EPHRATA, Wash. — A big crowd and a big-time performance from a teenage racer made for a great night of racing at Ephrata Raceway Park.
Fifteen-year-old high school student Sierra Jackson became the American Speed Association Northwest Sprint Car Racing Association’s youngest winner and first female in the Rebel Jackson Memorial on Saturday, Aug. 9 in Ephrata.
Historically one of the best-attended and most exciting races of the year, Ephrata’s biggest crowd of season watched the winged sprint cars put on a dazzling display of speed around the high-banked asphalt quarter-mile oval.
Considered one of the highlight races in the ASA/NSRA season, the 50-lap Rebel Jackson feature started off with a bang as five-time series champion Rick Brown spun on the second turn of the first lap, bringing out the first of two cautions and a complete restart.
Mike Basher took the lead on the restart and was running away from the field when he encountered trouble on lap 22. In heavy traffic Basher and Duane Zeinstra made contact with Greg Middendorf, sending both spinning in front of oncoming cars and bringing out the second caution.
Jackson and series point leader Matt Hein all zeroing in on the leader. The contact
With both cars unable to continue, Middendorf led the single-file restart on lap 23, but less than 10 laps later he too encountered slower traffic, allowing Jackson and points leader Matt Hein to close.
Jackson threaded through the slower cars and got around Middendorf to take the lead on lap 45, then she held off Hein for the final five laps to get her first series victory.
After getting passed Middendorf lost ground and fell back to fifth, with Hein, Andy Alberding and Kenny Hamilton getting by for second, third and fourth, respectively.
For more information on the ASA Northwest Sprint Car Racing Association and hte Rebel Jackson Memorial, visit www.nsraracing.com.
Great racing in Ephrata’s local divisions also had the crowd on its feet.
The Pepsi Cola Street Stocks have been dominated by Bart Hector for most of the season. Although there was a time around midseason where the driver of the No. 68 car was beaten a few times, on Saturday he recorded a sweep of the evening’s events.
Hector set fast time of 15.325 seconds and won the A trophy dash and the A heat race to go along with his main event win. Daniel Hector won the B trophy dash and B heat race.
For the Kim Janke State Farm Youth Hornets, Jesse Hector set fast time and won the main event. Dylan Adamson and Stephnie Patty won the trophy dashes with Steven Beck and Dallas White picking up heat race wins.
At the end of the evening the crowd was treated to a BIG CAR Boat Race. With “Wildman” Ray Hahne towing a magenta fiberglass boat on a trailer behind his International Travel All, the requirement was that drivers could only pass the boat after hitting it, with an extra trophy for the driver that knocked the boat off the trailer.and you would win an extra trophy and end the race if you could dislodge the boat from the trailer
Race winner Chris McCart was the first to hit the boat and dislodge the trailer. But it was Billy Smith who shattered the boat, when he knocked it off the trailer and sent it sailing through the air into the path of Hahne who obliterated it with a blow from the Travel All.
Ephrata Raceway Park takes the weekend of August 16 off to support and enjoy the Grant County Fair but returns to action with the Northwest Outlaw Street Stocks on August 23. For more information visit www.ephrataracewaypark.com.
Saturday, Aug. 9 at Ephrata, Wash.
ASA / NSRA SPRINT CARS Rebel Jackson Memorial
Fast time: 98h Matt Hein 12.694
B Dash: 65x Donnie Kudrna, 13q Dave Quick, 7e Todd Lolkus, 23 Wes Helgeson
A Dash: 01 Kenny Hamilton, 98h Hein, 51 Jake Mann, 76 Andy Alberding
Heat 1: 13b Mike Basher, 78 Mike Fought, 25j Sierra Jackson (top 3 to A Main)
Heat 2: 55 Jeff Bird, 01 Hamilton, 25z R.J. Fronsman (top 3 to A Main)
Heat 3: 1 Rick Brown, 76 Alberding, 4 Greg Middendorf (top 3 to A Main)
Heat 4: 17 Justin Mack, 99 Cory Lockwood, 98h Hein (top 3 to A Main)
B Main: 82 Adam Roduner, 7r Randy Dubois, 51 Mann, 65x Kudrna, 7v Cody Veenstra, 13q Dave Quick, 11z Duane Zeinstra, 65 Kevin Burck (top 8 to A Main), 23 Wes Helgeson, 19 Justin Popple, 7e Lolkus, 25n Whitney Nolan, 42 Doug Peter, 96 Kevin Witte, 28 Tom Beierman
Lap leader: 82 Roduner 1-15
A Main: 25j Sierra Jackson, 98h Hein, 76 Alberding, 01 Hamilton, 4 Middendorf, 17 Mack, 55 Bird, 78 Fought, 99 Lockwood, 51 Mann, 1 Brown, 25z Fronsman, 65 Burck, 7v Veenstra, 13q Quick, 13b Basher, 11z Zeinstra, 65x Kudrna, 7r Dubois, 82 Roduner
Lap leaders: 13b Basher 1-23, 4 Middendorf 24-43, 25j Jackson 44-50
BIG CARS
Main: 95 Chris McCart, 27 Billy Smith, 84 Troy Lannoye, 357 Jay Kimble, 11 Ray Hahne
Blast the Boat Trophy: 27 Billy Smith
PEPSI COLA STREET STOCKS
Fast time: 68 Bart Hector 15.325
B Dash: 82 Daniel Hector, 47 Dustin Kapalo, 8 Mike Greenwalt, 24 Derrick Kapalo
A Dash: 68 Bart Hector, 81 Eric Hector, 4 Brad Morrison, 29 JR Miner
B Heat: 82 Daniel Hector, 12x Rick Bretches, 12 Robert Sieg, 8 Greenwalt, 24 Derrick Kapalo
A Heat: 68 Bart Hector, 29 Miner, 81 Eric Hector, 22 Dustin Hubbard, 4 Morrison
Main: 68 Bart Hector, 81 Eric Hector, 1 Mitch Kleyn, 29 Miner, 4 Morrison, 7 Terri McCart, 82 Daniel Hector, 47 Dustin Kapalo, 24 Derrick Kapalo, 92 Mike Bise, 12 Sieg, 8 Greenwalt, 22 Hubbard, 12x Bretches
Lap leaders: 82 Daniel Hector 1-8, 68 Bart Hector 9-25
KIM JANKE STATE FARM AGENT YOUTH HORNETS
Fast time: 08 Jesse Hector 17.620
B Dash: 00 Dylan Adamson, 64 Sami Todd, 6 Michael Olsick, 89 Patrick Hector
A Dash: 61 Stephnie Patty, 08 Jesse Hector, 09 Dallas White, 68 Bart Hector Jr.
B Heat: 38 Steven Beck, 00 Adamson, 72 Kelly Olsick, 64 Todd, x15 Derek Burck
A Heat: 09 Dallas White, 08 Jesse Hector, 61 Patty, 43 Damon Claibourn, 16 Taylor Blackburn
Main: 08 Jesse Hector, 09 White, 38 Beck, 11 Jatender Veenstra, 16 Blackburn, 43 Claibourn, 61 Patty, 00 Adamson, 72 K. Olsick, 6 M. Olsick, 64 Todd, x15 D. Burck, 89 P. Hector
Lap leaders: 43 Claibourn 1-2, 08 Jesse Hector 3-15
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