Sunset Speedway Park Produces A Great Night Of Racing
By Ben Deatherage
(Photos Courtesy of Steve Veltman)
On a gorgeous Saturday night on May 4th the Sunset Speedway Park was able to complete their third race of the 2013 season. A full card was on hand at the ¼-mile clay Banks bullring. Classes included the Northwest Extreme Late Model Series, Northwest Extreme Sprints, Northwest Extreme Modifieds, 4-Bees, and Womens.
Last week’s Northwest Extreme Late Model Series winner Greg Walters was able to take full advantage of his front row starting position by taking the race lead at the drop of the green building a some big leads on the long green flag runs. The T&G Trucking/American Landscaping #97 Victory Circle was able to dominate the competition with the only thing slowing him down being the three cautions that would occur in the main event including one with six to go.
But on every restart Walters would master it and would go on to win his second race of the season with the series in 2013. It marked the eighth time that Walters has won a race with the Northwest Extreme Late Models when they have visited SSP and it was his third consecutive feature win at the venue.
“It was a good night for us,” commented Walters, “I thought the track was going to go away more than it did. We were a little tight in the feature but running with an open track really helped us. John did a great job working on the track. I was worried about that late race restart but I just kept focusing on hitting my marks and we ended up staying out front.”
Jerry Schram of Vancouver, Washington would place second for the second straight week in the Schram Brothers Excavating/Century III Stables #16 MasterSbilt while earning third was the Discount Race Car Parts/All In Property Investments #1 MasterSbilt of Collen Winebarger from Corbett. Fourth and fifth place would consist of Collen’s father Scott Winebarger, also from Corbett, in his Discount Race Car Parts/All-In Property Investments #6 MasterSbilt and the Reser’s Fine Foods/Wayne Martin Floor Covering #99 MasterSbilt of Brad Martin. Collen Winebarger and Jerry Schram were heat race winners earlier in the night and the trophy dash was won by the Schram Brothers Excavating/Xtreme Motorsports #22S of Vancouver, Washington chauffer Jimmy Schram.
In the Northwest Extreme Sprint Car main event it looked as if Sammy Wright was going to earn the win. Wright, of Vancouver, Washington, in the Schram Brothers Excavating/BDR Racing #11 John Boy lead the majority of the race but Mitch Hoffsess was coming in a hurry in the later stages.
The two former Micro Sprint stars battled for a few laps until Mitch Hoffsess would make a move up high on lap twenty-two to take the lead. Hoffsess would lead the rest of the way in the Schram Brothers Excavating #5 Rocket machine for his second win of the season in the division. It would also mark the fifth win with the Northwest Extreme Sprints in five starts.
“Sammy was fast tonight and once I got behind him I had to figure out how to get around him but mainly I knew I just had to be patient,” state Hoffsess, “the car was a rocket all night. My dad did a great job setting the car and it would be great wherever I wanted to go on the track.”
Forest Grove driver Jake Gilman would finish in second place in his Maverick Welding Supply #11X Maxim while third was Theo McCarty from Hillsboro in the BDR Racing #6 Rocket. The rest of the top five would consist of Sammy Wright in fourth and Gresham driver Dave Walters driving the #67 mount in fifth. Earlier in the evening Mitch Hoffsess was the heat race winner and earning the victory in trophy dash action was Dave Walters.
In the newly created Northwest Extreme Modifieds Rick Graham from Portland would start in the back of the field but by the completion of the first lap he would have the race lead. Graham would pull away and dominate the field to win the first race of the year for the division in his #18X machine.
With only a few laps to go Robert Duncan of Banks would make the pass for second to finish in the runner-up spot in the Duncan Automotive #00 entry followed by Joey Tardio in third in the #04 machine. Completing the finishing order was Forest Grove native Andrew Olsen in fourth driving the Scotty’s Auto Body/Pacific Oak Dental #23 car. Winning the heat race would be Rick Graham while Joey Tardio was the winner in trophy dash action.
A great 4-Bee feature would take place last Saturday. The #68 of John Henry of Hillsboro would lead the early stages of the main event but would be overtaken by Buxton’s Travis Koch on lap eight in the #21 car. It looked as if it was going to be Koch in victory lane until the last lap when Mike Mastrangelo of Banks made a bonsai move and was able to take the lead in his #00 machine.
