5/9/2016
Tri-City Motor Speedway
Race Results from 5/6/2016
Melling Select Late Models: 23v Ryan Vanderveen
Suspension MAXX Street Stocks: #73 Kyle Reilly
Main Street Seed and Supply IMCA Modified: #20w AJ Ward
Elgin Pro Stocks: #57 TJ Gilbert
Thornton Brothers Sewer & Septic Service Bomber Stocks: #13 Preston DeShano
Mini Wedge Cars: #13 Cassie Witherspoon
Ward Continues to Dominate IMCA Modified Division at TCMS
05/06/2016 (Auburn MI) Warm weather finally showed up on Friday Night at Tri-City Motor Speedway. Along with it came 107 drivers to try their hand on the 3/8 mile clay oval on night three of the 2016 season. The fans poured into the front gates as well. Many of them there for the first time this season due to the cold weather the previous two race nights. They witnessed an exciting night of racing.
Friday was the debut of the new Mini Wedge Car class at TCMS. These 5 Horsepower cars allows for youngster 7-14 years of age to compete on race night. This class was just introduced in the off season with many cars being built. This early in the season, these cars are still being built. Just one car was there to put on the exhibition. #13 Cassie Witherspoon made laps around the smaller track made especially for this division. We expect that full fields of these cars as they continue to be built.
The Elgin Pro Stock feature was the first feature of the night. Rookie #57 TJ Gilbert would get a great start from his second row position to take the lead by lap number one. Once he was able to take that lead, he never looked back as he would lead all 20 laps on his way to his first ever Pro Stock victory. Gilbert was so far out front of the field in the caution-free race, that runner-up finisher #14 Nate Jones had thought he was battling third place finisher #M65 Rick Spencer for the win. #10 Brent Reil and #69 Nate Murphy would complete the top five. Heat race victories were captured by Gilbert, Jones, and #94 Chad Raby. Raby would also win the Australian Pursuit.
Another strong showing of Melling Select Late Models had to narrow down the 23 that arrived down to 20 that would make it to the 25-lap main event. Qualifying heats were won by #6r Carl Ries, #24 Alex Hupert, and #4t Andrew Terrill. The B-main winner was #3 Kyle Roberts. Ries would inherit the pole position after a mechanical issue on the #75 of Rodney Laney forced him to retire before the drop of the green flag. Ries would take advantage of that scenario by leading the first handful of laps. He would catch the back of the pack but would have trouble getting around #04 Wade Witherspoon. Ries would spin and was forced to go to the back of the pack on the restart. This allowed #24 Alex Hupert to lead a majority of the remaining laps. However, he, too, would have trouble getting through lapped traffic. #23v Ryan Vanderveen would catch Hupert and make the pass on lap 21 for the eventual victory. Hupert had to settle for second and was followed by defending Champion #21d David Hilliker, #0p Kris Patterson Jr., and former champion #0x Zack Olger.
30 Suspension MAXX Street Stocks started the night in hopes of earning an invitation to their twenty-lap feature. After winning the Pro Stock feature, #57 TJ Gilbert hopped in his street stock and led the field to the green flag from the pole position. He would immediately jump out to a large lead. However, cautions riddled the event. This allowed mid-pack starter #73 Kyle Reilly the opportunity to gain positions on restarts. He would eventually track down Gilbert and make the lead pass near the halfway point of the event. Gilbert would eventually retire from the event early. Reilly, once he took the lead, was untouched as he crossed the finish line ahead of a fierce battle between runner-up #3 Mitch Clements, #96 Shane Wright, #11 Jimmy Jaenicke, and #18d David Lester. The four qualifying heats had Gilbert, Lester, #67 Ryan Fitzgerald, and Wright victorious. The two B-Mains were won by #15.2 Robert Cunningham and #16d Steve Doty.
To say that Stanton Driver and defending Main Street Seed and Supply Champion #7d Myron DeYoung has had a rough start to the season would be a huge understatement. It looked like maybe his luck would turn around this night as he dominated his heat race. Starting inside of row two, he would immediately pass front row starters #42 Craig Vance and #27 Matt Szecsodi and lead through lap 13. But once again, #20 AJ Ward, who has won every feature in 2016, would find his way to the back bumper of DeYoung. The would put on quite a display of hard racing before Ward would pull away and cruise to win number three of the season. DeYoung was second and followed by Vance, #615 Chad Wernette and B-main winner #98 Austin Wonch. #6 Travis Fisher, #68 Heath Grizzle, and Ward would win their heats. The other B-main winner was #25 Jeff Kohn.
13 Preston DeShano would once again dominate the Thornton Brothers Sewer and Septic Service Bomber Stocks. He would sweep the evenings events by winning both the heat and the feature. 18 Nick Putman, Defending Champion 09 Jack Freeze, 77 Stacie Staszak, and 2 Andrew Farley completed the top five finishers.
This Friday is a throwback Thursday of sorts as we host the Blast From the Past night! Come share your memories of TCMS throughout the years with us! We will have Australian Pursuits for all classes, as well! Late Models, IMCA Modified, and Street Stocks, Pro Stocks, and Bomber Stocks will once again be part of the race program! Admission is just $14 per adult, 55 yrs or better $13, 7-15 yrs old $5 and 6 and under FREE! Check out www.tricityracetrack.com for more details!
Submitted By: Steve Puvalowski
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