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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2000)
Page 8 The INDEPENDENT, August 2, 2000 Sprint car, bomber drivers bring excitement to Sunset Speedway By Rusty Bolts Kenny Cope of Myrtle Creek, July 22, became the fourth different winner in four 360 Sprint Car races at Sunset Speedway this year. In the Pro 4 division, Grey Ferrando of Salem led every lap and in non-points Street Stock, hard charger Brent Porter was victo rious. The most exciting race of the night, however, was the Bomber Feature. In their Main Event, North Plains pilot Shawn Thomson won with a last turn pass over a surprised Greg Long of Forest Grove. Cope played a waiting game enroute to his first win at Banks, racing the bulk of the event in the third position. It was defending Champion Ty Mayden who took an early lead over pole sitter Tony Thomas, Cope, Bill Winsley and Don Trent. Richard Weishan Jr., lost control in the first turn, collect ed Turner’s Rick Dewar and plowed head on into a Euclid tire. On the back straight, some competitors let off, causing problems for those who fol lowed. Heat winner Vince Mc Donnell apparently made con tact with Shawn Smith of Idaho and both mounts sustained damage. Weishan and McDon nell were done for the night, but Smith’s crew was able to make repairs and continue. Mayden led on the restart while Cope pressured Thomas. The best battle of the race was between Inter-Mountain point leader Hinkle, and Trent of Veneta. This dogfight would rage until later in the feature, with neither driver willing to concede. Meanwhile, Thomas shook loose Cope and after a few laps, was challenging Mayden. Once Thomas made his pres ence known, all he had to do was wait for Mayden to err — on a dry/slick track, Thomas didn’t have to wait long. May den half spun between turns one and two, allowing not only Thomas to pass, but Cope and Winsley as well. Mayden re-en tered the race in the fourth po sition but had lost his rhythm and soon found trouble in stead. Hinkle and Trent caught Mayden at full kilt and the three cars tangled. The red flew for Trent, who had driven over the top of the disoriented Mayden and disabled both cars. Cope caught his second wind during the clean up and launched an other assault on Thomas. Then the totally unexpected hap pened; searching for a bit of adhesion in the high groove, Thomas spun and stalled. Cope was handed the lead for the last restart and drove the fi nal few laps unchallenged. Steadfast Winsley, who had chased Cope the distance, wound up second. Smith came back after repairs to finish third. Hinkle was a hard fought fourth, and Dewar hung on for fifth. Eight cars started in the Pro 4 Feature after Mike Opoka crashed hard, without injury, in his heat. As he has done so many times in the past, young Grey Ferrando jumped into an early lead in his hot-rodded Honda. What set this night apart, however, was that Fer rando would not be denied. A yellow flew for dash winner Greg Walters, a second for Scott Peal, and a third for Steve Power, but through it all, Ferrando kept Keith Peal of Vancouver in his mirror. Tom Pinkowsky, who had won the last Pro 4 appearance at Sun set, climbed only as far as third this night. Walters recovered SUMMARY, JULY 22 Bomber: HEAT 1: Greg Long, Danny O’Neil, George Daniels, Jay Silas Jr., Brian Clark HEAT 2: Craig Loomis, Mike Mas- trangelo, Doug Younkin, Dave Ruby, Brian Staley HEAT 3: Kendall Lee, Michael Meyer, Stan Asanovic, Jeff Brookshire, Terry Talbot HEAT 4: Clint Meyer, Dennis Krohling, Shawn Thomson, Tom Finley, Bob Kister DASH: Staley, Mastrangelo, Thom son, Long B MAIN: Silas Jr., Brookshire, Tal bot, Ruby, Staley MAIN: Thomson, Long, Loomis, O ’Neil, Younkin, Silas Jr., Talbot, C. Meyer, M. Meyer Asanovic, Lee, Ruby, Krohling, Brookshire, Mastrangelo, Daniels Street Stock HEAT 1: Don Jenner, A.J. Tipton, John Nusom, Tony Catalano, Bill Pa- traw HEAT 2: Brent Porter, Jeff Gilman, Dan Buker, Dustin Wilkenson, Robert W illiams DASH: Tipton, Gilman, Jenner, Porter MAIN: Porter, Nusom, Gilman, Buk er, Tipton, Catalano, Jenner, W ilken son, Ed Hayes, Williams, Brian Over turf, Patraw Pro 4 HEAT 1: Scott Peal, Keith Peal, Red Van Dyne, Steve Power, Stanley Steeves HEAT 2: Dave Walters, Tom Pin kowsky, S. Peal, K. Peal, Mike Opoka DASH: Walters, Pinkowsky, Van Dyne, Power MAIN: Grey Ferrando, K. Peal, Pinkowsky, Walters, Power, Steeves, S. Peal Van Dyne 360 Sprint Cars HEAT 1: Tony Thomas, Don Trent, Mark Hinkle, Carl Tresser, Dick Weis han, Jr. HEAT 2: Vince McDonnell, Ty May den, Bill Winsley, Kenny Cope, Shawn Smith DASH: Thomas, Mayden, Trent, McDonnell MAIN: Cope, Winsley, Smith, Hin kle, Rick Dewar, Thomas, Mayden, Trent, McDonnell, Weishan Jr., Tresser SUMMARY, JULY 29 Bomber: HEAT 1: Doug Younkin, Mike Mas trangelo, John Mayfield, Rick Fors, Kendall Lee HEAT 2: Arnie Case, Greg Long, Brian Staley, Carolyn Nordby, Brian Clark HEAT 3: Jay Silas Jr, Doug Trout, Tim Gilman, Walter Wollman, Stan Asanovic HEAT 4: Jeff Brookshire, Terry Tal bot, Kirk Krause DASH: Younkin, Silas Jr., Long Talbot MAIN: Youkin, Case, Brookshire, Long, Mastrangelo, Talbot, Fors, Asa novic, Clint Meyer, Lee, Mayfield, Brian O'Rear, Wollman, Gilman, Staley, Sti- las Jr., Trout, Krause, Nordby, Clark, Steve Anderson Street Stocks: HEAT 1: Dustin Wilkenson, Charlie Weaver, John Nuson, Bob Trout, Mike Fitzpatrick HEAT 2: Brent Porter, Don Grentz, Sonny Sayre, Pet Kelley, James Simeroth HEAT 3: Jay Silas, Jeff Gilman, Jimmy Masure, Derek Vorseth, Gary Meyer . HEAT 4: A.J. Tipton, Rich Kelley, Rhett Daly, Tony Catalano, David Johnson DASH: Meyer, Tipton, R. Kelley, Trout B MAIN: Meyer, Simeroth, Fitz patrick, Nathan Morton, Susan Nelson A MAIN: Tipton, Sayre, Porter, Silas, Weaver, Daly, Trout, Meyer, Nuson, Ma sure, W ilkenson, Catalano, Grentz, Fitzpatrick, Gilman, P. Kelley, Morton, R. Kelley, Vorseth, Simeroth Cascade Hardtops: HEAT 1: Steve Webb, Mark Bell, Dan Shaw, Jim Beardley, Bob Taube HEAT 2: Tom Willie, Gerry Grossen, Greg Ray, Stanley Garboden, Steve Lemley DASH: Bell, Webb, Grossen, Shaw MAIN: Grossen, Bell, Dave Bax, W illie, Shaw, Lemley, Taube, Dale bake, Ray, Garboden, Richard Nordby, Beardley, Webb, Robert Lavorico 360 Sprint Cars: HEAT 1: Tony Thomas, Vince Mc Donnell, Bill W insley, C arlT resser, Rick Dewar HEAT 2: Ty Mayden, Mark Hinkle, Kenny Cope, Jim Skinner, C.J. Whis- tledech DASH: McDonnell, Thomas, W ins ley, Mayden MAIN: Thomas, Mayden, McDonnell, Hinkle, Cope, Winsley, Dewar, Tresser, Skinner, Whistledech G r a n n y ’ s C rafts % G ranny D id I t Many New &c Delightful Gift Items Mon-Fri 2-d, Sat 10-5 Some Sundays - Call First or By Appointm ent In th e Bridge Street Mall 902 Bridge St., V ernonia • (503) 704-6983 SEASONAL STOCK • GROUND COVERS • PERENNIALS ANNUALS • HERBS • TREES • UNUSUAL PLANTS C hoice P erennials for gardens of all types 22745 NW Fisher Rd., Buxton, OR 97109 For H ours & Inform ation, Phone/Fax: 503-324-9274 from his early spin to finish fourth, and Power did likewise to round out the top five. A dozen Street Stocks took the green flag, with neophyte Don Jenner leading Brent Porter, A.J. Tipton, John Nu som, and Jeff Gilman. Within a couple of rotations however, the top three Camaros had dis tanced themselves from the rest of the pack. The experi enced Porter attempted a gut sy outside pass for the lead and made it stick. Jenner tried to retaliate, but spun instead. Next, point leader Tipton T- boned the Ford Maverick of Ed Hayes, and a yellow flag was thrown. With his two main chal lengers out of the hunt, Porter cruised the balance of the Fea ture without breaking a sweat. Nusom’s skill at adapting to dirt tracks showed with a re spectable second, Gilman was third in his crowd-pleasing Chevelle. For this night, car owner Dan Buker replaced hired gun Mark Bell in his Ca mara and came home fourth, ahead of Dash winner Tipton. A season high number of Bombers showed up to do bat tle and Greg Long, Craig Loomis, Kendall Lee, and Clint Meyer won heats. The Trophy Dash was claimed by past Fea ture winner Brian Staley, and Jay Silas Jr. took the B Main ahead of Jeff Brookshire and Terry Talbot. Long brought them down to take the green in the A Main, followed by Loo mis, Lee and Danny O’Neil. Point leader Shawn Thomson was forced to start deep in the pack but was on the move im mediately. Long, a Feature win ner this season, began to dis tance himself from the field as another high points man, Mike Mastrangelo, was forced to pit. A yellow waved just as Thomson broke into the top five, and Long was reeled back in. When racing resumed, Thomson continued to move for ward utilizing the high groove. Finally, with a single lap to spare, Thomson seized the point. Long, smelling victory himself, charged back under neath and led into the final turn. Thomson pointed his Camara toward the fence at that point and buried his foot. The result was another win by a whisker, Long was second. Newcomers to Sunset, Loomis and O’Neil were third and fourth respec tively, and Doug Younkin, back after several weeks absence, was fifth.
