Kinross crowns midseason champions

It was trophy night at the Kinross Speedpark for the Rock 101 FM Mid-Season Championships. Blue skies and sunshine made for another great night of racing. With next Friday a scheduled night off at the Speedpark, racers seemed to be trying extra hard with great racing in every class.

The fastest four qualifiers in each class lined up for the evenings first four races. Larry Miller won the 4 Cylinder dash, John Clawson the Pure Stock dash, Mark Beaudoin in the Factory Stock, and Josh Ware with his Late Model.

The first 4 Cylinder heat race saw Tony Rankin launch from the eighth starting position and move all the way to first on the first lap. Rankin drove off with a big lead before the yellow came out for a stalled car on the front stretch. Rankin again had a nice start and led several laps. Larry Miller made a bid for the lead with a bold move on the last lap. Miller drove hard into turn 3 going inside of Rankin and moving him out of first place. Race officials gave Miller the black flag for rough driving and awarded the victory to Rankin. Eric Fountain finished second.

The Pure Stock heat race was another great race. Randy Touchtone led early with the field stacked up directly behind him. With some bold moves and three wide passes, Nicole Radar, John Clawson, and Barry Glenn were able to move out front making this a great three car race. Radar ran very strong and held on for the victory. Clawson was second and Glenn third.

The Factory Stocks roared to the green flag with both Mike and Paul Fox starting on the front row. They ran side by side for many laps with Paul eventually moving to the front. There was good racing behind the leader and the race was run caution free. Paul Fox took the victory with Cecil Piche second, and Dean Eggart third.

The Late Models were very competitive for the second week in a row. Denny Aho led for several laps before getting bumped and spun to bring out the caution. Aho regained his lead position and led the field to the last lap. George Wilson got a great run on the outside and was the first car to the checkered flag. Denny Aho finished second, and Tim Aho third.

The second 4 Cylinder heat race saw Tony Rankin get another good start. Rankin led the first lap and pulled away from the field to win his second straight heat race. Don Dangler finished second, and Cindy Pieri third.

The Pure Stocks put on another great show in their second heat race. Nicole Radar ran very strong and led many laps. She ran the bottom of the track and was able to keep her car out front for most of the race. John Clawson and Barry Glenn stayed right with her and were both able to get by her on the last lap. John Clawson finished first, with Glenn and Radar second and third.

The Fox brothers again started on the front row in the second Factory Stock heat race. They ran many laps door to door swapping the lead back and forth. A caution was brought out when Pee Wee Fountain spun in turn two. On the restart, Cecil Piche got a big run on the outside and took the lead and the win. Mike Fox finished second and Paul Fox third.

The second Late Model heat race again saw Denny Aho lead for several laps. Both Tim Aho and Josh Ware raced their way from the back of the pack and were able to get by Denny on the outside. Tim Aho took the checkered flag with Ware second and Denny Aho third.

The intermission activities brought the return of "Hot Dog Racing" back to the Speedpark. The first race involved Don Dangler Jr. and Eric Fountain. Drivers parked their race cars on the starting line and stood about 50 feet behind them. When the green flag flew, they had to run to their cars, buckle themselves in, put on their helmets, and race two laps around the quarter mile. After two laps, the drivers had to get out of their cars and eat a hot dog and drink a pop. After their snack, the drivers hopped on bicycles and raced around the track for the final time and the checkered flag. Don Dangler built a big lead on two wheels for three turns before Fountain pedaled past him in turn four. Dangler had some pedal power left and barely beat Fountain to the line. The second race saw some strategy between two Late Model drivers. Josh Ware brought his car to the line first. George Wilson pulled up directly beside him closing off his driver door window hampering a quick entry. Wilson was the leader after two laps with Ware taking advantage of a loophole in the rules to take the lead. Josh ate only the hot dog while disposing of the bun to pass George in the eating stage. Josh pedaled to a big lead and the win. The crowd loved the action with everyone involved having a great time.

With darkness setting and trophies up for grabs, the cars began lining up for the features. Tony Rankin had one of his patented starts in his 4 Cylinder and again jumped out to a big lead. He ran away from the field in what appeared to be a very fast car. It ended up being too fast, with Rankin breaking the 1/4 second rule and being shown the black flag. A new battle ensued with Larry Miller, Brandy Clawson , and Eric Fountain all running close together. These cars raced hard and clean and put on a great race. Don Dangler Jr. caught up to this pack and ran right with them. Brandy Clawson crossed the line in first with Fountain and Dangler second and third. Unfortunately, both Fountain and Dangler skipped the post race inspection and were DQ’d from the event. Larry Miller moved up to second and Chris Brady third.

With a full moon rising over turn three, the Pure Stocks came out on the track for their feature. Don Etcher was the first lap leader but Nicole Radar took the lead by lap two. She ran up front again for many laps before slowing on the backstretch allowing both Barry Glenn and John Clawson to slip by on each side of her. Glenn took the lead and the win with John Clawson second. Ray Golladay Jr. finished third.

The Factory Stock feature had Paul Fox get the lead early. He ran high up the track most of the race leaving the bottom line wide open. Back in the pack, Cecil Piche and Dean Eggart got together sending the Eggart car spinning down the backstretch. Fox led the restart. Kary Saddison worked his way to the front and rocketed into the lead. Saddison held on for the win with Paul Fox second and Mike Fox third.

The final race of the evening was a long one. The Late Models ran tight together before a spin in turn one collected several cars. The Matt Radar car suffered some damage and dropped fluids all over turn one. Track crews worked diligently trying to clean up the mess so everyone could return to racing. Several race cars from the pits came out and ran some laps in an attempt to work the speedy dry into the wet areas. The clean up attempt was flawless as the Late Models were able to return to racing trouble free. Josh Ware was the eventual winner with George Wilson second, and Rick Leonard third.

Racing action resumes after a week off on Friday, July 13th at Kinross Speedpark. For more information, log onto www.kinrossspeedpark.com.

(Submitted by Steve Lawson)