Carrell, Catalano, LaBarge, Batalgia, Crum, And Johnson Winners At SSP
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Christine O'Neil)
Sunset Speedway Park would host some great racing on Saturday May 2nd. It would be complimented with a great crowd as well as weather. Classes on hand included the Budweiser IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, 4-Bee's, and both divisions of Micro Sprints.
In the Budweiser IMCA Modified feature Mark Carrell of Redmond would be the car to beat. Getting the lead early in the race and working the bottom of the race track Carrell would dominate the field. When the checkered flag would be exposed to the field the Mark's Auto Body #27 GRT, of Carrell, would be the first to cross the line to win his first race of the season at SSP.
Albany's Craig Cassell was second, in his Ester Lee Motel of Lincoln City/Corvallis Seed & Feed/Dr. Mary Harada Breast Cancer Specialist/Debra Herndon Family Nurse Practitioner #25 Rocket by Ruhlman, while Rob Ireland from Banks was third in the Ireland & Ireland at Law/Privateer Racing #8 entry. The balance of the top five would consist of the Aloha Station Tavern/Perfection Automotive/Ross Electric/Curtis Trailers #66 Shaw of Doug Lockwood, out of Aloha, in fourth and Warren's Brad Martin in fifth driving the Reser's Fine Foods/Wayne Martin Floor Covering/Generation Transmission #99 Impressive. Vancouver, Washington's Danny O'Neil Jr. was the winner of the consolation feature in his Tom's Performance Racing Engines/Highline Performance/Eric's Frame Shop #96 entry.
The Street Stocks would have a wonderful race and it was Forest Grove native Tony Catalano leading the field. Catalano, in his DVC Machine/Transaction Transmissions/Hair Designers of Forest Grove #19 Monte Carlo, would take of business once seizing the lead. He would win the feature making it the second occasion he has done so in 2015.
The Buz's Equipment Trailers/City Sprint Delivery/Old Iron Classics #01 Camaro of Craig Loomis from Vancouver, Washington was second followed by Earl Claypool Jr., of Hillsboro and driving his RC's Collision Center/JNR Construction #3 Camaro, in third. John Ireland would go home fourth in the Ireland & Ireland at Law/Privateer Racing #88 Monte Carlo and the Metro Motors/Bob's Paintland/Exclusive Auto Spa #00 Camaro of Terry Mason from Vancouver, Washington in fifth.
The Pure Stock main event would get really exciting towards the end. The DVC Machine/Pure Addiction Diesel Performance/S&R Motorz #7 Camaro of Forest Grove's Trevor LaBarge was the car to beat for much of the race. He would however have some pressure applied by Ken Schave from Brush Prairie, Washington. Shave would spin his Creekside Mortgage #05 Nova on the final lap unfortunately allowing LaBarge to win his first race of 2015.
Hillsboro's John Henry was second, in his Ernest Racing/Henry Racing/TK's Auto Repair/Joe's Auto Body and Paint #68 Camaro while Schave was third. The Luttrell's Trucking/Trask Mountain Outpost/Sweere's Trucking #58 entry of Terry Houck from Yamhill was fourth and behind him was Marcie Treat from Cornelius in her DVC Machine/Dave's Automotive/Transaction Transmission #02 Camaro.
In 4-Bee competition Chris Batalgia once again was in prime form. The chauffeur from Forest Grove would dominate the competition to win yet another main event. The Sweere's Trucking/Auto-Inter Automotive/O'Reilly's Auto Parts #38 Dodge Neon team is off to a hot start winning all three feature of 2015 in the 4-Bee division.
Nathan Owen of Vernonia would finish the race in his TK's Auto #1 machine second while Vancouver, Washington's Bob Ferree was third in the Mudd Monkey Mobile Mix Concrete/Korner Street Bar & Grill/Eagle Creek Saloon #24 Acura Integra. The rest of the top five was made up of the TK'S Auto/Dusty's Machine Shop #23 of Chris Phillips, from Vancouver, Washington, and Bob Berg, of Saint Helens and piloting his Cozy Lawn Maintenance/Outlaw Auto Loud/Peddle Racing #0 Honda Accord, in fifth.
The Micro Sprints would make their first appearance of 2015 and Chance Crum was dominant in the 600cc Micro Open. The Snohomish, Washington youngster, in his Clean Crawls/Woodinville Import Auto Repair/AirVan #83C PMP, would take care of business racing up against the wall and put on a clinic. Crum would become the first winner of the campaign in the division.
