Sam Stoecklin
ULMA Public Relations
July 7, 2014
Lucas Cattle Company ULMA racing took place at Lucas Oil Speedway and Callaway Raceway over the weekend, where a pair of former winning drivers returned to victory lane for the first time this season. At Lucas Oil Speedway, Tommy Cordray rang the bell while defending ULMA Rookie of the Year Payton Looney captured the win at Callaway Raceway.
All ULMA action this week was part of the Triple Crown Shootout presented by RacinDirt.com, an industry leader in live and on-demand event video production, website development, sales and marketing, internet broadcasting, and racing news and information, providing in-depth coverage to the sport of dirt track racing. Visit RacinDirt on the web at www.racindirt.com.
Although the third event in the Triple Crown Shootout was washed out by heavy late-afternoon rains at Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, Missouri, the event was still considered a success with Lockwood, Missouri’s Jake Williams ultimately going away with the TCS championship. Payton Looney, Kenny Mudd, Zeke Langley, and Dwight Niehoff rounded out the TCS top five.
Night one of the TCS began at Callaway Raceway in Fulton, Missouri, where a solid field of 19 cars signed in for competition. Three heat races sorted out the main event lineup early in the evening. Defending track champion Payton Looney scored first with his win in the opening heat ahead of Terry Wilson and Terry Gallaher. Jon Melloway bested Jon Binning and Larry Winn for heat two while Justin Russell, Jake Williams, and Kenny Mudd finished 1-2-3 in the final preliminary heat race.
Looney and Melloway earned the most passing points to start on the front row of the main event. From the onset, Melloway looked to be the man to beat as he quickly shot out in front of the pack with a solid lead over Looney, Williams, and Wilson.
Around the halfway point of the race Melloway’s lead had dwindled slightly as by now Looney had begun to reel in the race-long leader. As the pair drew near lapped traffic, Melloway’s dominant night turned into disaster when he slipped up and over the turn three embankment, ultimately handing over the lead to Looney in the process. Melloway returned to the action eventually going on to finish fourteenth in the final rundown.
With Looney now showing the way, Lockwood, Missouri’s Jake Williams set his sights on the youngster to try and take the win. Ninth-starting Kenny Mudd also made his way into the top five as did sixteenth-starting Gage Wineland and twelfth-starting Zeke Langley of Ashland, Missouri.
For the final few laps, Looney mastered the 3/8th-mile surface and held his fellow Southern Missouri comrade at bay to claim the ULMA victory, his first of the season. Williams finished second, and ultimately locked up the Triple Crown Shootout title. Mudd, Wineland, and Langley completed their strong runs inside the top five by coming away third, fourth, and fifth. Rounding out the top ten were, Binning, Wilson, Cox, Winn, and Ryan Peterscheim.
Racing resumes Friday at Callaway Raceway, call 573-592-7795 or 573-642-6580 for details. Track location, 7419 County Road 405, Fulton, MO. Gates open at 5:00 | Hot Laps 7:00 | Race Begins at 7:30. Visit the track online by pointing your browser to www.callawayraceways.net.
Night two of the TCS saw drivers head south to the beautiful Lucas Oil Speedway (LOS) in Wheatland, Missouri where a whopping 28 cars filed into the pits competing for the $1,000-to-win first-place prize. It took three big heat races and a b-main to sort out the 24-car starting lineup. Browning, Missouri’s Tommy Cordray fought hard for the victory in heat one over Brian Schutt and Chris Cox. Pole-sitter Dwight Niehoff led the way in heat two over J.D. Hubert and Ethan Young, while two-time LOS winner Larry Ferris claimed heat three over Kenny Mudd, and Jon Melloway. Payton Looney drove to victory in the b-main.
To start the main event and in conjunction with the ‘Homes for our Troops’ organization, each of the 24 cars on the starting grid released a balloon in honor of the 31 fallen soldiers we’ve lost this year. Cordray and Ferris led the way at the front when racing commenced but a quick caution on lap one slowed the field for Lane Ehlert’s stalled machine. Ferris led the event at this point over Cordray, Niehoff, and Jake Williams.
After racing resumed, Ferris built up a near half straightaway lead on Cordray by lap five and maintained his stronghold at the front through the first 15 laps with Cordray, Hubert, Williams, and Niehoff giving chase.
