Meseraull Scores Seventh Gas City Victory of the Season

Thomas Meseraull with family and crew in victory lane at Gas City I-69 Speedway. (Bill Miller photo)

By Linda Mansfield
GAS CITY, Ind., Aug. 17 — Point leader Thomas Meseraull of Waveland, Ind. earned his seventh non-wing sprint car feature victory of the season Friday night at Gas City I-69 Speedway, tying a record last accomplished by Jon Stanbrough a dozen years ago.

Andy Bishop of Gas City posted his seventh win at the quarter-mile clay oval this year too. His came in the street stock feature, which carried an increased purse and a $1,200 top prize.

Chett Gehrke of Louisville, Ky. solidified his role as the man to beat in USAC SpeeD2 midget action at Gas City, as he remained undefeated in that series’ third appearance at Gas City so far this year.

In other action, Dylan Woodling of Warsaw, Ind. posted his second UMP modified feature victory of the season at Gas City.

James Headley Jr. of Wabash, Ind. collected his fourth hornet feature win of the season over his father, James Headley of Marion, Ind., who has five feature triumphs at the track so far this year. The Headleys collected the $300 bounty on them, as no driver beat them in the three-week period it was offered.

Meseraull started fourth in the 25-lap sprint feature in Tom Eades’ DRC sponsored by Physical Medicine Consultants and powered by a Stensland-prepped Chevy engine. Polesitter Dustin Smith of Russiaville, Ind. led the first three laps before Meseraull got by him on the high side in Turn 2. Smith battled back in the low groove to lead lap five and six, but Meseraull powered around him on lap seven and led the rest of the way.

Meseraull was able to extend his lead, but it evaporated three times due to cautions. The first was with 12 laps down when Tyler Kendall of Indianapolis spun in Turn 3; the second was with 15 laps down when Tony Main of Farmland, Ind. spun in Turn 2 and Aaron Davis of Windfall, Ind. had a flat tire. The final yellow flew for debris with 17 laps down, but Meseraull fought off all challengers and weaved through lapped traffic to post the victory.

Smith, a two-time BOSS series champion, finished second, while Cole Ketcham of Muncie, Ind. placed third. Carson Short of Marion, Ill. was fourth and Jarett Andretti of Indianapolis came home fifth, right in front of Travis Hery of Columbus, Ohio, who was regrouping after a nasty flip here on Aug. 2.

The second half of the top 10 got scrambled on lap 24 after multiple cars made contact on the backstretch. The scuffle didn’t bring out a yellow but Matt Westfall of Pleasant Hill, Ohio got the worst of it, as he was running seventh but ended up in the infield as the checkered fell.

Gehrke started on the pole for the 20-lap midget feature, out-dragged Midwest Thunder point leader Aaron Leffel of Springfield, Ohio into Turn 1 on the first lap, and led every lap in the No. 93C. That feature was halted with one lap down when Adam Schmenk of Columbus Grove, Ohio flipped in Turn 2, but luckily he wasn’t hurt. The rest of the feature went non-stop, and Gehrke’s biggest challenge was getting through lapped traffic. Leffel finished second followed by Alex Watson of Columbus, Ohio. Stratton Briggs of Anna, Ohio finished fourth and Thomas Briggs came from 11th in the 23-car field to finish fifth.

Woodling led all 20 laps of the UMP modified feature from the pole. He had a half straightaway lead over defending track champion Dillon Nusbaum of Warsaw, Ind. when three cars crashed in Turn 2 with eight laps down to bring out a yellow. Another yellow for Bill Griffith’s spin in Turn 2 with 19 laps down gave his rivals one last chance, but Woodling was not to be denied. Four-time winner Derek Losh of Rensselaer, Ind., who started seventh, passed Nusbaum with a move to the outside as they were going through Turn 4 working lap 11 to nab the runner-up honors. Nusbaum held on for third. Tony Anderson of Lima, Ohio placed fourth and Todd Sherman of Merriam, Ind. finished fifth.

Headley Jr. started fourth in the 15-lap hornet feature but vaulted into the lead at the start of that race. His dad started sixth but was second by lap four, and they finished in that order. There was a good fight for third place among three drivers who are all from Columbia City. Jacob Beard eventually got that spot followed by polesitter Alyssa Clark and Randy Brommer.

Ron Flaugh of Converse, Ind. and Beau Cooley of Wheatfield, Ind. led the 15-lap street stock feature before Bishop took command working lap five by slipping under Cooley in Turn 4 after running side by side with him for awhile. Bishop went on to earn the big check with the Thompson Trucking No. 14. Cooley took second place and Flaugh finished third. Mike Fincher of Rochester, Ind. was fourth and Owen Wells rounded out the top five.

Intermission was especially memorable for USAC SpeeD2 midget driver Bryce Dues of Minster, Ohio. He was brought to the frontstretch on the pretense of honoring him for his military service, as he was a corporal in the United States Marine Corps and served six years with the Fourth Law Enforcement Battalion, Charlie Company, as a military police officer. He was also deployed to the country of Jordan during Operation Eager Lion to do integrated armed forces training with the Jordanian armed forces and the British Army.

While Gas City I-69 Speedway certainly thanks Dues for his service, there was another reason that he was called to the frontstretch during intermission. Dues wanted to ask his girlfriend to marry him in front of the Gas City I-69 Speedway family. With his midget in the background he got down on one knee on the quarter-mile dirt oval and presented a ring to Hunter LeAnn Knouff of Sidney, Ohio, who said “Yes!” The track management and fans wish the happy couple the best on their upcoming nuptials.

The kids on hand liked intermission too, because it featured the Candyman’s “Kids’ Coin and Candy Scramble.”

Despite an action-packed, five-division program, the well-run show was over by 10:50 p.m.

Gas City I-69 Speedway also ran an enduro for the hornet class last Saturday night during its “Night of Destruction” show. Cardell Moore of Versailles, Ind. was the big winner of it, followed by Jacob Beard of Columbia City, Ind.; Billy Beard of Fairmount, Ind.; Mark Gott, and Donnie Huddleston of Converse, Ind. The winning car is sponsored by Scott Benham at Lumberjacks Bar and Grill, Indiana Farm Forestry, Mickey Roberts at CSG CountrySide Graphics, and Luke Bland at SBR Performance. Kaitlyn Smith is Moore’s crew chief.

Gas City won’t be in action on Friday, Aug. 23, but it will once again be bright on Friday, Aug. 30 for the “King of the Wings” program. That show features the FAST on Dirt winged 410 sprints, UMP modifieds, street stocks and hornets.

Fans can see the track’s complete 2019 schedule and get additional information on its website at GasCityI69Speedway.com. Fans can also follow it on Facebook (@GasCitySpeedwayOnTheGas), Twitter (@GasCitySpeedway) and Instagram (@GasCitySpeedway).

The results:

Non-Wing Sprint Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Thomas Meseraull, 2. Carson Short, 3. Jarett Andretti, 4. Tyler Hewitt, 5. Anthony D’Alessio, 6. Evan Mosley, 7. Sterling Cling, 8. Jack James, 9. Kevin Blue (DNS).

Non-Wing Sprint Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Clinton Boyles, 2. Cole Ketcham, 3. Brayden Clark, 4. Austin Nigh, 5. Travis Welpott, 6. Aaron Davis, 7. Adam Byrkett, 8. Jacob Gordon, 9. Brian Vaughn.

Non-Wing Sprint Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. Dustin Smith, 2. Travis Hery, 3. Matt Westfall, 4. Cody White, 5. Tony Main, 6. Travis Kendall, 7. Cooper Welch, 8. Anthony Cockman.

Non-Wing Sprint B Main (10 laps): 1. Evan Mosley, 2. Tyler Kendall, 3. Aaron Davis, 4. Adam Byrkett, 5. Sterling Cling, 6. Cooper Welch, 7. Jack James, 8. Kevin Blue, 9. Andrew Cockman, 10. Brian Vaughn, 11. Jacob Gordon.

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Non-Wing Sprint Feature (25 laps): 1. Thomas Meseraull, 2. Dustin Smith, 3. Cole Ketcham, 4. Carson Short, 5. Jarett Andretti, 6. Travis Hery, 7. Clinton Boyles, 8. Tyler Hewitt, 9. Adam Byrkett, 10. Brayden Clark, 11. Evan Mosley, 12. Travis Welpott, 13. Anthony D’Alessio, 14. Sterling Cling, 15. Tyler Kendall, 16. Aaron Davis, 17. Cody White, 18. Tony Main, 19. Matt Westfall, 20. Austin Nigh.

USAC SpeeD2 Midget Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Anton Hernandez, 2. Bryce Dues, 3. Nathan Foster, 4. Adam Schmenk, 5. Ian Creager, 6. Tommy Kouns, 7. Tim Key, 8. Chuck White.

USAC SpeeD2 Midget Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Stratton Briggs, 2. Chett Gehrke, 3. Chris Bounds, 4. Thomas Briggs, 5. Kyle Kriegbaum, 6. Don Bigelow, 7. Leonard Foster, 8. Branden Watson.

USAC SpeeD2 Midget Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. Aaron Leffel, 2. Alex Watson, 3. Zane Briggs, 4. Corey Gingrich, 5. Ryan Moran, 6. Zach Gingrich, 7. Mark Neft Jr.

USAC SpeeD2 Midget Feature (20 laps): 1. Chett Gehrke, 2. Aaron Leffel, 3. Alex Watson, 4. Stratton Briggs, 5. Thomas Briggs, 6. Ryan Moran, 7. Chris Bounds, 8. Ian Creager, 9. Zane Briggs, 10. Anton Hernandez, 11. Tommy Kouns, 12. Bryce Dues, 13. Mark Neft Jr., 14. Leonard Foster, 15. Kyle Kriegbaum, 16. Zack Gingrich, 17. Don Bigelow, 18. Tim Key, 19. Leonard Foster, 20. Chuck White, 21. Corey Gingrich, 22. Adam Schmenk, 23. Branden Watson (DNS).

UMP Modified Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Derek Losh, 2. Aaron Orr, 3. Josh Morton, 4. Bill Griffith, 5. Terry Grilliot, 6. Brian McFeeters, 7. Todd Gnat.

UMP Modified Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Todd Sherman, 2. Dylan Woodling, 3. Scott Orr, 4. Daniel Russell, 5.Jessica Sroufe, 6. Jesse Strange, 7. Kevin Grilliot.

UMP Modified Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. Dillon Nusbaum, 2. Andy Bishop, 3. Justin White, 4. Jason Jones, 5. Andy Sherley, 6. Braxton Strait, 7. Josh Moore.

UMP Modified Heat 4 (8 laps): 1. Tony Anderson, 2. Jerry Bowersock, 3. Clayton Bryant, 4. Tim Wilbur, 5. Ryan Ramseyer, 6. Nick Rosselit, 7. Mike Miller.

UMP Modified B Main (8 laps): 1. Terry Grilliot, 2. Ryan Ramseyer, 3. Andy Sherley, 4. Braxton Strait, 5. Todd Gnat, 6. Nick Rosselit, 7. Jesse Strange, 8. Jessica Sroufe, 9. Kevin Grilliot, 10. Brian McFeeters, 11. Mike Miller, 12. Josh Moore.

UMP Modified Feature (20 laps): 1. Dylan Woodling, 2. Derek Losh, 3. Dillon Nusbaum, 4. Tony Anderson, 5. Todd Sherman, 6. Jerry Bowersock, 7. Josh Morton, 8. Andy Bishop, 9. Clayton Bryant, 10. Scott Orr, 11. Andy Sherley, 12. Aaron Orr, 13. Tim Wilbur, 14. Bill Griffith, 15. Jason Jones, 16. Braxton Strait, 17. Terry Grilliot, 18. Daniel Russell, 19. Ryan Ramseyer, 20. Justin White.

Hornet Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. James Headley, 2. Alyssa Clark, 3. Jacob Beard, 4. Donnie Huddleston, 5. Levon Havens, 6. Joey Eastes, 7. Dustin Franks.

Hornet Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. James Headley Jr., 2. Tommy Mayworm, 3. Randy Brommer, 4. Stevie Clark, 5. Charlie Teegarden, 6. Brad Evans, 7. Jesse Arenas.

Hornet Feature (15 laps): 1. James Headley Jr., 2. James Headley, 3. Jacob Beard, 4. Alyssa Clark, 5. Randy Brommer, 6. Levon Havens, 7. Dustin Franks, 8. Stevie Clark, 9. Donnie Huddleston, 10. Joey Eastes, 11. Charlie Teegarden, 12. Brad Evans, 13. Jesses Arenas, 14. Tommy Mayworm.

Aug. 10 Hornet Enduro (15 minutes): 1. Cardell Moore, 2. Jacob Beard, 3. Billy Beard, 4. Mark Gott, 5. Donnie Huddleston, 6. Joey Eastes, 7. Billy Moore, 8. Jesse Arenas, 9. Randy Brommer, 10. Brad Evans, 11. Chris Hillman (DNS), 12. Angel Moore-Simon (DNS); 13. James Headley Jr. (DNS).

Street Stock Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Andy Bishop, 2. Mike Fincher, 3. J.J. Nordman, 4. Eric Hunter, 5. David Norman, 6. Greg Long, 7. Larry Persinger.

Street Stock Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Beau Cooley, 2. Kory Conner, 3. Ron Flaugh, 4. Owen Wells, 5. Shane Richardson, 6. Scrappy Wilkins, 7. Cale Ramey.

Street Stock Feature (15 laps): 1. Andy Bishop, 2. Beau Cooley, 3. Ron Flaugh, 4. Mike Fincher, 5. Owen Wells, 6. Kory Conner, 7. J.J. Nordman, 8. David Norman, 9. Eric Hunter, 10. Shane Richardson, 11. Greg Long, 12. Scrappy Wilkins, 13. Cale Ramey, 14. Larry Persinger.