Weekend results 97-06-30

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: June 27-29 results (published June 30) UMP: Aukland stays hot with Jackson 100 win at Brownstown MLRA: Route 66 victory gives Frye three straight series wins CAPSULES: Roundup of some other weekend races =================================== UNITED MIDWESTERN PROMOTERS UMP Summernationals/Jackson 100

BROWNSTOWN, Ind. (Saturday) Last year it took until the Fourth of July for Rick Aukland to heat up. Heading into the big weekend this year, the driver from Fargo, N.D., is already blazing.

Aukland padded his bulging wallet with $10,000 at Brownstown Speedway, holding off determined challenges from Mike Jewell and Bob Pierce to win the 18th annual Jackson 100, the third leg of the 20-race UMP Summernationals. Pierce finished second in the Jackson 100 for the second time in three years while Jewell, who led 33 laps early in the race, was denied his first big victory at his home track. Darrell Lanigan was fourth.

Polesitting Ernie Barrow finished fifth, two weeks after his first-ever feature victory at Brownstown, while Jim Curry rallied admirably from his last-row starting spot to finish sixth. Don O'Neal, Kevin Claycomb, Jeff Wilson, Tony Izzo Jr., and Scott Bloomquist finished seventh through 11th.

Steve Barnett, the only driver to make every Jackson 100 field, crossed the finish line third but was 20 pounds shy of the 2,300-pound minimum at the scales and was disqualified. Defending race champion John Gill finished 17th.

Aukland won four of five races beginning last Fourth of July weekend, but his Jackson 100 victory puts him on a pace to eclipse that hot streak. Aukland has won more than $65,000 in the past six weekends, including a $30,000 victory at the Show-Me 100 in West Plains, Mo., on May 25 and a $15,000 victory last weekend in the Thunder Ridge 100 at Prestonsburg, Ky.

Aukland looked like the driver to beat after dashing to his heat-race victory, but Jewell jumped out quickly in the feature. Barrow led three laps until Jewell made an outside pass, and Jewell led Barrow, Wilson, Aukland, Barnett when a caution appeared for C.J. Rayburn's spin exiting Turn 4 on the seventh lap (by this time, the 20th-starting Gill was already running 12th).

While Jewell continued to lead, Barnett dropped Aukland into fifth place for a couple of laps until the driver of the black No. 12 began to establish his dominance on the inside groove. Aukland retook fourth spot from Barnett on the ninth lap, dropped Wilson back to fourth on the 17th lap, then got past Barrow on the 31st lap to grab the second spot.

Further back, Pierce, starting seventh and running fifth or sixth early in the race, made his move toward the front, getting past Barnett and Wilson on the 34th lap. Behind him, Curry -- who had started in the last row -- had already moved into the top 10 after moving past Gill, who never again showed his early spark.

After getting past Barrow, Aukland stayed right with Jewell, winning a drag race down the back straightaway on the 38th lap to make another inside pass. Jewell bumped Aukland's fender in trying to get back by him, but Aukland would never give up the lead.

Aukland, Jewell, Barrow and Pierce began to pull away from the field, and Aukland was on the verge of putting Bloomquist a lap down when Greg Johnson spun in Turn 4 to bring out the third and final caution on the 47th lap.

Aukland pulled away to a half-straightaway lead after the caution, but Jewell closed up again when Aukland came upon slower traffic, which invariably blocked his inside groove. The top three of Aukland, Jewell and Pierce ran nose-to-tail while trying to lap Gill on the 60th lap, but after they got past the defending champion Aukland again built a comfy margin for several laps.

The key pass of the race came as the leaders tightened up again behind the slower cars of Claycomb, Wilson and O'Neal. Jewell was right behind Aukland on the 80th lap, but on the next circuit Aukland made a daring outside pass of Claycomb going into Turn 1.

Jewell and Pierce couldn't make the same move on the slicker outside groove, and for 12 laps Aukland kept lapped cars between himself and the challengers. By the time Jewell and Pierce cleared Claycomb on the 93rd lap, Aukland had breathing room.

Undaunted, Jewell began to cut Aukland's lead again. But Jewell then made his only mistake in the race, drifting too high in between Turns 3 and 4 on the 96th lap and letting Pierce and Barnett slip past. Pierce took up the chase and closed the distance on Aukland, but never got close enough to threaten a pass.

CAR COUNT: 64 late models.

FAST QUALIFIER: Ed Dixon, 15.316 seconds (1/4-mile oval).

FIRST HEAT (12 laps; top three advance): Rick Aukland, Bob Pierce, Johnny Wheeler, Ed Dixon, Greg Williams, Terry Eaglin, Scott James, Brett Davis, Gerald Barnett, Noel Witcher.

SECOND HEAT: Steve Barnett, Don O'Neal, Scott Bloomquist, Billy Drake, Dan Schlieper, Gary Barrow, Rohn Moon, Kevin Hardin, Jerry Bruce, Mike Munson.

THIRD HEAT: Mike Jewell, Kevin Claycomb, C.J. Rayburn, James Huff, Tony Izzo Jr., Dennis Erb Jr., Mark Miner, Jim O'Connor, Frankie Coomer, Matt Brown.

FOURTH HEAT: Doug McCammon, Doug Ault, Jack Boggs, John Gill, Eddy Shickel, Brian Birkhofer, Scotty Earl, Audie McWilliams, Bradley Sturgeon.

FIFTH HEAT: Jeff Wilson, Greg Johnson, Dion Deason, Jeff Mounce, Dan Sturgeon, Tim Sills, Steve Cornelius, Billy Meredith, Mark Barber.

SIXTH HEAT: Ernie Barrow, Darrell Lanigan, Steven Godsey, Jim Curry, Randy Korte, Shawn Toczek, Brian Wilhite, Kevin Weaver, Jerry Rucker.

FIRST CONSOLATION (top two advance; only top five finishers listed): James Huff, Tony Izzo Jr., Ed Dixon, Mark Barber, Brett Davis.

SECOND CONSOLATION: John Gill, Jim Curry, Kevin Weaver, Billy Drake, Brian Birkhofer, Dan Schlieper.

FEATURE (Pos., car no., hometown, chassis, winnings) 1. Rick Aukland (12), Fargo, N.D., Rayburn, $10,000 2. Bob Pierce (32), Danville, Ill., MasterSbilt, $8,000 3. Mike Jewell (9), Scottsburg, Ind., MasterSbilt, $7,000 4. Darrell Lanigan (29), Union, Ky., MasterSbilt, $6,000 5. Ernie Barrow (21), Bloomington, Ind., Rayburn, $5,000 6. Jim Curry (7), Norman, Ind., Rayburn $4,000 7. Don O'Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., MasterSbilt, $3,000 8. Kevin Claycomb (28), Vincennes, Ind., Rocket, $2,000 9. Jeff Wilson (55), Bedford, Ind., Rayburn, $1,800 10. Tony Izzo Jr. (16), Bridgeview, Ill., GRT, $1,600 11. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., Rayburn, $1,400 12. James Huff (5), Milton, Ky., Rayburn, $1,300 13. Dion Deason (D1), Indianapolis, Rayburn, $1,200 14. Doug McCammon (92), Palestine, Ill., Rayburn, $1,200 15. Johnny Wheeler (31x), Campbellsville, Ky., Rayburn, $1,200 16. Doug Ault (1a), Brownstown, Ind., MasterSbilt, $1,200 17. John Gill (75), Mitchell, Ind., MasterSbilt, $1,200 18. C.J. Rayburn (1cj), Whiteland, Ind., Rayburn, $1,200 19. Greg Johnson (17j), Bedford, Ind., Bullitt, $1,200 20. Steven Godsey (G4), Bedford, Ind., MasterSbilt, $1,200 21. Jack Boggs (B4), Grayson, Ky., MasterSbilt, $1,200 Disqualified (light at scales): Steve Barnett (89), Franklin, Ind., Rayburn, $1,200

NOTES: The heat race action was fast and furious, with many highlights .... the top four in each heat were inverted .... Steve Barnett and Don O'Neal had a long side-by-side duel in the second heat, which Barnett won .... Mike Jewell came from outside the third row to win the third heat, and he was part of a close-your-eyes-and-mash-the-gas battle with C.J. Rayburn and Kevin Claycomb early in the race coming out of Turn 4 .... Claycomb and Jewell also had a side-by-side battle throughout several laps .... Doug McCammon and Doug Ault followed that with a side-by-side duel of their own, which McCammon won .... Mark Barber blew a transfer spot with a Turn-2 spin on the final lap of the fifth heat .... and although Ernie Barrow won the sixth heat, Kevin Weaver stole the show, rallying any-which-groove-you-can style .... Weaver once slipped off the track on the front stretch, but he never let off the accelerator and bounded airborne over the berm entering Turn 1 to resume his charge .... Barrow, who normally drives the No. 57, was driving his son Brad's No. 21 .... Tony Izzo Jr. was impressive in unseating Ed Dixon for a transfer spot in the first consolation .... Dixon, setting fast time in his first race at Brownstown, finished one spot away from transferring in his heat and consy .... it was the first time the Jackson 100 was part of the Summernationals, and the first time Brownstown hosted a Summernationals race in at least five years.

CREDIT: Todd Turner <DirtNews@aol.com>. ------------------------------------------------------------- MIDWEST LATEMODEL RACING ASSOCIATION (MLRA) Route 66 Showdown

JOPLIN, Mo. (Friday and Saturday) Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., made it three in a row on the MLRA circuit, collecting $10,000 after leading every lap of the third annual Route 66 Showdown at Joplin 66 Speedway.

Polesitter Donnie Barnhart chased Frye the entire distance without success, and settled for second place, ahead of Al Purkey, Terry Muskrat and MLRA points leader Leslie Essary. Inaugural race winner Terry Phillips finished sixth, while Robbie Starnes, Johnny Virden, Ken Essary and Jeff Floyd finished seventh through 10th at the 3/8-mile oval in southwestern Missouri.

Frye's 27th career MLRA victory followed a series sweep two weekends ago at Muskogee (Okla.) Speedway on June 13 and Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla., on June 14. Frye is the third winningest driver in MLRA history.

Frye jumped into the lead from his outside pole position, and he joined Barnhart in pulling away from the field early in the race. After several cautions throughout the middle of the race, Frye and Barnhart moved out from the pack again.

Frye's car was loose going into Turn 1, but Barnhart could never manage to capitalize on the opening as Frye pulled away again exiting Turn 2 lap after lap as the field worked the bottom groove. By the 47th lap, Purkey, Muskrat, Essary and Phillips caught up with Frye and Barnhart and all the leading cars hugged the inside of the racetrack. But Frye proved unpassable in gaining the victory.

CAR COUNT: 47 late models.

FAST QUALIFIER: Donnie Barnhart, 19.874 seconds (3/8-mile oval).

FIRST HEAT (15 laps; top four advance): Donnie Barnhart, Terry Muskrat, Ken Essary, Bill Street, Mike Brown, Steve Kosiski, Randy Floyd, Brandon Ball, Larry Jones, Steve Hennies, David Turner, Rich Michael.

SECOND HEAT: Bill Frye, Rex Richey, Leslie Essary, Dale Harris, Ronnie Poche, Jason Snodgrass, Terry Gallagher, Steve Rushin, Gary Stevens, Robert Dunn, Dusty Johnston, Mike Wilkerson.

THIRD HEAT: Gary Gorby, Terry Phillips, Johnny Virden, Darrell Mooneyham, Mike Bowers, Jack Simmons, Alan Vaughn, John Tracy, Dewaine Hottinger, Shane Collins, Rusty Frisinger.

FOURTH HEAT: Al Purkey, Joe Kosiski, Robbie Starnes, Jeff Floyd, Willy Kraft, Kenny Shelton Jr., Rex McCroskey, Joe Conway, Brian Holliway, Chad Clark, Rob Lewis.

FIRST CONSOLATION (15 laps; top three advance): Mike Bowers, Mike Brown, Jack Simmons, John Tracy, Steve Kosiski, Steve Hennies, David Turner, Dewaine Hottinger, Randy Floyd (Larry Jones, Shane Collins, Rusty Frisinger, Rick Michael, Shorty Acker and Brandon Ball scratched).

SECOND CONSOLATION: Kenny Shelton Jr., Ronnie Poche, Rex McCroskey, Jason Snodgrass, Willy Kraft, Steve Rushin, Joe Conway, Dusty Johnston, Gary Stevens, Chad Clark, Mike Wilkerson, Robert Dunn, Brian Holliway, Alan Vaughn (Terry Gallagher and Rob Lewis scratched).

