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By Bruce Crowley
Elko, NV…Second generation driver Wade Taylor picked a
good night to win his first career IMCA Modified feature race Saturday night
at Summit Raceway, as a packed grandstand cheered him on during the first
night of a two day show at the quarter-mile clay track. Starting 16 on the
grid, . he weaved his way through the field, and was up to ninth place by
the race was one third over. Meanwhile, former three-time Summit Raceway
champion Corey Steensen had taken the lead from Winnemucca’s Cory Sample
during the third lap from their front row spots. Sample, last season’s
rookie of the year at his hometown track, wasn’t going to let Steensen check
out early---he was right behind the former titleholder. Taylor methodically
picked up positions one car per lap until he was in third place behind the
two leaders. On the 19th circuit, Taylor passed Sample going into
turn three, and went inside Steensen leaving turn four for the lead. Sample
did likewise. A lap or two later, Steensen retired to the pits, never to
return. Former Battle Mountain champ Randy Artz moved into the vacancy that
Steensen left in the three hole. Taylor was hitting on all eight, as he was
very impressive all night long. Try as the could, Sample, Artz and Nevada
point leader Chad Farstveet had nothing for him on this particular night.
Sample remained in the runner up position at the checkered, just as he did
for the entire 30-lap event. Farstveet was third and Artz finished fourth.
Sunday afternoon was a different story, as Steensen
repaired his car and took full advantage of another front row start. This
time he led wire-to-wire to over Artz and Sample to serve notice to his
fellow drivers that it might be the year of the Steensen.
In the Saturday night Pro Stock feature, it was all
Elko’s George Quintana from the start, aided by a front row start. Second
was Spring Creek’s Terry Lister and third was Winnemucca driver Shawn
LaRocque. Sunday afternoon had Jimmy Delaney picking up the win as his
modified car was unavailable to race due to valve problems. Behind Delaney
was defending champion Brian Thorp from Spring Creek; Quintana salvaged a
third after his developed electrical woes just before the feature.
The Mini Mod, or Modified Mini feature on Saturday saw
defending champion Mike Fietzek in command the entire 20-lap race.
Lamoille’s Dennis Pruitt was getting ready to make a move for the lead when
his engine overheated and stopped in turn three on the 16th
circuit. Fietzek held off the advances of Lee Bosch and Jack Hammond in the
closing stages to record the victory. Jay McCloud won Sunday afternoon over
Hammond and Fietzek, only after Pruitt was leading until another malfunction
put him into the pit area.
In the battle of the Pure Stocks, Spring Creek
teen-ager James Lister took the 20lap feature over Dustin Greenwood, Valerie
McCloud and Bernie Sethaler. Lister is the defending champion in the
division and should have a good future in racing, based on his ability to
handle his car and his quick thinking on the track, rare for a driver his
age. Bernie Sethaler usually runs only in the Pro Stocks, but did double
duty this past weekend in the Pure and Pro Stocks. He received the checkered
flag ahead of Lister in the matinee portion of the weekend.
Elko’s Teri Kellum is the defending champion in the
Gen-X class and proved it Saturday night’s feature. Relegated in the back on
the grid, Kellum sped past leader Tanner Roche on the 13th lap to
record her ninth victory in the past year. Second went to Roche, while
Heather Bame and Jennifer Fietzek followed. On the Sunday portion, Elko’s
Geoffrey Bullard won his first feature over a fast closing Cody Mier. Roche
and Kellum finished third and fourth.
The surface stayed together Sunday afternoon, with a
minimum of dust during the afternoon. The track prep people were in
mid-season form, as were the drivers. All five divisions will return on
Saturday night May 12 with the first event scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
SUMMIT RACEWAY April 28 & 29, 2007 results race one &
two of 16
Saturday night April 28, 2007
IMCA MODIFIEDS
Heat one: Corey Steensen, Joe Hood, Ray Thompson,
Tracy Greenwood, Eric Morehead
Heat two: Randy Artz, Cory Sample, Cliff Hagan
Heat three Wade Taylor, Joe Rigsby, Craig Maestretti,
Heat Four: Chad Farstveet, Dan Basanez, Steve Pruitt,
Bobby Steensen, Sue Eckert
Feature: Wade Taylor, Cory Sample, Chad Farstveet,
Randy Artz, Joe Hood, Jimmy Lester, Joe Rigsby, Cliff Hagan, Steve Pruitt,
Craig Maestretti, Tracy Greenwood, Dan Basanez, Corey Steensen, Bobby
Steensen, Eric Morehead, Ray Thompson, Chris Steensen DNS, Tim Mazour
DNS
PRO STOCKS
Heat one: Gary Ovitt, George Quintana, Brian Thorp,
Tom Szchawiski
Heat two: Terry Lister, Shawn LaRocque, Bernie
Sethaler, Marnie Thorp
Feature: George Quintana, Terry Lister, Shawn LaRocque,
Gary Ovitt, Brian Thorp, Bernie Sethaler, Marnie Thorp, Tom Szchawiski
MINI MODS
Heat: Dennis Pruitt, Lee Bosch, Mike Fietzek, Jack
Hammond, Andrea Fietzek
Feature: Mike Fietzek, Lee Bosch, Jack Hammond, Andrea
Fietzek, Dennis Pruitt, Jay McLeod
GEN-X
Heat one: Cody Mier, Heather Bame, Jennifer Fietzek
Heat two: Tanner Rocha, Teri Kellum, Geoffrey Bullock,
Shallyn Guthrie
Feature: Teri Kellum, Tanner Rocha, Heather Bame,
Jennifer Fietzek, Cody Mier, Geoffrey Bullock, Shallyn Guthrie
PURE STOCKS
Heat: Bernie Sethaler, James Lister, Valerie McCloud,
Dustin Greenwood, Jake Lister
Feature: James Lister, Dustin Greenwood, Valerie
McCloud, Bernie Sethaler, Jake Lister
SUMMIT RACEWAY results Sunday afternoon April 29, 2007
IMCA MODIFIEDS
Heat one: Chad Farstveet, Dan Basanez, Ray Thompson,
Jimmy Lester, Steve Pruitt
Heat two: Joe Hood, Cory Sample, Cliff Hagan, Tracy
Greenwood,
Heat three: Craig Maestretti, Randy Artz, Corey
Steensen, Joe Rigsby, Wade Taylor
Feature: Cory Steensen, Randy Artz, Cory Sample, Joe
Hood, Chad Farstveet, Wade Taylor, Dan Basanez, Steve Pruitt, Cliff Hagan,
Bobby Steensen, Joe Rigsby, Jimmy Lester, Ray Thompson, Craig Maestretti,
Tracy Greenwood
PRO STOCKS
Heat one: Gary Ovitt, Bernie Sethaler, Terry Lister
Heat two: George Quintana, Brian Thorp, Jimmy Delaney,
Marnie Thorp
Feature: Jimmy Delaney, Brian Thorp, George Quintana,
Bernie Sethaler, Terry Lister, Matt Mashburn, Marnie Thorp, Gary Ovitt DQ
MINI MODS
Heat: Mike Fietzek, Jack Hammond, Lee Bosch, Jay
McCloud, Andrea Fietzek
Feature: Jay McLeod, Jack Hammond, Mike Fietzek,
Andrea Fietzek, Dennis Pruitt
PURE STOCKS
Heat: James Lister, Dustin Greenwood, Valerie McCloud,
Jake Lister
Feature: Bernie Sethaler, James Lister, Valerie
McCloud, Dustin Greenwood, Jake Lister
GEN-X
Heat: Geoffrey Bullock, Cody Mier, Teri Kellum,
Heather Bame, Shallyn Guthrie
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