6/8/2015
Willamette Speedway
Rob Mayea Wins Second Straight Strawberry Cup; Shank, Pickett, Sanders, And Yeack Also Pick Up Wins
Rob Mayea Wins Second Straight Strawberry Cup; Shank, Pickett, Sanders, And Yeack Also Pick Up Wins
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Doc's Photos)
Willamette Speedway would host the historical Strawberry Cup, presented by Napa Auto Parts, on Saturday June 6th. The decades old race would attract a huge crowd to watch some great racing at the historic 1/3-mile clay oval. Classes in competition included the Super Dirt Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, Super Sports, Sportsman, and Street Stocks.
The Super Dirt Late Model main event would be a caution plagued affair. But when there was racing to be had Justin Duty, from Molalla, seemed to be the car to beat. Chauffeuring the Don Frank Flooring/Mid Ohio Graphics/Metro Services/Big Sky Landscaping #15 Rocket, Duty, would unfortunately get tangled up in lapped traffic with just a handful of laps left. That would give the lead to Bend's Rob Mayea and he would hold the competition back to win his second straight Strawberry Cup victory in his J&S Farms/Cornett Racing Engines #37 Rocket. It was also the second victory of 2015 for Mayea and his team.
The Left Coast Motorsports/South Pacific Auto Sales and Service Center #30 Swartz of Jeremy Shank, from Salem, would finish in second followed by Portland's Brian Cronk chauffeuring his Metro Services/Dog Lover's Gold Dog Food/Northwest Gas Lines/Rose City RV #29 Rocket . The rest of the top five would consist of teenager Bricen James, of Albany and driving the James Gang Pizza/Lebanon Auto Body/Crocker's Cars #13 Swartz, grabbing fourth and the Discount Race Car Parts/Elite Chiropractic/FinishLine Graphics/Frisbie Motorsports #SW MasterSbilt, of Corbett's Collen Winebarger, in fifth.
The IMCA Modified main event would feature a great battle between Jeremy Shank and Collen Winebarger, both of whom were pulling double duty. Unfortunately Winebarger, driving his Discount Race Car Parts/Elite Chiropractic/FinishLine Graphics/Frisbie Motorsports #SW Shaw by Taylor, would suffer from a flat tire allowing Shank to secure the lead. Shank would lead the rest of the distance for his first win of the season at Willamette Speedway in the Left Coast Motorsports/South Pacific Auto Sales and Service Center #30 Swartz.
Keizer's John Campos was a respectable second place in his Northwest Family Chiropractic/Hot Rod Hair/Wes Sayre Customs/Drager Performance #36 GRT while third would go to the Dog House Racing/Payroll Specialties Inc/Schram Brothers Excavating #1M Impressive of Jacksonville native Mark Wauge. Albany ace Dustin Cady's Drager Performance/Frank's Fab & Auto of Brownsville/Susan River Reality/Rock & Cady Ranch #7 GRT got fourth and Bricen James managed to finish his James Gang Pizza/Lebanon Auto Body/Crocker's Cars/Linn-Benton Insurance #13 GRT in fifth. David Cronk, form Portland, was the winner of the consolation feature in the Metro Services/Dog Lover's Gold Dog Food/Northwest Gas Lines/Rose City RV #29 Shaw.
The Super Sport feature would have a lot of great racing to offer fans. Some good multi-car battles and three to four wide action would definitely have the crowd excited. When it was all said and done Salem veteran Gil Pickett got the job done. Pickett would make his third trip to victory lane this year in his Pickett Custom Cabinets #82 Swartz entry.
The Glen Hackney owned Wirth Wireless/Hackney Racing #3 Swartz, driven by Scio's Steve Moore, was second while Albany pilot Todd Shandy, driving the Mott Family Racing #16 GRT for car owner Chris Mott, crossed the wire in third. Vancouver, Washington's Jerry Casey was fourth in the Swan Island Sandblasting/Hanson Automotive Machine/James Gang Pizza #61 MasterSbilt and the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company #77 Flintstone Flyer of James Slover was fifth.
The Sportsman race would see some of the two most dominating forces towards this season in the front. Junction City driver Sandy Sanders, in his Royalty Homes #43 Avenger, and the Cascade Outdoor Power Equipment/Unlimited Business Service #49 Pro, of Crawfordsville's Tom Yeack, looked to duke it out for the win. But Yeack would get plagued by a flat tire taking him out of contention for the triumph. Sanders would cruise right along to capture his fourth victory of the current season.
Brian Winkler of Newberg would finish second in the Flatt Muffler/Doerfler Farms/Extreme Motorsports #88 Rayburn entry while the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company #25 Shaw of Lebanon's Chad Slover was third. Lebanon hot shoe Kyle Yeack got fourth in his Cascade Outdoor Power Equipment/Laura Gillott at Keller Williams Reality #47 Cutlass and behind him in position five was the Jolynn Moore-Desert Storm Gulf War Veterans With PTSD/A&J Convenience Store at Lebanon Shell Station/Omen Tattoo #55 Truck.
Last but not least was the Street Stocks. Kyle Yeack would put on a clinic come main event time and raced in the same Cutlass that was against the Sportsman drivers. Getting the lead rather quickly he would waste no time in building a large lead and dominating the field. It would extend Yeack's win streak to four in a row and makes him the most winningest driver in the class thus far.
