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Bill Luckhurst shows why he's a 10-time track champion in a thrilling Modifieds Feature at Owosso Speedway

Sunday June 21, 2009

 

By Matt Prieur and Chris Fobbe – Owosso Speedway

Ovid, Michigan (Saturday, June 20, 2009): Owosso Speedway was once
again in action on Saturday, June 20th on Fast Track Promotions Night
at the Races and what a night it was with some of the most thrilling
finishes of the 2009 racing season!

The first feature of the night was for the RacingPartSales.com Pure
Stocks who rolled out for there 20-lap Feature. Joyce Derminer and
Rick Gokee Sr. led the 17-car field to the green flag and it would be
Gokee Sr., pacing the field for the first 13 laps before current
points leader, Jimmy Stratton, who started 11th, and had been
patiently working his way through the field, drove by on lap 14.

Once Stratton got the lead the Lennon, Michigan driver would take off
and hide from the rest of the field and for the fourth time this
season, he would steer his Muffler Man of Flint Chevrolet and extend
his points lead in the process. Gokee Sr., finished a solid second as
Pat Standley, Jim Gokee, and Kevin Adkins, who started 17th after
having problems in qualifying, were the Top Five.

Leroy Whitaker was sixth and was chased by Eric Spencer, Derminer,
Chris Wood, and Jerry Lupien finished off the Top 10. Stratton was the
Fast Qualifier for the sixth time this season with a 19.508 while
Gokee Sr., and Spencer collected heat race wins.

The Fast Track Promotions Sport Stocks rolled out for there 20-lap
feature with 15-year-old Joey Rodgers and Bill McBride leading the
14-car field to the green flag. Prior to the green, Fast Qualifier,
J.T. Leach had electrical problems and was pushed to the pit area.

The green flew but a complete restart was in order. This allowed Leach
to return to the track and start shotgun on the field without losing a
lap in the pits. McBride led the first three laps before another
15-year-old, Matt Vainner passed him for the lead on lap four. Two
laps later, Leach, who had methodically worked his way through the
field, completed his charge with a pass on Vainner on lap six for the
lead!

It was all Leach from that points forward as the Eaton Rapids,
Michigan driver in his O’Neil’s Auto Parts Dodge rolled on to his
first feature win of the 2009 racing season over new co-points leader,
Shaun Conner, who finished second and inherited a share of the points
lead after points leader and four-time feature winner, 17-year-old
Marq Eaton broke a transmission in practice and was done for the day.

17-year-old Tim Rodgers, the current rookie points leader, finished a
career high third as Scott Rodgers, Vainner, McBride, 14-year-old
Billy Luckhurst, Tony Sanfilippo, Joey Rodgers, and Jim Hammond
rounded out the Top 10. Leach was the fast qualifier with a 20.262
while McBride and Hammond picked up heat race victories.

The most exciting and dramatic Wieland Contracting Modifieds Feature
in recent memory was next as Fast Track Promotions added an extra
$1,000 to the purse and added 10 laps to the regularly schedule 30-lap
Feature giving the great fans of the Big “O” a 40-lap Feature.

Chuck Silva and Tony Pastorino led the stout 24-car field to chief
starter, Jeremy Sladen’s green flag to begin the highly anticipated
feature. Silva paced the field in the opening laps while the rest of
the pack jockeyed for position behind the veteran. A couple of
cautions slowed the pace with the most dramatic accident of the night
occurring on lap three.

Gavin Hunyady and current rookie points leader, 15-year-old Kenton
Taylor touched wheels sending Hunyady up into the air before coming
back down on the race track. The impact broke Hunyady’s rear end
forcing fire and safety officials to execute a massive clean up effort.

The green flew again with Silva pacing the field. Steve Bates Jr.,
made a daring pass to the inside of Silva on lap 18 to take over the
top spot. Bates Jr., brought Laci Donnert with him and it wasn’t long
before Donnert began to work on Bates Jr., for the top spot. Donnert
made the pass for the lead on lap 28 and began pulling away from the
pack.

If the race was a regularly scheduled 30-lap feature, Donnert would’ve
enjoyed the rewards of a feature win, but the extra laps proved to be
Donnert’s downfall as on lap 32, his pan hard bar broke and in turn
shattered his drive shaft which brought out the caution and for the
second night in a row, ending Donnert’s bid for a feature win.

