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Tri State Outlook
by Duane Hancock
Gas City I-69 Speedway is always a pleasure to visit on any given Friday night. There always seems to be a decent car count, quality drivers, and an excellent track surface. I have been going there for 6 or 7 years now, maybe more, time flys you know. Last Friday, the track was probably the best I have ever seen it. You got the usual hot laps mud balls bounces off you in the grandstands but, the track stayed that way all night long. It was heavy the entire night. I have never been to California but, from what I have heard and read about, I pictured it as being as heavy as some of their tracks might on given nights. The action was fast and some what hardcore all night. Plenty of contact on the track on this night. Once again, the heat race action was good. Dustin Morgan, Daren Hagen, Dave Darland, and Cole Whitt took the heat wins. Tony Main took a wild flip coming off turn 4, in heat 2, after come contact. Tony's car finally came to a stop in the front
stretch fence. Then in heat 2, Shane Cottle had a transfer spot until the last lap, in the last corner. Some major contact between Cottle and Hunter Schuerenburg sent Cottle a spinning and to a stop as the field raced back to the checkered flag. Some wild heat race action. Jon Stanbrough cruised to the B Main win. Yes, Cottle, Stanbrough, Levi Jones, Scotty Weir, and Kyle Robbins were all the in B. A great battle upfront in the 30 lap $3,400 to win A Main. Brent Beauchamp took a wild tumble on the start after slamming it into turn 1 too hard on the start. Brent was OK but his car was done for the night. With mud balls still flying high, Hagen and Whitt raced side by side. 1st Whitt would lead, then Hagen, then Whitt, then Hagen and Whitt would not leave his tire tracks. Whitt lead lap 1. Hagen took over on lap 2. Lap 6, Steve Barth, Kyle Robbins, and Ryan Kaplan come together in turn 2. On the restart Whitt takes over the point and leads back to lap 7.
Lap 8, Hagen returns the favor and regains the lead. These two guys are fighting it out tooth and nail for the lead. As some laps get in the books, Hagen leads but Whitt is just a few feet from him almost the entire time. Dave Darland is also working on the leaders. Lap 19, Casey Shuman stops in turn 4. lap 21, Kaplan and Steve Ott collide. this makes for a 9 lap shoot out. Darland is nose to tail now with battling duo and looks like the fastest car the last few laps. Hagen gets a good restart but Whitt and Darland are just a few car lengths away. Still just feet apart, they battle as the laps wind down. Hagen runs the right line and has enough power to stay ahead a take home the nice paycheck for the win. Darland slips past Whitt for 2nd, Brett Burdette, and Hunter Schuerenberg round out the top 5. A great night of racing.
Saturday, the All Star sprints head to the Butler Battlegrounds in Michigan for a make-up date after their rain out in July. 29 cars are signed in. One of those, Lee Stark, never makes it to the track in time for the show. He has hauler problems that can't be fixed in time to make it. As the night started, with an excellent chicken sandwich from Kirkendall Racing, the track was very smooth, yet a little dry. Lance DeWease set quick time. 27 cars make the call for the heats. So now 4 heats are dropped down to 3 heats to make for a better show for the fans. Chad Blonde, Jeff "Long Hair" Rankin, and Brandon Martin won the heats. It was Jeff's daughter's 5th birthday, nice present for her to see her daddy win an All Star heat race. Some decent heat race action. Ryan Meyers won the enduro, I mean B Main that seemed to take forever to finish. Tim Shaffer was hooked-up in the Dash and took the win. Of course all the talk is about how close Dale Blaney and
Lance DeWease are in the points battle. On this night, their fight was not only for points but, for the $5000 paycheck at the end of the night. It was, from my memory bank, the best 30 lap A Main I can think of in all of my years of visiting Butler. The NRA 360 one in June was pretty decent but, this one was a dog fight all night long. Blaney got the advantage as the green flag waved to take the lead. Dale was hooked-up and entering lapped traffic around lap 5. DeWease was running the top side to perfection and blew past Blaney to take the lead on lap 8. DeWease was on the edge and opening up a straight-away lead in the next 5 laps. Blaney regathered himself and got his famous "low-rider" groove a working and started to reel DeWease in lap after lap. The lead pack in fighting heavy lapped traffic as well. Lap 20, Blaney regains the lead. A lap 21 caution puts the duo nose to tail, with clean air and no lapped cars. Blaney keeps the leads but Lance is
breathing down his header pipes. Blaney in some uncharacteristic moves, starts diving low into 1, sliding up in 2 to block DeWease's momentum on the top side. Dale is just holding on to the lead off 2. Lance gets good runs into 3 but can't make a move. Littery, nose to tail, side by side, they battle as just a handful of laps are remaining. Dale looks to be strong enough to hold on. With 3 to go, Blaney changes his line into 1, hopping on to the cushion. Into 2, Blaney drops over the edge, DeWease flys past for the lead. With so few of laps left, DeWease motors to a 15 car length lead. Lance will take the win and the point lead. Blaney, Lee Jacobs, Danny Smith, and Blake Feese round out the top 5. A real good for at the battlegrounds. As the night winds down, of course a few more chicken sandwiches before I leave.
Fremont Speedway announced last week that their September 20th, Jim Ford Classic, will pay $20,000 to win...Millstream Speedway in Findlay announced that an open sprint show paying $4000 to win and $400 to start will take place September 7th...The Rumble Series events in Toledo December 19th and 20th will feature NASCAR star Kenny Schrader each night.
UPCOMING: Last major holiday weekend of the racing season. Be sure to hit a race this weekend.
Friday: WOMS Spartan MI
Saturday: All Stars Attica OH, AVSS Berlin MI
Sunday: HOSS Angola IN, All Stars Hilltop OH, MSCS Haubstadt IN
See you at Limaland Motorsports Park Friday, Attica Saturday, and Eldora Sunday..
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