August 4, 2012 Results

[35RaceWriter]

D. Rittenhouse, S. Lewis and K. Wills top 35

Dylan Rittenhouse (Mod Lites) Shaun Lewis (4 Cylinder Stocks) and Kevin Wills (Senior Karts) were all feature winners Saturday August 4 at 35 Raceway Park. Other winners were Cassie Ervin (Junior Karts), Kevin Wills again in the Open Karts, Mike Thompson (Mini Sprint), Roger Owens (Heavy Kart) and Brandon Furniss (Mini Late Model)

In the 12 lap Mod Lite feature it was Dylan Rittenhouse, Toby Boetcher and Doug Morris who did the swapping for the lead eventually leaving the remaining three cars as DNF for various reasons. Todd Dunkle was the first out with steering problems on lap four, Josh Johnson went out the following lap after dousing the frontstretch with antifreeze and finally Justin Rittenhouse left on lap six with a flat tire. Meanwhile in the front, Justin’s older brother Dylan was never seri-ously challenged for the lead as he claimed his third win in twelve starts. Toby Boetcher took the heat race win earlier.

Shaun Lewis took the top honors in the 24-lap Bill Secrest Memorial feature for 4 Cylinder Stocks earning his third win of the season. On the initial start Adam Haynes hit one of the infield tires in turn two bringing out the caution and bending the right side tie rod on his #3A. On the restart, Lewis jumped into the lead with Aaron Nawman and Robert Haynes following. On the third lap JR Lemaster, with three feature wins himself this season, had moved from his tail start-ing spot to third behind Nawman. As the leaders moved out a real battle developed for third be-tween Rodney Rittenhouse and Nawman who traded paint and positions numerous times. In the end it was Lewis, LeMaster, Rittenhouse and Nawman. LeMaster was the heat race winner.

Though it has been reskinned, the ride Lewis wheels is an ex-Josh Attwood racer that has two track championships to its credit – both by Attwood who was MIA Saturday… Zack Ackley (#3 Mini Late Model) put up $100 cash for fastest time put up by a 4 Cylinder Stock car during quali-fying. It went to LeMaster with a time of 15.440 (46.432 MPH)… Eddie Flora, who has seemingly been around forever, builds the engines used by Atwood and Lewis. He has built many of the plants used by drivers at Columbus and Kil Kare Speedways.

______________

Wills earned his fourth win of the season in the Senior Kart ranks Saturday becoming the driver with the most wins in that division for the year. He also took the win Saturday July 28. After taking the lead on the drop of the green Saturday from Kenny Blade Jack Morris quickly set the pace by distancing himself from Wills in second and Trevor Daniels in third. Coming out of turn #4 to complete lap two a crash happened behind the leaders that saw the 44X of Joe Conley (Waverly) land on its side. Several karts were involved but none of the drivers hurt. Those unable to restart were Conley, James Deal (Lancaster) and Brian Foglesong (Lancaster). By lap four, Wills had moved into the lead with Trevor Daniels in second and his sister Kelsey in third. Just past the half-way mark Richard Vest had moved into third with Kelsey Daniels slipping to fourth. At the finish it was Wills, Vest and Trevor Daniels. Wills and Jack Morris each took heat race wins earlier.

Wills, who started racing Micro Mini Sprints in 2001, is second generation racer as his dad Herschel ran 6 Cylinder stocks at the shuttered Atomic Speedway in the 1980’s. The younger Wills is the top runner in the Open kart class as he took the heat and feature races Saturday – the same as he did July 28th…John Hart, fifth place finisher, is a second generation driver as his dad John Park drove a dirt Late Model from the early 1970’s through the mid 1980’s throughout Ohio Tennessee, West Virginia and Indiana. He still, on occasion, will race a kart…Nice guy Jack Morris drives a tractor trailer for UPS throughout the inner belt (I-270) of Columbus. James Deal, caught up in the lap two wreck, also drives a tractor trailer for UPS.

______________

Mike Thompson took his fourth feature win in seven outings so far this season in the Mini Sprints Saturday over Jake Hesson and Logan Wood. Hesson, also from Marysville like Thompson, led most of the 12 lap race until spinning in turn #4 with two to go. With Thompson in the lead, he went on to victory over Hesson and Wood who was one lap down due to spinning in to the infield earlier.

Woods grandfather, Roger Woods, who runs a conventional machine shop in Clarksburg, originally planned to run Logan’s regular ride but gave it up when his (Logan’s) ride developed fuel problems during hot laps. The new ride was bought earlier in the week and is going through a shakedown all rides go through. Roger raced a stock car (a 1959 Chevy numbered as 707) at Atomic from 1967 to 1973… Chad Hyatt has a picture of his dad Ray E. Fisher III, a 30 year racing veteran who passed three years ago, on his right arm guard with the phrase “Use Your Head” under it.

____________

Roger Owens copped his seventh Heavy kart win of the year when he checkered first ahead of James Garrett while the #42 of David Matson was a DNF because of a broken chain earlier in the race. Matson was the heat race winner earlier in the evening.

Owens and his son Robbie Cooke no longer have their racing operation for sale as stated a few weeks ago. Plans now call Owens to finish out the season and then step away as a driver and help Robbie who will compete in both the Heavy and Open divisions…With both having 13 starts, Matson trails Owens by a mere 16 points despite Owens have seven feature wins to Mattson’s four.

____________

Better to be good or lucky? Cassie Ervin found herself in front in Junior Kart feature when lead-ers Evan Smith and Blake Vest tangled in the waning laps of the 12-lap race. Vest, son of Senior Kart driver Richard Vest, took an early lead but by lap four was feeling the pressure of Eddie Smith in second Ervin in third and Tanner Troute rounding out the top four. At the six-lap mark Evan Smith had moved into second with Ervin falling to a distant third. Four laps later Evan Smith and Vest got together bringing out the yellow and moving both to tail. At the checker it was Ervin, Evan Smith and Vest. Evan Smith won the heat race.

Away from racing 14-year-old Ervin plays volleyball at her high school, Madison Plains. Last year they were the SCOL (South Central Ohio League) champions…Eddie Smith, the older of the two racing brothers, plays football for Obetz in the off season. In his fourth season he will play both offense (center) and defense (left tackle) this year.

______________

There will be no racing this coming Saturday due to the Ross County Fair. Racing will resume August 18th with the Mountain Dew Senior Clone Nationals plus a full racing program for the other divisions. Further information can be obtained by contacting the track at (740) 998-2179 or at 35Raceway.com.

August 4, 2012 Results

Mini Late Models
Heat, 8 Laps: J. Smith, B. Furniss, Z. Ackley, J. Johnson, D. Bowe, C. Parker, V. Jordan
Feature, 20 Laps: B. Furniss, J. Smith, Z. Ackley, J. Johnson, D. Bowe, V. Jordan, C. Parker

Mini Sprints
Heat, 8 Laps: M. Thompson, J. Hesson, C. Hyatt (DNF), L. Wood (DNF), R. Wood (DNS)
Feature, 12 Laps: M. Thompson, Hesson, L. Wood, C. Hyatt (DNS), R. Wood (DNS)

4 Cylinder Stocks
Heat, 8 Laps: JR LeMaster, S. Lewis, A. Haynes, A. Nawman, M. Clifford, R. Haynes, R. Rittenhouse (DNF)
Feature, 24 Laps: S. Lewis, JR LeMaster, R. Haynes, R. Rittenhouse, A. Nawman, A. Haynes, M. Clifford

Mod Lites
Heat, 8 Laps: Toby Boetcher, Dylan Rittenhouse, D. Morris, T. Dunkle, J. Johnson, Justin Rittenhouse
Feature, 15 Laps: Dylan Rittenhouse, Tobey Boetcher, D. Morris, T. Dunkle (DNF), J. Johnson (DNF), Justin Rittenhouse (DNF)

Junior Clone Kart
Heat, 6 Laps: Evan Smith, B. Vest, Eddie Smith, T. Troute, C. Ervin, K. Harper, D. Billingham
Feature, 12 Laps: C. Ervin, Evan Smith, B. Vest, T. Troute, Eddie Smith, K. Harper, D. Billingham

Senior Clone Kart
Heat, 6 Laps: K. Wills, T. Daniels, J. Conley, L. Morris, Z. Harper, D. Davey, C. Chandler, Justin Rittenhouse
Heat, 6 Laps: J. Morris, J. Hart, R. Vest, K. Daniels, D. Morris, J. Deal, L. McKitrick, B. Foglesong
Feature, 12 Laps: K. Wills, R. Vest, T. Daniels, J. Morris, J. Hart, D. Morris, L. McKitrick, K Daniels, L Morris, Z. Harper, D. Davey, C. Chandler, J. Conley (DNF), J. Deal (DNF), B. Foglesong (DNF), Justin Rittenhouse (DQ, Weight)

Super Heavy Clone Kart
Heat, 6 laps: D. Matson, R. Owens, J. Garrett
Feature: 12 Laps: R. Owens, J. Garrett, D. Matson (DNF)

Open Clone Kart
Heat, 6 Laps: K. Wills, S. Shell, Kevin Rittenhouse, C. Oates, T. Daniels (DNF), M. May (DNS)
Feature, 12 Laps: K. Wills, Kevin Rittenhouse, C. Oats, T. Daniels, S. Shell (DNS)