By: Spartan correspondent, Michelle Sprague
The Pure Stock Division at the Spartan Speedway had been dominated by Lonnie Saumier of Davison, but the Hidy brothers, Ben and Landon, had done their homework and were able to squelch Lonnie Saumier to finish one and two in the 20-lap Pure Stock feature on May 14th. Mark Carson grabbed the early lead and put some distance between himself and the Hidys but when Carson, Jordan Harvey and Saumier tangled, B. Hidy took over as the leader. Kyle Drake and Jake Pearson were in the thick of things until they got into an altercation, moving Saumier up to third behind Ben and Landon. A late caution set up a four lap dash to the finish. B. Hidy, L. Hidy, Saumier, Drake and Carson came home as the top five. Pearson and Matt Childers won their heats.
The RaceStatus.com MCR Dwarf series made its first appearance of their 2010 season and it was evident that they needed to brush off the dust after a long winter. Three restarts were necessary to get everyone on the same page, but once they were, it was an exhibition of speed. Brad Wyatt, Jon Wylie and Craig Curtis all battled up front, while Landon Hidy and Mike McManman Sr. had there own little battle going on for fourth. Hidy lost, was sent to the rear, but fought his way back into the top five by lap seven. Curtis and Wylie jockeyed for position as Wyatt pulled away from the field. Curtis got around Wylie and went to work reeling in Wyatt. With the leaders in traffic, Curtis was able to run down Wyatt. Wyatt took the high road and Curtis dove under him and duo ran side by side until Wyatt got loose and spun into the infield, moving Wylie into the second position, with one lap to go. Wylie dove under Curtis on the restart and edged Curtis at the line for the win. Troy Hoffman, Landon Hidy and Mike McManman Sr. rounded out the top five. Mike Hicks, Nick Shanks and Wylie took home heat wins for the series.
The Sawyers Superstore Wingless Sprint division is growing, with twelve powerhouses timing in for the 25-lap feature. All eyes were on 14-year old Taylor Ferns, who was back to defend her first win of the 2010 season. At the start, Tyler Underwood broke away from the field, with Ferns, Doug Dietsch and Jimmy McCune trying to reel him in. Ferns caught Underwood and made the pass, found herself in traffic, and got shuffled back to fourth behind Tom Fedewa. Caution for an incident involving McCune and Underwood relinquished the lead to Fedewa and moved Ferns into second. Dietsch jumped into the mix while Underwood roared back from the rear of the field to sit fourth. Ferns gave Fedewa a run for his money, until a late caution proved too much for Ferns and Fedewa took the win. Underwood, Dietsch, and Tom Pattterson came home third through fifth, respectively. It was Fedewa’s first trip to the Corrigan Oil Winner’s Circle for 2010. Ferns and McCune won their heats.
Rich Roberts was the B-feature winner for the Boss Snow Equipment Pony Stock Division, beating young Aaron Taylor to the line after battling side by side for a number of laps. Jim Harbenski was the early leader but Scott Sparagowski took the lead and three laps later, was issued a speeding ticket, penalizing him two laps. Roberts was handed the lead as A. Taylor went to work on Harbenski for second. Taylor made the pass, leaving it up to him to reel in Roberts. Caution waved, closed up the field behind Roberts. Roberts had company though but was able to shake Taylor for the win. Darrell Taylor, Harbenski, and George Garza rounded out the top five. The A-feature proved to be equally as exciting as the B-feature, with ponies running three-wide through the turns in the opening laps. Patrick Denison took the early lead with Todd Metz Sr. and Edson Rowley III in tow. Todd Metz Jr. had other ideas though, making the second groove work for him as he drove around the outside to sit in second by lap eight. Caution worked to his advantage, as on the restart, Metz Jr. jumped to the outside of Denison, and the two ran door handle-to-door handle for the next 12 laps. They swapped the lead six times in the remaining 12 laps, six of which were in the last six laps. Denison was able to hold off Metz Jr. for the win, with Rowley III, Metz Sr. and Darren Wright rounding out the top five. Metz Jr., D. Taylor and Wayne Beckner Jr. won heats for the division.
Please join us each and every Friday night for exciting racing action at the Spartan Speedway. Friday, May 28th, is the MOD 50 for the Valvoline Instant Oil Change Modifieds, along with the Sawyers Superstore Wingless Sprints, Pure Stocks and Boss Snow Equipment Pony Stocks. Friday, June 4th, is Scout Night and Push Car Awards, featuring the Andrews Chevrolet Super Late Models, Valvoline Instant Oil Change Modifieds, Pure Stocks and Pony Stocks. As always, we’ll see you at the races!
