By Sam Stoecklin
Public Relations/Announcer
August 21, 2011
Jim Moody of Odessa, Missouri etched his name onto the storied list of Missouri State Fair Champions Sunday night for a third time as he took his GRT #00 to the Triple AAA winner’s circle at the Historic Half Mile in Sedalia, Missouri. All total, 34 modifieds were on hand as part of the final night of the 2011 state fair. The race had its share of twists and turns both on and off the track in front of a huge crowd of spectators filling the grandstands. The Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models and ASCS Warrior Region 360 Sprint Cars rounded out the lineup of premiere racing action for the enthusiastic fans. All total there were 34 modifieds, 26 late models, and 40 sprint cars among the 100 cars making their way to the speedway.
Three heat races started off the night’s competition for the modifieds as a wide variety of drivers from several local racing venues dotted the line-up sheets. Kyle Westerhold drove a smooth and steady race in the opening heat race to claim the victory of Sedalia driver Terry Schultz who advanced to second from his fourth-starting position. Shad Badder, Nick Newton, and Mark Hoover completed the top five for heat one.
Heat race number two saw Concordia driver Jason Thompson take the checkered flag ahead of sixth-starting Jason Bodenhamer, who would be a major player later on in the night. Behind Bodenhamer in second were Richard Foster, Ron Keith, and David McVey, who led the heat race early on but fought some handling issues to hold on for fifth place. Nick Pence had an exciting encounter with the large dirt pile just off of corner four when his car veered sideways, slamming into the pile. Luckily the dirt pile was there to protect him from hitting the guardrails on the outer portion of the track. He walked away okay in the incident and later made the feature event lineup.
For heat race number three, Jim Moody charged from his fourth-starting position right from the drop of the green flag to claim the win ahead of pole sitter Scotty Roberts of Columbia who finished in second. Nic Bidinger of Perry, Kansas drove John O’Neal’s car to third place in the heat race, one spot ahead of two-time speedway champion Curt Potter of Boonville and Don Crnkovich of Olathe, Kansas.
With the top 16 from passing points now locked into the main event, the top 8 from passing points re-drew for their starting positions and it was Shad Badder and Jason Bodenhamer who claimed the front row by virtue of the redraw. Still, before the main event took to the track, 8 more cars were added through a b-main with Kirby Steins, Paul Snyder, Scotty Martin, Gunner Martin, Travis Johnson, Richard Kimberling, Nick Pence, and Buddy Thompson claiming the final starting-grid position.
In what turned out to be a wild event, Badder and Bodenhamer brought the 24-car starting field to the green flag to get things underway. Bodenhamer quickly shot out to an early race lead over Badder, Moody and Westerhold. The first caution period came on lap 5 when Nick Newton, Steins, Johnson, and Snyder all experienced various problems. Bodenhamer had the Vic and Sheila Austin-owned #34a dialed in on the big half mile and left his peers to battle it out for the runner-up position once green flag race conditions resumed. The second caution appeared on lap 11 for debris with another debris caution period on lap 13. After each restart, Bodenhamer maintained the top spot as Badder and Westerhold had an exciting battle near the front. Moody faded by the mid-point of the race and at one time was as far back as sixth before rebounding in the late stages of the race.
By lap 17, another caution slowed the field with Gunner Martin experiencing problems. The yellow came out again on the restart when a hard-charging Schultz, who had made his way all the way to second place from his seventh starting spot, experienced a flat tire. Schultz was able to quickly make his way into the pit area where his crew was able to change his tire and send him back out to rejoin the race. Thompson and Foster had an on-track skirmish off of the corner two portion of the track, which then continued down the back stretch, and into corner three with both cars heavily damaged from the contact and unable to continue. It was about this time, just when the fans didn’t think things could possibly be any more exciting, that the two leaders got together just after a re-start. Badder was trying to make a low-side pass on Bodenhamer for the lead on lap 18 when the race took on a whole new face. There was contact between the two racers with Bodenhamer’s car winding up spun around to bring out yet another caution. Race officials assessed the situation and Badder was asked to re-join the race on the tail end of the field, instead he pulled out of the race and finished 16th in the final running order.