This gave the lead back to Bates Jr., who now had fast qualifier,
Travis Eddy and 10-time overall and six-time defending track champion,
Bill Luckhurst behind him. Eddy quickly moved to the inside of Bates
Jr., on the restart and took the lead on lap 33. In the meantime,
Luckhurst began building the momentum up in the affectionately known
“Luckhurst Third Groove” and on lap 34 changed the entire race.

Luckhurst stuck to the third groove as Eddy was on the inside of Bates
Jr., as all three went three-wide into turns 3-4 and stayed that way
until the middle of the front stretch where Luckhurst’s momentum
carried him around the two cars underneath him and the Ovid, Michigan
veteran snatched the lead away from the two startled drivers.

To the approval and deafening roar of the partisan crowd on hand,
Luckhurst was in the lead and he made no mistake the rest of the way
to steer his Corrigan Oil Chevrolet into victory lane for the second
time in a row! Eddy slipped by Bates Jr., for second as Bates Jr.,
Silva, Larry Wallace, Scott Lamp, Joe Morisette, Jeff Reamer, Wayne
Haughton, and Chris Ozanich from 22nd, completed the Top 10.

Eddy was the fast qualifier for the third time in a row with a 16.329
while Ozanich, Reamer, and Morisette were the heat race winners.
Originally there was to be a B Main, but Fast Track Promotions elected
to start all 24 cars and add the extra $1,000 to the purse.

Finally to complete the night, the Affordable Tire and Service Center
Pro Stocks rolled out for there 25-lap feature 17-year-old Andrew
Clark and current rookie points leader, 13-year-old Max Thompson sat
on the front row. Clark led the feature for the first two laps until
Jordan Harvey found a way by Clark and took the lead on lap three.

Harvey then had to deal with the advances of Don Riley, the current
points leader at Owosso’s sister track to the Northeast, Dixie Motor
Speedway. Riley took over the lead on lap seven and brought Chris
Stearns and Chet Allen with him and all three took off and began a
battle of there own.

Riley did everything he could to hold off Stearns and Allen and the
entire outcome took a dramatic turn in the waning laps. Allen drove
around the outside of Stearns and pulled up along-side Riley for the
lead as the white flag flew. Going down the backstretch, Allen slipped
a right rear of the backstretch and as he gathered his car back up, he
veered into the path of Riley sending both over the turn three
embankment.

Stearns dove underneath both and took the checkered flag to seemingly
win the feature in dramatic fashion. Unfortunately for him, as well as
second and third place finishers, Leo Smith and Mark Ragsdale, all
three were disqualified at post-race tech, giving the win to a
surprised Tony Basalone as the Gaines, Michigan driver in his Ken Lee
Well Drilling Chevrolet would score his second feature win in a row!

Harvey inherited second while Jon Giffel scored a third place finish
in his first Owosso start of the season. Eric Olsen was fourth as
Clark, 13-year-old Erik Jones, Jeff McGeathy, Riley, Allen, and
Thompson were the final top 10. Basalone also inherited his first fast
qualifier award of the season with a 17.430 as Thompson and Riley won
heat races.

Next up on the 2009 calendar will be the first ever appearance by the
legendary BIG FOOT Monster Truck to the Big “O.” on Saturday, June
27th. As for racing on the track, the second and final appearance by
the Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper Michigan Legends Series will
highlight BIG FOOT Night at the races with the running of the Michigan
Summer Regionals.

Also on the card will be the Drive Train Specialists Pro Late Models
who return after a week off as part of there bi-weekly rotating
schedule with the Modifieds. The RacingPartSales.com Pure Stocks and
Fast Track Promotions Sport Stocks are also in action for a big four
in one show with BIG FOOT.

The Modifieds and Pro Stocks get a well deserved weekend off and both
will return along-with the Pure Stocks as all three will join the fire
breathing, winged warriors of the Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper Super
Sprints Series as part of the Michigan National Guard Fourth of July
Open Wheel Extravaganza on Saturday, July 4th!

The Pro Late Models and Modifieds 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 June 27th are: Adults (17-59): $12.00, Seniors (60 and
over): $10.00, Students (9-17): $8.00, Kids Under 8 are always 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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