New faces to victory lane in Kinross

For the third time in just four weeks, the Pure Stock and Factory Stock divisions at the Kinross Speedway welcomed a new feature winner to victory lane.

The week four festivities came on a regular night of racing for all the divisions except for the Pure Stocks. Soo Collision upped the ante to a healthy $200 prize for the 30-lap feature winner of that very competitive division.

Chuck Johnson (5) has yet to be de-throned as Pure Stock fast qualifier as he set the bar for the fourth consecutive week, this time at 16.640. Larry Young Jr. (25) grabbed the early bragging rights after grabbing the four-car dash victory while "Stormin" Norman Miller (73) won the Australian Pursuit. Bill Cryderman (61) won heat race #1 while Barry Glenn (55) grabbed heat race #2.

The 30-lap feature would take to the track featuring the regular stars and cars of Kinross while Jerry Deason (24) made the haul from Cheboygan just in time for this race after a rainout at the Onaway Motor Speedway earlier in the night.

The parody of this division was obvious through the opening 11 laps as your front row of cars did not change.

Cryderman was still your leader by lap 15 but now he had a lot of tough competition on his back bumper. Glenn and Miller would challenge to take the lead on the outside as they swapped for the 2nd place position a number of times.

The final laps would see the field get extremely tight after a late caution but time would expire before anyone would be able to overtake Cryderman for the lead, as the Soo, Michigan native would take home the big feature win after leading all 30 laps.

Young Jr. continued his magic and inched out Glenn for second place by just inches at the line. Ray Golladay Jr. (20) and N. Miller rounded out the top 5.

Just when you thought the Factory Stock division couldn't get any stronger or anymore competitive, you're proven wrong.

This unique division was increased to 10 regulars as Mike Vansloten (53) brought back his ride with a new engine under the hood while Mike Fox (32) debuted in his new ride for 2005.

Pee Wee Fountain (50) set fast-time for the third time this season, this week coming in under the lights with a speedy 15.260 seconds. It has been speculated that this division will break into the 14-second bracket before long.

Cecil Piche (88) continued his charge towards the division points lead by grabbing the four-car dash win. Jared Nightlinger (48) in just his 2nd appearance of the season would stay in-toe for the 10-lap heat race.

In a tune-up for their Special one-week away, all ten cars would start the feature event with Nightlinger and Jerry Ball (8) pacing the field to the green flag. The youngster from Hessel, Michigan (Nightlinger) would be your leader on lap 1 before Ball would take over the reigns.

In just his second night of racing, Ball was in fine form and was able to hold off the contenders until lap 9 when Piche would take over after starting fourth. Just two laps later, Kevin Johnson (37) was knocking on Piche's back bumper.

Despite the threat, the Brimley, Michigan native (Piche) would drive a flawless end of the race and denied any lead changes while grabbing his first feature win of the season. Johnson would hold on for second while Nightlinger would round out the podium positions after falling back to 5th.

Twenty-cars would register pit-side in the Four Cylinder division as they got set to compete on the racey confines of Kinross.

John Mayer (9) was your fast qualifier with a lap of 18.030 seconds. Dean Eggart (88) continued to flex his muscles in just his second season behind the wheel by grabbing the four-car dash while Brandy Clawson (35) and Tony Rankin (17) would grab their respective Australian Pursuit races. Jim Beaumontt (69) won his first-checkered flag of the season in heat race #1, Rankin came back to win heat race #2 and Eggart won heat race #3.

The 25-lap Main Event would be minus one competitor as nineteen cars would roll out of the chute set to battle-it-out.

Newcomer Ben Pitts (63) occupied the front row alongside Daryl Hill (7) who was making his second appearance behind the wheel of his shared car. Pitts would lead lap 1 and then have to tag the rear after a caution just one lap later.

From lap 3, Soo, Ontario's John Gardner (81) would take over the top spot in an attempt to garner his first feature win at Kinross. That task would be looking good until Rankin would take that spot on lap 13 with Eggart right in tow.

Those two cars would show why they're in the top 5 in the standings and battled it out with a little bumping and rubbing until the checkered flag flew for Rankin.

The win becomes his third of the season. Eggart, Mayer, James Thompson (8), Clawson, Gardner, Adam Gardner (81), Hill, Tyler Parsons (72) and Ron Etcher (27) capped off the top 10.

With the axe closing in, the Late Model division was able to participate in its first full night with six cars down pit side. Dan Holmes (79), a regular at the Northern Michigan Speedway, Mark Beaudoin (74) and Sam Bohling (45) all made their first appearances of 2005.

Mark Howland (33) set fast time at 13.910 seconds. Holmes was able to show why he's won 3 straight features at the NMS after taking the four-car dash and heat race victories on the Kinross ¼ mile.

The bid for a battle between Holmes and Howland started off the drop of the green flag but it would only last 3 laps before those two cars would come together.

Holmes was sent to tag the rear by flagman Al Kogan but he would turn out he would not be the only one. In a show of true sportsmanship, Howland voluntarily went to the back as well for being involved in the caution flag.

Those events would allow Dennis Aho (75) to grab a taste of the lead in his Denny's Auto Body sponsored car. By the midway point of the race Howland was back in the lead but a good run was brewing between Aho, Holmes and Beaudoin.

Those three would duke it out for the final podium positions as the checkered flag would fall with Howland grabbing the win. Holmes and Beaudoin finished the top 3.

The speed and excitement of the Kinross Speedway returns this coming Friday, June 17th with another Full Show and a Father's Day Special. All fathers will receive a ticket to the main grandstand for just $4.

Lynn Auto Parts (NAPA) also presents a Factory Stock Special with $300 going to the winner of that division's feature while there will also be a Factory Stock Autograph Session at intermission.

Qualifying is set for 6 p.m. with racing to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Take exit 378 off the I-75 and follow the signs to the fairgrounds … the home of the Kinross Speedway.

For more information, check online at www.kinrossspeedway.com.

(All photos courtesy of Rod Aubertin of www.saultracers.com)