8/15/2024
Cottage Grove Speedway
Winebarger Wows Cottage Grove Crowd With Midweek Mayhem Victory; Shandy, B. Bryant, And Applebee Also Earn Wins
Winebarger Wows Cottage Grove Crowd With Midweek Mayhem Victory; Shandy, B. Bryant, And Applebee Also Earn Wins
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Cottage Grove Speedway)
Cottage Grove, Oregon (August 14th, 2024)—Collen Winebarger brought a thrilling finish to the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event, presented by Wheeless Trailer Sales Service & RV Repair, to win on the last lap in the fourth round of the Midweek Mayhem Series after an incredible battle in lapped traffic. It is the second time the Corbett sensation has won at Cottage Grove and the seventh time he's been victorious in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region this year.
Winebarger, starting on the outside pole, seized the initial race lead behind the wheel of the Steven Sturdevant-fielded entry in the twenty-five-lap finale. His skill and determination were evident as he fought to maintain his position. However, his reign was short-lived as reigning track champion Jake Mayden powered around him the next time around the 1/4-mile clay oval, displaying his own impressive speed and skill.
When things slowed down due to a caution things heated up on the restart as Winebarger was back into the trailblazing role as he was scored the leader on lap twelve. The race stayed green for a couple of more trips past the flag stand before the final yellow flag came out with six to go. This restart would set up an exciting finish.
When the race resumed, Winebarger was under threat from the defending Oregon State champion Carter Patterson. The competition was intense, with Patterson making several attempts to overtake the leader. After several laps of trying, Patterson finally got in an excellent rhythm on the upper reaches of the racing surface and made a thrilling pass on Winebarger to lead the field to the wire on lap nineteen.
Patterson tried to develop a significant cushion ahead of the rest of the field, but lapped traffic came into the mix in the closing stages. A lapped car occupied the high side, right where the leader operated, while Winebarger simultaneously tried to lunge underneath Patterson to challenge bottling things up for the front runner. While all this occurred, Curtis Towns threw his hat into the ring to make it a three-car tussle for the win.
Using the lapped car as a pick, Winebarger got the lead, but Towns and Patterson were all over him. The two challengers made brief contact coming to the checker, allowing Winebarger to hold on.
Towns was the runner-up, followed by Patterson.
Two other Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing divisions were on the card, including the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Roadhouse Billiards & Brew and the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts presented by Kiefer. Jacob Shandy and Burnie Bryant won in their respective divisions, while Adam Applebee was victorious in the Street Stock ranks.
The Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature saw Kasi Comer briefly hold the top spot. A lap one caution set up a restart, which Jacob Shandy mastered. Shandy, originally from Arlington but now residing in Corvallis, performed the overtake and dominated the rest of the distance.
Despite two additional cautions, the original inside polesitter took care of business to win his second race of the season at Cottage Grove and his fourth overall win of the current campaign. Matt Brown and Comer were the rest of the podium, finishing second and third.
The stoppage-free Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact main event had a late race thriller, too. Randy Kuhl started things off by sprinting to a significant lead in search of his first race of the year. However, slowly but methodically, the Sutherlin standout chauffeur, Burnie Bryant, got closer and closer to the front.
Bryant, who began the race seventh, skillfully maneuvered his way around traffic, first cracking the Top 5 and then running amongst the podium. He would reel in Kuhl with a handful of circuits remaining and got around Kuhl with two laps to go.
Bryant then motored away to collect his third CGS win of 2024 and his sixth overall this year. Kuhl was second followed by Bryant's daughter Melissa being credited with third.
Lastly, Adam Applebee reigned supreme among the Street Stocks. The Eugene pilot led the entire distance to achieve his third win of the season, the most anyone has won in the division this year. Brad Hicks was second when the checkered flag dropped.
The event was broadcasted on IMCA TV affiliate Dirt Oval TV.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage
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