| By Bruce Crowley
Elko, Nevada…Dangerous Dan Fitzgerald did it again Saturday night at the
quarter-mile clay track in Elko. The young man from Las Vegas added to his
already impressive feature win list as he won his 15th IMCA
Modified feature out of his last 16 races here at Summit Raceway. It wasn’t
easy as former three-time track champion Corey Steensen shadowed him for
over half of the 30-lap event until he broke. At that point, Winnemucca’s
Rodney Sweet took up the chase but was still five lengths behind Fitzgerald
at the checkered flag. It took the current IMCA national point leader only
four laps from eighth starting to pass pole sitter Wade Taylor for the lead.
Steensen saw what he was doing and followed suit. Former two-time track
title-holder Ward Amberson, struggling to iron out the wrinkles on his new
machine, raced into third, but at this point it was a two man race. But with
a yellow flag, and with Steensen out, the line-up on the lap 25 restart was
Fitzgerald, Sweet, Amberson, Randy Artz, Jimmy Delaney, and Joe Rigsby. On
the subsequent green, the two leaders amassed a huge cushion over the
remainder of the field; but Fitzgerald had Sweet right behind. A cut tire,
or anything, could have turned the tide for Sweet, looking for his first
career win here at Summit, but it was not to be. Fitzgerald roared down the
front chute to record his career IMCA feature win number 97. So far in 2006,
Fitzgerald has won three races here, another three at Winnemucca Regional
Raceway, three at Pahrump Speedway, and two at Battle Mountain Raceway.
Following the two leaders at the finish line were Artz, Amberson, and
Delaney. No, they were not cheep lawyers but the number three, four, five
finishers. Delaney, Sweet and Steensen annexed the heat races.
The ECAR Pro Stock had a 2006 record of 12 starters
(nine of them former champions at various tracks) in their feature race, a
25-lap affair. Former three-time Summit champ Brian Thorp took the early
lead over Terry Lister and Cliff Hagan. Hagan challenged Thorp with some
wheel-to-wheel racing during laps 5-7, and prevailed on the eighth
go-around. Several laps later, Hagan lost a real wheel and axel assembly and
handed the lead to Thorp. On the restart, Thorp dominated for several laps
until California transplant Bob Brown took over first as Thorp’s tire was
going low. Stacy Beeler went by Thorp, then Dave Wearin. Defending champion
Bernie Sethaler and Thorp collided in turn 4, relegating Thorp’s tire to the
scrap heap. Lincoln Litchfield waved the restart green, and Beeler hounded
Brown around the track until he got the lead. Brown stumbled a bit, just
enough to allow Wearin to get second. A red flag came out for Marnie Thorp
who got tangled up with Sethaler on the backstretch hill. If you have been
to Summit Raceway, the track was built on the side of a mountain in the
Lamoille Summit. This mountain serves as a fence on the backstretch. Both
Ms. Thorp and Sethaler went high up the hill until they came down. Marnie
flipped her car once and it stopped on the side. She was unhurt and, in
fact, started the engine, drove to the pit area for minor repairs and
rejoined the race. On the restart, the cars of Beeler, Brown, Wearin, and
Brian Thorp could have fit under the proverbial blanket; yes, they were that
close. But Beeler was not to be denied in this one, as the former Battle
Mountain champion held off Brian Thorp for the checkered. Brown was third,
Wearin was fourth, and Marnie was fifth. Tracy Greenwood debuted her
sparkling new machine for a shake down run. With her addition, this division
should provide some exciting races. Brian Thorp and Hagan won the heat
races.
In the ECAR Modified Mini feature race had only six
cars to start, but it was a good one. Spring Creek teenager Jack Hammond
raced into the early lead over Winnemucca drivers Mike Wogan and Shawn
LeRoque, who was driving the car normally run by Lee Bosch. Hammond led the
11 laps when 2002 champion Mike Fietzek put his car to the outside of him
leaving turn 4. Hammond, who was going for career win number three, wasn’t
ready to give up so he passed Fietzek in suit. LeRoque challenged but a bad
tire sent him home early. Wogan went by Fietzek and began pressing Hammond.
A couple of laps later, Wogan went to the outside leaving turn 4 and got the
lead. The youngster lost fraction and spun. The two had built up a sizeable
lead that Hammond was able to continue without losing any further positions.
Hammond recovered to finish in second over Fietzek, as Wogan became the
third Modified Mini winner of the season. Wogan was here to test the track
for the upcoming joint point races here during the June 9 & 10 weekend. On
that weekend, points will be awarded drivers in the standings here, at
Battle Mountain and Winnemucca. A driver winning here will also receive the
same points here and at those other tracks. Drivers have the chance to get
some extra points; drivers who don’t run that week can drop in the
standings.
It was all Eric Moorhead in the ECAR Gen-X feature, as
the Elko driver took change from the initial green to the checkered flag.
His margin of victory was only a car length over Cody Maier. Third was
Ashleigh Bame and fourth was Teri Kellum. Kellum won the heat race but lost
her point lead to Moorhead.
The next race here at Summit will be Saturday night
May 27.
SUMMIT RACEWAY MAY 13, 2006 RACE 3 OF 15 RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIEDS
Heat One: Jim Delaney, Ward Amberson, Randy Artz,
Scott Harding, K. Greenwood
Heat two: Rodney Sweet, Dan Fitzgerald, Wade Taylor,
Joe Rigsby, Bobby Steensen
Heat three: Corey Steensen, Scott Coffelt, Chad
Farstveet, Tim Mazour
Feature: Dan Fitzgerald, Rodney Sweet, Randy Artz,
Ward Amberson, Jimmy Delaney, Joe Rigsby, Tim Mazour, Scott Harding, Wade
Taylor, Keith Greenwood, Corey Steensen, Bobby Steensen, Chad Farstveet DNS,
Scott Coffelt DNS
ECAR PRO STOCKS
Heat one: Brian Thorp, Dave Jenkins, Marnie Thorp,
Stacy Beeler, Bernie Sethaler
Heat two: Cliff Hagan, Terry Lister, Bob Brown, Dave
Wearin
Trophy Dash: Cliff Hagan, Stacy Beeler, Bob Brown,
Brian Thorp
Feature: Stacy Beeler, Brian Thorp, Bob Brown, Dave
Wearin, Cliff Hagan, Terry Lister, Tracy Greenwood, Dave Jenkins DNS, Ed
Brooks DNS
ECAR MODIFIED MINIS
Heat one: Mike Wogan, Jack Hammond, Andrea Fietzek,
Bob Brown DNS
Heat two: Mike Fietzek, Jay McLeod, Shawn LeRoque,
Connie Sandman
Feature: Mike Wogan, Jack Hammond, Mike Fietzek,
Connie Sandman, Andrea Fietzek, Shawn LeRoque, Jay McLeod DNS
ECAR GEN-X
Heat: Teri Kellum, Cody Meier, Ashleigh Bame, Eric
Moorhead
Feature: Eric Moorhead, Cody Meier, Ashleigh Bame,
Teri Kellum, Dustin Greenwood
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