Justin Evans from Lebanon was back in action and finished second in the Al Flora owned Albie's Medical Transport/Allied Medical Transport/Monty's Racing Repair #99 Cougar followed by Mikey Burnham's Sureflow Concrete Pumping Services/Santiam Hobbies/Finders Keepers Inc./Cornwell Tools #15 Camaro in third, driven by J.J. Irvine who is also out of Lebanon. Sandy's Doug Scott got fourth in his Eric's Frame Shop/what's your sign?/Whistle Stop Bar & Grill #83 Camaro while the Big Sky Landscaping/Powers Transport/Gray's Automotive #88 Camaro of Kevin Roberts, from Gresham, was fifth.
Willamette Speedway will host a practice event on Friday June 12th from 4:00 PM to Dusk. Then Saturday night the 1/3-mile will get back to racing on the 13th. Classes on the card include Super Dirt Late Models, Super Sports, Sportsman, and Street Stocks.
General Admission to the practice on Friday is FREE for folks in the stands but Pit Passes are $15.00 each while the Car & Driver fee is $30.00. This event will last from 4:00 PM to Dusk.
On Saturday the Pit Gates will open at 1:00 PM, the Pit Meeting will take place at 2:30, Front Gates open at 3:30, and Racing starts at 6:00. Tickets for this event are Adults $14.00, Seniors/Military/Juniors (13-17) $10.00, Youths (Ages 12-6) $5.00, and Children under the age of 5 are FREE and a family pass will be offered for two Adults and up to four Youths for just $35.00. For more information log on to www.trophymotorsports.com and click “Track Info”.
Race Summary:
Strawberry Cup presented by NAPA Auto Parts
Saturday June 6th, 2015
Willamette Speedway
Lebanon, Oregon
Super Late Models
A Feature: 1. 37-Rob Mayea; 2. 30-Jeremy Shank; 3. 29-Brian Cronk; 4. 13-Bricen James; 5. SW-Collen Winebarger; 6. 10-Terry Hall; 7. 38-Thomas Hunziker; 8. 21-Steve Moore; 9. 2-Trevor Glaser; 10. 8-Doug Davenport; 11. 99-David Brooks; 12. 15-Justin Duty; 13. 31B-Ron Brewster; 14. 5-John Duty; 15. 82-Larry Sharp; 16. 4-Brady Sell; 17. 9-Rob Campos
IMCA Modifieds
A Feature: 1. 30-Jeremy Shank; 2. 36-John Campos; 3. 1M-Mark Wauge; 4. 7-Dustin Cady; 5. 13-Bricen James; 6. 98-Bruce Ray; 7. 33C-Craig Hanson; 8. 12-Derick Young; 9. SW-Collen Winebarger; 10. 29-David Cronk; 11. 26-Brett James; 12. 25-Craig Cassell; 13. 21A-Matthew Drager; 14. 44-Sam Potter; 15. 81-Gary Silacci Jr; 16. 40-Jeff Lovell; 17. 04-Rod McCombs; 18. 6-Justin Dittman; 19. 47-Kyle Yeack; 20. 9-David Schmidt
B Feature: 1. 29-David Cronk; 2. 81-Gary Silacci Jr; 3. 04-Rod McCombs; 4. 9-David Schmidt; 5. 47-Kyle Yeack; 6. 57-Ethan Landers; 7. 34-T.J. Richman; 8. 16-Jerry Schram; 9. 23-Chris Quinn
Super Sports
A Feature: 1. 82-Gil Pickett; 2. 3-Steve Moore; 3. 16-Chris Mott; 4. 61-Jerry Casey; 5. 77-James Slover; 6. 13B-Randy Barley; 7. 10-Brian Brown; 8. 0-Clyde Rood; 9. 99-Brian Smith; 10. 21-Adam Walker; 11. 18-Tim Archer; 12. 30-Robert Mercer; 13. 47-Leo Hillyer; 14. 41-Anthony Bentley
Todd Shandy drove the #16 for Chris Mott
Sportsman
A Feature: 1. 43-Sandy Sanders; 2. 88-Brian Winkler; 3. 25-Chad Slover; 4. 47-Kyle Yeack; 5. 55-Casey Rhoades; 6. 101-Mike Betker; 7. 00-Todd Miller; 8. 13-Jeff Marson; 9. 49-Tom Yeack; 10. 24-Tim Cramlet; 11. 2-Glen Hackney; 12. 1-Jeff Rash; 13. 14J-Steve Jorgenson
Street Stocks
A Feature: 1. 47-Kyle Yeack; 2. 99-Justin Evans; 3. 15-Mikey Burnham; 4. 83-Doug Scott; 5. 88-Kevin Roberts; 6. 28-Bill Allison; 7. 37-Freya Smith; 8. 19-Austin Bottcher; 9. 31-Loren Kruesi; 10. 97-Ryan Emry; 11. 13H-Shannon Horn; 12. 14J-Steve Jorgenson; 13. 7-Roy Doran; 14. T3-Talyn Roberts
J.J. Irvine drove the #15 for Mikey Burnham
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage