Christopher Wins Super Modified Event
Johnny Finishes 10th

Marne, MI- It was the Open Wheel Showdown at Berlin Raceway this past weekend, USAC Midgets, ISMA Supermodifieds, Must See Extreme Sprint Cars were all in action. Championship Night for the Model Coverall Modifieds also took place; the championship was still up for grabs going into the night, as Brian Bergakker led Billy Shotko by only 30 points.

After the Modifieds had their heat and fast car dash, the lead for Bergakker was down to 18. The fans were in for a thriller as the Model Coverall Modifieds took to the track for their feature. Starting on front row was point's leader #99 Brian Bergakker and Jordan Dahlke in the #44 car. Two complete restarts were needed; the first was for the #20 car Lindsey Katz who spun on the frontstretch, the second was for #97 Mike Bursley, #76 Ryan Gruppen, and #14 Billy Shotko  who all went off the backstretch. It appeared as though Dahlke's car spilled oil on the track causing the three cars to go off the backstretch; Dahlke would pit and not return.  Out of the restart, Bergakker and Bursley were locked in a battle. Shotko and #6 Ben Kleis followed closely behind. With 5 laps in, the leaders Bergakker and Bursley began to pull away from the pack, while Kleis moved past Shotko for third. A yellow came out on lap 11 for Gruppen who spun on the backstretch. The theme continued out of the restart, as Bergakker inched closer to his championship. By lap 20 Bergakker was leading Bursley by 1.844 seconds. Shotko, who had been fighting off #8 Billy Eppink and #88 Matt Bainbridge couldn't hold them off any longer; going into lap 23 Eppink and Bainbridge would simultaneously pass Shotko. A yellow was once again waved as the #17 car of Brent Hook slowed on the backstretch. Just 4 laps later another caution came out for Katz as she lost control on the frontstretch. Bergakker would remain the leader out of the restart, while Bursley threatened Bergakker for most of the race, Bergakker began to pull away and took the checkered flag and the Model Coverall Modified Championship. Bursley, Bainbridge, Eppink, and #68 Randy DeBoer finished in the top 5.

Up next were the USAC Midgets, on the start/finish line were #84 Grant Galloway and #10 Patrick Wilda. It seemed like the theme of the night as a complete restart was once again needed, Galloway spun on the frontstretch causing the yellow to come out. When the green flag dropped once again, the #7a of Dalton Armstrong and Wilda were neck and neck, but with a couple of laps in Armstrong began to pull away. Wilda was now competing with #6 Dillon Welch for the second spot. By lap 3 both Welch and #11d Daniel Bedford passed Wilda and were eyeing the leader Armstrong. On lap 11 Armstrong and Welch were both side by side, but it was Welch who would emerge as the new leader. Welch's lead was short lived, just a few laps later, Bedford took the lead. A yellow would fly once again, as it appeared Welch and #0 Dietsch bumped, causing Dietsch to go into the wall in turn 3. Out of the restart Bedford shot out to the lead, while Armstrong was close behind, he didn't have enough to pass him. Bedford, Armstrong, #64 Chris Phillips, Galloway, and #36 Jim Anderson took the top 5 spots.

The ISMA Supermodifieds cars took the track next, starting on the pole was #92 Rich Reid. At the drop of the green flag, Reid, #97 Eddie Witkum Jr., #84 Mike Lichty were all bumper to bumper. On lap 3 Lichty emerged as the new leader. The first yellow came out when Reid went into the wall in turn 3 with 5 laps in. Out of the restart Lichty, who going into the night held a 21 point lead over #29 Russ Wood, jetted off to the lead. Meanwhile Wood was also moving up, he had the second spot by lap 6. A caution involving Witkum and #74 Johnny Benson Jr. occurred on lap 19. It appeared as though Witkum and Benson brushed against each other, causing Benson to spin and go off turn 2. When racing resumed Lichty was still leading the way, as he had a slight edge over Wood. The battle for third however, was heating up. #17 Ben Seitz and #61 Ted Christopher, who started at the tail, were fighting each other off. Christopher not only moved past Seitz, he took the lead coming out of turn 3 into lap 40. Christopher who had never before raced at Berlin Raceway or in his #61 car grabbed the win. Lichty, #78 Mark Sammut, Wood, and Seitz rounded out the top 5 spots.

The final feature of the night was the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprints Cars. On front row were #07w Jacob Wilson and #10s Jason Blonde. Wilson was out in font quickly, while Blonde followed close behind. The two separated from the pack, but it was Wilson whose gap widen. Wilson began to pull away with a few laps in and the field began to gain on Blonde. Wilson ran into some lap traffic causing his lead the shrink. As Blonde lost his position to #55 Mike Ling, lap 15 would see Wilson fight off Ling. A caution halted the racing action on lap 18. An attempt at a four car wide pass resulted in #26 Jeff Bloom and #81 Derick Snyder spinning in turn 2. Out of the restart Wilson and Ling continued to lead the way, but another yellow came out. On lap 22 #46 Jim Swain went off the backstretch, the stop in action would see the leader Wilson drop off. Out of the restart Ling became the new leader and would not falter on his way to victory lane. Blonde, #07L Ryan Litt, #40 Jason Cox, and #7 Jim Cox rounded out the top 5.

Up next for Berlin Raceway is the always fan favorite Bus Mania. Tickets for adults and seniors are $8, kids ages 6-12 are $5, and 5 and under are FREE. Fore more information please visit berlinraceway.com.

 

Dillon Wins at Las Vegas
#3-Austin Dillon pulled ahead in a dominate fashion following the final restart to win the Smith's 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with almost a six-second lead over second place finisher, #13-Johnny Sauter. Dillon lead the most laps on the day; this is his second series win in his rookie season.

Rounding out the top ten were; #31-James Buescher, #30-Todd Bodine, #88-Matt Crafton, #51-Aric Almirola, #18-Brian Ickler, #7-Justin Lofton, #4-Ricky Carmichael, #2-Ken Schrader. There were 14 lead changes among 9 drivers with 7 caution flags for 30 laps.
 

Berlin Photos - Late Model
By;  Tom Devette

 

    



The Coors Light Late Models with a special 100 lap feature. Starting on front row were #6 Dave Zagaiski and #19 Nick Szotko, Zagaiski took an early lead with #55 Chris Anthony on his tail.

Johnny Benson Jr. in the #10 car was moving quickly through traffic. By lap 7 he was in fourth behind Szotko, Benson wasn’t stopping there though; he got past Szotko on lap 16. Benson had a lot of work to do as Zagaiski and Anthony had a 4.9 second lead on him. Anthony was on Zagaiski’s bumper and finally moved into first on lap 22. On lap 56 Zagaiski was once again passed, this time by Benson who moved into second.

On lap 71 a yellow for debris on the track came out; Benson seized the opportunity and took the lead from Anthony. A yellow on the restart though saw Anthony reclaim his lead as #69 Justin May spun in turn 3. When the race resumed, Anthony would once again loose his spot to Benson. The #14 car of Steve Needles and #32 Ross Meeuwsen were both gaining on Anthony. As Needles tried passing on the outside lane, Anthony shook him off. Anthony couldn’t hold Needles and Meeuwsen off for long though, a three car wide pass on the backstretch would see Needles and Meeuwsen move past Anthony. On lap 84 Scott Thomas in the #28 went off the backstretch; during the caution it appeared as though #24 Lee VanDyk got into N. Szotko on the frontstretch.

Out of the restart Needles took the lead from Benson, but another caution involving spins by N. Szotko and Zagaiski came out. On lap 91 out of the restart Needles and Benson were neck and neck, Needles had the slight edge, but on lap 92 Benson would reclaim his top spot. Benson took the checkered flag, followed by Needles, Meeuwsen, #61 Joe Bush, and Anthony
 

Berlin Photos - ASA Car
By;  Tom Devette

Johnny drove the #40 car at Berlin Raceway last weekend to help the series test their new body.  Qualified 14th and worked his way to the top 5  before suffering two flat tires on the right side.  Everyone was pleased with Johnny test session during the race!
        

