9/6/2020
81 Speedway
Powers triumphant in home-track return; Leonard, Kinderknecht, and Bice win.
9/5/2020 - 81 Speedway – Park City, KS
Photo Credit: Darrin McKim
Boats, bar-b-que, and celebration are always in store come Labor Day weekend. But before props turn, and coals get hot, there was racing action to attend to Saturday night at Park City’s 81 Speedway. John Allen and crew had another well prepped surface in store as Late Models, Alternative Pest Management USRA Modifieds, Mod Lites, and Mini Stock all took to the three-eighths mile oval.
Making a clean sweep of the night, Korey Bice took home his third Mini Stock trophy of the season, passing leader Haley Cash on the bottom of the speedway exiting turn 4 with two laps to go. Cash used a strong start from the outside of row one to take the early lead. Bice kept pressure on the young lady from Valley Center, never letting her lead grow to more than half a second. Cash fought an ill handling car late, giving Bice the room needed to complete the pass. Cash held on to second, while Dale Shockey, Colten Kelley, and RC Esparza completed the top five.
Déjà vu was the theme of the night for the Mod Lite division. Completing both the heat race and A-feature in the exact same finishing order, Justin Kinderknecht picked up his third win of the season, while Tommy Carter keeping the mod lite ace honest the entire night. Both races featured Kinderknecht jumping out to an early lead with Carter in tow. In A-Feature action, Carter kept Kinderknecht squarely in sight through the first six laps. Too strong at the end, Kinderknecht pulled away to a 2.2 second win over Carter’s #25 machine. AJ Miranda, Nick Watts, and Jeremy Heim made up the top five.
After a heartbreaking loss in lap traffic two weeks ago, Dusty Leonard was not going to be denied victory on Saturday night. Leonard made quick work of the field from his fifth place starting spot, taking over the race lead on lap 6. Over the next 4 circuits Leonard raced away to a 2.5 second lead, while Chris Kratzer and Cole McDaniel tussled over the second spot before a Hoover Mower Sales caution slowed the pace on lap 11.
With nine to go, Leonard promptly went back to work on the bottom side of the speedway, while the 55-machine driven by Chris Kratzer started to make ground running around the cushion. Kratzer got within two car-lengths of Leonard by lap 15, but he was unable to get any closer the rest of the way. At the line it was Leonard, Kratzer, McDaniel, Dustin Bolster, and Adam Popp making up the top 5. The two heat race wins went to Bolster and Leonard earlier in the night.
Twenty-four drivers signed in to do battle in Alternative Pest Management USRA Modified action. In just their second start of the year at 81, the first for each coming back in June, Dan Powers and brother Josh Lanterman proved they did not forget how to get around the track their uncle C. Ray Hall owned and promoted for nearly 50 years.
When the A-feature green flag waved, it was pole sitter Jake Nightingale who jumped out to the early lead. Fifth starting Powers immediately went to work on the bottom side of the speedway, having to patiently wait out a battle over the second spot between Brody Robe and Paden Phillips. Powers found his way by Phillips before an early caution waved at the completion of lap four.
On the restart, Robe briefly wrestled the lead away from Nightingale, while Powers switched his line to run up against the new retaining wall around the top side of the 81 Speedway. Robe and Nightingale would trade the lead back and forth over the next two circuits, before Powers went on the attack.
Racing the leaders three wide off turn four, Powers would take over the lead at the completion of lap number 9. The running order would remain the same until a lap 13 caution slowed action once again. On the ensuing restart Nightingale followed Powers around the top side of the Speedway and executed an extremely close slider off turn four to complete lap 14. Not to be outdone, Powers returned the favor the very next corner at the exit of turn two, taking over the race lead for good.
Meanwhile, tenth starting Lanterman had worked his way in the top five, settling a long mid-race battle between himself, Patrick McManus, and TJ Tolan. Just ahead Scott Green and Paden Phillips were locked in a battle for the third spot, while Lanterman slowly reeled them in. Green ran into trouble with two laps to go, a blown radiator hose causing the No. 25 car to spin in the middle of turns one and two.
On the races final restart, Nightingale made one last attempt at a pass for the win to no avail, Lanterman bested Phillips over the battle for third, and fifteenth starting Kendall Kemp rounded out the top 5.
When asked about the win, Powers commented, “It was a fun race for sure. The track was good, and I knew the top was going to be the place to be. I got stuck on the bottom early and just had to wait until I could get up top. Once I was able to get up there, I was able to build some momentum and get around those guys. It was a fun night and I can’t thank my guys enough for helping me throw this thing together this year. I’ve won a lot of races here, but this one is a little extra special. It’s fun to race out of town but it’s good to be back here at home; this place will always be home.”
The nights hard charger went to TJ Tolan who gained twelve spots in a run from his eighteenth starting spot to finish in sixth. Shelby Stucky and Patrick McManus both turned in impressive runs of their own; Stucky going fourteenth to seventh, McManus twentieth to eighth. Heat race wins were picked up by Powers, Nightingale, and Phillips.