A caution appeared on lap 22 for Ryan Petersheim’s spin in turn four as the field bunched together for the restart. Running order at this time was still Ferris, Cordray, Hubert, Williams, and Niehoff. Just after the green flag fell, Ferris’ experienced trouble on his #51 and his plans for a third LOS win came to an end as he left the speedway, giving the lead to Cordray. One lap later, Dalton Imhoff’s car spun and brought out the final caution with Evan Hubert also experience trouble through the infield before leaving the race.
For the final few laps, Cordray led the charge over Hubert, Williams, Niehoff, and Schutt within the top five. In the end, Cordray went unchallenged and claimed his first ULMA win of the year and first at LOS, where he is a former track champion. Hubert, Williams, Niehoff, and Looney completed the top five; finishing sixth thru tenth were Schutt, Kenny Mudd, Young, Justin Russell, and Todd McCoin.
Lucas Oil Speedway hosts super late model racing this week with the annual Diamond Nationals event. ULMA late model racing returns to the speedway on Saturday, July 19. Visit www.lucasoilspeedway.com for event information or call the track hotline at (417) 282-5984.
Once again Mother Nature foiled race plans Saturday evening at Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, Missouri. A late afternoon storm brought too much rain for the track to get the program in despite a valiant effort to save the race surface. However, the track is set to host another night of action this weekend as ULMA Late Models return to the program. For track information, visit www.randolphcountyraceway.com or call the track Phone at 660-833-1727. Drivers needing tires prior to the weekend of competition are urged to contact Danny Lorton at 660-651-3646.
Central Missouri Speedway in Warrensburg also hosts ULMA late models on Saturday. Gates are slated to open at 5; hot laps begin at 7, with racing starting at 7:30. Adult general admission is $12, Active and Retired military w/I.D. $10 and seniors 65+ $10. Children ages 6 to 12 are $5 with kids five and under free, pit passes $25. There is no track registration or entry fees for drivers other than pit pass. ULMA drivers will participate in the ‘Homes for our Troops’ Fundraiser throughout the evening. Call the track report line for additional information at (816) 229-1338 or visit www.centralmissourispeedway.net.
On Sunday, Double XX Speedway in California, Missouri hosts ULMA drivers for the final time this season during the track’s annual ‘Race for Riley’ night on July 13. The race night features Hobby Stocks, Street Stocks, and winged 360 Sprints. Several events are planned throughout the night including a Frisbee toss in which lucky fans can win up to a $100, a 50/50 raffle, and an auction to benefit the Riley Michelle Hudson Memorial Fund in conjunction with Children’s Hospital. Gates open at 5 p.m., hot laps begin at 7, with racing at 7:30. Admission is $12, pit passes $25, visit www.xxspeedway.com for additional ‘Race for Riley’ information.
ULMA shirts are now on sale. Kids through adult XL shirts are $15 while XXL and XXXL shirts sell for $17. Shirts may be previewed by visiting the main ULMA website at www.ulmaracing.com. The shirts come in pink, grey, white, and lime green. See the designated ULMA track official to get yours today!
Drivers are encouraged to complete their membership forms prior to taking their first green flag of the season. Membership for the remainder of the year is $100. Drivers should be expected to complete their membership paperwork upon checking in at each of the affiliated tracks.
Visit ULMA’s title sponsor at www.lucascattlecompany.com. ULMA thanks Hoosier Tire Midwest and Rod End Supply for their continued support. ULMA is proud to announce the return of RacingJunk.com to the sponsorship fold for the association. RacingJunk.com is the official classifieds of the ULMA. For more information on ULMA, visit www.ulmaracing.com.
Standings as of July 6, 2014
POS # NAME STARTS POINTS
1st 1T Chris Cox 18 1429
2nd 9D Dwight Niehoff 14 1313
3rd 12 Payton Looney 13 1258
4th 23 Zeke Langley 13 1226
5th 65 Jon Binning 12 1102
6th 72 Jake Williams 11 1090
7th 7E Phil Edmondson 11 979
8th 0X Justin Russell 10 892
9th 7 JD Hubert 9 843
10th 23 Ethan Young ® 9 824
Upcoming Events
Friday, July 11 – Callaway Raceway
Saturday, July 12 – Randolph County Raceway
Saturday, July 12 – Central Missouri Speedway
Sunday, July 13 – Double XX Speedway