8/13/2017
Tri-City Motor Speedway
8/11/2017 Race Results
08/11/2017 Crop Productions Service Season Championship Night
Melling Select Performance Late Models: #11 Ryan Lanphierd
Main Street Seed and Supply IMCA Modifieds: #7d Myron DeYoung
Walker’s Ideal Trophies Mini Wedges: #36 Jeniffer Young
Elgin Pro Stocks: #28 Jared Rizer
Suspension MAXX Street Stocks: #50 Jake Thompson
Thornton Brothers Sewer and Septic Service Bomber Stocks: #18 Nick Putman
Figure Eight- #07 Randy Radabaugh
2017 Champions:
Melling Select Performance Late Models: #4t Andrew Terrill
Main Street Seed and Supply IMCA Modifieds: #19JR Kody Johnson
Walker’s Ideal Trophies Mini Wedges: #7 Dakota Vennix
Elgin Pro Stocks: #28 Jared Rizer
Suspension MAXX Street Stocks: #x5 Eric Lake
Thornton Brothers Sewer and Septic Service Bomber Stocks: #18 Nick Putman
2017 Tri-City Motor Speedway Champions Crowned
08/11/2017 (Auburn, MI) The 2017 regular season at Tri-City Motor Speedway came to an end last Friday night. With Crop Production Services sponsoring the event, not only were feature winners decided, but division Champions were crowned based on their merits over the course of the 2017 racing season. In addition, the final event of the night was the long awaited Figure Eight race for the street stocks.
Before the Suspension MAXX street stock division would get to run the figure eight event, they ran their 25 lap feature. #x5 Eric Lake already had a lock on his first career championship by dominating the class all season with his six main event wins. He would search for his seventh, but would have to start from the fourteenth position in order to do so. It was #50 Jake Thompson that would go from 12th to the lead in three laps via the high groove and begin to pull away. Lake would get up to the second position for having to retire from the event with a mechanical issue. This would leave Thompson alone at the front without anyone to challenge him. He would win be nearly a half lap over the remainder of the field. #21w George Wease, who had to win the B-main to gain entry into the feature, would take the runner up position. #85 Al Spiekerman would have a career best third place finish and was followed by #72 Bobby Kosha and #21e Dan “Evil” Engel. Thompson won the heat and dash. #18 Fred Dow Jr and Kosha also captured heat race gold.
Number 7 Dakota Vennix also captured the 2017 championship in the Walker’s Ideal Trophies Mini Wedge division by simply starting the 12 lap feature. A makeshift track needed to be prepared for this class as their regular track configuration had suffered from too much moisture caused by a late afternoon rain shower. Vennix, the heat race winner, would start at the rear of the four car field but would find himself at the point early in the race. With one lap to go, he would tangle with the lapped car of #80 Preston Mieske causing both drivers to not finish the race. This would place nine year old #36 Jennifer Young as the new leader. She was able to adapt to the tight corners and long straightaways to capture her first ever TCMS feature win. #15 Cole Doty, Vennix, and Mieske would be the finishing order.
The tightest point battle on Championship night was within the Melling Select Performance Late Model division. #24 Alex Hupert, #3 Kyle “Fireball” Roberts, #21s Steven Hilliker, and defending Champion #4t Andrew Terrill all had a chance to take home the 2017 Championship. Roberts looked to be the favorite early in the evening winning both the dash and the heat race. #9 Isaac Wolfgang and #11 Ryan Lanphierd would win their respective preliminary heat races. In the 30-lap feature, Wolfgang, running a brand new car, paced the field for a number of laps before Lanphierd would use the low side of the track to make the pass for the lead. With a long 24-lap green flag run, the leaders had to work through heavy lapped traffic. The slower traffic allowed twelfth place starter Terrill to reel in Lanphierd. Terrill would get close a number of times but was unable to overcome Lanphierd who would capture his first TCMS victory in 2017. The runner up finish for Terrill was enough to earn him the title of Champion for the second consecutive season. #19 Derrick Hilliker, Wolfgang, and Hupert completed the top five.
