Go to content Go to navigation Go to recent PR reports Go to search

Felver, Smith, Stratton, and Eaton win on a blistery cold night at the Big "O"

Tuesday May 19, 2009

 

By Matt Prieur and Chris Fobbe – Owosso Speedway

Ovid, Michigan (Saturday, May 16, 2009): On an unusually cold and
blistery night, the Owosso Speedway was in action for Civil Servant
Night at the 68-year-old Ovid, Michigan speed plant.

The first Feature of the night was the Affordable Tire and Service
Center Pro Stocks 25-lap Feature as Former MCR Dwarf Car Series
competitor Dennis Roys sat on the pole and he would battle 2006 Pro
Stocks Track Champion, Mark Ragsdale all over the high banks of the
3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked paved oval in the early going.

Ragsdale would have defending track champion Leo Smith, 2005 Track
Champion Tom Stone, and Chet Allen all slip past Ragsdale and hunt
down Roys as the laps quickly clicked off. Smith would patiently
follow Roys and on lap 17, Smithwould take the lead on lap 17.

The Corunna, Michigan veteran in his Main Beverage Company Chevrolet
would pull away and never look back and went on to take his first
feature of the season in a caution free race and complete the “Hat
Trick” for the night!

Roys would hang on for second with Stone, Allen,and Ragsdale rounding
out the top five. Smith set fast time with a 16.931, just 0.53 seconds
off the track record and he also won his heat race. Roys picked up the
other heat race.

In the 20-lap Fast Track Promotions Sport Stocks Feature, It would be
15-year-old Joey Rodgers and his Uncle Scott Rodgers on the front row
but it would be 2008 Sport Stocks Runner-Up, Shaun Conner who would
led the first two laps before opening night feature winner,
16-year-old Marq Eaton got by Conner to take the lead on lap three.

From that point on Eaton made a big statement to the rest of the field that he would be the one to beat all season long by lapping nearly the entire field en route to his second feature win of the season in two starts in his Bear Diner Dodge.

Earlier in the day, Eaton shattered the track record in Qualifying but
over a 1/4 of a second, but his time was disallowed due to an
unapproved Computer Chip. Eaton would replace the chip, add 100 lbs.
of weight to the car and then the Michigan Center, Michigan teenager
went out and won his heat and dominated the feature!

Conner would come home second and was the last car on the lead lap
while Scott Rodgers, Bill McBride and Mark Lawless rounded out the top
five. Joey Rodgers, Matt Vainner, Tim Rodgers, 2008 Rookie of the Year
J.T. Leach, and Russ Potter finished off the Top 10. Potter inherited
the fast qualifier award with a 20.443 after Eaton’s time was taken
away while Scott Rodgers and Eaton won heat races.

The Drive Train Specialists Pro Late Models rolled out next for their
30-lap feature which saw current Rookie of the Year Points Leader, Jim
Hardy start on the pole. But it was another rookie, Chris Begg, who
was making his Pro Late Models debut, getting by Hardy to lead the
opening lap.

As Begg led, Jason Felver quickly made his way up to Begg’s back
bumper and on lap 11, Felver would get past Begg to take the lead.
Just a few laps later, Begg would slip up high coming out of turn four
and veer right into the path of 2004 Rookie of the Year, Ron Hauser.
Both would make hard contact into each other and then into the front
stretch wall, prompting a red flag on the track. Both drivers were ok,
but done for the evening.

Once racing resumed, Felver was out front, but had a battle behind him
with defending track champion, Dave Bigos doing battle with two-time
Dixie Motor Speedway Pro Late Models Track Champion, Ed Doutre Jr.
Bigos would eventually slip by, but he would have nothing for Felver
as the Owosso, Michigan driver steered his Compenet Coatings Pontiac
into victory lane and collected his first feature win of the 2009
racing season.

Bigos came home in second with Doutre Jr., Russ Cords, and
15-year-old, Dillon Bigos, who was also making his Pro Late Models
debut, rounding out the Top Five. 2001 Pro Late Models Track Champion,
Ed Young Jr., was sixth and was followed by Hardy, Jerry Lupien, Begg,
and Hauser who rounded out the Top 10.

