San Antonio results 2005-08-06

Texas Super Racing Series vs San Antonio NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Twin 50's, Part 2

After a successful event in June, San Antonio Speedway's high-banked half mile played host to round #2 of the Texas Super Racing Series versus NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Late Models. The format once again allowed drivers to run either or both of the 50 lap feature events. Two spots remained available for the big 20 lap All Star Summer Showdown for the top two drivers not already qualified. Ten spots had previously been filled during the June race, but rain at nights end forced postponement of the All Star Showdown.

Garcia puts new car on pole.

Danny Garcia recently purchased a proven winner when he bought the car of Ervin Brieten, who was one of ten already qualified for the showdown. During time trials, Garcia went out and posted fast time of the 26 drivers to attempt a run, turning a lap of 19.860, one of only four drivers to break into the 19-second bracket.

"The car felt real good," said the excited Garcia. "I was telling my pit crew that we were slipping and sliding all over the place. But that's what it takes to get the pole position. "We 're going to run both races and try to make it into the All Star Summer Showdown. Hopefully we'll finish first or second and transfer to the big showdown." "We've spent more time putting the car back together. We had a little mishap the other day(in practice)and we worked until six o'clock this morning just to get it complete and loaded on the trailer."

Barker Best Again in Twin 50's

As the green flagged waved on the 24 starters led to green by Garcia and former SAS Late Model track Champion, Larry Bendele, Garcia was first to dive into turn 1 and take the point. Garcia, L. Bendele, James Cole, Robert Barker and Joe Aramendia headed the pack as the field strung out into single file. Scott Jerkins was making an early charge moving to the top ten on lap 3. Caution flew early on lap 4 when Michael Lampton spun in turn 4, collecting Damon Bean in the process.

Garcia, Bendele and Cole had just got away on the restart when Bean and Ian Webster made contact sending Webster around in turns 3-4. Just as Garcia had gotten out to a three car length lead on the following green, Lampton spun at the other end of the track in turn 2. Garcia again got the jump on Bendele when green was shown, with Jerkins picking up a couple more spots to seventh. John Hiel would follow Jerkins by Mike Reininger to take over eighth a lap later.

Garcia had built an eight-car advantage on Bendele, who was getting pressured by Cole from behind. The yellow waved again on lap 9 for Bean who found the turn 4 wall. Garcia and Bendele got the jump on Cole going into turn 1, as the race resumed. Bendele was able to stick the nose under Garcia going down the backstretch and was able to get the lead on lap 10. Garcia tried to fight back on lap 11, while Jerkins moved around another former track champion, Mike Balzer for sixth.

On lap 12 while battling for the lead, Garcia made contact with Bendele going into turn 3 sending Bendele around. Cole was the unfortunate one as he got caught up and was forced to pit from third. Others suffered minor damage as the rest of the field piled in. With Garcia sent to the tail, Bendele out and Cole pitting, this handed the lead to one of two winners from June, R. Barker for the restart.

Following R. Barker, as the green waved were Jerkins, Balzer, Hiel and yet another former track champ, Donny Horelka. R. Barker got a huge lead as Jerkins wasn't able to get up to speed. As the field backed up Hiel got by both Jerkins and Balzer for second, Horelka and Brian Moczygemba also moved by the slowing car of Jerkins and Balzer, who was trapped behind Jerkins. That pack was accident just waiting to happen and it wasn't a lap later that Rieninger got turned around coming out of turn 4, with Chris Schild spinning behind him.

R. Barker got a car length on Hiel when the race went back to green, while Cole looked for a way under Balzer for fifth and Garcia tried Mark Ackerman for seventh. Balzer slowed a lap later giving Cole, Ackerman, Garcia and Aramendia the chance to get by. Aramendia then got around Garcia to take over seventh. Lap 22 saw R. Barker increase his edge over Hiel to eight car lengths. Aramendia moved up another spot on lap 24 as he got by Ackermam.

At the crossed flags it was R. Barker, Hiel, Horelka, Moczygemba and Cole in the top five, as R. Barker increased his lead. Aramendia then started to put the heat on Cole for fifth running side-by-side through turns 3-4. R. Barker continued to run on rails as he again got a half straightaway lead by lap 30, while Garcia worked back up to sixth getting past Cole. Horelka then began to put the attack on Hiel for second, but was never be able to get along side.

Rieninger caught Cole and Ackerman as they fought for seventh. A lap later Reininger and Ackerman would make contact and spin to bring out yellow on lap 34. Once back to green Hiel tried to hang on to R. Barker, but to little avail as R. Barker quickly moved out by eight car lengths in two laps. Horelka had just gotten the nose inside Hiel for second when yellow waved for debris on the front stretch. In the slow down, Aramendia got into the back of team car and nephew, Moczygemba who did a half spin in turn 4.

R. Barker, Hiel and Horelka took off on the restart, while Aramendia and Cole got the jump on Moczygemba for fourth and fifth. With ten to go, R. Barker had nearly ten car lengths on Hiel who had Horelka hanging on his rear bumper. Horelka then began to try to duck low going through the corners, but Hiel would pull back ahead on the straights.

In the meantime, R. Barker was on cruise control and running away again, with Aramendia now closing on Hiel and Horelka. As the white flag waved R. Barker had a comfortable lead over the battle for second between Hiel, Horelka and Aramendia, with another good for scrap for position among Cole, Moczygemba and Garcia for fifth. R. Barker took his second win in the TSRS vs NASCAR WRS Late Model series driving the Mission Auto Parts/Boardwalk Property Management/Mikes Plumbing/Law Offices of Scott McCrum/South Bay/Cambridge Auto Center/Oval Components/C& D Precision Body & Paint/Oval Components Chassis powered by Mission Racing Engines.

"We had a lot of luck staying out of the wrecks," said Barker. "Getting to the front, driving a consistent line and staying smooth was the key. The car handled good and we were able to get a pretty good lead a couple times. It's a little nerve wracking when yellows come out and you have someone on your bumper, but we were able to get it done." When asked about the incident that put him in the lead, Barker added, "Everyone was up there racing hard and as you know, in racing people get together. You're always watching for that stuff. I was fortunate to get down low enough and get by without contact. You never really expect it, but you're always watching out for it."

NASCAR Weekly Racing Series feature
Pos./Car#/Driver/Start
1 17s Robert Barker (3)
2 15 John Hiel (13)
3 41 Donny Horelka (14)
4 79 Joe Aramendia (6)
5 14 James Cole (4)
6 50 Brian Moczygemba (10)
7 97 Danny Garcia (1)
8 7s David Barker (7)
9 3 Mike Reininger (9)
10 32 Michael Lampton (17)
11 69 Gary Harvey (24)
12 37 Mike Ackerman (8)
13 13 Ian Webster (16)
14 77 Mike Balzer (5)
15 5 Lloyd Alexander (22)
16 44 Damon Bean (20)
17 11 Brian Schild (21)
18 10 Scott Jerkins (14)
19 7 Chris Schild (7)
20 23 Larry Bendele (2)
21 96 Todd Farris (15)
22 6 David White (19)
23 17 Jeff Pollard (11)
24 00 Beau Bukowski (23)

Aramendia Aces TSRS Win

In the TSRS portion of the show Joe Aramendia and Mike Balzer led the 15-car field to green for the second of twin 50 lap events after the five-car invert. Aramendia beat Balzer into turn 1 with Ronny New and Chris Schild door to door for third. As the duo battled down the backstretch they came together with both cars going hard into the wall to bring out the red flag.

Both drivers were o.k., C. Schild's car was done for night, New pitted for repairs. Since no laps were complete, C. Schild was able to jump into his brother Brian's car to try to stay in the TSRS points hunt. C. Schild is currently third in TSRS points.

Aramendia once again got ahead of Balzer in turn 1, while Jeff Pollard got along side Balzer for second. Balzer held off Pollard's charge to hang on to second. John Hiel quickly moved in on Pollard running door to door for third, with Hiel snaring the spot. Balzer gave Aramendia a challenge as they ran side by side through turns 1-2 and down the backstretch, but Aramendia was able to hold the point.

Current TSRS Series points leader Lloyd Alexander took seventh from Ian Webster on lap 5 after starting eleventh. Aramendia began to inch away from Balzer and Hiel as the front of pack sorted into two-three car pack, the second headed by Pollard, Scott Jerkins and Allen Alexander. Aramendia was just starting to get a good lead, with the second three-car group catching Balzer and Hiel, when Damon Bean spun on the backstretch for a caution on lap 13.

On the restart, Pollard got inside Hiel for second, but Hiel was stronger on the backstretch. C. Schild would spin his brother's car on the backstretch to bring the yellow quickly back out. As green waved again, the top three stayed nose to tail and put two car lengths on Pollard and Jerkins. Aramendia increased his advantage over Balzer who had Hiel in tow. Pollard was able to run down the Balzer-Hiel battle on lap 20 making a three-car fight for second.

Hiel was then able to get inside Balzer for second as they came to halfway. At the mid point the top five were Aramendia, Hiel, Balzer, Pollard and Jerkins, with L. Alexander spinning in turn 4. Back under green, Aramendia and Hiel got away, with Pollard, Ryan Englehardt and Jerkins getting past Balzer for position. Hiel gave Aramendia a look for the lead on lap 26, but Aramendia had the motor to pull back ahead on the straight.

Aramendia then built a three-car length edge on Hiel, who had a good gap back to Pollard in third. Hiel would reel Aramendia back down and give him a rap on the bumper, as the lead duo yo-yoed the gap between them. Englehardt, Jerkins and Balzer slugged it out for a potential transfer spot. Pollard's run came to an end on lap 39 when he pitted from third.

With ten to go, Hiel was back on Aramendia for the lead, as they held a huge gap back to Englehardt and Jerkins. Yellow flew again on lap 41 for debris on the backstretch. On the restart, Hiel made a bonzai dive into turn 1 to get beside Aramendia. As the duo swapped a little paint, Hiel edged the nose ahead to lead lap 42. Jerkins nearly peeled the side off his car as he and Englehardt made contact battling for third.

Jerkins lost some body parts to bring out the yellow on lap 43, and was forced to pit to remove more loose sheet metal. Jerkins night went from bad to worse as he slapped the turn 4 wall on the restart to bring the yellow right back out. On the next try, Hiel's car stumbled and Aramendia jumped on the chance to grab the point back, but L. Alexander would spin before a lap was complete to put Hiel back out front.

Aramendia wasted little time trying to get the lead back as he got inside Hiel on the backstretch. The two again traded a little paint with Aramendia retaking the top spot for good. Aramendia was gradually getting away on lap 45 as Hiel began to get loose in the turns. With two to go, the best fight was for third between C. Schild, L. Alexander and Englehardt. When the checkers waved it was the former NASCAR Busch Series racer, Aramendia taking the victory in the Aramendia Plumbing Co./Southwest Paint & Body/Quality Fasteners/Jims Sign Service/Penske Shocks/Port City Chassis running a Mission Race Engine.

Aramendia replied regarding his win, "A lot of luck, my Mission motor and a great crew is what got it done for us, but mostly luck. I'm sure we have a little advantage running here weekly but(Ronny)New, the Alexander's and a few others are formidable competition. They get a lot of laps at a lot of different places and there are no pushovers. We just got lucky."

Texas Super Racing Series
1 79 Joe Aramendia (1)
2 15 John Hiel (7)
3 77 Mike Balzer (2)
4 53 Ryan Englehardt (10)
5 11Chris Schild(in Brian's car) (4)
6 5 Lloyd Alexander (11)
7 13 Ian Webster (9)
8 44 Damon Bean (15)
9 10 Scott Jerkins (6)
10 17 Jeff Pollard (5)
11 80 Allen Alexander (8)
12 97 Danny Garcia (14)
13 6 David White (13)
14 1 Ronny New (3)
15 7 Brain Schild (11)

**NOTE: Chris Schild was involved in a wreck before a lap was complete and used his brothers' car.

Balzer Bags Big Win

The All Star Summer Showdown was scheduled to have the ten qualifiers from the June race, plus two more from the nights' races. After all was said and done, only 11 cars were able to answer the bell for the big money, 20 lap shootout. Two former SAS track Champions headed the field with Mike Balzer drawing the pole flanked by Donny Horelka.