Vestaburg driver #19 Kody Johnson headed into the evening needing at least a top ten finish to ensure that he would be the 2017 Main Street Seed and Supply IMCA Modified champion. Both #511 Chaz Pray and #187 Gavin Hunyady both had quietly successful and consistent seasons that had them both in contention for a championship. Hunyady, who had won the four-car dash had to pit early in the first half of the 25 lap feature event to change a tire. He would come through the 21-car field end up finishing a strong seventh. #84 Mike Stevenson would lead the opening lap before #23 Preston DeShano would take his turn at the front. Pray was motoring his way into the top five before he would slide off of turn two and into the water barrels ending his night with a disappointing nineteenth finish and ending his championship hopes. #7d Myron DeYoung would make his way from 12th place to take the lead and, eventually, the race win. #615 Chad Wernette would come from 10th to finish a close second. #27 Matt Szescodi, #4s Toby Steele, and Johnson would take top five finishes. With the fifth place finish, Johnson would earn his first-ever Championship. #776r Rusty Zeigler, DeYoung, and #33 Todd Matheson each won their heat races.
Sophomore driver #K11 Kendall Morrison came to TCMS with a slim two point lead over #28 Jared Rizer in the Elgin Pro Stock division Friday night. Morrison was strong in his heat race and took the win. #57 TJ Gilbert won the four car-dash with #M65 Rick Spencer, and #69 Nate Murphy capturing the other heat races. #75 Kenny Keller took advantage of his pole position start by leading the opening lap over #@73 of Don Colbath III. However, the lead was short-lived as Murphy and Gilbert would battle each other for the top spot. Rizer and Morrison started mid pack in the twenty-one car field. Morrison would manage to get as high as fifth place before falling back though the field with handling issues. He would finish outside the top fifteen. Rizer, however, saw his handling come to him as his car would come alive in the second half to wrestle the lead away from Murphy and end the night in victory lane. The win vaulted him to the points lead and to his first championship in the Pro Stocks and second championship overall. Murphy, Gilbert, Spencer, and #93 John Robbins took home top five finishes in the race.
The points championship in the Thornton Brothers Sewer and Septic Service Bomber Stock division was captured by #18 Nick Putman by simply entering the night’s events. With his season leading seven feature wins, there was little the field could do to contain him. He once again was able to move from the back of the field to pass race leader #03 Josh Charbonneau and easily pick up feature win number eight and seal the 2017 Championship. #7 John Staszak, who won the heat race, would take second and was followed by Charbonneau, #88 Mike Schnettler, and #66 Bryan Dinsmore.
The always exciting Figure eight race had fifteen drivers take the green flag. #72 Bobby Kosha would lead the first few laps of the 24-lap feature until #97 Anthony Williams would take over. Williams would have difficulty making some corner entries which allowed #260 Ron Pope to lead. Pope looked to be the strongest of the field, but flat tires would slow him down. #07 Randy Radabaugh would catch Pope in traffic and make the winning pass with five laps remaining. Pope would hold on to second ahead of Kosha, #18 Fred Dow Sr., and Williams.
Now that the point season is over for 2017, it is now time for the 7th annual Battle By the Bay at TCMS. Michigan’s best drivers will compete against the TCMS regulars over the next two Friday nights. All five race classes will be in action on the 18th with increased purses for the Late Models, Modifieds, and the Mini Wedge class. We will also hold our first ever Spectator Drags! On Friday the 25th, all five divisions will be back with specials for the Pro Stocks, Street Stocks, and Bomber Stocks (do not need to race the previous Friday to race on the 25th). Our final event of the season will be September 1st with the Racing Extravaganza with Great Lakes Super Sprints and Outlaw Late Models!! Why stand in a long line to purchase your tickets when you can buy them online?! Purchase your tickets today at www.tricityracetrack.com!
We hope to see you at least one more time for our #fillthestandsFridays! The grandstand gates open at 5:30pm with practice beginning at 6:30. Family Fun Friday action begins at 7:55pm with our preliminary races. Check out our website for more details of this and our other remaining shows for 2017.
Article Credit: Roger Williams
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