7/14/2014
Sunset Speedway Park
Tony Catalano Scores Jim’s Thriftway Open Street Stock National 100; Schave, Tow, And Hallett Also Earn SSP Victories
Tony Catalano Scores Jim’s Thriftway Open Street Stock National 100; Schave, Tow, And Hallett Also Earn SSP Victories
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Ken O’Neil)
Saturday July 12th would be a busy one at Sunset Speedway Park as the “Banks Bullring” would host the annual Jim’s Thriftway Open Street Stock National 100. This would feature some of the best Street Stock racers in the Pacific Northwest competing for one-hundred laps. Other classes racing were Pure Stocks, Dwarf Cars, and Micro Sprints.
In the Street Stock main event hometown driver John Ireland of Banks would lead the first eleven laps in his Ireland & Ireland at Law/Privateer Racing/Applebee Aviation #88 Monte Carlo. Ireland would lose the lead on lap twelve to the Wilburn Racing/Eastside Paving #36 Camaro of Portland’s Jody Tanner. Tanner would stay out in front for a while but had some fast company with the likes of Gresham chauffeur Kevin Roberts in the Big Sky Landscaping #88X Camaro.
Roberts would get a flat around lap thirty-four resulting with him having to go to the back putting Craig Loomis of Vancouver, Washington in the runner-up spot. Loomis, returning to SSP after a major crash earlier in the season, tried to run down Tanner in his Liberty Welding/Old Iron Classics/City Sprint Deliveries/Buz’s Equipment Trailers #01 Camaro.
Before Loomis could take the lead he would be passed by a charging Kevin Roberts on lap fifty-eight. Roberts and Tanner would battle for the lead but unfortunately they both would get caught up in a wreck on lap eighty-one. This would give Loomis, last year’s winner, a chance to earn the win.
Loomis would blaze the trail until lap eighty-nine when the Meyers Auto Body/DVC Machine #19 Monte Carlo of Tony Catalano from Forest Grove would make the pass for the lead. Catalano would lead the rest of the distance to win the Jim’s Thriftway Open Street Stock National 100. It would be his first win of the year at SSP and his second career Jim’s Thriftway 100 win. The last time he managed to conquer this race was the very first edition back in 1999 fifteen years ago.
Craig Loomis was a respectable second followed by John Ireland in third. Sherwood driver Marc Farrar would cross the line in fourth in his A.F.T. Racing Engines/Aftermarket Enterprises #5 Camaro while in fifth would be the Eric’s Frame Shop/All-American Classics/Sign Of The Times/Tom’s Performance #96 Monte Carlo of Danny O’Neil Jr. out of Vancouver, Washington.
In the Pure Stocks the early race leader was the Luttrell's Trucking/Trask Mountain Outpost/Sweere’s Trucking/Happy Hut #53 Nova of Gaston’s Scott Hoodenpyl. Hoodenpyl would be in the top spot until the fourth lap when Brush Prairie, Washington veteran Ken Schave would make the pass in his Creekside Mortgage #05 Nova. Schave would lead the balance of the distance to win his second race of the season.
The Kendall Lee Racing #66 Camaro from Forest Grove driven by Kendall Lee was second followed by Terry Houck out of Yamhill in the Luttrell's Trucking/Trask Mountain Outpost/Sweere’s Trucking/Happy Hut #58 Camaro. Crossing the line in fourth would be Vancouver, Washington’s Bert Pegg in the Pegg Boys Racing/Kenton Station/Pfeifer's Mobile Concrete/Local Glaziers #17 Firebird while in fifth was the Rogers Repair Service #33 Monte Carlo of Jim Peterson.
In the Dwarf Cars the Hicks Family Racing/The Wright Shop/Cindy Sew It/B-Rad Motorsports #78 Philpott of Kevin Hicks from Creswell would be the early race leader for a few laps until Portland’s Ryan Martinez would make the pass for the lead. Martinez, in his Auto Truck Wholesale/Van Raden Industries/St. John’s Tire Factory #9 M&M, got to the front on lap four but would be passed on lap thirteen. The driver to get around him was Guy Tow Jr. out of Castle Rock, Washington. Tow would set the pace the rest of the to win his second race of the season for him and the Two Guys Racing/Fusion Graphix/Hicks Family Racing #37 Ebeling team.
