7/1/2011
Mount Pleasant Speedway
Mid-Season Champions crowned July 1
Mt. Pleasant, Mich. --- Titles were on the line Friday, July 1 as racers, crews, fans, and Mt. Pleasant Speedway management kicked off the Fourth of July holiday weekend early.
With Budweiser Mid-Season Championship features lined up by points and JNR Engraving-made trophies up for grabs to the top 3 finishers in each main event drivers were going all out.
Up first was the Chuck's Discount Foods UMP Modifieds where six-time Mt. Pleasant champion No. 15 Rich Robinson Jr. was on the pole next to No. 0X Zack Olger. On only lap 2, Olger experienced car trouble and went off Turn 1 and went to the pits for the night. Robinson Jr. took charge from the onset and grabbed the Mid-Season Championship UMP Modified feature victory over No. 19 Cody Bauer, No. 75 Roy Harvey, No. 1s Jeff Sayles, and No. 13 Andy Galgoci in the unofficial top 5.
The NAPA UMP Modified Mini Stocks were next and in a dead-heat for the points lead coming into the night, No. 16 Joey Burch and No. 68 Trever Fedewa started in row one. Getting out to the quick lead Fedewa would score the win over Burch, No. 88 Mike Schnettler, No. 91 Nathan Carlon, and No. 74 Paul Namey.
No. 0X Zack Olger looked to bounce back from his Modified feature and started in second position alongside point leader No. 0K Mike Kresnak in the UMP Late Models Mid-Season Championship feature. As the green flag waved it was clear it was Olger's race as the St. Johns resident cruised to the victory over No. 91 Adam Thrush, No. 85 Mark Andersen, Kresnak and No. 0P Kris Patterson Jr. in the unofficial top 5.
Mt. Pleasant and Clare Automotive Stock Minis rolled out next for their Mid-Season Championships where No. 15 Jeff McKenzie was on the pole alongside No. 62 Steve Keeler Jr., the defending track champion. Keeler Jr. got the jump as the race started and took a big lead on the field. Working his way through the field, starting 9th in the 10-car field, No. 84 Rich Lieb was on the move and at the finish came up to a third place finish behind Keeler Jr. and McKenzie, No. 52 Bob Baltierrez was fourth and No. 63 Steve Keeler Sr. concluded the unofficial top 5.
Concluding the racing action was the Smokers Club UMP Stock Cars and one the first lap No. 28 Paula Ebel got bumped and hit the front stretch wall, sliding down and hitting No. D1 Ray Devericks, ending the night for both drivers. On lap 6 more problems occured as No. 15 Jay McClain hit the turn 4 wall head-on after something broke in his steering. After several tense moments, McClain was alert and OK. Reports had McClain being knocked out from the hit, biting his tongue and cutting his chin. On the restart No. 77 Rob Brillhart , who started on the pole, took a commanding lead and the battle heated up back in the pack between father and son, No. 11 Sr Jeff Loomis and No. 11 Jr Josh Loomis and No. 35 Dan Dykman and later the trio would be joined by No. 97 Spike Grega. Dykman would catch up to Brillhart by using lapped traffic, but after a green-white-checkered finish set up by a last lap hard hit in the Turn 4 wall by No. 61w Tom Wemigwans, Brillhart would hold on for feature win over Dykman, Josh Loomis, Grega, and Jeff Loomis in the unofficial top 5.
(By Jeremy Dickman, Public Relations & Marketing)
Article Credit: Jeremy Dickman
Submitted By: Anthony Boyd