A 100 lap feature for the ASA Late Models was up next, starting on front row were #37 Jordan Dahlke and #155 Chris Anthony. A lap was barley complete when the first caution came out. It appeared as though the #72 Thomas Woodin got into the back of #89 Trevor Dassow as they checked up. Anthony continued to lead out of the restart, but fourteen year old phenom #4 Erik Jones had his eye on the lead. On lap 8 he took the lead from Anthony; Jones would widen his lead, until a caution came out on lap 19.

Woodin hit the railing coming out of turn 4 bringing out the yellow; out of the restart Jones and Anthony were still the leaders. A battle between #8 Eddie Hoffman and #51 Alec Carll emerged. The two were neck and neck fighting for the third position; Carll would be victorious on lap 48. Anthony was still trying to cut into Jones’ lead, the only thing that slowed Jones was lap traffic. With 25 laps to go, Anthony finally overcame Jones to take the lead. Anthony pulled away and #4 was spun on the frontstretch causing the yellow to come out again. With only 6 laps to go out of the restart, Jones could not pass Anthony. Carll, Jones, Hoffman, and Dahlke finished in the top 5.

Johnny Wins Late Model Race at Berlin Raceway - Champions are Crowned
 

JB at Berlin Raceway  Photos by:  Tom DeVette

“We had a difficult start to the year, but we went back to running what we ran last year,” Meeuwsen said. “We were down 65 points at one point, and after the third race, we just changed the car back to what we were racing last year, and that’s what turned it around for us.”

It is Meeuwsen’s fourth track championship overall since he also won a Super Stock title. He said the Late Model three-peat proved to be his biggest challenge.   “The third one is always the toughest,” Meeuwsen said. “Three is a bad number for anybody. It’s just like winning three races in a row. I have won two in a row and a lot of guys have won two in a row, but that third one is tough.”

Benson, who planned to run Berlin’s ASA Late Model race later Saturday evening at Berlin, grabbed the lead from Chris Anthony on a lap 70 restart, only to surrender it to Steve Needles on a lap 85 restart. However, Benson was able to get by Needles with eight laps to go.  “I got a little confused on (the lap 85) restart,” Benson said. “I thought the leader always had to go to the bottom. I will have to check the rule on that.

“Steve Needles was pretty good obviously. He got by me for the lead there. But I was able to get by him. Our stuff was really good in the long runs, just really bad in the short runs. It was a great race at Berlin, like always.”

Dave Lake won the Super Stock championship even though he was involved in a lap three accident in the feature that knocked him out of the race. Denny Anderson, who was second in points, took runner-up to Justin Regnerus in the 35-lap feature.  However, Lake was 78 points up on Anderson entering the race, and there was no way Anderson could catch him.

Dorr’s Brian Tillema wrapped up his fourth consecutive Pro Stock championship after winning the 30-lap feature, his track-high eighth win of the season. Tillema became the first Berlin driver to win four straight titles since Fred Campbell did so from 1979 through 1982.

“We have always felt bad the last three years because we came out on the last night and won the championship, but we didn’t win the race,” Tillema said. “It seemed like it defeated the purpose somewhat. This is the way you are supposed to win championships.”

Ryan Hamm of Norton Shores took third in the 20-lap 4 Cylinder a main, giving him the track title. Phil Speet outraced Chris McKinley for the win.

Rookie Dan Dells of Rockford clinched the 4 Cylinder B title after finishing seventh in the 20-lap feature. Tyler Nawrocki, who was chasing Dells for the title, won the race, but it wasn’t enough. Dells entered the program with a 122-point lead.

Berlin Raceway - Saturday, September 25

Open Wheel Racing at Its Best

The bad fast open wheel cars of the Midwest and Northeast are headed to your back yard this Saturday, for the annual Open Wheel Showdown! The touring International SuperModified Association will make it's only stop to Berlin on Saturday night, bringing the top drivers from the East coast to the Marne oval! Joining them for the first ever time at Berlin will be the Must See Xtreme Sprint Series as their inaugural season finale. The USAC Regional Midget Series will make its third and final visit and be joined for a championship battle with the Model Coverall Modifieds... all presented by Engine Pro.

With all of these open wheel cars and stars jamming in to the 7/16th mile raceway will prove to be a show that you simply cannot miss out on. If you have never experienced the raw horsepower of an ISMA SuperModified, or the speed of a Must See Sprint Car or USAC Midget, then you MUST be at Berlin Raceway THIS SATURDAY!

In addition to everything, NASCAR Champion and hometown hero Johnny Benson Jr. will climb back behind the wheel of a pavement pounding SuperModified Saturday to try and take the checkered flag once again.

Tickets for adults are just $20, Seniors 60+ are $18, Kids 6-12 $5 and 5-under are absolutely free. Camping will be available for those interested at only $25.00 per night. The first race will roll off at 7:00p.m. so be sure you are there to see it... before the long cold boring winter sets in!

Photo By:  Tom Devette
John Benson Sr. of Grand Rapids isn’t contemplating a comeback, but Gary Fedewa made him an offer he couldn’t refuse Saturday night.

Benson, 73, put on a race helmet and firesuit and strapped himself into Fedewa’s vintage Supermodified and participated in a Michiana Vintage Racers exhibition Saturday night at the Berlin Raceway.

Remember the last time Benson went racing? Probably not, because Jimmy Carter was president.

It was a low-key exhibition, which Benson compared to a series of hot laps. Still, he said it was great to get back in the car again.

“I think it was 1978,” Benson said regarding the last time he raced. “When John Jr. started racing, I quit. You always think you can get back in and do as good as you have ever done before. But I never have. That was a chapter in my life that I really had a good time doing, but to get back in at my age is not very practical.”

Benson is the father of Johnny Benson Jr., who spent eight seasons racing in NASCAR Sprint Cup and won the 1995 NASCAR Nationwide and 2008 Camping World Trucks championships.

The elder Benson was a successful Supermodified and Late Model driver during the 1960s and 1970s. Benson won eight Berlin track championships before hanging it up to support his son.

Fedewa, of Lansing, won more than 400 feature races in a career that saw him in everything from Late Models to Sprint Cars to Supermodifieds, and he shined on tracks throughout the Midwest. He offered Benson an opportunity to race his Supermodified on Saturday.

In fact, the car used to be Benson’s three decades ago.

“John drove the car back in the late 1970s,” Fedewa said. “Max Dowker built the car for John to drive. At the time, John was racing his Late Model up here, and he really didn’t have time to drive it.

“I just got the car a couple of years ago and restored it. It was pretty much cut in half. I had to rebuild it. We were coming up here and I thought, why not call John and see if he would be interested in taking it out, sit in it, drive it, just for old times sake. He accepted. The car was built in 1977, and I found it in Howell.

“The car was originally way ahead of its time. It was an 18-inch offset Super Modified. Back then, they were mostly eight-inch offset. It had a lot of titanium on it, and it weight 1,280 pounds, ready to race, minus the fuel.”

Busch wins at New Hampshire
On a green-white-checkered restart, #18-Kyle Busch retook the lead from then leader, #31-James Buescher to win TheRaceDayRaffleSeries.com 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Buescher finished second with #2-Kevin Harvick coming in third. It was Busch's 5th win in 2010; his 21st overall in the series.

For most of the race it was the Busch/Harvick show with much of it side-by-side racing, but on a restart with ten laps to go, Buescher made a great move to take over the lead, passing both Harvick and Busch on the inside. Unfortunately, another caution brought about the final restart. Buescher got a good start, but Busch was able to make the pass, and then pulled up in front of Buescher; Buescher had to lift.

Busch brushed the wall, but held on to pick up the win. Rounding out the top ten were; #88-Matt Crafton, #3-Austin Dillon, #17-Timothy Peters, #13-Johnny Sauter, #51-Aric Almirola, #30-Todd Bodine, #47-Bobby Hamilton Jr. There were 16 lead changes among 3 drivers with 8 caution flags for 32 laps.