The PSP Powdercoating/FinishLine Technology/Shake and Bake Racing #8 M&M of Chris McCleary from St. Helens was second followed by Guy Tow Sr. of Rainier in third piloting the Two Guys Racing/Ron Greer Trucking & Excavating/Hicks Family Racing #46 M&M. The rest of the top five would be made up of Ryan Martinez in fourth and in fifth Kevin Hicks.
Scoring the big victory in the 600cc Micro Sprint main event was Brock Hallett from Adelaide, South Australia. Hallett would secure the lead on lap twelve and grabbed the checkers to put his Cate Motorsports/XXX Race Co. #1 XXX in the winner’s circle. Hallett would be the fourth different winner in as many races for the division.
Tim Marsh of Hillsboro in the JH Choppers #16 entry would place second for car owner Jeff Hatcher while in third was the Mad Max #90 Hyper of Portland’s Rich Speer. In fourth was Jake Tupper of St. Helens in his Freight West Global/Fritts and Company/All Hazards Rescue #29T PMP and in fifth the Marsh Motorsports #25 Stinger of Dylan Marsh from Hillsboro.
Sunset Speedway Park will be in action on Saturday July 19th and Sunday the 20th for the first two rounds of the Wild West IMCA Modified Speedweek. Support classes on Saturday will consist of the Northwest Extreme Late Model Series and Street Stocks while on Sunday the Street Stocks will be back along with the 4-Bee’s.
On Saturday the Pit Gates will open at 2:00 PM, Front Gates open at 3:30, and racing starts at 6:00 while on Sunday everything will start an hour earlier so races are scheduled to get underway around 5:00 PM on night two. Tickets for both days are Adults $12.00, Seniors/Military/Juniors (13-17) $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. Also the Sunday event will have a Carload Special, which gets a carload, truck¬load, RV-load, etc. of fans into the races for only $25. For more information log on to www.sunsetspeedwaypark.com.
Race Summary:
Jim's Thriftway Open Street Stock National 100
Saturday July 12th, 2014
Sunset Speedway Park
Banks, Oregon
Street Stocks
A Feature: 1. 19-Tony Catalano; 2. 01-Craig Loomis; 3. 88-John Ireland; 4. 5-Marc Farrar; 5. 96-Danny O'Neil; 6. 36-Jody Tanner; 7. 18-Roger Hubbard; 8. 00-Terry Mason; 9. 8X-Mike Crase; 10. 14-Brian Roden; 11. 88X-Kevin Roberts; 12. 40-Jeff Lovell; 13. 3-Earl Claypool; 14. 34-Mark Gaylord; 15. 37-Freya Smith; 16. 5M-Randy Allen; 17. 97-Ryan Emry; 18. 15-Ron Prevost
Pure Stocks
A Feature: 1. 05-Ken Schave; 2. 66-Kendall Lee; 3. 58-Terry Houck; 4. 17-Bert Pegg; 5. 33-Jim Peterson; 6. 22-Jimmy Biggs; 7. 53-Scott Hoodenpyl; 8. 7-Trevor LaBarge
Dwarfs
A Feature: 1. 37-Guy Tow Jr.; 2. 8-Chris McCleary; 3. 46-Guy Tow Sr.; 4. 9-Ryan Martinez; 5. 78-Kevin Hicks; 6. 77-Brad Hicks; 7. 33-Bill Lamm; 8. 3-Jessica Eaton; 9. 51-Dan Coutts; 10. 17-Max White
Micro Sprints 600cc Open
A Feature: 1. 1-Brock Hallett; 2. 16-Tim Marsh; 3. 90-Rich Speer; 4. 29T-Jake Tupper; 5. 25-Dylan Marsh; 6. 71-Lachlan Cates
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage
