STRAFFORD
7) 56 JUSTIN JENNINGS LAGRANGE
8) 7 JEREMY MANES NIXA
9) 22 SCOTT ATKINSON CONWAY
10) 3 TUCKER COREY
11) 16/21 KEN DICKINSON CAMDENTON
12) 10 DALE ROPER JR FAIR GROVE
13) 2 BRIAN BROWN SPRINGFIELD
77 MIKE SLONE – DNS ROLLA

MODIFIEDS
HEAT 1
1) 8 JASON OTTO
2) 26 PAYTON LUCAS
3) 15 DALE ROPER
4) 25 STEPHEN COUNTERMAN
HEAT 2
1) 44 KEVIN BLACKBURN
2) 9 PHIL HARRIS
3) 33 RILEY SHARP
4) 57 TYLER SCOTT

FEATURE
1) 57 TYLER SCOTT NIXA
2) 8 JASON OTTO RICHLAND
3) 26 PAYTON LUCAS STRAFFORD
4) 9 PHIL HARRIS
5) 25 STEPHEN COUNTERMAN FAIR GROVE
6) 33 RILEY SHARP STRAFFORD
7) 44 KEVIN BLACKBURN LEBANON
8) 15 DALE ROPER FAIR GROVE

SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1
1) 10 RICK SHARP
2) 83 JC NEWELL
3) 1 TOBY HARDEN
4) 7 AARON DOUGLAS
5) 77 BLAKE SANFORD
6) 63 CHUCK HIGDON

FEATURE
1) 77 BLAKE SANFORD ROLLA
2) 1 TOBY HARDEN MARSHFIELD
3) 83 JC NEWELL STOUTLAND
4) 10 RICK SHARP FAIR GROVE
5) 7 AARON DOUGLAS LEBANON
6) 63 CHUCK HIGDON STRAFFORD

ROAD WARRIORS
HEAT 1
1) 98 SAM SHAW
2) 33 MIKE SCOTT
3) 76 BRANDON HENDERSON
4) 35 GARY BALL
5) 7x JOSH LEWIS

HEAT 2
1) 6 DUSTIN REEVES
2) 90 STEVE SHAW
3) 12 JASON OTT0
4) 7 ADAM LOWRANCE

FEATURE
1) 98 SAM SHAW ROGERSVILLE
2) 12 JASON OTTO RICHLAND
3) 90 STEVE SHAW ROGERSVILLE
4) 33 MIKE SCOTT ROGERSVILLE
5) 76 BRANDON HENDERSON LEBANON
6) 35 GARY BALL LEBANON
7) 7X JOSH LEWIS
8) 7 ADAM LOWRANCE
9) 6 DUSTIN REEVES CAMDENTON

CHARGERS
HEAT 1
1) 74 LARRY HUNTER
2) 7 SHAWN JONES
3) 10 GARY DAVENPORT
4) 1 AMANDA PAGE

HEAT 2
1) 25 SETH JACOBS
2) 21 JOSH RATLIFF
3) 34 CASTON JONES
4) 27 NICK CHERRY

FEATURE (“CHARGER MANIA”)
1) 21 JOSH RATLIFF ROLLA
2) 25 SETH JACOBS
3) 74 LARRY HUNTER LAQUEY
4) 10 GARY DAVENPORT MARSHFIELD
5) 27 NICK CHERRY SPRINGFIELD
6) 1 AMANDA PAGE SPRINGFIELD
7) 7 SHAWN JONES BELLE
8) 34 CASTON JONES BELLE