Mark Welch was the fastest qualifier of the 15 Pro Late Models on hand
with a 16.117. Unfortunately, an accident in the heat race knocked
Welch, who was the divisions’ points leader coming into the night, out
of the Feature line-up! Cords and Young Jr., picked up heat race wins.

To close out the night, Rick Gokee, Sr. and 13-year old Rookie Erik
Jones would lead the field down to the green flag for the 20-Lap
RacingPartSales.com Pure Stock feature. Veteran Ricky Moore would find
a way around the front row on the first lap from his third place
starting spot to take the early lead while the rest of the field
jockeyed for position behind him.

Moore would lead the opening10 laps, before the 13-year-old Jones
would slip past to lead the next two laps. Another veteran, Jim Gokee
would take the point on lap 13 and brought 2008 Owosso Fall Nationals
Champion and Fast Qualifier, Jimmy Stratton with him.

It would take several laps but Stratton, in his Muffler Man of Flint
Chevrolet, would take the lead with three laps to go and never look
back to give the Lennon, Michigan driver his first feature win of the
2009 racing season. Jones held on for a career high second place
finish as Gokee, opening night feature winner Jeff Cummings, and Moore
rounded out the Top Five.

Pat Standley came home a strong sixth while Gokee Sr., Mike Ashford,
Gary Dabney, and rookie Doug Church completed the Top 10. Stratton’s
fast time was a 19.065, just .098 seconds off the track record, as
Jones and Gokee took home the heat race wins.

The first Autograph and Picture Night of the 2009 racing season is
next on the Big “O” calendar on Saturday, May 23rd. The Wieland
Contracting Modifieds, who have yet to race this year thanks to the
May 9th cancellation, will make their 2009 debut over the Memorial Day
Holiday Weekend.

Also in attendance will be the Affordable Tire and Service Center Pro
Stocks, RacingPartSales.com Pure Stocks, and Fast Track Promotions
Sport Stocks.

It’s also the first of three Autograph and Picture Nights of the
season as the fans in the grandstands will be able to head out onto
the frontstretch to meet and greet their favorite cars and stars of
the Owosso Speedway during Intermission.

Every Saturday night, the Pit Gates will open at “High Noon”
12:00p.m., with Rotating Practice beginning at 2:00p.m. The Grandstand
Gates Open at 4:00p.m., with Qualifying going at 5:00p.m. Racing is
set for 7:00p.m.

General Admission is; Adults – $12.00, Seniors – $10.00, Students
(9-16) – $8.00 and Kids (8 and Under) are absolutely FREE. Pit Passes
are $25.00.

The Drive Train Specialists Pro Late Models and Wieland Contracting
Modifieds will alternate weekends throughout the 2009 racing season as
the headlining division during the Weekly Local Racing Series Racing
Programs on Saturday nights. The next event for the Pro Late Models
will be on Saturday, May 30th on Kids Bike Night / Service Club Night.

The only nights where the Pro Late Models and Modifieds will be in
action on the same night will be during the 2009 Season Championships
on September 12th and the 14th annual Owosso Fall Nationals Weekend on
September 25-27th.

For more information, please call: 1 (989) 834-5948, 1 (810) 965-6698,
or 1 (989) 709-6113. You can also log onto the website as well by
going to: www.owossospeedway.com

DON’T LET THE FINAL WEEKEND OF SILLY SEASON PASS YOU BY!

The Frontstretch Newsletter’s got you covered all weekend long as Managing Editor Tom Bowles gives you all the latest news from Homestead. And if you don’t get the Newsletter… now’s your chance to sign up. It’s action-packed with the latest in breaking news, commentary, and driver features from your favorite writers … and it gets sent FREE right into your email inbox! Click here to jump on board with content you won’t see anywhere else on the site.

This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Kim DeHaven.

 

©2000 - 2008 Kim DeHaven and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!