The clock would continue to tick away at the 2004 race season this past Friday Night at the Kinross Speedway. The ¼ mile facility would enter its twelfth night of racing action sponsored by Soo Collision.
Chuck Johnson (5R) would set fast time in the Pure Stock Division with a time of 16.720 seconds.
Bill Cryderman (61) would win the four-car dash while Norm Miller (5Y) would take home the division’s lone Australian Pursuit race.
Miller would make a return trip to the winner’s circle in heat race #1 before teammate Barry Glenn (55) would take the checkered flag in heat race #2.
Nick Pangburn (2) and N. Miller would lead the pack to the starter’s green flag for their final race of the night – the 25-lap feature event.
Miller was your leader through the opening 6 laps of the race before being overtaken by Mike Porcaro (15) on lap 7.
The Sault Ste. Marie, MICHIGAN driver was making his return behind the wheel after some 4+ weeks off as he built a new car.
Your new leader would see the field bunched up when a caution would fly on lap 8 only to be held up by the yet another yellow on lap 11.
By lap 13, Randy Miller (73) had taken the lead and began his duty of leading the pack.
A lap 15 caution would see your point-leader Glenn being relegated pit side with a broken axle under his car.
When the action resumed R. Miller now found himself in some tough company as Johnson and Ray Golladay Jr. (20) had made their way up to the 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
Despite the added pressure, R. Miller was able to keep his focus and race to his 1st career feature win.
Johnson, Golladay Jr., Ray Golladay (22) and Dan Shumbarger (09) rounded out the top 5.
A season-high field of Four Cylinders would make their way to Kinross on this night as 28 drivers were set to embark on their quest on the asphalt surface.
John Clawson (35) set a new track record with a lap of 17.750 seconds while Eric Sherlund (79) would grab the early bragging rights after winning the four-car dash.
Moe Syrstad (69), Norman Kuczenski (34) and Chris Piche (21) were the winners of the division’s three Australian Pursuit races.
When it came time for the 10-lap heat races Kenny Nayback (43), Kuczenski and Clawson would find the checker flag in those three respective races.
Due to the large car count and by driver’s vote, the Speedway would be forced to run a B-Main in this division for the 2nd time this season.
Mike Piche (12) and Ron Etcher (58) would make up the front row for the divisions B-Main.
Piche and Sebastien Servant (24) each took their turn leading the first 2 laps before Kuczenski overtook them on lap 3 for the lead.
The Pickford, MICHIGAN native would hold onto that position until a lap 11 red flag when Brian Greenski (50) would roll his machine after coming in contact with the front stretch retaining wall.
Track crews would immediately converge on the upset racecar to check on the driver along with putting out a fire that had ignited on that machine.
Thankfully Brian was not injured in the accident and he would walk back pit side under his own power.
Due to an impending curfew and with an additional race still to be run, the checker flag would fly on this race with Kuczenksi taking the win, Tyler Gage (25) second and Brandy Clawson (36) third.
Now with a race against time, the A-Main portion of the division would be brought out onto the Speedway for the final race of the night.
Steve Stec (13) and Dean Eggart (88) paced the field to the green flag.
Stec, a native of Pickford MICHIGAN was your leader on lap 1 before being overtaken by Sault Ste. Marie, ONTARIO youngster Jordan Sims (47) on lap 2. The 47 machine would pace the stout field through the next 9 laps before Sherlund would make a move from his 9th starting position and into the lead.
Sherlund would lead 1 lap before the races 1st caution flag would fly after an altercation in turn 1.
With 5 minutes remaining before curfew and the reality that it would take longer than that to clean up debris and remove a few battered vehicles from the track the checker flag would fly prematurely for the 2nd time on this night with Sherlund taking the win.
Sims, John Clawson (35), Stec, Jared Nightlinger (48) Chris Brady (17), John Mayer (9), Dave King (13), Aaron Lemay (10) and Tony Rankin (55) capped off the top 10 positions.
Tim Aho (27) would be the lone Late Model competitor to bring their qualifying time into the 13-second barrier on this night after coming in under the lights in 13.920 seconds.
Nick Guerriero (4) won the four-car dash before going 2-for-2 on the night with a win in the 10-lap heat race.
Rick Ellis (5) and Spanky Robinson (26) led the eight-car field to the drop of the green flag for the opening feature of the night.
Ellis was looking for his first feature win of the season at the Speedway and appeared to be in fine fashion through the opening half of this race.
It was during that time that this veteran pilot was your leader until lap 13 when George Wilson (67) was able to grab the lead coming out of turn 4.
It was from that point and time the Soo, ONTARIO driver was able to negotiate through a lone caution flag period and hold off the rest of the pack for his third feature win of the season.
Guerriero and Mark Howland (59) capped off the podium positions.
Pee Wee Fountain (50) would set fast time in the Factory Stock division once again on this night, this week with a time of 15.360 seconds.
Cecil Piche (88) won the four-car dash while Jerry Ball (8) went the distance in the 10-lap heat race.
Josh Ware (7) and Dave Devine (4) occupied the top 2 positions when the green flag dropped on the division’s final race of the night.
Ware, who holds claim to 2 feature wins this season, led the pack through two early caution flags while holding onto the lead through the first 12 laps.
It wouldn’t be until lap 13 when Kevin Johnson (37) would grab the top spot.
Fountain, Ware, Jared Nightlinger (48), Ball, Paul Fox (36), Devine and Piche would round out the field as they crossed the line.
We are now set to usher in the two biggest weeks of the 2004 season.
This coming Friday, September 3rd is Season Championship Night as well as our 2004 Chippewa County Fair Event.
The bragging rights will be on the line in all four divisions.
There will be trophies courtesy of Paradise Service along with Last Chance Races sponsored by Waste Management.
In addition to the exciting on track action there will be many off-track events courtesy of Pepsi Newberry Bottling, Pigs R Us and Fletcher Creek Farms and the Kinross Speedway.
Qualifying is at 6 p.m. with racing action to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Then one week later … it’s the biggest race of the 2004 season! The 2nd ANNUAL RANDY DEWITT MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL.
With over $3700 in first-place prize money alone, you can expect drivers from across the state of Michigan and province of Ontario to converge on the Kinross Community Park for this special race.
For information on either of these final nights of racing be sure to check us out online at www.kinrossspeedway.com or by contacting track promoters by phone at 906-647-3405 or e-mail at dnyberg@up.net or kinross_speedway@yahoo.ca
For another week at the track “Where Action is the Attraction!!” …. this is your Speedway report!