By Andrew Kunas
BANKS, Ore. – Gary Davis has made himself at home at Sunset Speedway this season. For the third time in as many trips the Northwest Wingless Tour sprint car series has made to the Banks, Ore. track this season it was Davis who was in the winners circle following Saturday’s main event.
The Albany, Ore. driver needed just a few laps to charge from the fourth starting position to get by pole-sitter Joe Bosso Jr. of Troutdale, Ore. to take the lead. From there, Davis never looked back and tied Kyle Miller and Steve Vague atop the NWWT’s all-time win list, driving the Robert O’Neil No. 9 Triple X.
After missing a race and then sitting out a main event at Coos Bay Speedway in June, Davis has since won all three NWWT races at Sunset Speedway and has finished in the Top 5 everywhere else, climbing back toward the top of the point standings, and was sitting third entering Saturday’s event.
Bosso, racing for just the third time this year, had an impressive night as he won the trophy dash event and finished second in his first race aboard the Ron Brown No. 14 Chevy-powered John Boy. NWWT points leader Corey Esteban of Gaston, Ore. moved up from the ninth starting position to take third place in his own No. 36 Chevy-powered Eagle, this following a mishap in heat race action that kept him out of the trophy dash for the first time this season. Mark Nichols of Eagle Creek, Ore. finished fourth aboard his own No. 64 Ferguson-powered Zeitler and Mill City, Ore.’s Tony Thomas finished fifth in his own No. 1 Stetson-powered Stealth.
Bosso won the trophy dash, which featured the six fastest qualifiers who finished in the Top 4 in their heat races, over Mike Romig, Thomas, Davis, Nichols and Sterling Kane. Heat races were won by Creswell, Ore.’s Jesse Thistle and Romig, out of Vancouver, Wash.
Tony Thomas set fast time in qualifying with a lap of 13.484 seconds around the small 1/4-mile red clay oval.
The next events on the schedule for the Northwest Wingless Tour sprint car series is a two-night stand at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. on Friday and Saturday, August 26th and 27th. More information on the NWWT can be found online at http://www.nwwinglesstour.com
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Northwest Wingless Tour sprint car series
Sunset Speedway
Banks, OR
August 13, 2011
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
12 cars
Fast qualifier: 1 Tony Thomas, 13.484 seconds
Heat 1 (10 laps): 1. 4 Jesse Thistle, 2. 1 Tony Thomas, 3. 14 Joe Bosso Jr., 4. 9 Gary Davis, 5. 41 Chris Peterson, 6. 28 Mark Herz.
Heat 2 (10 laps): 1. 22 Mike Romig, 2. 2k Sterling Kane, 3. 64 Mark Nichols, 4. 8j Justen McConnville, 5. 04 Brad Rhodes, 6. 36 Corey Esteban.
Dash (6 laps): 1. 14 Joe Bosso Jr., 2. 22 Mike Romig, 3. 1 Tony Thomas, 4. 9 Gary Davis, 5. 64 Mark Nichols, 6. 2k Sterling Kane. Finish determines first six starting positions of Feature.
Feature (30 laps): 1. 9 Gary Davis, 2. 14 Joe Bosso Jr., 3. 36 Corey Esteban, 4. 64 Mark Nichols, 5. 1 Tony Thomas, 6. 22 Mike Romig, 7. 41 Chris Peterson, 8. 28 Mark Herz, 9. 04 Brad Rhodes, 10. 8j Justen McConnville, 11. 4 Jesse Thistle, 12. 2k Sterling Kane.
Lap leaders: Joe Bosso Jr. 1, Gary Davis 2-30