Mother Nature Smiles on Spartan
Mason, MI-The CARQUEST Racing Series at Spartan Speedway continued with the evenings racing sponsored by Lipari Foods and WIBM 1450 AM. The Comcast Cablevision Super Late feature started a 20-car field with John Ledwidge and Jimmy Gallagher sitting on the front row. Fast qualifier, Jeff Hackworth, started 10th as the result of a ten-car invert. At the green, Ledwidge jumped out to lead lap one with Tom Hernly Jr. working the outside from fourth position and Dave Stehouwer taking the high road up to fifth. Jack Landis ended up on Ledwidge's back bumper in a battle for first on lap ten, while Hernly and Doug Finley race for fourth. With Ledwidge still in the lead on lap 20, Finley tried the high and low side, looking for a way around Hernly. They raced side by side with Finley making the pass on lap 23. On lap 25, Ledwidge and Landis were caught up in a race for first while Gallagher and Finley both wanted the third spot. Finley grabbed third on lap 33 and began his challenge on Landis and Ledwidge, making it a three-way battle for first. Landis drove into first on lap 40 with Finley working on Ledwidge for second. At the stripe, it was Landis, Ledwidge, Finley, Gallagher, and Hernly rounding out the top five. Heat winners were Brian Heeney, Stan Perry, and Jack Landis.
The WIBM 1450 AM MI Modifieds had 25 of the "Mod Squad" drivers take times with Justin Kazmar setting fast time, and that earned him the 13th starting position in the 20-car field. Steve Curry led lap one and the caution flew on lap two. Harry Parish took over the top spot and began to check out on the field while Kazmar worked his way up through the field and found himself just outside the top 10 on lap 10. Dick Maurer and Mike Wells went to work on the outside of Brian Heeney (who also chauffeured a Super Late) and Bob Bauer. Kazmar moved up into the top ten, while just ahead of him, Bud Perry and Dan Loughan were working side by side. Caution came out again on lap 19, erasing nearly a 4 second lead for Parish. On the restart, he picked up where he left off and ran away from the field. Maurer was reeling in Curry while Wells looked to the inside of Maurer for 3rd. Parish, Curry, Maurer, Wells, and Heeney made up the top five. "Awesome" Earl Miles, Mike Gaier, and Wells took heat wins.
Twenty Performance NW Street Stocks made the feature and fast qualifier, Dane Long, rolled a 15-car invert, which started him inside of the seventh row. Chris Gay was the lap one leader with Howard McDonough grabbing the lead on lap five. David Thorburn, Dane Long, and Landon Hidy began moving up through the field, with Thorburn taking the fifth position by lap 10. A lengthy caution on lap 13 saw McDonough still holding down first with Corey Davis and Bob Flotka in hot pursuit. Caution on the restart shuffled the field with Long, Gay, and Hidy moving into the top five. As laps wound down, Davis continued to work on McDonough, who got loose out of two. Davis slipped past bringing Long and Hidy with him. The duo made their way around Davis while the caution flew again. The race was called due to time constraints and Long, Hidy, Davis, McDonough, and Rob Patrick were scored as the top five. Heat wins went to Jamie Feguer, Mark Velasquez, Thorburn.
Annie Loiselle and Jeff Laroe made up the front row for the B&L Truck Caps Pony Stock feature. Fast qualifier, Kenny Clark, started sixteenth in the 22-car field. Loiselle led the first lap while back in the pack, they tried it four wide into turn four. Scott Sigman and Laroe were side by side while there were three, three-wide battles for sixth, seventh, and eighth position on lap 2. Lap five had fourth place John Ward working on Sigman for third, while Jerry Garland marched to the front from his 12th starting position. Garland moved into third on lap 6 and took the lead on lap 8. Jimmy Scavarda advanced into the top 5 on lap 9 and at the checker, it was Garland, Loiselle, Ward, Bishop, and Scavarda. Heat wins went to Loiselle, Sigman, and Garland.
Please join us at Spartan Speedway on July 30th for the fourth race in the Super Late Six Pack Shoot-out Series and Autograph Night. August 6th will be Liskey's Auto and Truck Service Night. The School Bus Figure 8's will debut, along with the Super Lates, Mods, Street and Pony Stocks. We'll see you at the races!
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