“It was a pretty wild main event,” commented Mastrangelo, “I couldn’t get around the #21, I could get next to him but not around him. I gave it all I had on the last lap and saw his car had a little push and he moved up the track so then I decided to go underneath him.”
Koch would finish in second for the second time of 2013 followed by the #08 of Rich Gooding from Castle Rock, Washington in third. John Henry would place fourth followed by the #9 of Vancouver, Washington’s Cody Jones in fifth. The #12 of Jason Blythe from Buxton and Travis Koch were heat race winners while John Henry managed to win the trophy dash.
In the Womens division McMinnville’s Freya Smith would make it two in a row but she had to earn it this time. Portland’s Theresa Gartner in the Ram Light Truck Salvage/Napa Auto Parts #33 would lead the first three laps before being passed by the #23 of Cori Vandercoevering from Banks.
Vandercoevering would lead three laps herself before being passed by Amanda Clarke. Clarke would keep her Transaction Transmissions/Privateer Racing #04 Monte Carlo in front but would be passed by Freya Smith on lap fourteen. From that point on the Sweere’s Auto Body/Sweere’s Trucking/Tire Factory of McMinnville #37 Camaro would check out and win the feature to complete a clean sweep of the night’s events.
“It was a great race,” said Freya Smith, “everyone was right there. The other girls are really starting to figure their cars out and I think there will be some nice tight races this year.”
Amanda Clarke would place in the runner-up position with Theresa Gartner finishing third. Cori Vandercoevering was fourth and the finishing order was completed with the #60 of Kourtney Kubik in fifth. Earlier in the evening Freya Smith would win both the heat race and the trophy dash.
The Sunset Speedway Park will be back in action next Saturday May 11th. Classes that will compete include the Northwest Wingless Tour, Northwest Extreme Modifieds, Street Stocks, 4-Bees, and Womens. For more information log on to www.sunsetspeedwaypark.com or call the brand new Northwest Tracks Hotline at (360)-699-RACE. Mylaps results can be found at http://www.mylaps.com/en/events/892657.
Race Summary
Saturday May 4th, 2013
Sunset Speedway Park
Banks, Oregon
Northwest Extreme Late Model Series
10 Entries
Heat Race Winners: Collen Winebarger (1), Jerry Schram (2)
Trophy Dash Winner: Jimmy Schram
A-Feature: 1. Greg Walters, 2. Jerry Schram, 3. Collen Winebarger, 4. Scott Winebarger, 5. Brad Martin, 6. Jason Johnson, 7. Jack Marontate, 8. Jacob Myers, 9. John Gamell, 10. Jimmy Schram
Northwest Extreme Sprints
6 Entries
Heat Race Winner: Mitch Hoffsess (1)
Trophy Dash Winner: Dave Walters
A-Feature: 1. Mitch Hoffsess, 2. Jake Gilman, 3. Theo McCarty, 4. Sammy Wright, 5. Dave Walters, 6. Ryan Bothwell
Northwest Extreme Modifieds
4 Entries
Heat Race Winner: Rick Graham (1)
Trophy Dash Winner: Joey Tardio
A-Feature: 1. Rick Graham, 2. Robert Duncan, 3. Joey Tardio, 4. Andrew Olsen
4-Bees
12 Entries
Heat Race Winners: Jason Blythe (1), Travis Koch (2)
Trophy Dash Winner: John Henry
A-Feature: 1. Mike Mastrangelo, 2. Travis Koch, 3. Rich Gooding, 4. John Henry, 5. Cody Jones, 6. Nick Henry, 7. Gary Jones, 8. Jacob Henry, 9. Chris Cannon, 10. John Gartner, 11. Jason Blythe, 12. Robert Summerhalder
Womens
5 Entries
Heat Race Winner: Freya Smith (1)
Trophy Dash Winner: Freya Smith
A-Feature: 1. Freya Smith, 2. Amanda Clarke, 3. Theresa Gartner, 4. Cori Vandercoevering, 5. Kourtney Kubik