Balzer beat Horelka into turn 1 to grab the top spot with John Hiel grabbing second from Horelka before he could fall in line. Joe Aramendia, Lloyd Alexander and Ryan Englehardt almost tried three wide for fifth, but luckily sorted out before turn 3. This left Aramendia and Englehardt side by side for sixth until Aramendia secured the spot.

Balzer quickly built a five-car edge over Hiel, who had five car lengths on Horelka and Mark Ackerman. Hiel then worked his way back the bumper of Balzer catching him on lap 6 as the top six broke away from the remainder of the pack. At halfway the top five were Balzer, Hiel, Horelka, Ackerman and L. Alexander, with the top three within a car length of each other.

Balzer then opened up a little breathing room on lap 11 as Horelka began to turn up the heat on Hiel for second. Hiel fought back towards Balzer running deep into the corners, but Balzer would get off cleaner and had just gotten ahead by three car lengths when yellow flew for a spin by L. Alexander. On the restart, Aramendia grabbed fourth from Ackerman going into turn 1. Hiel tried to dive under Balzer going into turn 3 but was unable to get inside.

Hiel then got loose off turn 4 giving Balzer a chance to eke out a slight gap. As it appeared Hiel's tires might be going away, Horelka was back on the hunt. Hiel and Horelka ran door to door for second on lap 17, with Hiel fighting him off to retain the position. As the white was shown, Balzer now had a comfortable ten-car margin over Hiel as he battled to hold off Horelka. Balzer took home the big payday as he crossed the line in the Croft Truck Accessories/Trail Boss Truck Accessories/Weston Custom Paint/Childress Automotive Chassis with a Kendrick Automotive Race Engine, well ahead of Hiel, who tallied his third second place finish of the night.

"With not racing most of the season, we had to go back to a few notes," replied Balzer on his win. "We actually used a new set up we never ran before. We just bided our time, used our experience and stayed consistent." You run the same track for years and something's changing all the time. You've got to know where your car fits and where you're comfortable in certain areas of the track. Experience does help."

"I love this format," added Balzer in regards to the Twin 50's/All Star Showdown. I think it's a great deal. It showcases all the different series. I think they've come up with a good set of rules and I believe there's a lot parody here." " The first race we had electrical problems and the car overheated. In the second race we made a few adjustments and got the car close, but not quite where we wanted it. We were so good near the end of the second race we just put on the tires from the first race and it all turned around."

Second place, Aramendia stated, "I had used up my tires. You could only use the tires you ran in one of the twin 50's. The first race I got a flat and that would have been the set I wanted to use because they time to cool off. The tires from the TSRS race were still a little hot, so that got us at a slight disadvantage. If we could have used the first set we may have had a little more. We still had a little something, but just ran out of laps."

Winner of two of the overall four feature races, Barker said, "The draw put us out of the running a little bit. You don't want race too hard when you're running in the (track) points lead. You don't want to tear up your car in a non-points race. The money's good and all, but we've got to bring it back to the next race. We just got out there and did what we could."

Texas All Star Summer Showdown
Pos/Car#/Driver/Start
1 77 Mike Balzer (1)
2 15 John Hiel (3)
3 41 Donny Horelka (2)
4 79 Joe Aramendia (8)
5 37 Mark Ackerman (4)
6 53 Ryan Englehardt (6)
7 17s Robert Barker (10)
8 5 Lloyd Alexander (5)
9 50 Brian Moczygemba (11)
10 14 James Cole (9)
11 Ian Webster (7)

SAS Sportsman
1 27 Eric Knudtson
2 31 Keith Garrett
3 6 Garfield Shanklin
4 29 Jamie Evans
5 4 Craig Crawley
6 46 Mark Rahn
7 0 Justin Oates
8 28 David Schooman
9 82 Danny Markgraf sr
10 33 Kenny Hurley
11 42 Tommy Casey

SAS Road Runner
1 20 Mark Mathias
2 1 JR Eichelberger
3 00 Randy Frautschi
4 19 Richard Curtis
5 8 George Reyes
6 10 Ken Jones

-sas-