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July News
Sandusky Update
Johnny returned to
IMSA Supermodified racing at Sandusky Speedway Saturday
night. He enjoyed the fast paced action. During
the main event, he was passing the 2nd place competitor when
he lost his brakes and had to settle for a 6th place finish.
Scott Speed Wins at Berlin
By: Steve Kaminski
Scott
Speed isn't like most stock car drivers, considering
he has Formula One experience on his resume, comes
from California and has admitted to getting pedicures.
Speed's raw talent continues to separate him from the
pack, too. The 25-year old native of Manteca, Calif.,
captured Saturday night's ARCA RE/MAX 200 at the
Berlin Raceway in his first trip to the half-mile.
Speed, who spent the past two years
racing Formula One before returning to the United
States to build a stock car racing career, led the
final 47 laps in his Red Bull Toyota and held off
Justin Allgaier of Springfield, Ill., by .088 seconds.
It marked the first time that a Toyota has won at
Berlin.
It was the second consecutive win
and third victory of the season for Speed, who drove
by nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel on lap 153,
three laps after the race went green from one of its
12 caution flags. Kimmel placed third. "It
was definitely cool to win at this track," said Speed,
who is second in the season point standings. "It's one
of the most unique tracks that I have ever been on.
It's not only a short track, but it's a short track
with a lot of tricks."
The Berlin stop was the 12th on
ARCA's 21-event schedule, and it marked the 21st time
the series has raced in Marne. ARCA has been coming to
Berlin since 1958. Rookies have been all the
rage this season since newcomers occupy the top three
positions in points. Leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. placed
seventh and Matt Carter, who is third in points, took
fifth.
While Speed had never seen Berlin,
he got plenty of help from Grand Rapids driver
Johnny Benson Jr. Speed has made eight NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series starts as Benson's teammate at
Bill Davis Racing, and he posted a win at Dover.
"Johnny has been an amazing
teammate at BDR," Speed said. "He has helped me out
tremendously. It definitely has been a cool
relationship. We have a ton of mutual respect for each
other, and to come to a track that he knows so well,
he was definitely able to help me out a lot.
"I have to give a shout-out to my
man Johnny B., because he sat me down for about an
hour and told me all the little things I have to do.
By the time we got to the end of the race, it was all
making sense."
Thirty-one cars took the green
flag, and there were four lead changes among three
drivers. Fifteen drivers finished on the lead lap.
Sportsman division points leader
Brian VanZalen of Wyoming continued his dominance with
his fourth victory of the season. VanZalen, starting
ninth, patiently picked his way through the 20-car
field before overtaking Brandon Wright on lap 18, then
drove away from Wright for a 0.638 second win.
VanZalen has opened up an 82-point lead over Terry
Bockheim in the race for the championship.
Berlin will celebrate its 58th
anniversary next Saturday with Late Models, Super
Stocks, Pro Stocks, Sportsman and the Vintage Racing
Organization of America at 7 p.m.
The Gloves Are Off at Indy
By: Tom Jensen
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams will tangle at
O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis Friday night, site of
the Power Stroke Diesel 200, race No. 14 of 25 on the NCTS
calendar this season.
ORP is a place where the truck drivers
definitely don't play nice together, a claustrophobic
0.686-mile oval where the trucks will be bumping and
grinding all race long. If nothing else, Friday night's
battle ought to shuffle the points standings again, given
that the top three drivers are separated by all of five
points.
If recent history is any indication, the
driver to watch for on Friday night will be Ron Hornaday
Jr., the defending series champion and defending race
winner. Hornaday, who trails Johnny Benson by just five
points in the NCTS standings, led 90 laps last year and his
No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado ought to be tough
this time, too. Hornaday hasn't finished worse than third in
the last three ORP Truck races.
"ORP is one those tracks that fits Ron
Hornaday's driving style perfectly," said Hornaday's crew
chief, Rick Ren. "It's almost all about the driver at this
track, but the truck has to be set up so your driver can be
aggressive. The drivers that are aggressive are able to make
their way up to the front at ORP."
Hornaday's teammate at Kevin Harvick
Inc., Jack Sprague, is also a two-time ORP Truck winner, and
his American Commercial Lines No. 2 Chevy ought to run well
on Friday night. "ORP is your traditional short track," said
Sprague. "It has narrow corners and it is really hard to
pass. Qualifying will be very crucial come Friday."
The other two-time ORP NCTS winner in the
field Friday will be the Toyota Tundra-sponsored No. 5 of
Mike Skinner, who is fifth in points and has a streak of
nine consecutive top-10 finishes. And his Bill Davis Racing
teammates, Johnny Benson and Michael Annett are coming off a
1-2 finish last week at Kentucky Speedway. Benson was
runner-up in this race last year in his Toyota Certified
Used Vehicles Tundra and as Annett showed last week, he's
already got his Pilot Travel Centers Toyota up to speed.
Anytime the NCTS Series
races at ORP, Rick Crawford and the Power Stroke by Diesel
International Ford F-150 are threats to win. Crawford was
victorious here in 2006, finished fourth last year and
hasn't finished worse than eighth in the last four ORP Truck
races. Like Skinner, Crawford is winless this season but has
used consistency to move up to fourth in points.
Don't count out short-track ace Dennis
Setzer, either. Setzer, driver of the Journey Melling Dodge
truck from Bobby Hamilton Racing, won here in 2005 and was
runner-up in '06. Earlier this year, Setzer won at
Martinsville Speedway and he is always a fierce competitor
at tight tracks. Wyler.com Toyota driver Terry Cook,
who has quietly moved to seventh in points, has one victory
and one runner-up finish each at ORP, though his last
top-five came here in 2002.
Looking to improve their previous best
results at ORP will be Todd Bodine, driver of the No. 30
Lumber Liquidators Toyota, who has never finished better
than sixth here, and Erik Darnell, who was seventh last year
in the No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford. And while Matt
Crafton is having a career year in the No. 88 Menards
Chevrolet — he's second in points, just a single marker
behind Benson — his best here is fourth.
Among the part-time drivers Kyle Busch will again wheel the
No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota for Billy Ballew, while
Landon Cassill will drive the No. 81 Chevrolet for Randy
Moss Motorsports. Add it all up, and it should be a
wide-open — and very physical — battle on Friday night.
Qualifying is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EDT Friday, with the
race set for 8 p.m. that evening. Both will be televised
live on SPEED.
ARCA RE/MAX Series Steers for Berlin Raceway
The stars of the ARCA RE/MAX division will invade Berlin
Raceway for one of the most prestigious events of the season
this Saturday, July 26.
Saturday’s ARCA RE/MAX 200 at Berlin Raceway will mark the
21st ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Berlin since that inaugural
run in 1958 and it is race number 12 in their 21 race series
for 2008. There are drivers from 19 different states
expected to compete and 18 drivers of the top 20 in points
will be in action at Berlin Raceway this weekend.
Point leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., will look to increase his
90-point lead on Scott Speed, who is the most recent series
winner in the Series. So far in 2008, there have been 8
different winners in 11 events. Only Speed, Justin Allgaier
and Stenhouse are repeat winners this year.
Stenhouse, Speed and Ken Butler, III are among those who
have a developmental deal with bigger NASCAR teams. Driver
development programs are used by NASCAR teams to develop
younger drivers and prepare them for competition at the
highest levels of the sport. Butler is a Michael Waltrip
Racing driver, Stenhouse is driving for Roush Fenway and
Speed drives for Team Red Bull.
Speed has an impressive driving resume and it on the fast
track to success. He started out competing in the formula
racing cars in 2002 and had great success. He ran in
Formula One from 2006-2007 and made the jump to ARCA in
2008, taking over the #2 car which was driven by Michael
McDowell last year. Speed has also competed in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series this year, making eight starts for
Bill Davis Racing and getting his first win at Dover on May
30.
Series veteran and nine-time series champion Frank Kimmel is
the only former Berlin winner entered at the present time
and he is looking to get back to his winning ways. On
average, Kimmel had won six races per season, but so far, he
is winless in 2008.
The drivers entered in Saturday’s race that hail from
Michigan include Billy Leslie (Mt. Clemens), Brad Smith
(Shelby Township) and Larry Hollenbeck (Kalamazoo).
ARCA drivers are usually on their way to one of the top
three NASCAR series. Defending race winner Brian Keselowski
has made eight starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series while
Michael McDowell, who set fast time last year and finished
second in the race, is a driver for Michael Waltrip Racing
in the Sprint Cup Series. In 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series driver Chad McCumbee and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
driver David Ragan raced at Berlin Raceway in the ARCA
series.
ARCA RE/MAX series teams begin converging at Berlin at 10:00
a.m. on Saturday, July 26 for registration and hauler
parking. The garage area also opens at 10:00 a.m. Cars
take the track from 2:30-4:00 p.m. for a practice session,
followed by qualifying at 5:00 p.m. There will be an
on-track autograph session from 6:15 p.m.-6:45 p.m. and the
ARCA RE/MAX 200 rolls off at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets for the ARCA RE/MAX 200 are $20 for adult general
admission in advance and $25 on the day of the event. Kids
6-12 are half price and those 5 and under are free. Pit
passes for those 14 and over are $30. Gates open at 12:15
p.m. and the first race begins at 7 p.m. Tickets can be
purchased in several ways, including in person at Berlin
Raceway from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (please
call ahead to make sure that a ticket representative is
available) and on racedays beginning at 11:15 a.m., online
at www.berlinraceway.com, and by phone to Berlin Raceway,
(616) 677-5000. For a complete schedule of races and ticket
prices, please visit www.berlinraceway.com.
Alternate Route for ORP
O'Reilly Raceway Park officials have outlined an alternative
traffic plan for fans planning to head to the track for the
NASCAR Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series races this
weekend.
Due to road
construction in the vicinity of the facility, the track
has laid out the following plan:
A portion of U.S. Highway
136 between County Road 1000 and the Ronald Reagan Parkway
is closed for construction and fans will not be able to take
U.S. 136 all the way to the track coming from the western
part of Indiana or beyond. Therefore, traffic on U.S. 136
should take the new Ronald Reagan Parkway north to 56th
street, then turn right on 56th. After that, turn right on
County Road 1000 and proceed south to U.S. 136. Light
vehicle traffic will be able to exit off of I-74 on the
Ronald Reagan Parkway and also go north to 56th Street and
follow the detour to ORP as well.
Load restrictions will
prohibit large trucks from exiting in Brownsburg on the
Ronald Reagan Parkway or at the State Road 267 exit. The
official detour recommends continuing on I-74 to the Crawfordsville Road exit and proceeding through Clermont to
the track.
Sad News
By: Nascar.com
 |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --
NASCAR technical director Steve Peterson, 58, was found
dead at his home Tuesday from what appears to be natural
causes. Peterson began his NASCAR career in January 1995
and led many of NASCAR's safety initiatives including
development and installation of SAFER barriers,
management and approval of head and neck restraints and
improved seat belts, and coordination of the safety
features in NASCAR's new car. |
Steve's accomplishments to increase driver
safety will continue to be a benefit to every NASCAR driver
that gets behind the wheel for generations to come," NASCAR
chairman and CEO Brian France said. "Our thoughts and
prayers go out to Steve's family and friends; he will
certainly be missed throughout the NASCAR community."
Peterson worked closely
with many recognized national and international motorsports
organizations and was the recipient of the 2006 Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) Motorsports Achievement Award.
SAE presents this award to the individual that has shown
outstanding leadership or contribution to motorsports over
an extended period of time.
"Steve was a tireless
worker and passionate about all aspects of safety including
the car, the track and the driver," NASCAR president Mike
Helton said. "Steve was our R&D effort long before there was
a formal one. His accomplishments were recognized in
motorsports worldwide."
In 1982, Peterson served
as a crew chief for Cup Series driver
Mark Martin and had experience as a race team engineer
and design engineer. He was an avid go-karter and lifetime
member of the World Karting Association. Peterson could
often be found running laps at local go-kart tracks.
A graduate of Western
Michigan University, Peterson had more than 25 years of
experience in the automotive engineering industry. He lived
in Concord, N.C. Funeral arrangements will be
announced later.
Editor's Note:
Mark Aumann visited with Steve Peterson this past April as
part of a five-part series on the Research & Development
Center.
•
Part 1 |
Part 2 |
Part 3 |
Part 4 |
Part 5
Berlin Fair
The Berlin Fair gets
underway this week at the fairgrounds at Berlin Raceway.
4H activities along with the midway activities can be found.
For more information check online at
www.berlinfair.org
Kyle Petty Charity Ride Gets Underway
Kyle Petty kicked off his
fourteenth Chick-fil-A Charity motorcycle Ride Across
America on Sunday. The annual Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity
Ride Across America raises funds for charities that support
chronically ill children and engages celebrities, ride
sponsors, motorcycle enthusiasts and fans.
Since 1995, more than 5,700 riders have logged 7.2 million
cumulative motorcycle miles and donated more than $10.5
million to children’s charities. Sunday's route was
scheduled to began in Traverse City, MI and end at Elkhart
Lake, WI.
Richard Petty - 50 Years
Congratulations!
Petty
Enterprises announced the plans to celebrate "The King"
Richard Petty's 50th anniversary in NASCAR. The plan
includes Petty getting back into a racecar and turning laps
at Chicagoland Speedway.
On July 12, 1958, Petty made his first NASCAR start in the
old Convertible Division at Columbia Speedway in Cayce,
South Carolina. On July 12, 2008, Petty Enterprises and the
entire NASCAR community will celebrate the anniversary of
that race at the Chicagoland Speedway, where the Sprint Cup
Series is competing in the Life Lock 400.
Petty Enterprises will be marking the anniversary with
numerous special events and promotions. The team has
extended an invitation for the CEOs of their sponsors and
partner companies to come to Chicago to help them
commemorate the anniversary. As part of the activities,
Petty will return to a racecar to give some of his special
guests a ride around Chicagoland Speedway in a Richard Petty
Driving Experience stockcar. As a tribute to Petty and the
anniversary of his first race, the #43 and #45 will be
featuring special throwback paint schemes for the Life Lock
400. The paint schemes feature the Petty Blue color made
famous by Petty and in a nod to the 60's and 70's, racing
strips. Each will also carry the 50th anniversary
commemorative logo on the hood of both cars. The 50th
anniversary of Petty's first race is an opportunity for
Petty Enterprises, the NASCAR community, and all NASCAR fans
to honor him for his achievements and for the countless
contributions he has made to the sport.
Tom Thomas Wins
The cars of #82 Tom
Thomas and #27 Billy Shotko got the show started in
the 100-lap Coors Light Late Model race and Thomas took off
with the lead, putting at least five car lengths between
himself and Shotko.
Caution was out very early in this race, there was debris on
the race track on lap 2. The restart was single file and
while #1 Randy Sweet got past Shotko for second, Thomas had
pulled out to another large lead. Just four laps later,
caution was out again; #9 Mike Root spun in turn two. #21
Terry VanHaitsma and #37 Terry Senneker were having a great
race for fourth, VanHaitsma took the spot and then they both
got by Shotko and continued to race nose-to-tail. On lap
19, the leaders were coming up on lapped traffic and while
Thomas was able to get through with no problem, but the
lapped cars were holding up Sweet. This let Senneker and
VanHaitsma catch up to Sweet and they together, they got
through the lapped cars.
The third caution of the night came out on lap 26; #X Ray
Clay's car was off the pace and unable to exit the track.
Once the race was restarted, the top two of Thomas and
Senneker were pulling away from the field, but caution came
out again on lap 34 for the #15 of Brian Maxim. He spun in
turn 4 and this bunched the field back up. The racing was
single file and spread out after the restart and on lap 44,
Thomas caught lapped traffic again. While trying to
navigate the lapped cars, VanHaitsma and #14 Steve Needles
made contact and spun on the front stretch bringing out
caution number 5. Thomas looked to pull away on the
restart, but #222 Caleb Bisacky was hanging with him. The
yellow, then red flag came out on lap 66. The #37 of Jordan
Dahlke got loose, made contact with #33 Monte Tolan and both
cars made heavy contact with the frontstretch wall.
Lap 60 saw Bisacky challenging Thomas for the lead, he would
get to Thomas' bumper, then fall back. This happened three
times before Thomas pulled away from the field again. A
battle for third was happening
between #47 Brian Campbell and #32 Ross Meeuwsen, they ran
side by side for numerous laps before Meeuwsen took the
position. Biskacy was
catching back up with Thomas when the seventh caution of the
night came out for the spinning car of #4 Joel Baker.
Thomas got a great restart, but Biskacy was there and
Meeuwsen was also contending for the lead. With five
laps to go, Bisacky was able to catch Thomas, but he just
couldn't make the pass. Thomas got his fourth win of the
season by leading all 100 laps. Biskacy, Meeuwsen,
Campbell, #55 Chris Anthony, #28 Scott Thomas, #101 Joe
Bush, #88 Tim Yonker, Senneker and Root completed the top
ten.
Berlin - July 12th
Johnny will not be coming to Grand
Rapids to race at Berlin on Saturday, July 12th as
previously posted.
ESPN's
NASCAR Now a Hit With the Fans
As the time nears for ESPN’s
coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the new Monday
roundtable edition of ESPN2’s NASCAR Now continues to
gain momentum with NASCAR fans looking for in-depth analysis
of their favorite sport.
ESPN, which
covers the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, will
televise the final 17 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
beginning with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on July 27
at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Included will be all 10
races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup televised by
ESPN on ABC.
At the start
of the 2008 season, the Monday edition of NASCAR Now
was introduced featuring host Allen Bestwick leading a
roundtable discussion of the latest NASCAR races and news.
The panelists have included current and former NASCAR
drivers, and ESPN analysts and reporters, and the program
has increasingly resonated with NASCAR fans.
“The Monday
roundtable is another way for us to serve the fans of
NASCAR,” said Jack Obringer, ESPN senior coordinating
producer, studio production. “The races themselves always
produce plenty of drama, and with the ongoing breaking news
we have plenty of topics for discussion in an hour.”
ESPN analysts
Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree, Ray Evernham, Brad
Daugherty, Boris Said and Randy LaJoie have been among the
panelists, along with ESPN NASCAR reporters Mike Massaro,
Marty Smith, Angelique Chengelis and Tim Cowlishaw.
Special guest
panelists have included two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
Terry Labonte, NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Kenny and
Mike Wallace, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Johnny
Benson, former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Ricky Craven and
Charlotte Observer motorsports writer David Poole.
Evernham,
Said and Massaro will join Bestwick for the Monday, July 14,
edition of the program as they discuss the NASCAR weekend at
Chicagoland Speedway. The show airs at 5:30 p.m. ET on
ESPN2.
The
roundtable edition is one of several enhancements to
NASCAR Now, in its second season. The program, which
airs Monday through Friday, along with a weekend edition on
the morning of each NASCAR Sprint Cup race, debuted in
February, 2007, as part of ESPN’s return to coverage of
NASCAR racing and was the network’s first daily news and
information program dedicated to NASCAR.
With new host
Nicole Manske joining returning host Ryan Burr, the program
has benefited from additional appearances by ESPN’s race
coverage team, including weekly analysis by Jarrett,
Wallace, Petree and Daugherty, as well as reports from pit
reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and
Massaro. NASCAR Now lead reporter Smith continues to
contribute news to the program along with Chengelis,
Cowlishaw and ESPN.com reporters Terry Blount and David
Newton. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer has been
regularly featured on NASCAR Now in “The
Brewer Tour,” highlighting race teams and
technological aspects that fans don’t regularly see.
NASCAR Now
has also had several special theme programs this year, with
shows visiting Dale Earnhardt Day in Kannapolis, N.C., Petty
Enterprises for the 50th anniversary of Richard
Petty’s first NASCAR start, the Macon Speedway Night of
NASCAR Stars and an upcoming visit to Joe Gibbs Racing.
Beginning in
late July, NASCAR Now will add a Sunday night weekend
wrap-up program, and starting on Monday, July 21, the daily
program will air at 5 p.m. In addition to NASCAR Now,
ESPN has enhanced its coverage of NASCAR on studio programs
SportsCenter, First Take and Outside the
Lines, as well as on ESPNEWS and other platforms.
Visit
www.espnmediazone.com
for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news,
plus photos, video and audio clips and more.
About
NASCAR on ESPN:
ESPN and ESPN on ABC has
comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts
of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the
10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” on ESPN on ABC.
Additionally, ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide
Series all season. All programming is produced totally in
High Definition. ESPN’s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR
coverage extends to ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes
Radio, SportsCenter,
ESPN The Magazine,
ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPNRadio, ESPN360.com and ESPN
International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262
NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981 and
returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007. The network's
award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN has been
honored with 18 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry
honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the
sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for
decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning
Wide World of Sports
program in the 1960s.
Chris
Perley Wins at Stafford
By Shawn
Courchesne
After a face paced green-to-checkered NEMA Midget feature,
the ISMA SuperModified show seemed to be at a snail's pace
at Stafford Motor Speedway's Xtreme Tuesday show.
In the end, after a couple delays, it was Chris
Perley of Rowley, Mass. holding off Russ Wood of Pelham,
N.H. to win the 50-lap ISMA SuperModified feature.
Bentley Warren of Kennebunkport, Me. was third.
Wood looked
like he was going to challenge Perley over the closing
laps, but a lapped car got in his way going into turn 3 on
the final lap, ruining any chances for a drag race to the
finish line. It was the third victory in five
SuperModified events over the last five years at Stafford
for Perley.
It was a
short night for Craftsman Truck Series star Johnny Benson,
who slowed on the frontstretch on lap 5 and quickly went
to the pits.
Stafford Motor Speedway
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
star Johnny Benson straps waits
for a push prior to a SuperModified practice.
Berlin Raceway reaches mid-season
Benson expected to race
Marne,
MI—Berlin Raceway will reach the mid-season point on
Saturday, July 12, when the Ferguson Clinic at MMPC presents
Coors Light Late Model Night. The night will feature a
special 100-lap Late Model race and NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series driver Johnny Benson is expected to race; the Engine
Pro Super Stocks and De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stocks will also
be in action that evening. Drivers from the Late Model
division will also have an on-track autograph session before
racing gets under way.
Going in
to the 100-lap race, Ross Meeuwsen looks to increase his 48
point lead over Tom Thomas, but both drivers have performed
very well during the first half of the season. They both
have six top fives and have only finished outside of the top
ten once. Meeuwsen has a slight edge over Thomas where
qualifying is concerned as Meeuwsen has had two fast times
while Thomas has yet to be on top of the chart after
qualifying.
Johnny
Benson will make his second appearance of the year in a
Late Model at Berlin Raceway on Saturday. The last time he
mixed it up with the Berlin regulars, he came in sixth on
May 10.
In the
Engine Pro Super Stock division, Brian Wiersma and Denny
Anderson are entrenched in a great race for first place.
Currently, Wiersma holds the top spot by 47 points over
Anderson. Both drivers have had consistent seasons and while
Anderson has finished better than Wiersma overall, Wiersma
has an advantage in qualifying as he has been the fastest
five out of seven times so far. Anderson has yet to finish
outside of the top 10 and since May, he hasn't finished
outside of the top three. Anderson is racing in honor of
his son, Lee, who died in a boating accident last summer and
the car that he races was built by Lee. Anderson is the 1984
Sportsman Champion and hasn’t raced at Berlin Raceway for
points since 2001.
Leading
the points in the De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock division is
#76 Brian Tillema. Tillema has been very consistent in this
series and with some of his challengers changing divisions
at the beginning of 2008, it looked like he would be
dominate again. He starting the year off with a win and
then notching seven top 10s… enter Justin Regnerus.
Regnerus is having a great year so far, getting two wins and
sitting second in points, just 57 behind Tillema. It is a
far cry from where he was last year. With only one top 5
and a 12th place finish in points, he has improved immensely
in 2008, not finishing worse than eighth in any race.
In the
Instant Cash Advance Sportsman division, Brian VanZalen has
the largest point lead of any division, leading by 90 points
over Allen Davis and 92 ahead of Terry Bockheim. All three
cars have been very strong, taking six combined wins out of
eight races.
Berlin's
newest division, the Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder series, is
having a great inaugural year. The racing is always
three-wide and full of excitement. After six races, Jake
Loesch finds himself at the top of the points, leading Jason
DeVos by 28 and Mike Speet by 65, but Jason Scheid is the
car to watch; he is the only car to score multiple wins this
season and has won three races in a row. The car counts in
the division more than double those of any other division
racing at Berlin. The average number of cars on a given
night is 40, but the record was set on June 21 when 51 cars
came out to compete.
With half
of the season in the books, tight points races in every
division and 11 races to go until the champions are crowned,
the racing is sure to be thrilling. Points racing will
continue every Saturday until Championship Night on
September 20.
Tickets
for Saturday, July 12 are $15 for adult general admission,
$7.50 for kids 6 to 12 and free for kids 5 and under. Pit
passes for those 14 and over are $25. Gates will open at
12:15 p.m. and the first race begins at 7:00 p.m. Tickets
can be purchased in person at Berlin Raceway from 9:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and on racedays beginning
at 11:15 a.m., online at www.berlinraceway.com, and by phone
to Berlin Raceway, (616) 677-5000. For a complete schedule
of races and ticket prices, please visit
www.berlinraceway.com.
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