From Gerry Loudin

[Jackbolt]

With the weather being quite warm and threatening, crowds and car count were down somewhat from previous weeks, but the action remained as good as ever as Ohio Valley Speedway completed its tenth program of the season. One brand new winner, two first-time-this-season winners, and two repeaters made an appearance in Victory Circle before the evening was complete.

The Mike’s Auto Body WRA mini-wedge feature led off the evening. This evening’s feature was dedicated to the memory of Chief Nicholas Null, who lost his life in Afghanistan last year; the field did a 4-wide salute before the feature, with Null’s oldest son Hunter in front. Third-starting Nathan Drake got around heat winners Ryan Bigley and Cole Mayle to take the lead at the end of lap 1, with Mayle and Bigley close behind. Bigley ran 3rd until having to drop out on lap 7. Martin Gibson—from 7th—got around Mayle with 3 laps to go, but could not catch the fleet Drake, who won his first-ever feature. Gibson, Mayle, Toby Wilson and Kasey Rankin finished in the top 5.

The 7th annual Pure Stock Championship was first for the “big kids”. Nineteen drivers checked in, but mechanical problems eliminated 5, so 14 drivers started the 20-lap main. Matt Holcomb and Nick Ley drew the front-row starting positions, and Ley led wire-to-wire for his second win of the season. Lance Weppler, the defending race champion, took second from Holcomb on lap 11, but his mount overheated, forcing him out with 3 to go. Bill Fordyce got under Hohlcomb on the white-flag lap but could not catch Ley. Fordyce, Holcomb, Brad Willis, and Ted Lescody finished in the top 5. Holcomb also finished in the top 3 the previous evening at Hilltop, qualifying him for the $100 bonus from the two speedways. Ley had the fast qualifying time (20.12); he, Fordyce, and Weppler won the three heats.

The evening’s AMRA Late-Model feature took six tries to complete two laps. Pole-sitter Nick Corbitt spun on the initial start, and Charlie George spun on the next one, putting Andy Bond on the pole beside Donnie Dotson. Bond led thru the 5-to-go signal, but Dotson had built some momentum by running the high groove, and got by Bond after three laps door-to-door. Dotson claimed his first-ever feature at OVS, and first super-late feature in nearly 23 years of competition. Bond, Roy Roush, Ed Shuman, and Mike Foggin finished in the top 5. George and Roush won the two heats for the 14-car field.

Kenny Johnson worked a good bit of his magic this evening; working his way from 8th to first in his heat, drawing the inside pole, and led the entire 20-lap distance for his second consecutive Malta Windows AMRA Modified win. Jeremy Blake and Nick Corbitt stayed close thru several early cautions, but Johnson eventually pulled away. Blake’s late-race bobble cost him three positions as Corbitt, Andy Bond, and Roy Roush all got by, and finished in that order. Johnson, Corbitt, and Bond won the heats; Kurt Stacy won the consi; 23 drivers entered.

For the third straight week, a new winner for the season in the FWD 4-cylinder class emerged. Chris Lauer also took advantage of his pole position to lead the entire 12-lap main over Seth Thaxton, George Klintworth, Kim Santee, and Keith Marlow. Lauer extended his lead after lap 4, with his only challenge being the lapped traffic during the non-stop affair. Santee and Thaxton won the two prelims for the 17 entries.

Next Saturday, August 11, will feature the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association as well as the annual picture/autograph night; special-event pricing will be in effect.



RECAP:

PURE STOCKS (19)

Fast Qualifier: Nick Ley (20.12)

Heat 1: Jerrad Willis, Ley, Mike Foggin, Robbie McCullough, Ted Lescody, Chuck Hoschar, DNS Randy Bohan

Heat 2: Bill Fordyce, Matt Holcomb, Matt Fizer, Justin Carpenter, Brandon Davis, DNS Steve Noble

Heat 3: Lance Weppler, Rick VanDyne, Dale Giffin Jr., Brandon Francis, Michael Robinson

Feature (20 laps): Ley, Fordyce, Holcomb, Willis, Lescody, Foggin, Weppler, Robinson, Francis, VanDyne, Fizer, McCullough, Giffin, Davis DNS Carpenter, Noble, Bohan

AMRA LATE MODELS (14)

Heat 1: Charlie George, Donnie Dotson, Andy Bond, Larry Bond, George Klintworth, Larry Clark, Dan Morrison

Heat 2: Roy Roush, Nick Corbitt, Ed Shuman, Mike Foggin, Jim Quaigg, Doug Wriston Jr., Ron Mayle

Feature: Dotson, A. Bond, Roush, Shuman, Foggin, L. Bond, Klintworth, Clark, Wriston, Morrison, Quaigg, George, Corbitt, DNS Mayle

AMRA MODIFIEDS (23) Top 5 from heats, 3 from consi

Heat 1: Kenny Johnson, Jeremy Blake, Darrin McDonald, Brandon Barnhart, tyler Evans, Tyler Hendrix, Dusty Boley, Ernie Lockhart

Heat 2: Nick Corbitt, Roy roush, Dan Talbott, Jason Brooks, Kenny Riddle, DNS Ron Mayle, Kyle Bond

Heat 3: Andy Bond, Jason Brookover, Robbie Evans, Tom Sigler, Kenny Isner, Kurt Stacey, Charlie Martin, Brad Stone

Consi: Stacey, Mayle, Lockhart, Martin, Boley, Hendrix, DNS K. Bond, Stone

Feature: Johnson, Corbitt, Bond, Roush, Blake, R. Evans, McDonald, Mayle, Brooks, Stacey, Lockhart, Brookover, Barnhart, Sigler, Talbott, T. Evans, Isner, Riddle

FWD 4-CYLS (15)

Heat 1: Kim Santee, George Klintworth, John Rankin, Keith Marlow, Denzil Barker Jr., Austin Wilson, Sam Dickel, paul Midcap

Heat 2: Chris Lauer, Seth Thaxton, Josh Salyers, Jeff Rankin, Steve Brown, Rusty Blosser, Barry Kitts

Feature: Lauer, Thaxton, Klintworth, Santee, Marlow, John Rankin, Brown, Wilson, Dickel, Barker, Midcap, Salyers, Jeff Rankin, Kitts, Blosser

MIKE’S AUTO BODY WRA MINI-WEDGES (13)

Heat 1: Ryan Bigley, Nathan Drake, Ryan Yates, Martin Gibson, Kasey Rankin, Toby Wilson, Ashley Simonton

Heat 2: Cole Mayle, Darryle Murphy, Coleman Evans, Tanner Martin, Hunter Null, Shyan Morris

Feature: Drake, Gibson, Mayle, Wilson, Rankin, Martin, Simonton, Morris,

WRA results from 7/28/12

Heat 1: Corey Miller, Zach Carr, Ryan Bigley, Nathan Drake, Coleman Evans, Darryle Murphy, Toby Wilson, Madison Martin, Tanner Martin

Heat 2: Cole Mayle, Martin Gibson, Hailey Tucker, kasey Rankin, Meadow Sigler, Hunter Null, Shyan Morris, Lucas Shaw, Ryan Yates

Feature: Mayle, Carr, Gibson, Evans, Miller, M. Martin, Tucker, Sigler, Simonton, T. Martin, Rankin, Morris, Wilson, Yates, Drake, Murphy, Bigley, Shaw