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By Bruce Crowley
Elko, Nevada…Three drivers made their first victory
circle visits of 2006 Saturday night at Elko’s Summit Raceway, and yet
another seems to have turned it in to a Saturday night ritual. Elko star
Teri Kellum once again turned the ECAR Gen-X 15-lap feature race into her
personal playground as she notched win number seven into her safety belt. At
the start of the feature, Cody Maier led the first four laps before Kellum
took charge. Maier won last week at Battle Mountain, but thoughts of a
repeat were extinguished by Kellum. Not even the presence of former
three-time Pro Stock ace Brian Thorp, racing Ashleigh Bame’s car, put any
fear in Kellum’s head on this night.. Thorp is mired in a severe winless
streak that has now reached 16 weeks, but didn’t find the tonic he needed
against the strong Kellum. Kellum has beaten her little brother Brian for
years, and Saturday was no exception. In fact, she rubbed it in twice, as
she also waxed him in the earlier heat race. Thorp did finished in second
and Maier was third in the feature race.
Ward Amberson ended his two-year win drought in the
IMCA Modified division big time, as the former two-time track champion
turned in a rare clean sweep. The Spring Creek ace won his heat race and
then added the trophy dash to his winnings, before dispatching the 14-car
field in the feature event. Amberson became the third driver this season to
beat Las Vegas whirlwind Dan Fitzgerald on this track this season, but
Fitzgerald was beaten almost before one lap was completed in this one.
Currently leading the IMCA Western Region, Winnemucca Regional Raceway,
Battle Mountain Raceway, Summit Raceway, and state of Nevada point
standings, Fitzgerald hit the brakes as he left turn four during the first
lap as the field slowed down. The sudden stop threw his car into the front
wall where he was it by a following car. The repairs cost him nine racing
laps before he was able to continue, minus right front shock.
Meanwhile, Winnemucca rookie Cory Sample raced into
the early lead ahead of Sam Coffelt, as Amberson was running in sixth. By
the fourth lap, Amberson was fourth; he was second a lap later. On the lap
six restart, Ward took the lead leaving turn two, with Sample staying in
second. Fitzgerald raced out of the pits on the ninth lap in 11th
place with a ill-handling machine. What a story this would have been if he
had won, but nine laps back was too much for anyone to ask. By the 13th
go around, Jimmy Delaney went past Sample for the runner-up spot. The
Full-Moon syndrome hit on lap 15 sending Chad Farstveet and Sam Coffelt into
a tizzy and the yellow flag out. Six cars went to the pits for repairs in
this one: Sample, Sam Coffelt, Farstveet, Keith Greenwood, Tim Mazour, and
Joe Rigsby and all returned save Coffelt and Rigsby. At the restart,
Amberson, enjoying his romp in first place, continued to lead over Delaney,
the winner last week at Battle Mountain. Running in third was Fitzgerald,
although he was really still nine down, and Steve Pruitt was really in
third. Got that? In the dwindling laps, Farstveet shot past Pruitt into
third. With one to go, Amberson held his two to three car length lead over
Delaney and Farstveet. As the checkered waved, Amberson was pumped. After
fighting handling problems all season long, the 12-time champion was happy
to get this latest victory. Only eight cars finished the 30-lap race, and
Fitzgerald picked up six positions by returning to the race. Being second in
national points, that eighth place might by the difference between first and
second at the end of the season.
George Quintana seemed as if he had one of the best
Pro Stocks on the track, but had problems week after week, but not last
Saturday night. Starting fifth in the feature, the Elko driver took the lead
from Terry Lister and his new car after a lap four restart, and led the
remaining 25-laps. Previous winner Cliff Hagan put the pressure on him for
most of the race until Hagan was sidelined to the pits during the 20th
lap. Brian Thorp took over, but Quintana prevailed. Once more this season,
Thorp was ‘always a bridesmaid, but never a bride’. Thorp was second, Lister
third. Hagan did beat Quintana in the earlier heat race.
The once mighty Modified Mini class fielded only four
cars Saturday night, as this season saw two-time champion Bobby Steensen
moved up to the IMCA Modified division, as did Steve Pruitt and the Coffelt
brothers, Sam and Scott. With current point leader Mike Fietzek out of the
state this past weekend, Lamoille’s Dennis Pruitt took over the vacated
seat. Pruitt took the lead over Winnemucca’s Shawn LeRoque on the third lap
and the lead was never threatened again. Jack Hammond finished second,
LeRoque was third, and fourth went to Andrea Fietzek. LeRoque won the heat
over Pruitt.
The next event at Summit will be Saturday night July
22 at 7 pm.
SUMMIT RACEWAY results from Saturday night July 8,
2006
IMCA MODIFIEDS
Heat one: Ward Amberson, Scott Coffelt, Sam Coffelt,
Cory Sample, Wade Taylor
Heat two: Jimmy Delaney, Joe Rigsby, Bobby Steensen,
Tim Mazour, Steve Pruitt
Heat three: Dan Fitzgerald, Ray Thompson, Keith
Greenwood, Chad Farstveet
Trophy dash: Ward Amberson, Steve Pruitt, Bobby
Steensen, Ray Thompson
Feature: Ward Amberson, Jimmy Delaney, Chad Farstveet,
Steve Pruitt
Keith Greenwood, Tim Mazour, Cory Sample, Dan
Fitzgerald
Wade Taylor, Scott Coffelt, Sam Coffelt, Joe Rigsby,
Bobby Steensen
Ray Thompson
ECAR PRO STOCKS
Heat: Cliff Hagan, George Quintana, Marnie Thorp,
Terry Lister, Brian Thorp
Feature: George Quintana, Brian Thorp, Terry Lister,
Marnie Thorp, Cliff Hagan
Dave Jenkins, Daniel Jameson
ECAR MODIFIED MINIS
Heat: Shawn LeRoque, Dennis Pruitt, Jack Hammond,
Andrea Fietzek DNS
Feature: Dennis Pruitt, Jack Hammond, Shawn LeRoque,
Andrea Fietzek
ECAR GEN-X
Heat: Teri Kellum, Cody Maier, Dustin Greenwood, Brian
Thorp,
Mark Andrade
Feature: Teri Kellum, Brian Thorp, Cody Maier, Dustin
Greenwood
Mark Andrade
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