Racing action will return once again next Saturday, September 12th as the URSS Sprint Car Series drops in for their final stop of the year at 81 Speedway. Joining them will be the Alternative Pest Management USRA Modifieds, Chunky Poodle Rookie Modifieds, and HeyGlassman.com Stock Cars. Gates open at 5 racing at 7. Tickets are $15, children 10 and under are free. For more information make sure to visit www.race81speedway.com or find us on the My Race Pass App. You can also find us on social media at: www.facebook.com/race81Speedway or twitter.com/81_speedway.
9/5/2020 at 81 Speedway
Late Models
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 7D-Dusty Leonard[5]; 2. 55-Chris Kratzer[2]; 3. 4C-Cole McDaniel[1]; 4. B1-Dustin Bolster[6]; 5. 10 4-Adam Popp[4]; 6. 7C-Jimmy Segraves[3]; 7. 92-Delbert Smith[9]; 8. 84-Gary Kilbourn[7]; 9. (DNF) 12-Cory Green[8]; 10. (DNF) 03-Jeremy Bishop[10]; 11. (DNS) MC2-Clint McFadden
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 10 4-Adam Popp[1]; 2. B1-Dustin Bolster[2]; 3. 55-Chris Kratzer[5]; 4. 12-Cory Green[4]; 5. 92-Delbert Smith[3]; 6. 03-Jeremy Bishop[6]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 7D-Dusty Leonard[4]; 2. 4C-Cole McDaniel[3]; 3. 7C-Jimmy Segraves[1]; 4. 84-Gary Kilbourn[5]; 5. (DNF) MC2-Clint McFadden[2]
Alternative Pest Management USRA Modifieds
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 4-Dan Powers[5]; 2. 3J-Jake Nightingale[1]; 3. 4A-Josh Lanterman[10]; 4. 9D8-Paden Phillips[6]; 5. 2K-Kendall Kemp[15]; 6. 99T-TJ Tolan[18]; 7. 429-Shelby Stucky[14]; 8. 71-Patrick McManus[20]; 9. 69-Cecil Dymond[2]; 10. 32R-Daniel Richey[7]; 11. 020-Fred Freeman[13]; 12. 711-Brock Lane[16]; 13. (DNF) 25-Scott Green[9]; 14. (DNF) 0-Brody Robe[4]; 15. (DNF) 61-Walt Brookshire[3]; 16. (DNF) 2W-Richard Wilson[8]; 17. (DNF) 44-Braden Stoner[11]; 18. (DNF) 32B-Bob Bills[12]; 19. (DNF) 5*-Jason McGehee[19]; 20. (DNF) A2-Randy Wilson[22]; 21. (DNS) 52C-Alex Cammon; 22. (DNS) 6JR-Brian Franz; 23. (DNS) G3-Brendon Gemmill; 24. (DNS) 21C-Cody Schniepp
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 4-Dan Powers[8]; 2. 32R-Daniel Richey[2]; 3. 61-Walt Brookshire[6]; 4. 44-Braden Stoner[3]; 5. 020-Fred Freeman[5]; 6. 2K-Kendall Kemp[7]; 7. (DNS) 21C-Cody Schniepp; 8. (DNS) A2-Randy Wilson
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 3J-Jake Nightingale[4]; 2. 0-Brody Robe[6]; 3. 25-Scott Green[3]; 4. 4A-Josh Lanterman[5]; 5. 32B-Bob Bills[7]; 6. 429-Shelby Stucky[8]; 7. 711-Brock Lane[1]; 8. (DNS) 6JR-Brian Franz
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 9D8-Paden Phillips[1]; 2. 2W-Richard Wilson[2]; 3. 69-Cecil Dymond[6]; 4. (DNF) 52C-Alex Cammon[4]; 5. (DNF) 99T-TJ Tolan[3]; 6. (DNF) 5*-Jason McGehee[5]; 7. (DNF) 71-Patrick McManus[7]; 8. (DNS) G3-Brendon Gemmill
Mod Lites
A Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 1JR-Justin Kinderknecht[1]; 2. 25-Tommy Carter[2]; 3. 1-AJ Miranda[3]; 4. 13C-Nick Watts[4]; 5. 88C-Jeremy Heim[5]; 6. (DNF) 52-Clayton Hogie[6]
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 1JR-Justin Kinderknecht[2]; 2. 25-Tommy Carter[1]; 3. 1-AJ Miranda[4]; 4. 13C-Nick Watts[3]; 5. 88C-Jeremy Heim[5]; 6. 52-Clayton Hogie[6]
Mini Stock
A Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 14K-Korey Bice[1]; 2. 11-Haley Cash[2]; 3. 74-Dale Shockey[3]; 4. 27-Colten Kelley[5]; 5. 88-RC Esparza[4]; 6. (DNS) 111-Nick Quiring
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 14K-Korey Bice[6]; 2. 11-Haley Cash[1]; 3. 74-Dale Shockey[3]; 4. 88-RC Esparza[5]; 5. (DNF) 27-Colten Kelley[4]; 6. (DNS) 111-Nick Quiring
Article Credit: Erick Chesterman
