6/19/2018
RacinBoys
TRACKSIDE COMMENTS: Womack collects big money at LOS
RACINBOYS EXCLUSIVE By Jerry West (Jefferson City, MO) -- Lake Ozark Speedway owner and promoter, Tim Trimble, isn't afraid to try something new. He decided for 2018 to run two nights weekly. It wasn't a bad idea since Callaway Raceway near Fulton, MO closed mid-season last year. Callaway Raceway (CR) was a Friday night racing venue and got decent crowds of fans most nights. Although Lake Ozark Speedway runs most of the same classes on Fridays as CR, they haven't had the desired success of getting fans into the stands. It is noted that a lot of the fans that attended Callaway Raceway were from Columbia, Auxvasse, Fulton and Mexico, which are a 30 minutes or less drive from CR's Fulton location.
The drive to Lake Ozark Speedway is one hour or more for these fans. Many families work until 5:00 p.m. or later, which also makes it a challenge to make the longer drive. Trimble has made the decision to go back to racing on Saturday nights only in July for remainder of the season. The last regular weekly Friday night racing program will be on Friday, June 29th, which will be the ULMA late Model Triple Crown. This will be the second leg of a three nights at three different tracks weekend. Also racing will be USRA A-Modifieds and USRA B-Modifieds. There will still be racing on some Friday nights for two-day shows such as the MLRA Late Model Special on Friday and Saturday, July 6th and 7th and other Special Events,
Friday night I attended the first night of the LOS Street Stock Spring Fling. There were 26 Street Stocks present for the first night competing for the $750 to win and the top four were locked in to the first four spots of the Saturday night $4,000 to win 40-lap feature. Also competing were the USRA A-Modifieds and Hornets.
Muskogee, OK's Kyle Slader and Sedalia's Terry Schultz made up the front row of the 25-lap Street Stock feature. Schultz led lap one with Slader taking over on lap three. On lap four the yellow waved. On the restart Bixby, OK's Danny Womack moved by Schultz for second and a lap later took over the lead from Slader. Crane's James Flood and Wheatland's Toby Ott were making their way to the front from 10th and 13th. At the finish it was Womack, Slader, Flood, Ott and Hermitage's Chris Tonoli.
In USRA-A-Modified it was Fulton's Ryan Middaugh sweeping the competition winning the first heat race, trophy dash and the feature event. Middaugh and Mexico's Ronnie Woods made up the front row of the 20-lap feature. Woods got the jump at the start and it took Middaugh until lap 8 to power off turn two and take the lead. From there it was all Middaugh. On a lap 10 restart Columbia's Scotty Roberts blasted by Woods for second. Urbana's Colson Kirk battled with Woods and got by for third. At the end it was Middaugh, Roberts, Kirk, Woods and Boonville's Curt Potter.
Moberly's Dakota Girard led all 20-laps to take the win of the Hornet feature. Windsor's Chuck Coffey battled Girard for the lead for several laps before Girard put some distance between the two. Boonville's Darrell Hurt finished third. Two Fulton youngsters Trevor Wilson and Mason Edwards finished fourth and fifth.
I returned to Lake Ozark Speedway Saturday for the second night of the LOS Street Stock Spring Fling. The track was hosting an Old Timers Night starting at 5:00 p.m. which several artifacts of racing were on display. Columbia's Robert Smith had many programs of the CMRA of the early days. He also had photos and articles of racers of years gone by. Robert's Dad was a racer during the early days. There were some vintage cars on display including the famous "Ole Yeller" #56 Sprint Car owned by Sedalia's Utz family. Billy Hendren of Columbia had brought the restored Ralph A. Hendren Sr. 32 Ford coupe with a Hemi power plant and Russellville's Ray Kirchner had his #98 Super Modified on display.
