By Jack Fordyce, Grays Harbor Raceway (9/12/09)
ELMA, Wash. — Saturday night’s Season Championship night at Grays Harbor Raceway was a fan’s delight.
The season points championship was up for grabs in five of the six classes. The Ship Wreck Beads “Modifieds”, Whitney’s Auto Group “360 Sprints”, Triple X Racing “Ford Focus Midgets”, HiLine Homes “Hornets” and the “Cruiser”. The Only class that was already decided was the Cut Rate Auto Parts “Hobby Stocks”, where Zack Simpson had wrapped up his third Season Championship in a row on August 29.
In four of the five classes, the point’s leader going into the final race of the season, held serve and came away with the crown. Montesano’s Josh Muller in the “Modifieds”, Raymond’s Glenn Borden Jr. in the “360 Sprints”, Olympia’s Rory Clevenger in the “Hornets” and the driving team of Dana Austin, Olympia/James Hinkley, Centralia in the “Cruisers”.
The exception was Seth Hespe of Snohomish who overcame a 12-point deficit in the “Midgets” for the crown.
The evening started with the top six cars in each class locked into a trophy dash to determine the first three rows in the feature events.
Muller, Clevenger, Simpson and Hespe all parlayed their trophy dash wins to pole positions and main event victories and a season Championship. Austin/Hinkley took their trophy dash win and with the other “Cruiser” cars tagged at the back of the “Hornets” feature race and were the highest finisher of the “Cruisers” in the combined race.
Kirkland’s Steve Vague was the only dash winner not to come away with a feature win.
Modifieds
Muller had a 29-point lead on three time track champion Scott Miller of Shelton and made sure that the Shelton driver wasn’t going snatch the crown away from him on the final night.
The race was marred by no less than six caution flags and a 30-minute delay while track safety crews cleaned up an oil spill left by Lawrence O’Connor of Port Hardy, B.C. which stretched all the way around the track.
Muller kept his cool throughout all of the delays and restarts and only gave up the top spot once to Miller on final caution flag restart on lap-20 but took it right back on the next lap.
It was a two car race between Muller and Miller for the entire time shortened 25-lap feature, with everybody scrambling for what was left.
“Hobby Stock” champion Zack Simpson did double duty on the night and took third in the “Modifieds” feature, Aberdeen’s Greg Dineen finished fourth and former track champion Leroy Lawhead of Rochester finished fifth.
Sprints
Borden held a slim 18-point lead on seven time track champion, Jay Cole of Shelton and didn’t want to let this one slip away like last year when Cole took the championship on the final night.
Vague had the pole at the start and the early lead, followed by Orting’s Logan Forlyr,.
Vague still had the lead, followed by Cole, Enumclaw’s Henry VanDam, Borden and Quilcene’s JJ Hickle when Vague spun out in turn-2 on lap and VanDam rolled over after colliding with Vague.
Borden grabbed the lead from Cole on the restart and seemed to have things well in hand, but Cole kept right Shelton’s on his bumper, finally getting by Borden on the last lap of the 30-lap feature for the win. Borden finished second, Hickle, third, Shelton’s Randy VanAagten fourth and Forlyr fifth.
“I hated to let Cole get by me on that final lap” Borden said, “But sometimes your “re the windshield and sometime’s you’re the bug.”
Midgets
Hespe may have had the pole at the start of the race but that didn’t stop Allison Journey of Springfield ,OR. from taking the lead on the first lap.
Auburn’s Jonathan Jorgenson only needed to finish fourth or higher in the feature to secure his first championship, but it was not to be as he finished fifth and Hespe’s win gave him a slim 2-poin margin in the final point’s race.
Hespe got by Journey on lap-7 with an inside move in turn-1 and was never challenged from then on.
Journey was able to hold onto second until McCleary’s Brandon Daniel put her back a spot on lap-13.
Hespe took the checkered flag at the end of the 25-lap feature, followed by fellow Snohomish and Sprint car driver Travis Jacobsen, Daniel finished third, Journey fourth and Jorgenson fifth.
Hornets
The “Hornets” class was the closest of all the classes, with Clevenger hanging onto a slim 2-point lead over Elma’s Kevin Krenz.
Krenz didn’t win the dash and didn’t have the advantage of the pole position at the start, but he did start on the outside of the front row and took the lead on the first lap.
Krenz had the lead and it looked he would be the second driver to dethrone the point’s leader for the crown, but mechanical problems with just 4-laps left in the 20-lap feature left him sitting in turn-2, waiting for the wrecker to take him back to his pits.
Krenz was out of his car and clapped as Clevenger came by during the caution and gave him a thumbs up.
Olympia’s Tyson Blood finished second, Sedro Wolley drivers, Cory Swatzina finished third and fourth and Olympia’s Brian Izzi finished fifth.
Austin/Hinkley had the highest finish for a cruiser in the combined feature and maintained their points lead for the “Cruiser” Championship.