Lake Stevens, Washington's Kaitlyn Hammer was second in her Pacific Tire/Rob Graham Trucking/Pacific Logging/#39K PMP followed by Brandee Wood, of Ferndale, Washington, in third piloting her Whatcom Windshields/RAW Motorglass/Pro Mod Racing Engines #1W Pace. The PGH Excavating/Factory Kahne Shocks/Vahlco Race Wheels #12 PMP of Nick Thornhill, from Lake Tapps, Washington, was fourth and to make it a complete Washington top five Jeff Little, of Deming, placed his D&D Custom Service/Mobile Hardware #86 PMP in fifth.
Like in the Opens the 600cc Restricted Micros would be dominated by Washington drivers. Ashleigh Johnson, from Ferndale, Washington, had no problems at all as she dominated the competition. Leading every single lap of the feature Johnson, in her Highline Performance/Brien Ford/Edaleen Dairy/Stephanie Edson Photography #0 D1, she would emerge victorious.
Casey Smith in the Smith Racing #75C entry was the runner-up while Enumclaw, Washington's Colby Thornill managed to place his PGH Excavating/Factory Kahne Shocks/Vahlco Race Wheels #19 PMP in third. Jaden Thomas was fourth, in the Mike & Son Auto Sales/XXX Race Co. #J10 XXX, and Aly Pyles completed the top five in her Pyles Motorsports #13A entry in fifth.
Racing returns to SSP this Saturday May 9th for Bud Light Lime-A-Rita Ladies Night where ALL ladies get into the races for just $5.00. Classes include the Budweiser IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods, Pure Stocks, Dwarf Cars, and 4-Bee's. Pit Gates will open at 2:00 PM, Front Gates open at 4:00, and racing starts at 6:30.
Tickets for this event are Adults $13.00, Seniors/Military/Juniors (13-18) $10.00, Youths (Ages 12-6) $5.00, and Children under the age of 5 are FREE and a family pass will be offered for two Adults and up to four Youths for just $35.00. For more information log on to www.sunsetspeedwaypark.com.
Race Summary:
Saturday May 2nd, 2015
Sunset Speedway Park
Banks, Oregon
Budweiser IMCA Modifieds
A Feature: 1. 27-Mark Carrell; 2. 25-Craig Cassell; 3. 8-Rob Ireland; 4. 66-Doug Lockwood; 5. 99-Brad Martin; 6. 57-Kenny Miller; 7. 24-Shane Mills; 8. 6M-Matt Jenner; 9. 48-Aaron Elwess; 10. 6X-Don Jenner; 11. 21-Mark Reser; 12. 96-Danny O'Neil; 13. 12-B.J. Wild; 14. 37-Steve Suckow; 15. 53V-Jake Vanortwick; 16. 50-Sonny Sayre
B Feature: 1. 96-Danny O'Neil; 2. 50-Sonny Sayre; 3. 6X-Don Jenner; 4. 48-Aaron Elwess; 5. 4X-Rick Graham; 6. 10-Mike Gummus; 7. 44-Kristi Somers; 8. 34-T.J. Richman; 9. 6-Chris Ray; 10. 11-Brandon Potter
Street Stocks
A Feature: 1. 19-Tony Catalano; 2. 01-Craig Loomis; 3. 3-Earl Claypool; 4. 88-John Ireland; 5. 00-Terry Mason; 6. 14-James Simeroth; 7. 18-Roger Hubbard; 8. 10-James Baker; 9. 21-Travis Koch
Pure Stocks
A Feature: 1. 7-Trevor LaBarge; 2. 68-John Henry; 3. 05-Ken Schave; 4. 58-Terry Houck; 5. 02-Marcie Treat; 6. 30-Adam Hopkes; 7. 24-Cori Vandercoevering; 8. 33-Jim Peterson; 9. 53-Scott Hoodenpyl; 10. 8-Tyler Smith; 11. 66-Kendall Lee
4-Bee's
A Feature: 1. 38-Chris Batalgia; 2. 1-Nathan Owens; 3. 24-Rob Ferree; 4. 23-Chris Phillips; 5. 0-Bob Berg; 6. 7-Gary Jones; 7. 11-Robert Watts; 8. 19-Jason Gilman; 9. 8-William Wolfe; 10. 00-Mike Mastrangelo
Micro Sprints 600cc Restricted
A Feature: 1. 0-Ashleigh Johnson; 2. 75C-Casey Smith; 3. 19-Colby Thornhill; 4. J10-Jaden Thomas; 5. 13A-Aly Pyles; 6. 4-Allison Johnson; 7. 10JR-Tyson Lemley
Micro Sprints 600cc Open
A Feature: 1. 83C-Chance Crum; 2. 39K-Kaitlyn Hammer; 3. 1W-Brandee Wood; 4. 12-Nick Thornhill; 5. 86-Jeff Little; 6. 13-Kris LaBree; 7. 199-Christian Osborne; 8. 29T-Jake Tupper; 9. 4B-Jeff Broadwell