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The INDEPENDENT, October 5, 2011
Vernonian Doug Davenport takes 2011 CCRA Modified title
by Mike Weber
Doug
Davenport,
Joel
Beehler, Brad Martin, Cody
Smith, Kathy McMullen and
Curt Nusom each notched top-
three finishes to conclude the
stock car racing season by win-
ning Columbia County Racing
Association division champi-
onships. Gresham drivers
Dave Walters and John Nusom
also captured CCRA titles in
the 10th and final points race of
the season Saturday at River
City Speedway in St. Helens.
Beehler and Smith notched
main event wins to cap remark-
able seasons in which they had
numerous victories and a dom-
inating performance to win their
first ever CCRA titles. Beehler,
21, of St. Helens, won his sev-
enth straight main with his
Johnny’s Bar & Grill Subaru Im-
preza to capture the Mini Stock
Division Championship. His
eight total wins tied the all-time
single season series record
held by Vancouver's Joe Cher-
ington, set in 2004.
Smith captured the Tracer
Division (age 13-15) by winning
his ninth main this year with the
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with Chevron
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720 Rose Avenue • Vernonia
Alliance Automotive/M & B
Cylinder Heads Chevrolet Ca-
maro. Smith, 14, was the
fastest in time trials on the
quarter-mile clay oval track at
16.70 seconds and he was un-
defeated as he took the check-
ered flag in the trophy dash
and heat race also. Smith, a
Scappoose High freshman,
recorded a combined total of
24 victories, including seven
heat race wins and eight dash
victories.
“I won lots of races and had
a lot of fun and it's exciting to
win my first championship,”
said Smith, whose dad, Dan,
took second place in the
Sportsman Division while driv-
ing an identical Camaro. “Win-
ning the final race in a good
battle with Jonathan West real-
ly capped a very good season
for me.”
Dan Smith took the lead in
the sportsman main after pass-
ing Lisa Liner on lap nine.
Smith led until Russell overtook
him on lap 22. Russell, the de-
fending series champion, led
the final 18 laps to notch his
second straight win and third
overall with his JD’s Bar &
Grill/Competitive Edge Sign &
Design Monte Carlo. Russell
won by a half a lap advantage
over Woodland’s Devon Reed,
and division champion Curt Nu-
som of Gresham took third.
Jeremy Martin, Jeremey
Wetherbee, Ryan Martinez,
Greg Lane and Dennis Pittsen-
barger also recorded main
event wins. Lane won the Pa-
cific Mini Sprint main, while
Walters captured the division
championship with eight main
event wins. Pittsenbarger won
the four-cylinder late model
main.
Victoria West of Scappoose,
led from start-to-finish with her
Warren General Store 1973
Camaro to capture her first
ever women’s division main.
Jenae Frelich of St. Helens,
was second followed by Deer
Island’s Kathy McMullen, who
captured her second straight
women’s championship.
McMullen captured five wins
and nine top-five main event
finishes with her McMullen Wa-
ter System’s/Al’s Transmission
1979 Chevy Malibu. It marks
the final year in the series for
McMullen, who started her ca-
reer in 2005 while competing
her first four seasons in the
mini stock class.
Martin of St. Helens, took
the lead on lap 24 of the modi-
fied main after passing fron-
trunner Clark Tenney of Scap-
poose, who spun out in turn
four after leading the first 23
laps. Martin a former series
champ (2007), led laps 24-40
to get his second win and nail
down a runnerup finish in the
point standings to division
champion Davenport of Ver-
nonia.
“I had a great season and
it’s sure nice to end it like this in
victory lane,” said Martin.
“Doug and I battled it out all
year and I just want to congrat-
ulate him for winning the cham-
pionship, because he really de-
serves it.”
It was Martin’s ninth top-five
main event finish with his
Reser’s Fine Foods open-
wheel style modified race car
and he was followed by Daven-
port and Brian Blasier of Scap-
poose. Davenport won the heat
and had a near record-break-
ing qualifying time (13.76), just
short of Martin’s track record
(13.65) set in 2009. It was the
first time this year that anyone
clocked a qualifying time less
than 14 seconds.
“It’s cool to see Jeremy,
who’s a good friend of mine,
get another win,” said Daven-
port, who set an all-time single
season record with seven wins
and nine top-fives in his BSB
Manufacturing/Spiralz Salon
sponsored race car. “It’s awe-
some to win the championship,
but it sure was lots of hard work
all season. I have some great
sponsors, who help tremen-
dously. I have to give lots of
credit to my pit crew chief too,
Fletcher Tofflemire. He’s my
right hand man and I couldn’t
have won the championship
without his help.”
River City Speedway’s sea-
son finale was the traditional
Run What Ya Brung race Octo-
ber 1. A sincere thank you goes
to Mike and Jenelle Harrison of
St. Helens, for providing me
with a wonderful and rare op-
portunity for a hands-on experi-
ence and gain an exciting new
perspective of the track. The
Harrison’s let me drive their
Wayne Martin Floor Covering
modified car during the track in-
termission mud packing proce-
dure.
RIVER CITY SPEEDWAY
2011 Final Point Standings
Sportsman Division – 1. Curt
Nusom, Gresham 1,029. 2.
Dan Smith, Scappoose 952. 3.
Bud Russell, St. Helens 947. 4.
Clyde White, Longview 863. 5.
Aaron Elwess, Fairview 852. 6.
Lisa Liner, St. Helens 823. 7.
Sean Fox, Rainier 801. 8.
Jesse Allen, Goble 774. 9. Bob
Berg, St. Helens 769. 10. De-
von Reed, Woodland 766.
Street Stock Division – 1.
John Nusom, Gresham 1,030.
2. Brad Martin, St. Helens 969.
3. Justin McMullen, Deer Island
964. 4. Rick Rehanek, Vancou-
ver 896. 5. Mike Crase, Port-
land 824. 6. Ken Bryan, Toledo
806. 7. Curtis Zelmer, Portland
805. 8. RT Cutler, Portland
744. 9. Aaron Snook, Portland
727. 10. David McDaniel,
Scappoose 698.
Modified Division – 1. Doug
Davenport, Vernonia 1,083. 2.
Jeremy Martin, St. Helens
1,001. 3. Clark Tenney, Scap-
poose 945. 4. Sean Fox,
Rainier 813. 5. Brian Blasier,
Scappoose 798. 6. Sam Jef-
fers, St. Helens 773. 7. Zelmer
770. 8. Clint Petty, St. Helens
645. 9. Mike Harrison, St. He-
lens 602. 10. Robert Jenner,
Vancouver 578.
Mini Stock Division – 1. Joel
Beehler, St. Helens 1,103. 2.
Brad Beehler, St. Helens 884.
3. Tim Oyler, Warren 854. 4.
Kyle Frelich, St. Helens 843. 5.
John Oyler, Warren 809. 6.
Lisa Oyler, Troutdale 799. 7.
Charlie Ingram, Estacada 769.
8. Jerry Wright, St. Helens 708.
9. Darrin Rye, Deer Island 701.
10. Joneen Oyler, Gresham
574.
Pacific Mini Sprint – 1. Dave
Walters, Gresham 1,133. 2.
Mike Opoka, Mesa, AZ 900. 3.
Keith Everson, Marysville 690.
4. Dan Beck, Castle Rock 673.
5. Eric Dehning, Portland 599.
6. Jesse Shannon, Centralia
575. 7. Tracey Titus, Manzanita
545. 8. Darrin Pierson, Che-
halis 303.
Women's Division – 1. Kathy
McMullen, Deer Island 1,081.
2. Jenae Frelich, St. Helens
1,044. 3. Morgan Tenney,
Scappoose 976. 4. Tiffany
Berg, St. Helens 966. 5. Victo-
ria West, Scappoose 625. 6.
Cori Rocks, Portland 274.
Tracer Division – 1. Cody
Smith, Scappoose 1,049. 2.
Baleigh O’Connor, St. Helens
897. 3. Jonathan West, Scap-
poose 831.
Dwarf Cars – 1. Brad Martin
1,049. 2. Jenelle Harrison, St.
Helens 867. 3. Travis Tolman,
St. Helens 464.