by Bill Martin
VICTORVILLE, Calif. -- Success in one IMCA Modified series continues to carry over into a second for Ryan Cotrell.
Cotrell made the 240-mile trip from Las Vegas to sweep Jan. 29 and 30 SoCal Speedway Winter Series features. He now owns three victories and a third place finish in four starts this sea*son at Victorville.
“I ran with the EQ Wild West Modified Tour bunch last year and they’ve got good talent,” said Cotrell, who led all drivers on that circuit with five feature wins. “It made me a better driver, that’s for sure.”
He moved to the front near midway of both 30-lappers after starting ninth on Saturday and fifth on Sun*day. Cotrell ran three wide with Brad Pounds and Randy Thornell before taking the lead follow*ing a restart in the Sunday show.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start this season,” Cotrell said. “After we finished the WWMT last fall, we went to work on the cars, got the trailer organized and went back to it.”
While planning to follow the 10-date Evenson Law Office Ironman Challenge Series in June and get as many starts in as possible, Cotrell hasn’t committed himself to chasing national or ButlerBuilt West*ern Region crowns.
“We just want to do as well as we can every weekend,” he said. “We’re not thinking about na*tional or regional points.”
Andy Obertello was two car lengths off the pace Saturday, with Danny Lauer, Thornell and Ron*nie Meyer Jr. completing the top five. Sunday’s finish wasn’t as close, with Pounds, Thornell, Lauer and Obertello chasing Cotrell across the stripe.
All Winter Series features pay $1,000 to win and are qualifying events for the 2011 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. The series continues Feb. 12-13 and concludes Feb. 26-27.
Feature Results
Jan. 29 – 1. Ryan Cotrell; 2. Andy Obertello; 3. Danny Lauer; 4. Randy Thornell; 5. Ronnie Meyer Jr.; 6. Ryan Lauer; 7. Robert Witwer; 8. Billy Wormsbecker; 9. Dave Clark; 10. Brad Pounds; 11. Jimmy Reeves; 12. Joey Yantis; 13. Jim Bonetti; 14. Joseph Kent; 15. William Meyer; 16. Austin Black.
Jan 30 – 1. Cotrell; 2. Pounds; 3. Thornell; 4. Danny Lauer; 5. Obertello; 6. Todd Nunnally; 7. Kent; 8. Witwer; 9. Joseph Altig; 10. Bonetti; 11. Black; 12. William Meyer; 13. Clark; 14. Keith Smith; 15. Wormsbecker; 16. Robby Sawyer; 17. Ronnie Meyer Jr.; 18. Ryan Lauer; 19. Reeves.
VICTORVILLE, Calif. -- Success in one IMCA Modified series continues to carry over into a second for Ryan Cotrell.
Cotrell made the 240-mile trip from Las Vegas to sweep Jan. 29 and 30 SoCal Speedway Winter Series features. He now owns three victories and a third place finish in four starts this sea*son at Victorville.
“I ran with the EQ Wild West Modified Tour bunch last year and they’ve got good talent,” said Cotrell, who led all drivers on that circuit with five feature wins. “It made me a better driver, that’s for sure.”
He moved to the front near midway of both 30-lappers after starting ninth on Saturday and fifth on Sun*day. Cotrell ran three wide with Brad Pounds and Randy Thornell before taking the lead follow*ing a restart in the Sunday show.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start this season,” Cotrell said. “After we finished the WWMT last fall, we went to work on the cars, got the trailer organized and went back to it.”
While planning to follow the 10-date Evenson Law Office Ironman Challenge Series in June and get as many starts in as possible, Cotrell hasn’t committed himself to chasing national or ButlerBuilt West*ern Region crowns.
“We just want to do as well as we can every weekend,” he said. “We’re not thinking about na*tional or regional points.”
Andy Obertello was two car lengths off the pace Saturday, with Danny Lauer, Thornell and Ron*nie Meyer Jr. completing the top five. Sunday’s finish wasn’t as close, with Pounds, Thornell, Lauer and Obertello chasing Cotrell across the stripe.
All Winter Series features pay $1,000 to win and are qualifying events for the 2011 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. The series continues Feb. 12-13 and concludes Feb. 26-27.
Feature Results
Jan. 29 – 1. Ryan Cotrell; 2. Andy Obertello; 3. Danny Lauer; 4. Randy Thornell; 5. Ronnie Meyer Jr.; 6. Ryan Lauer; 7. Robert Witwer; 8. Billy Wormsbecker; 9. Dave Clark; 10. Brad Pounds; 11. Jimmy Reeves; 12. Joey Yantis; 13. Jim Bonetti; 14. Joseph Kent; 15. William Meyer; 16. Austin Black.
Jan 30 – 1. Cotrell; 2. Pounds; 3. Thornell; 4. Danny Lauer; 5. Obertello; 6. Todd Nunnally; 7. Kent; 8. Witwer; 9. Joseph Altig; 10. Bonetti; 11. Black; 12. William Meyer; 13. Clark; 14. Keith Smith; 15. Wormsbecker; 16. Robby Sawyer; 17. Ronnie Meyer Jr.; 18. Ryan Lauer; 19. Reeves.