Ray also had on display three large easels containing many photos from the 50s', 60s' 70s'. Late in the evening during a break in the racing action several former drivers and car owners were introduced to the fans. Those introduced included Sedalia's Bill Utz; Windsor's Shorty Acker; Russellville's Ray Kirchner; Russellville's Walter Riesling; Hartsburg's Billy Vaughn; Hartsburg's Ronnie Allen; Eldon's Stanley Booth; Eldon's Ralph Beach; Wardsville's Lintier Baysinger; Jefferson City's Paul Turpin and Columbia's Billy Hendren. Thanks to Lake Ozark Speedway for recognizing and honoring these formers dirt track heroes.
Cameron Moser grabbed the lead at the start of the Hornet feature. Moser held the point for 11 laps before Moberly's Dakota Girard finally found the way by. Moser's car developed a miss in the engine, but she held on to finish second. Fulton's Trevor Wilson was third. Mason Edwards finished fourth and Ryan Campbell took the fifth spot.
I hear people calling Lake Ozark Speedway a "Bottom Feeder Track". I guess Columbia's Galen Hassler didn't get the Memo as he used the top groove to be first to the checkered flag in both the USRA B-Modified first heat race and in the 20-lap feature win. In the feature Hassler started on the outside of row one. After getting the lead he started running the low line. However Macks Creek's Rex Harris started gaining on Hassler for the top spot using the top groove. Hassler felt the pressure of Harris and moved up on the cushion and drove to the win. Harris finished second with Columbia's Adam Hall taking the third spot. Holts Summit's Brian Webster was fourth and Fulton's Cale Turner finished fifth.
The final event of the evening was the "LOS Street Stock Spring Fling".
Twenty-five cars were anxiously lining up for the 40-lap $4,000 to win feature. Danny Womack of Bixby, OK was on the pole and was a favorite to win as he had taken the $750 to win feature the previous night. As the green flag waved Womack bolted into the lead with Wheatland's Toby Ott and Crane's James Flood in tow. Stoutland's Derek Brown was on the move and on lap two he had moved to sixth from a eighth place starting berth. On the third circuit he was in the top five.
On lap nine he had taken over the third spot. Ott drove past Womack on lap 14 for the lead. Ott's lead was short lived as Brown drove by Ott for the lead on lap 19. Brown seemed to have the feature in his grasp as he was working his way through lap traffic using whatever lane on the track needed. But Ott and Womack had not given up and kept Brown within reach. With 11 laps to go the trio of Brown, Ott and Womack cross the start/finish line three abreast. Then the unthinkable happened, Brown suddenly slowed and Womack again took the lead and drove to the $4,000 pay day. Ott finished second with Otterville's Clayton Campbell finishing third, Muskogee's Kyle Slader was fourth and Flood taking the fifth spot. The entire event was run green to checkers without a yellow flag.
I was sitting near and visited with Bill and Becky Fredrick of Montreal, MO. The Fredrick's are the Grandparents of Derek Brown. I enjoyed seeing their excitement as their Grandson moved through the pack to take the lead. And then feeling their agony as his car slowed near the end of the event. The Fredrick's told me their son, Derek's Dad, Tim, also races and was in Batesville, AR racing Saturday night.
Congratulations to Lohman's Evan Martin winning the feature at the Sprint Invaders event at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO June 15th.
Coming up at Lake Ozark Speedway Friday, June 22nd USRA A-Modifieds, USRA B-Modifieds, Pure Stocks and Hornets will be racing. On Saturday, June 23rd the Speedway will feature the POWRi Lucas Oil War Unwinged Sprints, Winged 360 Sprints, LOS Racesaver Sprints, UMLA Late Models and Street Stocks.
Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, has a three-day racing program coming up at the Off-Road Track featuring the Lucas Off Road Series this coming weekend. "The 2nd Annual GEICO Shootout" presented by General Tire. Friday June 22nd will be Practice Day. Saturday, June 23rd will be day one of the "Shoot Out". Saturday night the dirt track will be in action with USRA A-Modifieds, ULMA Late Models, USRA B-Modifieds and Street Stocks. The "Shootout" final will continue on Sunday, June 24th.
Send your notes and comments to Jerry West, 2366 Hatting Place, Jefferson City, MO 65109. 573-694-1333. tsidecommt@aol.com. Hope to see you at the races.
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott
