| By Bruce Crowley
Elko, Nevada…With over 40 cars packed into the pit area at Summit Raceway
this past weekend for ‘joint points’ races, the biggest winners were IMCA
Modified Western Region champion Dan Fitzgerald, Teri Kellum, and the
drivers from Winnemucca. For the Las Vegas based Fitzgerald, it was worth
towing his car seven hours as the current Summit point leader took both ends
of the two-day show. In the ECAR Gen-X class, it was all Kellum as the lass
from Elko picked up a couple of feature wins during the weekend. For both
Fitzgerald and Kellum, the victories were their fifth out of six races run
here this season. Winnemucca drivers Dave Jenkins and Brandon Vandermay
shared the two Pro Stock features, as Gary Ogborn, Jr. turned in a clean
sweep during the events on Friday’s Modified Mini competition on Friday.
Local favorite Mike Fietzek captured his second of the season here, as the
2002 champion led the Mod Minis field to the checkered flag on Saturday
night.
In the Modifieds on Friday, Winnemucca’s Chad
Farstveet took the initial green flag at the start and led former two-time
Summit champion Ward Amberson and former two-time champ Bobby Steensen for
several laps. At the same time, Fitzgerald, from eighth starting, started
methodically passing cars one by one. Farstveet was out in front, although
Amberson wasn’t going to let him too far ahead of him. On lap 13, Idaho
Falls driver Don Baisch, one of five drivers who traveled from Idaho to race
here this weekend, spun in turn one, causing the yellow to come out. On the
subsequent restart, Farstveet, while leading the 19-car field, spun out
himself leaving turn two, giving Amberson an early Father’s Day present. The
line-up at this time was Amberson, Fitzgerald, Jimmy Delaney, and Tim Mazour.
Amberson roared into turn one on the restart over Fitzgerald. It looked as
if Amberson’s new car was ready to win, as the leader held off the Las Vegas
math teacher. At the halfway point of the 30-lap event, Amberson bobbled in
turn four, letting Fitzgerald into the lead, and that was all she wrote! On
a lap 22 restart, Farstveet moved up to eighth place behind Joe Rigsby, and
Mazour, getting better every time out, passed Amberson for second. Amberson
developed mechanical problems and was out of the picture, as Farstveet took
the third spot. At the checkered, it was Fitzgerald, Farstveet, Mazour, a
tough Steensen, and Rigsby.
On Saturday night, Battle Mountain’s Mike Dorning led
a handful of laps, looking strong as he held Don Baisch in second. The
Fitzgerald express was sixth on the sixth lap, third on lap eight, and then
into the lead on the 10th go-around over the then leader Baisch.
The top two held those positions for the rest of the way. Delaney finished
in third, while Farstveet raced to fourth, and Amberson salvaged a fifth.
For the winner, it was career IMCA win #102.
In the Pro Stocks, Spring Creek’s Marnie Thorp took
the early lead in the Friday feature before Winnemucca ace Dave Jenkins went
to the post, relegating her to second. George Quintana passed Cliff Hagan
and Brian Thorp for third, and two laps later, got Marnie for second.
Brandon Vandermay, the point leader at Winnemucca, charged into third, but
the race was between Jenkins and Quintana. At the stripe it was Jenkins for
his second victory here this season. Quintana settled for second, while
Vandermay finished in the third spot. On Saturday, it was a little
different. The top driver Elko driver, Quintana, was eliminated before the
pack reached the first turn of the first lap. Ed Brooks evidently had too
much mud on his tires on the start of the race that caused his car to veer
from his pole starting position into the cars of Brian Thorp and Quintana.
Thorp’s car was all right, but Quintana’s car suffered heavy front-end
damage and was unable to continue. Elko’s Randy Hadlock led the early laps
before Vandermay took the lead as Hadlock’s car spun while leading on lap
eight. Jenkins got past Brian Thorp for second during the 23rd
lap, but could not run Vandermay down. With the win, Vandermay leaves Summit
with a one-point lead in Winnemucca points over Jenkins. Brian finished
third.
It was all Gary Ogborn, Jr. in the Modified Mini
division on Friday, as the young man from Winnemucca ran the table. He won
his heat race, took both ends of the Dash-For-Cash race, and led the 20-lap
feature for 15 laps. Elko standout Mike Fietzek ran a close second but was
unable to pass him. Ken Knight finished third ahead of Andrea Fietzek, he
best showing of her inaugural season. Winnemucca drivers Lee Bosch and Casey
Katzenmeyer shared the early laps of the Saturday portion, but Mike Fietzek
took control in this one, as Ogborn was not a factor, sidelined early.
Katzenmeyer and Bosch ran two-three to winner Fietzek, the Summit point
leader. Fourth went to Winnemucca point leader Knight.
The Gen-X class is spelled K-E-L-L-U-M, as in Teri
Kellum. The Elko ace won both features in this division. Spring Creek
teen-ager Ashleigh Bame finished second to Kellum on Friday, but Cody Maier,
who flipped his car during the heat race on Saturday, was the runner-up the
next night. Maier was third on Friday. Third Saturday was Valerie McLeod;
Dustin Greenwood was fourth, while Bame was in the fifth place.
A new division debuted on Saturday night with three
cars. Veteran driver Terry Lister won both his heat and the feature over
Valerie McLeod and Bruce Fisher, Jr. Lister won for the first time since he
won a Pro Stock feature at Winnemucca in 2003.
