by Gerry Keysor
After Mother Nature poured on Waynesfield Raceway Park the last two Saturdays, she finally smiled down with blue skies and comfortable temperatures for a great night of racing at the 1/3 mile bullring. The racing action was nothing short of amazing all night with “The Flyin Buckeye” Matt Westfall sweeping both Lee’s Hyraulics Non Wing Sprint features.
Starting off racing action was the makeup Lee’s Hydraulics Non Wing Sprint feature from July 24th. Just as the green flag was waving, the yellow immediately was thrown for debris, causing drivers to stack up, with the 43g of Chad Grear ending up the victim of a flat right rear after contact during the melee. The field was reset with Grear watching from the infield. #18k Todd Keen would jump out to the lap 1 lead before caution would fly again, this time for the #63 of Jim Dues. As the field restarted, Leipsic, Ohio’s Mike Brecht, aboard the P&W Machine #8b, powered around the 18k to grab the lead. Brecht tried to set sail from the field, but the E&E Machine and Tool #54 of Matt Westfall started his march from his 5th starting spot making his way to the 2nd spot on lap 6. The Team Fenner, PPC sponsored # 34 of “The Ohio Hammer” Luke Hall, made his way up to 4th spot on lap 8, but that was as far as he’d get in this feature, as an ill handling race car kept his hands full the remainder of the race. On lap 10, the battle for the lead would catch fire as Westfall threw a huge slide job on Brecht grabbing the lead, but Brecht battled back with a crossover move down the back straight away taking the lead back briefly before Westfall used his momentum on the highside of turns 3&4 to take the lead for good. On lap 15, the #0 of Steve Irwin, the 2009 Lane Automotive Michigan Traditional Sprints Points champion, had made his way into 4th past Keen and was reeling in the leaders. On lap 19, Irwin got around Hall for 3rd. On the final lap, Irwin made one final attempt to get past the #8b of Brecht and succeeded, nabbing the 2nd spot at the checkered. Westfall’s win marked his 5th in 7 races at WRP in 2010 with the other 2 races ending in runner up finishes for the Pleasant Hill, Ohio native. Steve Irwin, Mike Brecht, Luke Hall and #7 Dustin Trost would complete the top 5.
Next up was the 2nd Lee’s Hydraulics Non Wing Sprint Car feature. The inversion wheel was Matt Westfall’s friend as the 4 spun on the inversion wheel would give Westfall the pole for the 25 lap A Main based upon his win in heat race #4. Westfall would not waste the opportunity, jumping out to the lead over #9k Kevin Thomas Jr. and #5j Joss Moffat. Scary moment on lap one as the #0 of Steve Irwin would spin in the middle of the field, doing 2 full rotations in turn 2 and keeping the car rolling, keeping the yellow flag from coming out. During that incident, the #20 of Tom Rhoades made contact with another vehicle. Rhoades would bring his car to a stop in turn 4, prompting a yellow flag with 1 lap complete. When racing resumed it was Westfall pulling out to a 8 car length lead, but Kevin Thomas Jr began to close, running way up on the high side of the speedway. On lap 10, Thomas had closed to within 4 car lengths of Westfall while the battle for 3rd caught fire behind them. The #41 of Steve Ott, #19 of Joe Bares, and #5j of Joss Moffat running 2 and 3 wide as they battled for 3rd. On Lap 11, Bares would clip the infield tire in turn 4, knocking the safety cone into the middle of the front stretch, prompting another yellow flag, but before the cars slowed, a unrelated incident occurred as #0 Steve Irwin flipped in turn 2, bringing out the red flag. Irwin would walk away from the accident under his own power. On the restart, Westfall led the field to the green flag, but Kevin Thomas Jr’s car would not be able to carry the same speed as before the caution. Thomas would fall to Moffat and others as he slid back to a 9th place finish. Moffat would set his sights on Westfall but would never close to more than 8 car lengths with #34”The Ohio Hammer” Luke Hall making his way to 3rd. Thats the way they would finish with #37d Mike Dunlap making his way to 4th and #2 Mike Galadja finishing 5th after starting 13th. In victory lane, Westfall said that sweeping both features definitely made up for coming up one spot short of winning the 2nd Annual Jack Hewitt Classic back on August 7th. Jack Hewitt was on hand with his 2 seater raffling off 2 rides, with the 2nd winner starting the A Main in the back of the #21. JR and Sons Service Center Compact competitor Chuckie Chronister would win the ‘Ride of a Lifetime” on what turned out to be his birthday. What a way to celebrate for Chuckie! Heat races were won by #9k Kevin Thomas Jr., #19 Joe Bares, #14 Chad Wilson, and # 54 Matt Westfall. B Main was won by #8b Mike Brecht. Kudos to #5c Tim Cole making his 3rd ever sprint car start, staying out of trouble and logging laps last night.
Waynesfield Raceway Park returns to action next Saturday night September 4th with a great show featuring the Lee’s Hydraulics Non Wing Sprints, Post Agri-Service UMP Modifieds, Miracle Motorsports Tuff Trucks, and JR and Sons Service Center Compacts. The UMP Modifieds will be getting their last tune-up before the Bear Wieck Memorial and Big Dawg 100 on September 17th and 18th, respectively.
More importantly, Waynesfield Raceway Park will once again be “Racing For Kids With Cancer”. Every fan who brings a new toy to be donated will receive a free hot dog or free soda courtesy of the Waynesfield Raceway Park concession stand, and they will also be entered into a raffle for several different gift baskets of items donated from local businesses. All toys will be donated to Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus Ohio to be given to children stricken with cancer when they have a procedure done at the medical facility. Gift baskets will be comprised of items donated form the following businesses: Texas Roadhouse; Westgate Lanes; Applebees; McDonalds; Cut and Color Crew; Metokote; Chuck-E-Cheese; Fat Jacks Pizza; Player’s Sports and Spirits; Coaches Bar and Grill; Tim’s Dirt Track Simulators and Souvenirs; Wendy’s; Mustang Pizzeria; Snack Shack; Attitudes Hair Salon; Padrone’s Pizza in Wapak; and Peterbilt of Northwest Ohio in Findlay, Ohio. The first 100 kids through the front gate will receive goody bags!
In addition to those giveaways, there is also a raffle for a brand new BELL Racing Helmet signed by several open wheel superstars including the winner of the 1st Annual Jack Hewitt Classic, “The Flyin Buckeye” Matt Westfall, Jon Stanbrough, Levi Jones, and several others. Tickets for the helmet will be available at the track, and are $5 each or 5 for $20.
“Racing For Kids With Cancer” is an event very near to the hearts of several of the racers and teams at Waynesfield Raceway Park, but none more than the family, team, and friends of Tim Dick, driver of the #18b Lee’s Hydraulics Non Wing Sprint at Waynesfield. Tim’s daughter Ashley was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2008 at the age of 5. Ashley and her family created Ashley’s Angels, a group dedicated to not only Ashley and seeing her through her tough ordeal, but also seeing that the other children at Nationwide Childrens Hospital are given reasons to smile despite facing difficult times in their own battles. With the help of fellow racers Matt and Gabe Twining and family, and the support of all of our racing family at Waynesfield Raceway Park, the 1st Annual “Racing For Kids With Cancer” Toy Drive was a rousing success, and we are looking forward to making this year’s event even better.
So come out and donate a toy and enjoy a great night of racing with us on Saturday September 4th as we go “Racing For Kids With Cancer” at Waynesfield Raceway Park.
Pit gates open at 4PM, Grandstand Gate at 5PM, Hot Laps at 6:15PM, and Racing at 7PM
General Admission $12 for ages 16 and older, $6 for ages 11 to 15, and kids 10 and under get in FREE!
Waynesfield Raceway Park Results
August 28, 2010
Lee’s Hydraulics Non Wing Sprints
Make-up feature from July 24th – 25 laps
1. 54-Matt Westfall, 2. 0-Steve Irwin, 3. 8b-Mike Brecht, 4. 34-Luke Hall, 5. 7-Dustin Trost, 6. 37k-Kyle Conaway. 7. 14-Chad Wilson, 8. 41-Steve Ott, 9. 18k-Todd Keen, 10. 24-Landon Simon, 11. 9n-Jon Nelson, 12. 31-Chuck Wilson, 13. 18b-Tim Dick, 14. 8c-Lewie Christian, 15. 42-Rick Horne, 16. 00e-Curtis Edney Jr, 17. 63-Jim Dues, 18. 43g-Chad Grear
Regular Program 8-28-2010
Heat 1 – 8 laps, Top 4 transfer to A Main
1. 9k-Kevin Thomas Jr, 2. 5j-Joss Moffat, 3. 20-Tom Rhoades, 4. 2-Mike Galadja, 5. 8b-Mike Brecht, 6. 37k-Kyle Conaway, 7. 24-Landon Simon, 8. 32m-Derek Hastings, 9. 15-Brandon Ferguson
Heat 2
1. 19-Joe Bares, 2. 0-Steve Irwin, 3. 41-Steve Ott, 4. 7-Dustin Trost, 5. 9n-Jon Nelson, 6. 43g-Chad Grear, 7. 71-Dwayne Spille, 8. Curtis Edney Jr
Heat 3
1. 14-Chad Wilson, 2. 34-Luke Hall, 3. 18k-Todd Keen, 4. 82-Mike Miller, 5. 2w-Zac Osborn, 6. 40-Mark Hery, 7. 18b-Tim Dick, 8. 8c-Lewie Christian
Heat 4
1. 54-Matt Westfall, 2. 37d-Mike Dunlap, 3. 23-Kyle Simon, 4. 31-Chuck Wilson, 5. 5a-Toby Alfrey, 6. 42-Rick Horne, 7. 5c-Tim Cole
B Main – 10 laps, top 4 transfer to A Main
1. 8b-Mike Brecht, 2. 37k-Kyle Conaway, 3. 40-Mark Hery, 4. 63-Jim Dues, 5. 24-Landon Simon, 6. 9n-Jon Nelson, 7. 8c-Lewie Christian, 8. 5a-Toby Alfrey, 9. 2w-Zac Osborn, 10. 43g-Chad Grear, 11. 42-Rick Horne, 12. 32m-Derek Hastings, 13. 71-Dwayne Spille, 14. 18b-Tim Dick, 15. 15-Brandon Ferguson, 16. 5c-Tim Cole
A Main – 25 Laps
1. 54-Matt Westfall, 2. 5j-Joss Moffatt, 3. 34-Luke Hall, 4. 37d-Mike Dunlap, 5. 2-Mike Galadja, 6. 14-14-Chad Wilson, 7. 23-Kyle Simon, 8. 41-Steve Ott, 9. 9k-Kevin Thomas Jr. 10. 8b-Mike Brecht, 11. 18k-Todd Keen, 12. 7-Dustin Trost, 13. 37k-Kyle Conaway, 14. 82-Mike Miller, 15. 19-Joe Bares, 16. 63-Jim Dues, 17. 31-Chuck Wilson, 18. 40-Mark Hery, 19. 0-Steve Irwin, 20. 20-Tom Rhoades, 21. 21-Chuckie Chronister*
*In the back of Jack Hewitt’s 2 seat sprint car