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Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer, Tim Felver returns home and wins Pro Late Models Feature

Sunday June 14, 2009

 

By Matt Prieur and Chris Fobbe – Owosso Speedway

Ovid, Michigan (Saturday, June 13, 2009): It was Ladies Night at the
Owosso Speedway on Saturday, June 13th as the ladies of the Big “O”
were treated like royalty throughout the evening with assorted
giveaways while ladies and gentleman of all ages enjoyed the exciting
racing action on the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked paved oval.

The first feature of the night was for the Affordable Tire and Service
Center Pro Stocks who took the green flag for their 25-lap Feature to
kick off the nights main festivities. Jordan Harvey and 13-year-old
Rookie contender, Erik Jones sat on the front row and it would be
Harvey who would pace the field while the rest of the pack jockeyed
for position behind him.

Tony Basalone, who started fourth, quickly drove by fellow second row
starter, John Eastman and then passed Jones, settled into second
behind Harvey and followed him all over the Ovid, Michigan speed
plant. With 10 laps in the record books, Basalone made his move and
dove to the inside of Harvey and took the lead just as the halfway
signal was given on Lap 13.

Basalone brought Defending Track Champion and Current Points Leader,
Leo Smith with him and the battle was on for the top spot. Smith tried
every trick he had in his arsenal to get by Basalone but the Gaines,
Michigan driver wasn’t to be denied this night as Basalone in his Ken
Lee Well Drilling Chevrolet, fended off the advances of Smith and
scored his first career Owosso Speedway Feature Win!

Smith settled for second as Chris Stearns nipped Harvey at the line to
score the last podium position. Harvey was fourth as Ed Newman Jr.,
Jones, Erik Olsen, Tom Stone, Eastman, and Mark Ragsdale completed the
Top 10. Stone was the fastest qualifier of the night for the second
time this season with a 17.110 while Newman Jr., and Smith picked up
heat race wins.

The Fast Track Promotions Sport Stocks were up next for their 20-lap
Feature as 2008 Runner-Up, Shaun Conner and 2008 Rookie of the Year,
J.T Leach, took the green flag as the front row. Leach edged out
Conner heading into the first corner to take the lead.

Jim Hammond, who started inside of the second row, made it three-wide
coming out of Turn Two and the fight was on for the lead amongst the
three talented drivers. Leach and Hammond eventually pulled away from
Conner and continued to fight amongst themselves before Hammond, who
earlier in the night won a heat race, took the lead for himself on Lap
Five.

Hammond, who makes the two and a half hour trip from Toledo, Ohio
every Saturday night to race at the Big “O” made the long trip
worthwhile as the Buckeye State driver in his Auto River Automotive
Dodge, kept Leach and Current Points Leader, 16-year-old Marq Eaton,
behind him the rest of the race and went on to win his First Career
Feature!

Leach finished second ahead of Eaton, who saw his four-race winning
streak to start the season come to an end by finishing third. Former
Flagman at the track, Doug Allen came home fourth ahead of Russ
Potter, the highest finishing six-cylinder in the race.

15-year-old Harley Smith, who won her first career Fast Qualifier
award earlier in the afternoon, finished sixth ahead of Conner, Bill
McBride, Misty Allen, and Scott Rodgers, who rounded out the Top 10.
Smith’s time was a 19.900 as McBride and Hammond scored heat race wins.

The traveling stars of the Midwest Classic Racers (M.C.R.) Dwarf Cars
Series were in attendance for their first of three appearances of the
2009 racing season as Kevin Ayers and Todd Getz led the 20-car field
to the green flag to start the 25-lap Feature.

Getz led the first lap before Auto Value Super Sprints Series regular
and former M.C.R. Dwarf Cars Series Champion, Chad Goff and Current
Points Leader, Craig Curtis sliced through the entire field in front
of them from the seventh row in just a lap and a half with Goff taking
the lead from Getz on Lap Two while Curtis followed suit and grabbed
second spot away from Getz a turn later and was immediately on Goff’s
back bumper.

Curtis grabbed the lead away from Goff, who finished second the night
before in the Auto Value Super Sprints Feature at Toledo Speedway, and
Curtis in his T.D.C. Chassis Ford held off the constant advances of
former series champions, Goff, Eric Hoffman, and Jon Wylie to give the
driver from near-by DeWitt, Michigan his third M.C.R. Feature Win in
Three starts and extend his early season points lead.

Hoffman finished second over Goff, Wylie, Landon Hidy, Mike McManman
Sr., Nick Shanks, Joe McManman, Pat Bobek, and Dave Wylie finished off
the Top 10. Curtis set fast time in Qualifying with a 16.569 while
Steve Bobek, Hidy, and Goff all scored heat race wins.

To complete the night, the Drive Train Specialists Pro Late Models
30-lap Feature rolled out with Three-Time Track Champion, Tom Hoose
and Owosso veteran, Jimmy O. Smith, who was making his first start of
the season, leading the field to Chief Starter, Jeremy Sladen’s green
flag to begin the last feature of the evening.

Smith edged Hoose heading into the first corner to take the early lead
while the rest of the field settled in behind the duo. Michigan
Motorsports Hall of Fame Driver and Three-Time Super Late Models Track
Champion, Tim Felver, in his first start of the season, started at the
rear of the field after scratching his qualifying time due to a broken
clutch, steadily picked his way through the field.

After 10 laps had been recorded, Felver was sitting in second place
and right on Smith’s back bumper and followed his tire tracks all over
the 3/8s mile. Finally with Five laps to go and as he has done so many
times in his Hall of Fame career, Felver went to the patented outside
lane and drove around Smith on Lap 21 to take over the lead to the
roar of the hometown crowd!

Felver, who has been doing massive construction work down in Louisiana
in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for the last two years, returns
home for a few weekends out of the year and this time the trip was
worthwhile as the Owosso, Michigan legend in son Jason Felver’s S.L.H.
Metals Pontiac, sent the partisan hometown fans home happy with his
first Feature Win in his first start of 2009.

Smith finished in second as Current Points Leader, Ed Young Jr.,
claimed the last podium spot over Hoose, Russ Cords, Chris Begg, Joe
Hodgeson Jr., Ryan Inman, Rookie Points Leader Jim Hardy, and Jerry
Lupien were the Top 10. Defending Track Champion, Dave Bigos scored
his first Fast Qualifier Award of the season with a 16.212. Bigos’
son, 15-year-old Rookie, Dillon Bigos won his first career Heat Race
while Hoose picked up the other heat race win.

Next Saturday, June 20th, the Wieland Contacting Modifieds and
RacingPartSales.com Pure Stocks return after a weekend off and will be
joined by the Affordable Tire and Service Center Pro Stocks and Fast
Track Promotions Sport Stocks on Fast Track Promotions Night at the
Races.

The Modifieds and Pro Late Models continue with there bi-weekly
rotation throughout the 2009 schedule. The only nights where both
divisions race on the same night will be on Saturday, September 12th
during the 2009 Season Championships and again in the running of the
14th annual Owosso Fall Nationals on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
September 25-26-27th.

Every Saturday night, the Pit Gates open at “High Noon” 12:00p.m.,
while Rotating Practice starts at 2:00p.m. Qualifying begins at
5:00p.m., and Racing will get underway at 7:00p.m. General Admission
Prices for regular season events are: Adults (17-59): $12.00, Seniors
(60 and over): $10.00, Students (9-17): $8.00, Kids Under 8 are FREE.
Pit Passes are always $25.00.

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 at:
www.owossospeedway.com and come watch all the exciting action where
racings’ Past, Present, and Future collide; The Owosso Speedway.

Do you want the chance to win a free Frontstretch T-Shirt, and are you really good at talking about NASCAR? Well, we have the perfect opportunity for you. Our staff will be giving away a free T-Shirt to the reader who makes the best post in our Frontstretch Forum between now and the end of the season. So, what makes a good post? It’s pretty hard to impress us, but here are some things we are looking for:

Does your post spark passionate reactions from other readers? Are you commenting on meaningful NASCAR-related events? Do your posts have substance? In other words, “Dale Jr. is the best driver ever” or “Danica Patrick is hot” will not cut it.

So go to the Frontstretch Forums, post early, post often, and post well! We’ll announce the winner following the final race of the season at Homestead.

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

 

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