Hobby Stocks
It doesn’t matter what Zack Simpson drives. Saturday night he was behind the wheel of Jack Parshall’s number-9, which was the No. 12 for the night, while Olympia’s Tim Isaacson was driving Simpson’s familiar No. 12, the 12T for the night.
Simpson had the pole and turned the race into his usual Saturday night drive in the park as he finished over three seconds ahead of the second place car, Keyport’s Derek Junell. McCleary’s Roy Borgeson finished third, Isaacson finished fourth and Dan Daniel of McCleary came out of retirement one more time finished fifth.
Simpson’s win gave him a record thirteen wins out of fifteen feature races on the season.
Top Finishers/Top Points
Ship Wreck Beads “Modifieds”
A Main. 1. Josh Muller, Montesano. 2. Scott Miller, Shelton. 3. Zack Simpson, Hoquiam. 4. Greg Dineen, Aberdeen. 5. Leroy Lawhead, Rochester. 6. Joe German, Aberdeen. 7. David Wolfard, Seabeck. 8. Randy Ward, Olympia. 9. Joe Lambert, Shelton. 10. Floyd Livingston. Hoquiam.
Trophy Dash. Muller.
Final top points (Unofficial).Muller-1420. Miller-1386. Wolfard-1268, German-1246, Dineen-1220, Oien Jr.-1173, Burns-1097, Signal-1028, Ward-977, Schnitzer-905.
Whitney’s Auto Group “360 Sprints”
A Main. 1. Jay Cole, Shelton. 2. Glenn Borden Jr. Raymond. 3. JJ Hickle, Quilcene. 4. Randy VanAagten, Shelton. 5. Logan Forlyr, Orting. 6. John Tharp, Snohomish. 7. Dan Dunlap, Renton. 8. Rob Johnson, Raymond, 9. Otto Jorgenson, Auburn. 10. JJ Dishneau, Maple Valley.
Trophy Dash. Vague.
Final top points (Unofficial). Borden-1216, Cole-1203, Vague-1112, Rice-1063, Hickle-1051, Dishneau-996, Forlyr-953, Jorgenson-940, VanDam-807, Dunlap-798.
Triple X Racing “Ford Focus Midgets”
A Main. 1. Seth Hespe, Snohomish. 2. Travis Jacobson, Snohomish. 3. Brandon Daniel, McCleary. 4. Allison Journey, Springfield, OR. 5. Jonathan Jorgenson, Auburn. 6. Jeff Bell, Marysville. 7. Trey Starks, Edgewood. 8. Jeremy Miller, Montesano. 9. Todd Hartman, Bothell. 10. Ariel Biggs, Hoquiam.
Trophy Dash. Hespe.
Final top points (Unofficial). Hespe-1348, Jorgenson-1346, Daniel-1335, Journey-1320, Miller-1227, Biggs-1181, Hartman-1171, Johanson-941, St Paul-913, Bell-899.
Cut Rate Auto Parts “Hobby Stocks”
A Main. 1. Zack Simpson, Hoquiam. 2. Derek Junell, Keyport. 3. Roy Borgeson, McCleary. 4. Tim Isaacson, Olympia. 5. Dan Daniel, McCleary. 6. Keith Knowlton, Bremerton. 7. Jason St Paul, Shelton. 8. Dale Brewer, Shelton. 9. Jim Solorzano, Shelton. 10. Brian Lines, Quinault.
Trophy Dash. Simpson.
Final top points (Unofficial). Simpson-1569, Knowlkton-1442, Junell-1273, Eddie Blood-1199, Muenchow-1164, Izzi-1101, Smith-735, Wilder-616, Jesse Blood-496, Borgeson-456.
Combined HiLine Homes “Hornets” “Cruisers”
A Main. 1. Rory Clevenger, Olympia. 2. Tyson Blood, Olympia. 3. Cory Swatzina, Sedro Wolley, 4. Ben Gunderson, Sedro Wolley, 5. Brian Izzi, Olympia. 6. Cliff Gill, Aberdeen. 7. Dana Austin, Olympia/James Hinkley, Centralia (Cruiser). 8. Kevin Krenz, Elma. 9. Ashley Luellen, Sedro Wolley. 10. Wade Swatzina, Burlington.
” Hornets” Trophy Dash. Clevenger.
“Cruisers” Trophy Dash. Austin/Hinkley.
“Hornets Final top points. (Unofficial). Clevenger-781. Krenz-759, Gill-723, Izzi-593, Tyson Blood-498, Travis Blood-359, Tye Baker-193, Kyle Nerum-193, Alex Coumbs-175, Lillian Renfro-175.
“Cruisers” Final top points. (Unofficial). Austin/ Hinkley-1094. Atkinson/Clingen-892, Richert/Heimer-648, Brearty/Brearty-635, Zoren/Henson-477.
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