By: Chris Nunn
Dan Hamstra of Wheatfield, IN took advantage of a Danny Schwartz heartbreak en route to the UMP Modified victory at VCS on Friday night. The 20 lap main event saw Danny Schwartz lead the field through the first circuit of racing, with Arby Burton and Dan Hamstra waging war for the second position. Hamstra would grab the position from Burton as the duo came down the front straight. Lap two saw the first yellow of the event fly for Travis Shoulders in turn four. On the restart, Hamstra tryed to get under Schwartz for the point, only to have Schwartz shut the door on him coming out of turn four. Hamstra then moved to a higher groove on the track to make a move on Schwartz. Just as he got around Schwartz, the caution flew for Doug Jones, who was around in turn four. The lap five restart would be nullified, as Jason Hastings found himself looking the opposite direction in turn one. When racing resumed, Schwartz held his bottom line, while Hamstra kept working the middle groove in an attempt to get by. Lap seven would see Hamstra try to get under Schwartz coming out of turn two. When the duo hit turn three, Schwartz drifted all the way up the track, allowing Hamstra by for the point. Unfortunately for Schwartz, this wasnt a mistake, but a problem on the car. Schwartz brought out the yellow one lap later, stalling in turn four. With Schwartz out, this put Burton up to the runner up spot and Craig Conyer up to third. Hamstra flexed his muscle on the restart, pulling away from Burton and Conyer. With no cautions from then on, Hamstra easily took the win over Burton, Conyer, Terry Duncan, and Jamie Henson rounded out the top five.
The UMP Street Stock feature event started off with a caution, as Jim Bob Ransom looped his mount in turn two. When the green flew on the second start, Jerrad Crick shot under both Scott Tidwell and Jonah Buyno in turn one, and snared the lead. Buyno would fall into second, with Tidwell third. Behind them, Ransom slid by Steve Nolen, Jr. for the fourth position. The field slowed on lap four, as Scott Miller spun in turn two. At this point, the top five were Crick, Buyno, Tidwell, Ransom, and Nolen. On the restart, Crick would widen his lead a little over Buyno, with Tidwell and Ransom in chase. The top five were spread out as the field took the halfway signal, with everyone on the bottom. Another caution would bunch up the field on lap seven, as Scott Miller and Eric Kinkade went around in turn two. The restart once again saw Crick lead the field to the green flag, with Buyno and Tidwell falling in behind. Crick led until the lap 12 caution, then pulled off the speedway during the yellow with a broken mini spool. Thie would put Buyno to the point, where he would stay until the finish. Following Buyno to the line were Tidwell, Ransom, Nolen Jr, and Larry Matillo.
Jack Dowers dominated the Pure Stock portion of the program, running away with his heat, and then running away with the feature. Dowers started from the pole, leading the first lap with Randy Schuman in tow. The car to watch at the time was the #34 of Jake Johnson who, by lap four, was up to third from ninth. Johnson fell back to the fourth spot, as Walter Parson got around him on lap eight. Johnson's night got worse, as he pulled off the track a short time later. As the field took the white flag, Parson would unexpectedly find himself in the runner up spot, as Schuman pulled into the infield. Dowers, however, was in his own area code finishing ahead of Parson, Tony Mitchell, Skip Kirts, and Gordon Parsons, Jr.
The 600cc Micro Mini Sprint main event saw its own blend of controversy/action, as Jonathan Hendrick claimed the win. The initial start was called back due to a yellow for Lucas Sprague in turn two. When the green flew, it was Ryan Wilson bolting out to a substantial advantage over Bryce Hites. Hites would lose the second spot to Hendrick just a lap later. As laps clicked down, Hendrick was slowly reeling in Wilson like a fisherman on a prize catch. While that was going on, Sprague was rebounding from his first lap spin, moving to the fifth spot. Back up front, Hendrick was right on Wilson's fuel tank as the lead duo completed lap nine. On the tenth circut, Hendrick and Wilson went hard into turn three, resulting in Wilson looping his ride and bringing out the yellow. With no indication of foul play, track officials could not make a decision on whether or not it was intentional, so both drivers reclaimed their spots. On the restart, Hendrick did not let up on Wilson, staying on his bumper the whole time. Hendrick finally got by Wilson for the lead on lap 13, and pulled away for the remaining two laps to take the victory. Trailing Hendrick and Wilson at the line were, Will Sylvester, Nathan Charron, and Lucas Sprague.
