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SSP Has Great Second Race Of 2013

Sunset Speedway Park Has Great Second Race Of 2013
By Ben Deatherage
A great night of racing occurred at Sunset Speedway Park in Banks on Saturday April 27th. The second night of the season produced all new faces in victory lane except for one class. The Northwest Extreme Late Model Series, IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Womens divisions were all on hand for the action.

Coming off his Late Model win at the Cottage Grove Speedway the night before it looked like Collen Winebarger would win Saturday at Banks. The Corbett youngster in the Discount Race Car Parts/All In Property Investments #1 MasterSbilt had the car to beat in the Northwest Extreme Late Model Series season opener at the bullring ¼-mile clay oval. But late in the feature he would be caught up in a caution while negotiating lapped traffic which would force him to give up the lead.

The lead would be given to Greg Walters of Banks who made a last minute decision to get the car out for the weekend. Walters would lead the rest of the way to put the T&G Trucking/American Landscaping #97 Victory Circle in victory lane. It would mark his seventh triumph with the series at SSP and his second in a row.

“In the main I was bidding my time because my car was getting better and better as the race went,” commented Walters, “when I caught up to Winebarger I knew we had a shot. During the week I had no intentions of racing tonight because I was going to be helping out my brother Jason Johnson. But Doug Lockwood got a couple of guys together and thrashed to get this car done so a big thanks to them.”

“I didn’t touch the car until I got inside the cockpit which was well after five o’clock. We missed hot laps so the first time I was out on the track was during the heat race.”

Jerry Schram of Vancouver, Washington would place second in his Schram Brothers Excavating/Century III Stables #16 MasterSbilt machine followed by Gresham’s Jason Johnson in the Jackhammer Trucking/Warpaint Motorsports Graphix #76 Rayburn in third. Youngsters Brad Martin from Warren would finish fourth in the Reser’s Fine Foods/Wayne Martin Floor Covering #99 MasterSbilt and Salem’s Jacob Myers in his Myers Racing #9 Rayburn would end the night in fifth. The night would be a clean sweep for Walters as earlier in the event he was the winner in both heat race and trophy dash action.

In the IMCA Modified class the main event turned out to be a very entertaining race. Warren’s Jeremy Martin who had led for much of the feature the week previous had another chance to earn a victory in the very competitive classification. Martin got to the front early and found himself leading the field just like last week. And just like last week Kenny Miller of Vancouver, Washington was right behind him putting the pressure on. Miller had reeled in Martin with his VP Brail Services/ Race 2A Cure/Jody’s Bar and Grill #57 TRE while Martin was in lapped traffic.

While in traffic Miller was able to make pass on Martin for the lead but a caution would come out that would give Martin back the lead. As the race continued to chug along Martin would keep his car in first place and win the feature in his Reser’s Fine Foods/Wayne Martin Floor Covering #99 McCoy.

“It feels really good to get that first win out of the way,” Martin would comment, “Banks did a great job prepping the track it was nice and fast. “

The Privateer Racing/Ireland and Ireland at Law #8 Dirt Works of Banks driver Rob Ireland would finish in second followed by Tanner Baldwin from the Hockinson/Battle Ground, Washington area in third in his Harry’s Locksmith/T-Mac Performance #15 Shaw. Kenny Miller would end the evening in fourth place while in fifth was Russell Shultz in the Twin Peaks Espresso/GRV Mobile RV Repair #4 Pro machine from Vancouver, Washington. Heat race winners earlier in the program were Ireland and Baldwin while Ireland was the trophy dash victor.

Vancouver, Washington driver Craig Loomis had a perfect evening in the Street Stocks to earn him a clean sweep of the night’s action. The two-time and defending Street Stock champion in his Buz’s Equipment Trailers/Old Iron Classics/Ernest Racing #01 Camaro got the lead within the first five laps of the feature on a restart after an early caution.

