Page 16
The INDEPENDENT, September 21, 2006
Cook, Elwess, Cherington, Nusom, Fordyce take CCRA 2006 titles
Columbia County Racing As-
sociation’s 20th year concluded
with Rodney Cook, Ray El-
wess, Joe Cherington, Gre-
sham’s Curt Nusom and Van-
couver’s Stacey Fordyce win-
ning division titles in the Napa
Auto Parts Championship Sat-
urday, September 16, at River
City Speedway. There were
also impressive performances
by Deer Island’s Jereld Strawn
and Celeste Hardesty of St.
Helens, who won their first ever
main events.
Teia Thomas of St. Helens,
led the first six laps of the
women’s main until Hardesty
overtook her on lap seven and
led the remainder of the 40-lap
race with her Fast Lube & Oil
Chevrolet Monte Carlo. It was
the first win in the series for
Hardesty, a second-year driver,
and her 12th top-five main
event finish; she finished sec-
ond to Women’s Division cham-
pion Fordyce. Tria Prettyman of
St. Helens was second, fol-
lowed by Fordyce in the All Star
Sports Bar Monte Carlo.
Strawn started on the pole
position of the street stock main
and led the first eight circuits
around the quarter-mile clay
oval until Nusom passed him
on lap nine. Strawn regained
the lead for good with his Re-
covery Racing/M Cutter Ponti-
ac Firebird after passing Nu-
som on the back straightaway
on lap 12. Nusom was close
behind Strawn as their cars
were
bumper-to-bumper
throughout the 40-lap race.
Street Stock Division Champi-
on Nusom was runnerup in his
City Sprint Chevy and he won
the title by just two points over
his brother, John.
Dan Smith, of Scappoose,
led from start-to-finish to cap-
ture the Baxter Auto Parts Mod-
ified A main, Vernonia’s “Holly-
wood” Gary Meyer won the
mini stock A main and Vancou-
ver’s Don Jenner won the
Reser’s Fine Foods Sportsman
main event. Tricia “Great” Brit-
tain of St. Helens, won the
sportsman heat race, was 10th
in the A main and took second
behind Sportsman Champion
Cook in the final point stand-
ings, which was the highest fin-
ish ever by a woman in the
sportsman series.
Aaron Prettyman of St. He-
lens, led the first 11 laps in the
sportsman race until he was
sidelined after his Camaro
overheated.
Jenner
then
moved ahead and led the re-
maining 29 laps with his Tom’s
Performance Machine Monte
Carlo, winning by a straight-
away length over Wilsonville’s
Jesse Freeman. Area competi-
tors finishing in the top-10 in-
cluded Deer Island’s Stephen
Kaptur (4th) and St. Helens
drivers Jon Gillett (5th) and
Lisa Faulkner (9th), followed by
Brittain in the Competitive Edge
Sign & Design Monte Carlo.
Sportsman Champion Cook, of
Rainier, was eighth in his Dan
Holum Trucking sponsored
Chevy.
“It was an absolutely great
season, the best ever of my five
years in the sportsman class,
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I’m thrilled with all the success
we’ve had and I just couldn’t be
any happier,” said Brittain,
whose
Warren
Country
Inn/Fast Racing team includes
her husband Sam, along with
her dad, Bud Fast. “Sam and
dad worked hard all year and
did a tremendous job preparing
the car to keeping it running
great every week.”
Smith led the modified main
all the way to notch his first win
in the STC Racing Parts/Al-
liance Automotive racer owned
by Sam and Jane Jeffers of
Scappoose. Jeremy Martin of
St. Helens, was second in an
identical looking Jeffers-owned
car to give the Reser’s spon-
sored team a 1-2 finish. Cor-
bett’s Scott Winebarger was
third, followed by Portland’s
Marc Sayre and Clint Petty of
St. Helens. Sayre took second
in the standings to Modified
Champion Elwess of Portland,
who was eighth in the Triple E
Racing/Cedarscapes Green-
house racer.
“We have an awesome crew
with my brother, Robert, Bobby
Morley and Dennis Blasier and
I couldn’t ask to drive for a bet-
ter owner than Sam Jeffers,”
said Smith.
“I didn’t win one main, but I
was consistent with six top-
five’s and having a good crew
chief, Joe Stinnett along with
my dad Frank, my two sons
Aaron and Edward and my
brother, Frank Jr., who also
helped.”
“Hollywood” Gary Meyer, of
Vernonia, overtook Adam
Beehler of St. Helens, on lap 12
of the mini stock A main and re-
mained up front to notch his
first win this year in the Meyer’s
Auto Body Dodge Neon. War-
renton’s Mark Guindon was a
close runnerup, followed by
Adam Beehler, Gladstone’s
Ben Palmer and Mini Stock Di-
vision Champion Cherington. It
marked the third straight title for
Cherington, 45, of Vancouver,
who captured his fifth title in
seven years.
“My goal at the beginning of
the year was to win another ti-
tle, I had consistent finishes all
season and that’s what it takes
to win a title,” said Cherington,
who had four victories and a to-
tal of 12 top-five’s with his Cir-
cle H Enterprises Datsun 210.
“After winning a championship,
it seems like everyone tries to
do their best to beat you the fol-
lowing season. I’ve had lots of
fun and it’s nice being a five-
time champion, but I might take
next year off.”
Rick Beehler of St. Helens
(mini stock), Longview’s Larry
Benson (modified), Castle
Rock’s Doug Hurley (sports-
man) and Sandy’s Chris Hall-
berg (street stock) each record-
ed B main wins.
RIVER CITY SPEEDWAY
SEPT. 16, 2006, RESULTS
Sportsman – Fast Time: 15.61; Ken
Bryan, Toledo, WA. Trophy Dash: Lar-
ry Lemons, Toledo. Heat 1: Bryan
Collins, Canby; Doug Hurley, Castle
Rock; Joseph Vorseth, Portland. Heat
2: Tim Williams, Skip Pillow, Gresham;
Aaron Prettyman, St. Helens. Heat 3:
Tricia Brittain, St. Helens; Jesse Free-
man, Wilsonville; Don Jenner, Vancou-
ver. B Main: Hurley; Collins; Williams;
Vorseth; Ron Williams, Longview. A
Main: Jenner; Freeman; Steven Can-
ham, Portland; Stephen Kaptur, Deer
Island; Jon Gillett, St. Helens; Lemons;
Pillow; Rodney Cook, Rainier; Lisa
Faulkner, St. Helens; Brittain.
Modified – Fast Time: 14.65; Clint
Petty, St. Helens. Trophy Dash: Marc
Sayre, Portland. Heat 1: Herb Thomas,
St. Helens; Larry Benson, Longview;
Curt Nusom, Gresham. Heat 2: Gannin
Thomas, St. Helens; Dan Smith, Scap-
poose; Scott Winebarger, Corbett.
Heat 3: Sean Fox, St. Helens; Sayre;
Petty. B Main: Benson; Thomas; Mar-
cie Kisor, Scappoose; Nusom. A Main:
Smith; Jeremy Martin, St. Helens;
Winebarger; Sayre; Petty; Gannin
Thomas; Greg Greer, Rainier; Ray El-
wess, Portland; Fox; Rob Sjogren,
Seattle.
Street Stock – Fast Time: 16.18;
Robert Duncan, Scappoose. Trophy
Dash: Jeff Lovell, Portland. Heat 1: Tom
Zywicki, St. Helens; Gary Meyer, Ver-
nonia; Nathan Slape, Rainier. Heat 2:
Dennis Krohling, Vancouver; Brett
Eakins, Washougal; Brad Nusom, Gre-
sham. Heat 3: Jereld Strawn, Deer Is-
land; Curt Nusom; Mark Reser, Tigard.
B Main:
Chris Hallberg, Sandy;
Krohling; Zywicki; Nick Novak, Scap-
poose; Jeremy Cernac, Scapppoose. A
Main: Strawn; Curt Nusom; John Haa-
genson, St. Helens; John Nusom, Gre-
sham; Reser; Lovell; Terry Moss, St.
Helens; Krohling; Hallberg; Duncan.
Mini Stock – Fast Time: 16.42; Brad
Ruth, Washougal. Trophy Dash: Gary
Meyer. Heat 1: Jared Hansen, St. He-
lens;
Frank Karnath, Washougal;
Daniel Beaudoin, Washougal. Heat 2:
Marie Sayre, Portland; Scott McMullen,
Deer Island; Brad Beehler, St. Helens.
Heat 3: Adam Beehler, St. Helens;
Mark Guindon, Warrenton; Ben Palmer,
Gladstone. B Main: Rick Beehler, St.
Helens; Beaudoin; Kathy McMullen,
Deer Island; Karnath; Josh Kelsey,
Portland. A Main: Meyer; Guindon;
Adam Beehler; Palmer; Joe Chering-
ton, Vancouver; Brad Beehler; Bob
Wallace, Portland; James Lutz, Port-
land; Eric Lindquist, Portland; Beau-
doin.
Women’s Division – Fast Time:
16.04; Celeste Hardesty, St. Helens.
Trophy Dash: Stacey Fordyce, Van-
couver. Heat: Hardesty; Tria Pretty-
man; Brenda Hurley, Castle Rock.
Main: Hardesty; Prettyman; Fordyce;
Hurley; Teia Thomas, St. Helens; Lin-
da Holland, Portland; Sundee Ham-
rick, Portland; Kathy Griffin, Scap-
poose.
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