Paul Weisman found himself in victory lane in the Hornet division, as race leader Jake Honaker dropped out of the race with just one lap to go. At the start of the event, a three wide battle for the lead took place between Honaker, Tony Tidwell, and Jim Cross, Sr. Honaker emerged as the winner of that battle, with Cross coming out second. Tidwell would lose his third spot just a short time later to Weisman on lap six. While that was going on, Honaker was pulling away from the field, looking to ensure a victory. Unfortunately for Honaker, he didnt see the checkers, as he pulled into the infield with problems. This handed the lead to Weisman, who held on for the win over Cross, Tidwell, Jonah Buyno, and Anthony Ashby
SUMMARY
UMP MODIFIEDS (28 Entries)
HEAT ONE: Arby Burton, Danny Schwartz, Aaron Ricketts, Rob Fuqua, Jammie Wilson, Ryan Cary, Dave Baldwin, Gabe Menser, Denny Schwartz, John Moore
HEAT TWO: Dan Hamstra, Travis Shoulders, Roger Cary, Doug Jones, Tim Reynolds, Cody Hood, Jim Bailey, Terry Pichon, Brian McDaniels
HEAT THREE: Craig Conyer, Terry Duncan, Jason Hastings, Jamie Henson, Bill Wagoner, Mitch Brown, Steve Evans, Don Kiger, Daryl Herbert
CONSI: Denny Schwartz, Cody Hood, Don Kiger, Terry Pichon, Mitch Brown, Jim Bailey, Dave Baldwin, Steve Evans, Gabe Menser, Brian McDaniels, John Moore, Daryl Herbert
FEATURE: Dan Hamstra, Arby Burton, Craig Conyer, Terry Duncan, Jamie Henson, Roger Cary, Jammie Wilson, Aaron Ricketts, Tim Reynolds, Rob Fuqua, Cody Hood, Don Kiger, Terry Pichon, Travis Shoulders, Jason Hastings, Ryan Cary, Doug Jones, Denny Schwartz, Bill Wagoner, Danny Schwartz
UMP STREET STOCKS (26 ENTRIES)
HEAT ONE: Steve Nolen Jr, Jonah Buyno, Chad Ziegler, Tony Tidwell Jr, Jesse Simmons, Dan Allen, Wes Parsons, Jason Turner, Josh Foxworthy
HEAT TWO: Scott Tidwell, Joe Buyno, Mike Hope, Jim Bob Ransom, Mike Goodwin, Eric Kinkade, Mike Johnson, Neil Rollins, Jim Sullivan
HEAT THREE: Frank Wright, Jerrad Krick, Lee Hall, Larry Matillo, Daniel Foxworthy, Stephanie Magotte, Scott Miller, Chris McCoy
CONSI: Chris McCoy, Josh Foxworthy, Scott Miller, Neil Rollins, Stephanie Magotte, Dan Allen, Mike Johnson, Wes Parsons, Jim Sullvan, Jason Turner
FEATURE: Jonah Buyno, Scott Tidwell, Jim Bob Ransom, Steve Nolen Jr, Larry Matillo, Joe Buyno, Lee Hall, Daniel Foxworthy, Frank Wright, Chris McCoy, Jesse Simmons, Mike Hope, Josh Foxworthy, Stephanie Magotte, Scott Miller, Tony Tidwell Jr, Jerrad Crick, Eric Kinkade, Mike Goodwin, Chad Ziegler
PURE STOCKS ( 11 ENTRIES)
HEAT: Jack Dowers, Randy Schuman, Tony Mitchell, Walter Parson, Gordon Parsons Jr, Skip Kirts, David Henderson, Don Treadway, Jake Johnson, Lance Evans