The enthusiastic and vocal crowd held on for another re-start on lap 19 as Bodenhamer’s night continued to deteriorate when he spun down the front straight in the entrance to corner one. This was the Centerview driver’s second caution period and he had to leave the track where he ultimately finished in 15th position. Scotty Roberts ran strong all-race long up until this point and battled for a top-three finish until his race ended early. With just five laps remaining on the race for the final re-start, Jim Moody began a solid run back to the front as laps wore down. Kyle Westerhold assumed the lead after the late-race ruckus as Moody used the high side to maneuver around him to take command. By this time, Curt Potter and Mark Hoover made their way into the top five with solid performances, bringing along a rebounding Schultz who charged from the tail of the field to fifth.
When lap 25 rolled around, Jim Moody became a three-time champion with Westerhold having a brilliant drive to the runner-up position. Curt Potter was third, followed by Hoover, Schultz, Bidinger, Crnkovich, Scotty Martin (hard charger award winner), Kyle Covert of Topeka, Kansas and David McVey to complete the top ten. In victory lane, Moody was thankful he was able to rebound and called his win a lucky one. When asked what he thought of the racing in front of him he said it was some hard racing and that some lifting probably could have been done. Moody thanked his crew for all of their hard work and was excited to become a three-time champion. Local race photographer Chris Bork of CB Race Photos put up an extra $50 for the winner, making Moody’s win worth $800 for his efforts.
The Lucas Oil MLRA late model 30-lap main event was dominated by Omaha, Nebraska’s John Anderson, who came into the night second in points to 7-time champion Al Purkey. Purkey was able to pass David Turner at the mid-point of the race to come away with the runner-up spot followed by Turner. For a complete recap of the late model portion, visit www.mlraracing.com. In ASCS Warrior Region 360 Sprint Car action the fans in the stands witnessed one of the best sprint car races ever at the historic venue with Brian Brown of Grain Valley, Missouri keeping the fans on their feet as he charged to the front of the field to overtake Dover, Missouri’s Danny Lasoski for the victory on lap 24. It was an exciting way to close out the 2011 Missouri State Fair as Brown was surrounded fans at the conclusion of the race to congratulate him on the drive to the front. For complete sprint-car results and official write-up, visit www.ascsracing.com.
This year’s event was brought to the fans by promoter Reid Millard and race director Clint Brown. Triple AAA Insurance was a major factor in the 2011 Missouri State Fair Championships and their support for the event is greatly appreciated. Visit MSFS online at www.missouristatefairspeedway.com. Everyone at MSFS wishes to thank the drivers and fans in attendance for making it another special night; we look forward to hosting another great night again next year for the 2012 Missouri State Fair Championships!
Modified Feature Race Results
Finish/Car #/Driver/Hometown/Start
1) 00 Jim Moody, Odessa (3)
2) 86k Kyle Westerhold, Blue Springs (4)
3) 11p Curt Potter, Boonville (11)
4) 8h Mark Hoover, Maryville (14)
5) 90 Terry Schultz, Sedalia (7)
6) 15 Nic Bidinger, Perry KS (10)
7) 5c Don Crnkovich, Olathe KS (12)
8) 75m Scotty Martin, Independence (19)
9) 7d7 Kyle Covert, Topeka KS (15)
10) 9i David McVey, Greenwood (16)
11) 25k Ron Keith, Shawnee KS (8)
12) 99 Richard Kimberling (22)
13) 32p Nick Pence, Raymore (23)
14) 75mm Gunner Martin, Blue Springs (20)
15) 34a Jason Bodenhamer, Centerview (2)
16) 73b Shad Badder, Oak Grove (1)
17) 25r Scotty Roberts, Columbia (9)
18) 5b Buddy Thompson, Oak Grove (24)
19) 20 Jason Thompson, Concordia (5)
20) 6f Richard Foster, Holt’s Summit (6)
21) 01 Kirby Steins, Conception Junction (17)
22) 54 Paul Snyder (18)
23) 25t Travis Johnson, Independence (21)
24) x33 Nick Newton, Kansas City KS (13)