FEATURE (Pos., driver, car no., hometown, winnings) 1. Bill Frye (66), Greenbrier, Ark., $10,000 2. Donnie Barnhart (11), North Little Rock, Ark., $6,500 3. Al Purkey (33), Coffeyville, Kan., $4,000 4. Terry Muskrat (83), Stillwell, Okla., $3,000 5. Leslie Essary (5), Crane, Mo., $2,500 6. Terry Phillips (75), Springfield, Mo., $2,000 7. Robbie Starnes (83s), Dayton, Texas, $1,750 8. Johnny Virden (1v), Russellville, Ark., $1,500 9. Ken Essary (55), Galena, Mo., $1,250 10. Jeff Floyd (F1), Walnut Ridge, Ark., $1,000 11. Mike Bowers (60), North Little Rock, Ark., $950 12. Ronnie Poche (5x), Natchitoches, La., $900 13. David Turner (15), Creighton, Mo., $850 14. Jack Simmons (J1), Erie, Kan., $800 15. Gary Gorby, Caney, Kan., $750 16. Dale Harris (92), Decatur, Ark., $750 17. Darrell Mooneyham (20), Verona, Mo., $750 18. Alan Vaughn (22), Belton, Mo., $750 19. Rex McCroskey (4), Springfield, Mo., $750 20. Rex Richey (87), Ringgold, Ga., $750 21. Joe Kosiski (53), Omaha, Neb., $750 22. Kenny Shelton Jr. (19), Joplin, Mo., $750 23. Mike Brown, Fort Gibson, Okla., $750 24. Bill Street, Joplin, Mo., $750

NEXT MLRA RACE: July 11, Sunset Speedway, Omaha, Neb., "NCRA/MLRA Challenge," $3,000 to win.

MLRA POINT STANDINGS (through June 28): Leslie Essary 782; Alan Vaughn 704; Al Purkey 682; Terry Muskrat 649; Terry Phillips 593; David Turner 575; Kenny Shelton Jr. 499; Dale Harris 473; Steve Hennies 459; Jack Simmons 444.

CREDIT: Larry Olson <lwolson@mtnhome.com>. ------------------------------------------------------------- FRIDAY'S RACE CAPSULE

BOGGS REPEATS "DILLOW MEMORIAL" TITLE: Jack Boggs made an outside pass of R.J. Conley on the 27th of 30 laps to win $3,000 and defend his title in the Fred Dillow Memorial at Southern Ohio Speedway in Portsmouth. Polesitter Rob House led the first six laps while Conley was on the point from laps 7 through 26 before Boggs, driving a backup car, made his way from a midfield starting spot to win. Conley set a track record at 16.94 seconds as one of 24 qualifiers. FEATURE (30 laps): (1) Jack Boggs, (2) R.J. Conley, (3) Jackie Boggs, (4) Rob House, (5) Aaron Bapst, (6) Steve Casebolt Jr., (7) Craig Leist, (8) Greg Stevens, (9) Jody Adkins, (10) Barry Doss, (11) Thomas Ware, (12) Adam Stevens, (13) Russ Frohnapfel, (14) Junior Robbins, (15) Carl Dillow, (16) Chick Clark, (17) Jim Leeth, (18) Darin Distel, (19) Jeff Arnold, (20) Don Clark, (21) Bill Bocook, (22) Kenny Kenneda, (23) Greg Oliver. ------------------------------------------------------------- SATURDAY'S RACE CAPSULE

YODER WINS ALMS RACE AT OAKSHADE: Polesitter Shane Yoder held off a charge from Frank Seder in the final laps to win the UMP-sanctioned American Late Model Series event at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio. Yoder led every lap to pocket the $2,000 winner's purse. John Mason, John Lawhorn and Ron Miller won heat races on a night with 46 late models in the pits. FEATURE: (1) Shane Yoder, (2) Frank Seder, (3) Kris Patterson, (4) Hillard Miller, (5) John Lawhorn, (6) Jerry Bowersock, (7) Matt Miller, (8) Bill Hahn, (9) George Lee, (10) Tony Marks, (11) Rick DeLong, (12) John Mason, (13) Mike Bechelli, (14) Troy Vanderveen, (15) Ron Miller, (16) Curtis Roberts, (17) Bob Miller, (18) Tim Wilber, (19) Bryan Koebbe, (20) Max Stough. ------------------------------------------------------------- SUNDAY'S RACE CAPSULE

FOURTH LEG OF UMP SUMMERNATIONALS RAINED OUT: The fourth leg of the United Midwestern Promoters Summernationals at LaSalle (Ill.) Speedway was rained out and rescheduled for July 13. Rain washed out the $5,000-to-win event about halfway through qualifying at the northern Illinois oval. The series is scheduled to resume Monday at Vermilion County Speedway in Danville, Ill. ------------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR'S NOTE: The transmission of the report on the second leg of the UMP Summernationals at Tennessee Motor Speedway in Baxter, Tenn., may not have been received by some subscribers. If you need a retransmission of the story, email <DirtNews@aol.com> with a request. -------------------------------------------------------------