FEATURE: Jack Dowers, Walter Parson, Tony Mitchell, Skip Kirts, Gordon Parsons Jr, Randy Schuman, Jake Johnson
600CC MICRO MINI SPRINTS (12 ENTRIES)
HEAT ONE: Bryce Hites, Ryan Wilson, Ian Keller, Caleb Graybeal, Ben Wagoner, Lucas Sprague
HEAT TWO: Wesley Gordon, Jonathan Hendrick, Will Sylvester, Nathan Charron, Kenny Biro, Kasey Schrock
FEATURE: Jonathan Hendrick, Ryan Wilson, Will Sylvester, Nathan Charron, Lucas Sprague, Wesley Gordon, Kasey Schrock, Kenny Biro, Caleb Graybeal, Bryce Hites, Ben Wagner, Ian Keller
HORNETS ( 18 ENTRIES)
HEAT ONE: Jim Cross Sr, Tommy Tidwell, Jonah Buyno, Paul Weisman, Anthony Ashby, Angela Toney, Ryan Tucker, Chis Graves, Luke Smith
HEAT TWO: James Buyno, Kenny Tidwell, Jim Cross Jr, Jake Honaker, Chris Newell, Danny Cope, Matthew Marrow, Mike Pollitt, Kevin Grant
FEATURE: Paul Weisman, Jim Cross Sr, Tommy Tidwell, Jonah Buyno, Anthony Ashby, Chris Newell, Jonah Buyno, Kevin Grant, Mike Pollitt, Danny Cope, Luke Smith, Ryan Tucker, Chris Graves, Matthew Marrow, Angela Toney, Jake Honaker, Jim Cross Jr, Kenny Tidwell
Dan Hamstra of Wheatfield, IN took advantage of a Danny Schwartz heartbreak en route to the UMP Modified victory at VCS on Friday night. The 20 lap main event saw Danny Schwartz lead the field through the first circuit of racing, with Arby Burton and Dan Hamstra waging war for the second position. Hamstra would grab the position from Burton as the duo came down the front straight. Lap two saw the first yellow of the event fly for Travis Shoulders in turn four. On the restart, Hamstra tryed to get under Schwartz for the point, only to have Schwartz shut the door on him coming out of turn four. Hamstra then moved to a higher groove on the track to make a move on Schwartz. Just as he got around Schwartz, the caution flew for Doug Jones, who was around in turn four. The lap five restart would be nullified, as Jason Hastings found himself looking the opposite direction in turn one. When racing resumed, Schwartz held his bottom line, while Hamstra kept working the middle groove in an attempt to get by. Lap seven would see Hamstra try to get under Schwartz coming out of turn two. When the duo hit turn three, Schwartz drifted all the way up the track, allowing Hamstra by for the point. Unfortunately for Schwartz, this wasnt a mistake, but a problem on the car. Schwartz brought out the yellow one lap later, stalling in turn four. With Schwartz out, this put Burton up to the runner up spot and Craig Conyer up to third. Hamstra flexed his muscle on the restart, pulling away from Burton and Conyer. With no cautions from then on, Hamstra easily took the win over Burton, Conyer, Terry Duncan, and Jamie Henson rounded out the top five.
The UMP Street Stock feature event started off with a caution, as Jim Bob Ransom looped his mount in turn two. When the green flew on the second start, Jerrad Crick shot under both Scott Tidwell and Jonah Buyno in turn one, and snared the lead. Buyno would fall into second, with Tidwell third. Behind them, Ransom slid by Steve Nolen, Jr. for the fourth position. The field slowed on lap four, as Scott Miller spun in turn two. At this point, the top five were Crick, Buyno, Tidwell, Ransom, and Nolen. On the restart, Crick would widen his lead a little over Buyno, with Tidwell and Ransom in chase. The top five were spread out as the field took the halfway signal, with everyone on the bottom. Another caution would bunch up the field on lap seven, as Scott Miller and Eric Kinkade went around in turn two. The restart once again saw Crick lead the field to the green flag, with Buyno and Tidwell falling in behind. Crick led until the lap 12 caution, then pulled off the speedway during the yellow with a broken mini spool. Thie would put Buyno to the point, where he would stay until the finish. Following Buyno to the line were Tidwell, Ransom, Nolen Jr, and Larry Matillo.
Jack Dowers dominated the Pure Stock portion of the program, running away with his heat, and then running away with the feature. Dowers started from the pole, leading the first lap with Randy Schuman in tow. The car to watch at the time was the #34 of Jake Johnson who, by lap four, was up to third from ninth. Johnson fell back to the fourth spot, as Walter Parson got around him on lap eight. Johnson's night got worse, as he pulled off the track a short time later. As the field took the white flag, Parson would unexpectedly find himself in the runner up spot, as Schuman pulled into the infield. Dowers, however, was in his own area code finishing ahead of Parson, Tony Mitchell, Skip Kirts, and Gordon Parsons, Jr.
The 600cc Micro Mini Sprint main event saw its own blend of controversy/action, as Jonathan Hendrick claimed the win. The initial start was called back due to a yellow for Lucas Sprague in turn two. When the green flew, it was Ryan Wilson bolting out to a substantial advantage over Bryce Hites. Hites would lose the second spot to Hendrick just a lap later. As laps clicked down, Hendrick was slowly reeling in Wilson like a fisherman on a prize catch. While that was going on, Sprague was rebounding from his first lap spin, moving to the fifth spot. Back up front, Hendrick was right on Wilson's fuel tank as the lead duo completed lap nine. On the tenth circut, Hendrick and Wilson went hard into turn three, resulting in Wilson looping his ride and bringing out the yellow. With no indication of foul play, track officials could not make a decision on whether or not it was intentional, so both drivers reclaimed their spots. On the restart, Hendrick did not let up on Wilson, staying on his bumper the whole time. Hendrick finally got by Wilson for the lead on lap 13, and pulled away for the remaining two laps to take the victory. Trailing Hendrick and Wilson at the line were, Will Sylvester, Nathan Charron, and Lucas Sprague.
Paul Weisman found himself in victory lane in the Hornet division, as race leader Jake Honaker dropped out of the race with just one lap to go. At the start of the event, a three wide battle for the lead took place between Honaker, Tony Tidwell, and Jim Cross, Sr. Honaker emerged as the winner of that battle, with Cross coming out second. Tidwell would lose his third spot just a short time later to Weisman on lap six. While that was going on, Honaker was pulling away from the field, looking to ensure a victory. Unfortunately for Honaker, he didnt see the checkers, as he pulled into the infield with problems. This handed the lead to Weisman, who held on for the win over Cross, Tidwell, Jonah Buyno, and Anthony Ashby
SUMMARY
UMP MODIFIEDS (28 Entries)
HEAT ONE: Arby Burton, Danny Schwartz, Aaron Ricketts, Rob Fuqua, Jammie Wilson, Ryan Cary, Dave Baldwin, Gabe Menser, Denny Schwartz, John Moore
HEAT TWO: Dan Hamstra, Travis Shoulders, Roger Cary, Doug Jones, Tim Reynolds, Cody Hood, Jim Bailey, Terry Pichon, Brian McDaniels
HEAT THREE: Craig Conyer, Terry Duncan, Jason Hastings, Jamie Henson, Bill Wagoner, Mitch Brown, Steve Evans, Don Kiger, Daryl Herbert
CONSI: Denny Schwartz, Cody Hood, Don Kiger, Terry Pichon, Mitch Brown, Jim Bailey, Dave Baldwin, Steve Evans, Gabe Menser, Brian McDaniels, John Moore, Daryl Herbert
FEATURE: Dan Hamstra, Arby Burton, Craig Conyer, Terry Duncan, Jamie Henson, Roger Cary, Jammie Wilson, Aaron Ricketts, Tim Reynolds, Rob Fuqua, Cody Hood, Don Kiger, Terry Pichon, Travis Shoulders, Jason Hastings, Ryan Cary, Doug Jones, Denny Schwartz, Bill Wagoner, Danny Schwartz
UMP STREET STOCKS (26 ENTRIES)
HEAT ONE: Steve Nolen Jr, Jonah Buyno, Chad Ziegler, Tony Tidwell Jr, Jesse Simmons, Dan Allen, Wes Parsons, Jason Turner, Josh Foxworthy
HEAT TWO: Scott Tidwell, Joe Buyno, Mike Hope, Jim Bob Ransom, Mike Goodwin, Eric Kinkade, Mike Johnson, Neil Rollins, Jim Sullivan
HEAT THREE: Frank Wright, Jerrad Krick, Lee Hall, Larry Matillo, Daniel Foxworthy, Stephanie Magotte, Scott Miller, Chris McCoy
CONSI: Chris McCoy, Josh Foxworthy, Scott Miller, Neil Rollins, Stephanie Magotte, Dan Allen, Mike Johnson, Wes Parsons, Jim Sullvan, Jason Turner
FEATURE: Jonah Buyno, Scott Tidwell, Jim Bob Ransom, Steve Nolen Jr, Larry Matillo, Joe Buyno, Lee Hall, Daniel Foxworthy, Frank Wright, Chris McCoy, Jesse Simmons, Mike Hope, Josh Foxworthy, Stephanie Magotte, Scott Miller, Tony Tidwell Jr, Jerrad Crick, Eric Kinkade, Mike Goodwin, Chad Ziegler
PURE STOCKS ( 11 ENTRIES)
HEAT: Jack Dowers, Randy Schuman, Tony Mitchell, Walter Parson, Gordon Parsons Jr, Skip Kirts, David Henderson, Don Treadway, Jake Johnson, Lance Evans
FEATURE: Jack Dowers, Walter Parson, Tony Mitchell, Skip Kirts, Gordon Parsons Jr, Randy Schuman, Jake Johnson
600CC MICRO MINI SPRINTS (12 ENTRIES)
HEAT ONE: Bryce Hites, Ryan Wilson, Ian Keller, Caleb Graybeal, Ben Wagoner, Lucas Sprague
HEAT TWO: Wesley Gordon, Jonathan Hendrick, Will Sylvester, Nathan Charron, Kenny Biro, Kasey Schrock
FEATURE: Jonathan Hendrick, Ryan Wilson, Will Sylvester, Nathan Charron, Lucas Sprague, Wesley Gordon, Kasey Schrock, Kenny Biro, Caleb Graybeal, Bryce Hites, Ben Wagner, Ian Keller
HORNETS ( 18 ENTRIES)
HEAT ONE: Jim Cross Sr, Tommy Tidwell, Jonah Buyno, Paul Weisman, Anthony Ashby, Angela Toney, Ryan Tucker, Chis Graves, Luke Smith
HEAT TWO: James Buyno, Kenny Tidwell, Jim Cross Jr, Jake Honaker, Chris Newell, Danny Cope, Matthew Marrow, Mike Pollitt, Kevin Grant
FEATURE: Paul Weisman, Jim Cross Sr, Tommy Tidwell, Jonah Buyno, Anthony Ashby, Chris Newell, Jonah Buyno, Kevin Grant, Mike Pollitt, Danny Cope, Luke Smith, Ryan Tucker, Chris Graves, Matthew Marrow, Angela Toney, Jake Honaker, Jim Cross Jr, Kenny Tidwell