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Tri State Outlook
by Duane Hancock
For non-wing racing last weekend, if you wasn't
heading to Belleville for the Nationals, it was pretty
much regular shows everywhere else. You just never
know who is going to show-up where when the USAC
Sprints are off but the Midgets are racing. Now, take
into account the guys that have raced there all year
have raved about Waynesfield Motor Sports Park in
Ohio. A fairly new unheard of facility that is making
a bigger and bigger name for itself each week.
Rightfully so if you have ever been there to a race.
The track is always race ready and has little to no
dust the entire night. The racing is usually typical
short track bullring wheel to wheel action. Now throw
in an off week and you got the highest non-wing car
count to date pit side (35 cars) and names like
Stanbrough, Cottle, Heydenreich, and Anderson trying
to take the money back to their Indiana home. The
action, as it seems to be the norm at Waynesfield, did
not disappoint. The pill draw for the 35 cars on hand
put the heavy hitting outsiders towards the back of
the pack in the heats. The 4 heats ran 12 laps a piece
to allow for some extra racing to earn a top 4
transfer spot. It was one of those nights were
everyone was on the gas and didn't give too much. The
Indiana boys did an excellent job of not getting over
zealous until they figured out the fast oval. There
were some major flips and a few big collisions during
the heats. Mike Dunlap flipped in heat 2. That heat
seen Thomas Briggs and Jamie Fredrickson crash. Plus,
Mark Hery rode out a wild one on the turn 3 guardrail.
All were OK. Jarrod DeLong started heat 3 by trashing
his mount coming off turn 4. Thanks to the safety
equipment, he walked away from a nasty crash. Kyle
Robbins took a pretty decent tumble too in heat 3.
Brent Smith drove DEEP into turn 1 in heat 4, hooked a
competitor's tire and took a tumble. The heats were
wild but very competitive and good racing, once
everyone got over the tumble bunnies for the night.
Corey Smith, Shane Cottle, Jon Stanbrough, and Dustin
Smith took the heat wins. Not a one started on the
front row. They came from 4th, 5th, 7th, and 7th to
win the heats. 2 B Mains were ran to give the guys a
better shot at making a transfer spot. Instead of a 19
car B taking 4, they ran a 10 car and a 9 car B,
taking 2 each. 3 cars were damaged enough that they
had to scratch from the B's. Kyle Simon and Dustin
Trost took the B Main wins. Dustin's win came in a
sprint car that had a carb instead of the standard
fuel injection unit. Even after a few tries in the
drivers meeting to up the A Main laps, it was to no
avail as the Main stayed a 20 lapper. 20 laps on a
small fast bullring doesn't give you much time to make
your move. Its go or go home time asap. As luck of the
redraw would have it, Mr Non-Wing in 07, Jon
Stanbrough draws the outside row 1 starting spot. The
Smith boys and Cottle make up the top 4 but, with Jon
on the front row and having over 20 wins so far, you
can pretty much call this one over. Or wait, can you?
That is why they run the race. Stanbrough, driving the
Daughtery 14 ride out of Findlay, takes the lead on
the start. Lap 1, Zac Osbourn stops. Next green, its
all Stanbrough upfront. Jon gets decent lead but the
pack starts to reel him in at the half way mark. With
a heavy track, cars are on 3 wheels, 2 wheels, and
pulling wheelies all over the joint. Cottle had more
air time than some flights but still was fighting for
the top spot. With 5 to go, it was a nose to tail 4
car battle for the lead. Stanbrough, Smith, Cottle,
and Smith were putting on a dandy. Just as they were 3
wide off 2 for the lead, yellow for a stalled Cody
White. This made it a 2 lap shoot-out. Could Corey or
Dustin Smith or Shane Cottle do what little have done
this season, pass Stanbrough for the lead and the win.
Restart, its all out battle. Stanbrough run hard into
1, Corey Smith uses his Waynesfield experience to hug
the bottom, as Cottle and Dustin take the middle.
Corey's got a run, Smith to the lead coming to the
white. Last lap, Stanbrough drives hard into 1, Cottle
bicycles and drops back as Dustin Smith mounts a run.
Corey and Jon are almost side by side again down the
back stretch. Checkered is in the air, its Smith,
Corey that is, Stanbrough, Cottle regains his mojo and
gets past Dustin Smith at the line. Josh Moffatt
follows for 5th. What a race, what a finish. I can NOT
figure out why this place is not pack to the rafters
each week. I have been there 3 times now and have seen
the A Main come down to the final lap all 3 times.
Plus, I have not got sandblasted any of the times.
Usually the program gets done fairly early unless the
moon is wicked like it was on this night. Some weird
things happened in all of the divisions and many cars
were crashed. You have that but with racing that close
and that good, I can't believe that 1/4 to a 1/2 of
the stands were empty. Of yeah, its only $10 to get in
too. I have taken 3 different people with me now to
this track for their 1st visit and all 3 of them have
asked when are we returning. I don't have an official
date yet but, I plan to take them and some more and
make it a night, camping and all, plus extra few
brews. I will keep you informed because it would be
cool to get about 20 or 30 people to stay and make our
own little welcome to Waynesfield party. The
mini-sprints sound like a heard of bumble bees racing
around the track. They too, as far as that goes, all
the divisions do, put on a good show. Jarod Horstman
destroyed the field but from 2nd on back, it was a
good race.
Aaron Robnolte ran his first ever sprint car race
at Waynesfield last weekend. Aaron is Dennis Yoakum's
nephew and let Aaron take the wheel last week. Let me
tell you, Aaron got better and better each lap and did
excellent for a true rookie. He never spun or got
major out of shape. He tried a few times but gained
some decent car control before the night was over.
With some laps, this kid could be decent soon.
After this weekend, the next week is a huge week in
racing. 2 major events are going on. The USAC Indiana
Midget week, with regular shows of non-wing sprints
each night and the famous Knoxville Nationals. Both
events will be good ones. I have been to both and it
is a toss-up on which to attend. Good Luck and picking
and have a safe trip.
UPCOMING:
FRIDAY: MSA Toledo, AVSS Dixie MI
SATURDAY: USAC Sprints and Midgets Salem IN, MSA
Lorain OH, MSCS Haubstadt IN
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