4/20/2015
Sunset Speedway Park
Winebarger, Catalano, Schave, Tow Jr., And Batalgia Score SSP Season Opener Victories
Winebarger, Catalano, Schave, Tow Jr., And Batalgia Score SSP Season Opener Victories
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Ken O'Neil)
Sunset Speedway Park would bring in the first race of 2015 with a full pit area and a large crowd on Saturday April 18th. Some great racing would be on tap with a total of five division on hand. Those would include the Budweiser IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, Dwarf Cars, and 4-Bee's.
In the Budweiser IMCA Modifieds Don Jenner of Vancouver, Washington took control of the lead in the early goings of the feature. The veteran driver, in the Tom's Performance Racing Engines/Dancin' Bare Gentlemans Club/Extreme Auto Repair #6X GRT, would set the pace the field until lap ten when Collen Winebarger would seize the position.
Once obtaining the lead Collen Winebarger, from Corbett, would pull away in his Discount Race Car Parts/FinishLine Graphics/Frisbie Motorsports #SW MasterSbilt by Taylor. Dominating the rest of the distance Winebarger would pick up the victory and hoisted the trophy in the winner's circle.
Albany's Craig Cassell would finish the race second, in the Esterlee Motel of Lincoln City/Corvallis Seed and Feed/Debra Herndon Family Nurse Practitioner #25 Rocket by Ruhlman, while behind him in third was Rob Ireland from Banks in the Ireland & Ireland at Law/Privateer Racing #8 Dirt Works by Hoffman. Chris Quinn of Vancouver, Washington, driving for car owner Erika Rauch, would place the Rauch Racing #23 Victory in fourth and the Reser's Fine Foods/Generation Transmission/ToughCo #99 Impressive of Jeremy Martin, from Warren, was fifth. The Dancin' Bare Gentlemans Club/Tom's Performance Racing Engines/Extreme Auto Repair #6M GRT, driven by Vancouver, Washington pilot Matt Jenner, won the consolation feature.
In the Street Stock main event Brian Roden from West Linn got out in front early. Roden, driving the JNR Construction/Molecular Motion #14 Camaro, stayed out in the lead for quite some time but on lap fourteen he would lose it to Tony Catalano of Forest Grove.
Catalano, in the DVC Machine/Transaction Transmissions/Hair Designers of Forest Grove #19 Monte Carlo, would check out once securing first place. Catalano would remain the leader the rest of the way and would become the first winner in 2015 at SSP in the Street Stocks.
Defending champion John Ireland of Banks would finish his Ireland & Ireland at Law/Privateer Racing #88 Monte Carlo in second while Brian Roden was third. The balance of the top five would consist of Sherwood's Marc Farrar, driving the A.F.T. Racing Engines/Aftermarket Enterprises #5 Camaro, followed by the Lauzon Racing #56 of Tom Lauzon from North Plains in fifth.
The only driver in all the classes to lead every single lap of the main event would be in the Pure Stocks. That driver was Ken Schave of Brush Prairie, Washington in his Creekside Mortgage #05 Nova. Schave did have some fast company from defending track champion Trevor LaBarge but LaBarge would run out of laps to get by Schave despite catching the pace setter. Schave would go into the books as the first driver to best the field in the Pure Stock ranks this season.
Trevor LaBarge of Forest Grove was second in the DVC Machine/Pure Addiction Diesel Performance/S&R Motorz #7 Camaro and in the Ernest Racing/Henry Racing/TK's Auto Repair/Joe's Auto Body and Paint #68 Camaro of John Henry, from Hillsboro, ended his night in third. The Luttrell's Trucking/Trask Mountain Outpost/Sweere's Trucking #53 Nova of Scott Hoodenpyl from Yamhill would place fourth while fifth was Marcie Treat of Cornelius in her DVC Machine/Dave's Automotive/Transaction Transmission #02 Camaro.
The Dwarf Car main event would be caution filled affair. But eventually the race would be completed. Defending champion Ryan Martinez from Portland would be the early race leader in his Auto Truck Wholesale/St. John's Tire Factory/Van Raden Industries #9 M&M. But Martinez would be overtaken for the coveted position on lap six by Guy Tow Jr. Tow, out of Longview, Washington and driving the Fusion Graphix/Two Guys Racing #37 Ebeling, would maintain the lead and win the race. It would be a great way for Tow's team to being the 2015 campaign.