Pit Notes: Although it was billed as a joint race
between the Elko, Battle Mountain and the Winnemucca quarter-mile tracks,
only one Pro Stock driver from Battle Mountain showed up…Five Idaho drivers
towed down from Idaho Falls to compete in the IMCA division, and were fully
competitive…The next joint race will be held on Friday night June 30 at
Winnemucca Regional Raceway… The next races here will be on Saturday night
June 24.
SUMMIT RACEWAY results Friday night June 9, 2006
IMCA MODIFIEDS
Heat one: Chad Farstveet, Dan Fitzgerald, Casey Baisch,
Ray Thompson,
Cory Sample
Heat two: Jimmy Delaney, Bobby Steensen, Jon
Wilkinson, Scott Harding
Heat three: Tim Mazour, Don Baisch, Scott Coffelt,
Trevor Arnold
Heat four: Ward Amberson, Joe Rigsby, Mike Dorning,
Brad Torrez, Wade Taylor
Trophy dash: Chad Farstveet, Don Baisch, Scott Coffelt,
Jon Wilkinson. Tim Mazour
Feature: Dan Fitzgerald, Chad Farstveet, Tim Mazour,
Bobby Steensen, Joe Rigsby
Wade Taylor, Ward Amberson, Jimmy Delaney, Scott
Harding
Casey Baisch, Jon Wilkinson, Scott Coffelt, Keith
Greenwood,
Steve Pruitt, Ray Thompson, Trevor Arnold, Cory
Sample, Don Baisch
Mike Dorning, Brad Torrez DNS
ECAR PRO STOCKS
Heat one: Marnie Thorp, Brian Thorp, Brandon Vandermay,
Terry Lister
Heat two: George Quintana, Dave Jenkins, Cliff Hagan,
Jesse Chamblee, Ed Brooks
Feature: Dave Jenkins, George Quintana, Brandon
Vandermay, Marnie Thorp
Cliff Hagan, Brian Thorp, Terry Lister, Jesse
Chamblee, Ed Brroks DNS
ECAR MODIFIED MINIS
Heat one: Gary Ogborn, Jr., Casey Katzenmeyer, Tim
Garner, Jack Hammond
Andrea Fietzek
Heat two: Mike Fietzek, Denis Pruitt, Ken Knight, Mike
Wogan, Lee Bosch
Dash 4 Cash: Gary Ogborn, Jr., Casey Katzenmeyer, Jack
Hammond, Lee Bosch
Feature: Gary Ogborn, Jr., Mike Fietzek, Ken Knight,
Andrea Fietzek,
Casey Katzenmeyer, Lee Bosch, Dennis Pruitt, Mike
Wogan, Tim Garber
ECAR GEN-X
Heat: Ashleigh Bame, Teri Kellum, Cody Maier
Feature: Teri Kellum, Ashleigh Bame, Cody Maier
SUMMIT RACEWAY results Saturday night June 10, 2006
IMCA MODIFIEDS
Heat one: Ward Amberson, Jon Wilkinson, Mike Dorning,
Wade Taylor,
Ray Thompson
Heat two: Keith Greenwood, Joe Rigsby, Casey Baisch,
Steve Pruitt, Chad Farstveet
Heat three: Jimmy Delaney, Dan Fitzgerald, Tim Mazour,
Don Baisch, Scott Coffelt
Feature: Dan Fitzgerald, Don Baisch, Jimmy Delaney,
Chad Farstveet,
Ward Amberson, Tim Mazour, Joe Rigsby, Keith Greenwood, Mike Dorning
Ray Thompson, Scott Coffelt, Jon Wilkinson, Cory
Sample, Steve Pruitt
Casey Baisch, Brad Torrez, Wade Taylor
ECAR PRO STOCKS
Heat one: Dave Jenkins, Brandon Vandermay, Marnie
Thorp, Terry Lister, E Brooks
Heat two: George Quintana, Randy Hadlock, Jesse
Chamblee, Brian Thorp
Feature: Brandon Vandermay, Dave Jenkins, Brian Thorp,
Marnie Thorp,
Terry Lister, Jesse Chamblee, Randy Hadlock, Ed
Brooks, Geo. Quintana
ECAR MODIFIED MINIS
Heat one: Casey Katzenmeyer, Lee Bosch, Tim Garner,
Ken Knight, Connie Sandman
Heat two: Mike Fietzek, Mike Wogan, Andrea Fietzek,
Gary Ogborn, Jr.
Trophy dash: Casey Katzenmeyer, Lee Bosch, Mike Wogan,
Andrea Fietzek
Feature: Mike Fietzek, Casey Katzenmeyer, Lee Bosch,
Ken Knight, Mike Wogan
Tim Garner, Jack Hammond, Gary Ogborn, Jr., Connie
Sandman
ECAR GEN-X
Heat: Ashleigh Bame, Teri Kellum, Cody Maier, Valerie
McLeod
Trophy dash: Teri Kellum, Cody Maier, Ashleigh Bame
Feature: Teri Kellum, Cody Maier, Valerie McLeod,
Dustin Greenwood,
Ashleigh Bame
ECAR PURE STOCKS
Heat: Terry Lister, Valerie McLeod, Bruce Fisher, Jr.
Feature: Terry Lister, Valerie McLeod, Bruce Fisher,
Jr.
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