Farmer City results

DirtNews Digest Your Online News Source for Late Model Dirt Track Racing "Get Some Dirt On Your Computer!" Todd Turner, editor

Email address: DirtNews@aol.com Web site: http://members.aol.com/dirtnews/digest =================================== CONTENTS: July 8 and 11 results (published July 12) UMP: Frye repeats Summernationals win at Farmer City CAPSULES: Briefs on Ponderosa, Deery Brothers races =================================== UNITED MIDWESTERN PROMOTERS UMP Summernationals

FARMER CITY, Ill. (Friday) It didn't take Bill Frye long to adjust to the reconfigured Farmer City Speedway.

Frye, taking the lead from Kevin Weaver on the 12th lap, ran the high groove to victory to win the 15th leg of the 20-race UMP Summernationals series. Although the track is slightly longer and Turns 3 and 4 were broadened in the offseason, Frye didn't miss a beat in repeating his victory from last year's Summernationals stop at the central Illinois oval.

Teammates Gary May and Roger Long challenged late but settled for second and third, while low-running Dan Schlieper made a rousing rally from his 10th-row starting spot to finish fourth ahead of Rick Aukland, who maintained his solid Summernationals points lead. Ron Fisher Jr. faded late to finish sixth while Mark Anderson, Tony Izzo Jr., Shannon Babb and John Gill finished seventh through 10th on the black-dirt oval.

Frye kept the race well in hand most of the way, leading by as much as a straightaway and being slowed only by cautions on lap 14 (for Bob Pierce's departure) and lap 30 (for debris on the exit of Turn 2).

But as the laps wound down, May -- running an outside groove similar to Frye's -- began to reel the leader in. Frye's safe advantage with 10 laps to go was sliced to just six car lengths when Frye slipped coming out of Turn 4 on the 43rd lap, and May was within three car lengths by the 46th lap as the third- and fourth-place cars of Long and Aukland were also poised to pounce.

Frye bought some time when he lapped Chuck Baird with three laps to go, and he was further helped on the 48th lap as May, Long, Aukland and Schlieper all dove low in Turn 1 and lost momentum coming down the backstretch. Again on the final lap, the cars battling for second dove low in Turns 1 and 2, leaving Frye enough of an advantage to cruise to the checkered flag.

"I don't know how much longer I could have held on," said Frye, who won his first Summernationals event in 10 attempts this year. "Those people racing (against each other) helped us a lot. We had a lot of open track. The lapped cars kept up real good, so we had a lot of good racing tonight."

Kevin Weaver led the first 11 laps in the low groove but dropped out with mechanical problems on the 27th lap while running third.

CAR COUNT: 42 late models.

FAST QUALIFIER: Chuck Baird, 13.153 seconds (1/4-mile oval).

FAST DASH (10 laps; sets first three rows of feature): Gary May, Kevin Weaver, Billy Drake, Bill Frye, Tom Rients, Roger Long, Dick Taylor, Rick Aukland, Chuck Baird.

FIRST HEAT (10 laps; top three advance): Dick Taylor, Mike Mullvain, Bryan Dunaway, Dan Schlieper, Jay Sparks, Jim Rarick, Jay Fiene, Virgil Bilbrey, Jeff Riblet.

SECOND HEAT: Rick Aukland, Bob Pierce, Corey Turner, Rod Donaldson, Jeff Semmens, Jim Bruggeman, Ed Bauman, Geoff Wilson, Joe Harlan.

THIRD HEAT: Ron Fisher Jr., John Gill, Chuck Baird, Tommy Kroll, Mark Weisnicht, Scott Snow, Curtis Roberts, Brian Olysar.

FOURTH HEAT: Tony Izzo Jr., Mark Anderson, Shannon Babb, Matt Taylor, Bob Freeburg, Gary Nettleton, Garrett Slager, Kevin Paul.

FIRST CONSOLATION (12 laps; winner advances): Dan Schlieper, Jim Rarick, Tommy Kroll, Jay Sparks, Curtis Roberts, Jay Fiene, Mark Weisnicht, Scott Snow, Jeff Riblet, Brian Olysar, Virgil Bilbrey.

SECOND CONSOLATION: Rod Donaldson, Matt Taylor, Joe Harlan, Ed Bauman, Jim Bruggeman, Garrett Slager, Bob Freeburg, Kevin Paul, Geoff Wilson, Jeff Semmens.

FEATURE (Pos., driver, car no., hometown, chassis, winnings) 1. Bill Frye (66), Greenbrier, Ark., GRT, $5,000 2. Gary May (45), Minonk, Ill., Bullitt, $2,000 3. Roger Long (36), Oakwood, Ill., Bullitt, $1,200 4. Dan Schlieper (s9), Pewaukee, Wis., Outhouse, $1,100 5. Rick Aukland (12), Fargo, N.D., Rayburn, $1,000 6. Ron Fisher Jr. (1), Lisle, Ill., Eradicator, $700 7. Mark Anderson (6), Lexington, Ill., Bullitt, $600 8. Tony Izzo Jr. (16), Bridgeview, Ill., GRT, $500 9. Shannon Babb (18), Decatur, Ill., GRT, $450 10. John Gill (75), Mitchell, Ind., MasterSbilt, $400 11. Rod Donaldson (28), Heyworth, Ill., Rayburn, $230 12. Billy Drake (9), Bloomington, Ill., Shaw, $230 13. Corey Turner (17), Cullom, Ill., Rayburn, $230 14. Bryan Dunaway (91), Reddick, Ill., MasterSbilt, $230 15. Mike Mullvain (4), Bartonville, Ill., GRT, $230 16. Chuck Baird (33), Assumption, Ill., Bullitt, $230 17. Tom Rients (49), Ottawa, Ill., Bullitt, $230 18. Kevin Weaver (B12), Gibson City, Ill., Rayburn, $230 19. Bob Pierce (32), Danville, Ill., MasterSbilt, $230 20. Dick Taylor (10), Springfield, Ill., GRT, $230

NOTES: Drag-racer-turned-dirt-racer Chuck Baird was a surprise in setting fast time .... there seemed to be fewer cautions during the late model racing, perhaps in part because of the reconfigured turns, which used to be considerably tighter and cause more bumping .... but there was still a lot of rubbing as drivers battled for inside position .... Curtis Roberts of Coleman, Mich., joined the series .... three parasailers landed on the frontstretch before the races, just as they had done at Macon ..... Bob Sargent promotes the Macon and Farmer City tracks .... the feature began about 10:30 and ended about 10:50 .... two other divisions were in action .... the night was sponsored by Lynn Chevrolet-Buick-Geo of Pontiac, Ill. .... Macon Summernationals winner Ed Bauman failed to make the feature field.

SATURDAY'S SUMMERNATIONALS RACE: Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway, $5,000 to win.

CREDIT: Todd Turner <DirtNews@aol.com> of DirtNews Digest. ------------------------------------------------------------- TUESDAY'S RACE CAPSULE

BURGTORF GETS FIRST DEERY BROTHERS VICTORY: Mark Burgtorf of Quincy, Ill., took the lead from polesitter Darrel DeFrance on the second lap at 34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa, and cruised to his first career Deery Brothers Summer Series victory. Burgtorf pocketed $2,200 for the 40-lap win. By virtue of his fifth-place finish, Jeff Aikey took the series points lead from Greg Kastli, who finished 11th. FEATURE (40 laps): (1) Mark Burgtorf, (2) Dean Wagner, (3) Harry Walker, (4) Steve Boley, (5) Jeff Aikey, (6) Gary Webb, (7) Darrel DeFrance, (8) Chris Smyser, (9) Dennis LaVeine, (10) Rick Wendling. ------------------------------------------------------------- FRIDAY'S RACE CAPSULE

LANIGAN WINS SECOND PETE ABELL MEMORIAL TITLE: Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., led all 50 laps to win $4,000 and the Pete Abell Memorial title at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. Lanigan, who held off a race-long charge from Mike Jewell, also won the inaugural running of the event in 1995. Jewell couldn't mount a last-gasp charge because of a spin involving several cars on the 46th lap. With cars blocking the track at the exit of Turn 2, Lanigan barely weaved through the melee while Jewell spun to a stop. After a delay of several minutes, track officials put Jewell at the rear for the restart, and Lanigan cruised to victory. Lanigan was relieved. "I spun left, then spun right, then was just barely able to squeeze between those last two cars," the winner said. Jewell, who finished seventh, admitted he stopped, "but the track was blocked from top to bottom. Where was I supposed to go?" Jewell was the fast qualifier (15.18 seconds) among 21 entrants. FEATURE (50 laps): (1) Darrell Lanigan, (2) Bobby Carrier Jr., (3) Jim Robinson, (4) Randy Boggs, (5) Johnny Wheeler, (6) Steve Casebolt Jr., (7) Mike Jewell, (8) Tim Yeager, (9) Delane Browning, (10) Dustin Neat, (11) Eddie Hasty, (12) Jeff Johnson (13) Josh Tarter, (14) Frankie Coomer, (15) Larry Wicker, (16) Daryl Rucker, (17) Win Smith, (18) Tim Tungate, (19) Finn Watson, (20) Jeff Walls. ------------------------------------------------------------- CAPSULE CREDIT: Terry Mynhier <TA4UK@aol.com> -------------------------------------------------------------