Ryan Martinez would end the night second and the driver finishing third was Hillsboro's Eric Bergquist in the Shake & Bake Racing #68 entry. The Two Guys Racing #46 M&M of Guy Tow Sr., from Rainier, managed to finish fourth followed by Chris McCleary, from St. Helens, in his McCleary Racing #8 M&M in fifth.
Last but not least was the 4-Bee's. The Watts Racing #11 machine of Corey Watts from Portland was quick in the early couple of laps leading until lap three. The driver making the pass on him was Chris Batalgia out of Forest Grove. Batalgia would stay out in front for the rest of the way to visit victory lane in his Sweere's Trucking/Auto-Inter Automotive/O'Reilly's Auto Parts #38 Dodge Neon.
The Owens Racing #23 Dodge Neon of Damion Owens would be second while the Mastrangelo Motorsports #00 Ford Probe of Mike Mastrangelo from Banks got third. The rest of the top five would be made up of the Owens Racing #1 of Nathan Owens in fourth and Corey Watts in fifth.
Sunset Speedway Park returns to racing on Saturday April 25th. Classes will include the return of the always exciting Northwest Extreme Late Model Series, IMCA Sport Mods, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, and 4-Bee's.
Pit Gates will open at 2:00 PM, Front Gates open at 4:00, and racing starts at 6:30. Tickets for this event are Adults $13.00, Seniors/Military/Juniors (13-18) $10.00, Youths (Ages 12-6) $5.00, and Children under the age of 5 are FREE and a family pass will be offered for two Adults and up to four Youths for just $35.00. For more information log on to www.sunsetspeedwaypark.com.
Race Summary
Saturday April 18th, 2015
Sunset Speedway Park
Banks, Oregon
Budweiser IMCA Modifieds
A Feature: 1. SW-Collen Winebarger; 2. 25-Craig Cassell; 3. 8-Rob Ireland; 4. 23-Chris Quinn; 5. 99-Jeremy Martin; 6. 5M-Jake Mayden; 7. 6X-Don Jenner; 8. 6M-Matt Jenner; 9. 36-John Campos; 10. 48-Aaron Elwess; 11. 53V-Jake Vanortwick; 12. 96-Danny O'Neil; 13. 37-Steve Suckow; 14. 44-Kristi Somers; 15. 66-Doug Lockwood; 16. 34-T.J. Richman
B Feature: 1. 6M-Matt Jenner; 2. 36-John Campos; 3. 66-Doug Lockwood; 4. 48-Aaron Elwess; 5. 93-Todd Newton; 6. 57X-Ethan Landers; 7. 50-Sonny Sayre; 8. 99B-Ken Frisbie; 9. 57-Kenny Miller; 10. 04-Rod McCombs; 11. 11-Brandon Potter
Street Stocks
A Feature: 1. 19-Tony Catalano; 2. 88-John Ireland; 3. 14-Brian Roden; 4. 5-Marc Farrar; 5. 56-Tom Lauzon; 6. 47-Robert Watts; 7. 77-Clark McGary; 8. 21-Travis Koch; 9. 11-Cory Sweatman; 10. 10-James Baker; 11. 18-Roger Hubbard
Pure Stocks
A Feature: 1. 05-Ken Schave; 2. 7-Trevor LaBarge; 3. 68-John Henry; 4. 53-Scott Hoodenpyl; 5. 02-Marcie Treat; 6. 66-Kendall Lee; 7. 30-Aaron Blanchard; 8. 33-Jim Peterson
Dwarfs
A Feature: 1. 37-Guy Tow Jr.; 2. 9-Ryan Martinez; 3. 68-Eric Bergquist; 4. 46-Guy Tow Sr.; 5. 8-Chris McCleary; 6. 94-Jeremiah Hester; 7. 48-Neal Hopwood; 8. 78-Kevin Hicks; 9. 1-Ted Rees; 10. 18-Shane Youngren; 11. 33-Bill Lamm; 12. 13Z-Brett Osbourne; 13. 3-Jessica Eaton; 14. 3X-Alex Rees; 15. 09-Ren Marose; 16. 40-Kyle Thompson; 17. 51-Dan Coutts; 18. 77-Brad Hicks
4-Bee's
A Feature: 1. 38-Chris Batalgia; 2. 23-Damion Owens; 3. 00-Mike Mastrangelo; 4. 1-Nathan Owens; 5. 11-Corey Watts; 6. 19-Jason Gilman; 7. 36-Greg Davidson; 8. 8-William Wolfe; 9. 7-Gary Jones; 10. 24-Rob Ferree; 11. 13-Lonnie Jackson
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage