Double X Speedway
California, MO
August 3, 2014
By: Dean Reichel
For Immediate Release-
The curtain has drawn on the 2014 racing season at Double X Speedway. For 25 consecutive seasons the clay oval has provided fans and drivers from across the nation with a “hometown” version of Sunday Night Thunder. The final night of competition was highlighted by a veteran visiting victory lane along with the crowning of the champions in the point battles in each division. The mainstay of those 25 season has been the winged sprint cars and Sunday night saw another mainstay picking up the feature win. California, MO veteran Randy Martin has had some very strong runs this season in the sprint car division, running weekly in the #0 machine of car owner John Thoenen. Sunday night Martin was not to be denied as he earned the pole position for the feature event by having a strong run in his qualifying heat race. Leading the field to the green flag along with fellow heat winner Corey Nelson on the outside of row one and traveling veteran Mitchell Moore winner of heat three starting right behind him, Martin was able to take the lead on lap one and hold off the strong challenges behind him to secure the victory. Using all of the grooves on the racing surface Martin held off the early challenges of Nelson who was running a strong second for many laps until he was passed by another veteran of many seasons at Double X, Lanny Carpenter who made a strong run to claim second at the checkered flag. Young Nelson finished third with rookie Ricky Stangl claiming fourth. Fifth place went to Kyle Bellm, Mitchell Moore was sixth, California driver Tyler Blank, who had to change the rear end in his car after hot laps came from thirteenth the finish seventh, eighth went to TJ Muths, ninth was Curtis Boyer and tenth place went to first time sprint car competitor Kameron Key. Martin was joined on the front starightaway by Carpenter as the two veterans enjoyed another evening in the spot light at Double X. The B feature in the class was won by Taylor Walton. Joining Walton in transferring to the main event were Cody Baker, Brandon Imhoff, Nathan Ryun and Tyler Elliott who charged from 20th starting position in the A to finish 11th.
The Street Stock devision saw veteran John Clancy claim the victory over another driver very familiar with the clay at Double X, Steve Beach in second. First year driver Cole Henson finished a solid third with Dylan Bias and Blake Davidson rounding out the top five. Cole Graves, Destiny Dowell and Dale Berry completed the field. Berry and Beach claimed the heat race victories.
It was a stellar night for Gage Wineland as he picked up the win in the Hobby Stock feature event. After starting sixth on the grid Wineland moved past early leader Will Register on lap three and did not look back in claiming the victory. Register ran a strong second holding off first year driver Eddie Lavery III, Chuck Coffey was fourth and Cole Canada crossed the strip in fifth. Claiminf positions six through ten were Kevin Prall, AJ Wirts, Mike Schrader, Laura Atkinson and Rudy Wirts respectively. Heat races were won by Coffey and Register.
The 600cc Micro Sprints were on hand to fill out the card for the final event of the season and it was Mile Paulus standing tall in victory lane. Paulus led form the outset and was followed under the checker by Nick Schaefer, Scott Hathman, Quinton Benson and Ayrton Gennetten in the top five. Jordan Howell was sixth, Dean Hathman seventh, Brian Lunsford eighth, Clinton Boyles ninth and Kyle Schlotz rounded out the top ten. Heat races were claimed by Paulus and Schaefer.
After the evenings races were complete the awards were presented to the top point earners in each division that compete each week. In the Hobby Stock class the top tan in points were 1st Gage WIneland, 2nd Kevin Prall, 3rd Will Register, 4th Mike Schrader, 5th Chuck Coffey, 6th Eddie Lavery III, 7th Rudy Wirts, 8th AJ Wirts, 9th Laura Atkinson and 10th Rodger Deatherage. Perfect Attendance Awards for ths division were Gage Wineland, Kevin Prall, Mike Schrader and Rudy Wirts. Eddie Lavery III was crowned as the Rookie of the Year in the Hobby Stock class.
In the STreet Stock division eight driver were eligible for year end point awards. 1st John Clancy, 2nd Steve Beach, 3rd Cole Henson, 4th Dale Berry, 5th Chris Dunham, 6th Harlan Dowell, 7th Curt Turpin and 8th Jake Dent. John Clancy and Cole Henson were onored for their perfct attendance and Cole Henson was named Rookie of the Year for 2014.
In the winged sprint cars which had some of the highest car counts this season in recent memory, 14 driver earned point awards for their efforts this year, Champion in the division was Jonathan Cornell, 2nd Kyle Bellm, 3rd Randy Martin, 4th Tyler Blank, 5th Corey Nelson, 6th TJ Muths, 7th Taylor Walton, 8th Evan Martin, 9th Brad Ryun, 10th Ricky Stangl, 11th Lanny Carpenter, 12th Tyler Elliott, 13th Casey Baker and 14th AJ Wirts. Perfct attendance awards went to Kyle Bellm, Randy Martin, Tyler Blank and TJ Muths. Ricky Stangl was honored as the Rookie of the Year in the Sprint Car division.
The People’s Choice award, voted on by the fans for their favorite driver went to Kevin Prall from the Hobby Stock division and Glen and Linda Burligame were given the award for Outstanding Service to DOuble X.
After the awards ceremony the fun races for the year were run. In the Hobby Stock division the Powder Puff race was won by Tanya Canada with a turn four, last lap pass.Second was Shelley Fisher, third was Rachael Crowder and fourth was Ellie Wirts. The mechanics race in the Hobby Stocks ws claimed by Craig Halderman, Jason Johnson was second and Dillon Davenport was third.
The 600cc Micro Sprint Powder Puff was also won with a turn four last lap pass by Kelsey Brauner. Second was Vonnie Lewis and third went to Sasha Sullivan. The mechanics race in this division was won by Daniel Steen over Adam Skinner and Troy Schlotz.
The Street Stock Mechanics race was won by Jimmy Rogers, second was Ryan Middaugh and third was Gage Wineland.
In the Sprint Car division, only the mechanics race was contested with Richard Brainard picking up the win, Ricky Bland was second, Rudy Wirts was third and Tom Kreisel was fourth.
The final race of the night was the “Family Tradition” race for three generation of the Brown family of Marshall. Young Ben Brown claimed the victory over second grandfather Davis Brown and Ben’s dad Frank Brown in third.
Double X Speedway track owners and operators Kyle and Carol Wirts and the entire staff say “Thank You” all of the fans and competitors, sponsors and support personnel for the making the 25th season of Sunday Night Thunder a resounding success, and we all look forward to having you join us for the beginning of the 26th seaon in 2015.
Results–
Winged Sprint Cars-
Feature-
1. 0-Randy Martin; 2. 24C-Lanny Carpenter; 3. 34-Corey Nelson; 4. 24S-Ricky Stangl; 5. 77-Kyle Bellm; 6. 51-Mitchell Moore; 7. 75-Tyler Blank; 8. 65-TJ Muths; 9. 72-Curtis Boyer; 10. 93-Kameron Key; 11. 49E-Tyler Elliott; 12. 38-Cody Baker; 13. 15-Taylor Walton; 14. 43-Frank Brown; 15. 4-Brandon Imhoff; 16. 49B-Ben Brown; 17. 9-Casey Baker; 18. 18X-Nathan Ryun; 19. 1X-Brad Ryun; 20. XX-AJ Wirts
B Feature-
1. Walton; 2. Cody Baker; 3. Imhoff; 4. N. Ryun; 5. T. Elliott; 6.10-Will Register; 7. 48-David Brown; 8. 75X-Broc Elliott (DNS)
Heat 1-
1. Martin; 2. Carpenter; 3. B. Ryun; 4. Boyer’; 5. Blank; 6. Walton; 7. D. Brown; 8. Cody Baker
Heat 2-
1. Nelson; 2. Muths; 3. Stangl; 4. B. Brown; 5. F. Brown; 6. Imhoff; 7. N. Ryun; 8. Register
Heat 3-
1. Moore; 2. Bellm; 3. Key; 4. Casey Baker; 5. Wirts; 6. B. Elliott; 7. T.Elliott
Street Stocks-
Feature-
1. 8-John Clancy; 2. 10-Steve Beach; 3. 31C-Cole Henson; 4. 43-Dylan Bias; 5. B-Blake Davidson; 6. 45-Cole Graves; 7. 29D-Destiny Dowell; 8. 05- Dale Berry
Heat 1-
1. Berry; 2. Clancy; 3. Henson; 4. Graves
Heat 2-
1. Beach; 2. Bias; 3. Davidson; 4. Dowell
Hobby Stocks-
Feature-
1. 12G-Gage Wineland; 2. 77-Will Register; 3. 4-Eddie Lavery III; 4. 171-Chuck Coffey; 5. 10X-Cole Canada; 6. 14-Kevin Prall; 7. XX-AJ Wirts; 8. 11-Mike Schrader; 9. 4A-Laura Atkinson; 10. 2X-Rudy Wirts; 11. 15-Katie Goodson; 12. 88-Rodger Deatherage; 13. 8-Bryan Alumbaugh
Heat 1-
1. Coffey; 2. Schrader; 3. Lavery; 4. Prall; 5. Goodson; 6. Alumbaugh; 7. Atkinson
Heat 2-
1. Register; 2. Canada; 3. Wineland; 4. Deatherage; 5. R. Wirts; 6. AJ Wirts
600cc Micro Sprints=
Feature-
1. 98P-Miles Paulus; 2. 9S-Nick Schaefer; 3. 56-Scott Hathman; 4. 15B-Quinton Benson; 5. 44-Ayrton Gennetten; 6. 3J-Jordan Howell; 7. 56H-Dean Hathman; 8. 8-Brian Lunsford; 9. 7JR-Clinton Boyles; 10. 749-Kyle Schlotz; 11. 75-Travis Arnold; 12. 3K-Kyle Spry; 13. 5-Paul Alberson; 14. 14L-Carl Lewis; 15. 88-Jimmy Dowell; 16. 3G-Garet Williamson; 17. 61-Jeremy Boyer; 18. 02-Austin Crane.
Heat 1-
1. Paulus; 2. S. Hathman; 3. Howell; 4. D. Hathman; 5. Dowell; 6. Alberson; 7. Boyles; 8. Crane; 9. Arnold
Heat 2-
1. Schaefer; 2. Benson; 3. Lunsford; 4. Gennetten; 5. Schlotz; 6. Spry; 7. Lewis; 8. Boyer; 9. Williamson