Campbell wins first career ASA Feature
in Safety-Kleen 200 at Berlin
Benson flips upside down in scary wreck

Photo By:  Tom Devette
 

Berlin Photos:                By:  Doug Dubois

Grand Rapids' own Brian Campbell won his first career ASALMS Challenge Division Feature at his home track of Berlin Raceway during the Safety Kleen 200 on Wednesday June 14, 2006.

An enthusiastic crowd on hand were treated from everything from a dominating first-half performance to a thrilling duel towards the end. When all was said and done, Campbell, the 2005 Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year finally put it all together to win his first career ASALMS Challenge Division event in the Safety Kleen 200.

Seven-time champion in the old ASA National Tour, Mike Eddy, and 18-year-old Matt Hawkins led a strong 30-car field to the green flag to begin the Safety Kleen 200. It would be Eddy who would beat out Hawkins to the first corner to take the early lead. Hawkins, the last-ever Southern All-Stars Super Late Model Series Champion, got caught up on the outside and was freight trained all the way back to eighth while Kris Stump and current ASALMS Challenge Division Overall and Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year Points Leader, Kelly Bires battled for second.

Over the first 100-lap segment, Eddy, the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer, put on a driving clinic on how to negotiate the 7/16-mile semi-banked paved oval as he pulled away from the field and lost his fellow lead lap cars by dicing in and out of lapped traffic over the first century grind. When the lap 100 caution was thrown, Eddy had lapped the field up to the 12th spot. Eddy led at the 10-minute break over Stump, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Rookie David Stremme, Campbell, and ARP Bodies Fast Qualifier Landon Cassill, the top five.

Only four cautions flew in the first century grind, as Eddy led the field back to the green flag. But this time, Stremme fought his way into second spot around Stump and set his sights on the crafty Midland, Michigan veteran. On lap 115 with the Wednesday crowd on their feet, Stremme drove by Eddy to take the lead. Campbell and Cassill followed Stremme by Eddy and the trio pulled away to battle. The race changed its complexion on lap 133 when Campbell drove around Stremme for the lead; a lap later, Stremme and Campbell collided, sending both around! Campbell was given his spot back as the leader, while Stremme blended into the fifth spot. This allowed the 16-year-old Cassill to move up on the back bumper cover of Campbell and the two drivers pulled away from the pack to once again battle.

The most serious incident of the night occurred on lap 192 as Johnny Benson Jr., another one of the guests on hand for the Safety Kleen 200, slammed hard into the turn three wall and flipped upside down. He was ok, but the car was done for the evening. This set up an eight-lap shootout between Campbell, Cassill, and now Stremme, who worked his way back up into the third spot. But three laps later, Eddy's night ended when he collided with Peter Cozzolino while heading down the frontstretch.

A five-lap shootout ensued, but Campbell wasn't about to be denied his first career ASALMS Challenge Division Feature win. After six runner-up finishes in his 2005 season, the sophomore put it all together to score the win to roar of the hometown crowd at the Berlin Raceway.

The 16-year-old Cassill held off the NASCAR Nextel Cup Rookie Stremme for the runner-up spot while Hawkins, in a career-high fourth; Stump; Cozzolino; Ryan Carlson; Coopersville, Michigan legend Butch Miller; Bires and Ken Wills completed the top 10.

Earlier in the afternoon, Cassill shattered the ASALMS track record in ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products Qualifying as the Fairfax, Iowa, teenager tripped the clocks at a fast 16.077 which measures out to an impressive 98.078 MPH. The track record was previously held by Campbell, a 16.714, which was set back on June 11, 2004. Overall, 22 of the 30 drivers on hand broke the old track record. Also earlier in the evening, Jack Smith won the modified 12-lap GM Performance Parts Shootout over Eddie Hoffman, Chris Anthony, Tony Rosebrugh, and Doug True, the top five.

The ASALMS as a whole will complete a marathon stretch of four events in a span of nine days when the ASALMS Southern Division returns to action for the sixth event of the 2006 season in just three days. This Saturday night will be race number six for the ASALMS Southern Division as the Blue Grass 100, to be held at the Rockcastle (KY) Speedway in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky is set for Saturday June 17th. The next event for the televised ASALMS Challenge Division will be on Friday and Saturday July 7-8 at the I-70 (MO) Speedway in Odessa, Missouri for the running of the Missouri 150.

Berlin's De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock division also raced tonight, and points leader Dave Lake prevailed over Andrew Nylaan, Ken Smith Jr., Brian Tillema and Ryan Gruppen int he 25-lap feature.