Once Loomis got the lead he would control it for the rest of the distance. Sherwood driver Marc Farrar seemed to have closed the gap between Loomis and himself but Farrar couldn’t make it past the leader. For Loomis it was his second consecutive feature victory of 2013.

“I’m pretty happy to sweep the night,” said Loomis, “the track was flawless and my car had a lot of grip. My really car likes the tacky stuff. It’s great to start the year out like this a build this point lead up early.”

Farrar would finish in second in his AFT Racing #5 Camaro followed by the Radical Rearends/McCutcheon Fence/Van Raden Industries #32 Camaro of Portland driver Robert Summerhalder. Forest Grove’s Tony Catalano would be fourth in his #19 entry and rounding up the top five finishers was Banks driver John Ireland in the #88 machine. Loomis and Farrar was the heat race winner earlier in the night and Loomis was victorious in the trophy dash.

In the first race in the Womens division of 2013 it was the Freya Smith show. The McMinnville driver dominated the class all feature long and put her Sweere’s Auto Body/Sweere’s Trucking/Tire Factory of McMinnville #37 Camaro in victory lane and would also earn a clean sweep to go along with the main event win.

“It was great night,” Smith would state, “the girls that were there are getting faster and faster. I think by season’s end it be a good battle between all of us.”

Finishing behind Freya was Portland’s Amanda Clarke in the Transaction Transmissions/Privateer Racing #04 in second and the #60 of Gabrielle Hollinger from Banks in third. Young Bailey Wilton from Gresham was fourth in her #1W entry followed by Theresa Gartner of Hillsboro in the #33 car. Earlier in the night Freya Smith won both the only heat race and trophy dash.

Next week Sunset Speedway Park returns into action for race number three of 2013. Classification that will be competing include the Northwest Extreme Late Models, Northwest Extreme Sprints, 4-Bee’s, Womens, and the 2013 debut of the Northwest Extreme Modifieds. For more information log on to www.sunsetspeedwaypark.com or call the new Northwest Tracks Hotline at (360)-699-RACE.

Race Results
Saturday April 27th, 2013
Sunset Speedway Park
Banks, Oregon

Northwest Extreme Late Model Series
9 Entries
Heat Race Winner: Greg Walters
Trophy Dash Winner: Greg Walters
A-Feature: 1. Greg Walters, 2. Jerry Schram, 3. Jason Johnson, 4. Brad Martin, 5. Collen Winebarger, 6. Jacob Myers, 7. Jack Marontate, 8. Scott Winebarger, 9. John Gamell

IMCA Modifieds
14 Entries
Heat Race Winners: Rob Ireland (1), Tanner Baldwin (2)
Trophy Dash Winner: Rob Ireland
A-Feature: 1. Jeremy Martin, 2. Rob Ireland, 3. Tanner Baldwin, 4. Kenny Miller, 5. Russell Schultz, 6. Steve Suckow, 7. Shawn Dorie, 8. Jeff Lovell, 9. Chris Hallberg, 10. Donald Schott, 11. David Day, 12. Doug Lockwood, 13. Dave Walters, 14. Doug Davenport

Street Stocks
16 Entries
Heat Race Winners: Marc Farrar (1), Craig Loomis (2)
Trophy Dash Winner: Craig Loomis
A-Feature: 1. Craig Loomis, 2. Marc Farrar, 3. Robert Summerhalder, 4. Tony Catalano, 5. John Ireland, 6. Earl Claypool, 7. Brian Rhoden, 8. Ben Sauter, 9. Tom Lauzon, 10. Sid Schott, 11. Johnny Adams, 12. Dan Sheller, 13. Charlie Culpepper, 14. Kenneth Kaiser, 15. Andrew Johnson, 16. Eric Wilton

Womens
5 Entries
Heat Race Winner: Freya Smith (1)
Trophy Dash Winner: Freya Smith
A-Feature: 1. Freya Smith, 2. Amanda Clarke, 3. Gabrielle Hollinger, 4. Bailey Wilton, 5. Theresa Gartner

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