Simpson picks up 9th win at Grays Harbor

By Jack Fordyce, Grays Harbor Raceway

ELMA, Wash. — That wasn’t thunder you heard Saturday night coming from Grays Harbor Raceway, it was the Rolling Thunder “Big Rigs” as they made their first ever appearance at Grays Harbor Raceway, and only their second time on a dirt track.

With a belch of black smoke from the exhaust stack, Rochester’s Scott Zahn rumbled to victory in the Rolling Thunder “Big Rigs” 25-lap feature race.

Hoquiam’s Zack Simpson was at his usual place, in front of the rest of the pack at the finish of the Cut Rate Auto Parts “Hobby Stocks” A Main as he picked up his ninth win in eleven races this year.

In a tune up for next week end’s, Northwest Modified Nationals, Scott Dorie of St Helens, OR. led from start to finish in the Ship Wreck Beads “Modifieds” feature race, and his second win of the year at the Grays Harbor.

Elma’s Travis Brearty with a new co-driver, Jim Mills in the cockpit this week, took over the lead midway through the “Cruisers” 10-lap feature race and picked up his second win of the year.

Modifieds

Dorie had the pole position at the start of the race alongside of Vancouver’s Kenny Miller, with 2009 series points leader Josh Muller of Montesano and defending series and 2008 Northwest Modifieds champion Blair Shoemaker of Yakima just a row back.

Dorie set a quick pace, followed by Miller, Muller, Shoemaker and Sean fox of St Helens.

Muller gained the second spot for the first time in the race when he got by Miler on lap-6, only to give it back four laps later and then regain it on lap-16.

Dorie survived a third caution flag restart on lap-18, but Muller wasn’t about to give up yet.

Muller poked the nose of his car under Dorie a number of times in the closing laps, but couldn’t quite complete the pass for the lead.

Shelton’s Scott Miller followed the leaders across the finish line, Shoemaker took fourth and Kenny Miller fifth.

Doug Davenport of Veronia, OR. took over the lead in the B Main on lap-6 and held on for the win, followed by Seabeck’s David Wolfard, Centralia’s Scott Westley, Rob Sjogren of Maple Valley and Jesse O’Hara of Damascus, OR. Davenport, Wolfard, Westley and Sjogren all earned transfer spots into the A Main.

Hobby Stocks

Simpson was slated to start on the inside of the second row, but that changed when Hoquiam’s Jeremy Blood and Keith Knowlton of Bremerton jumped the gun on the start and were moved back a row for a second restart of the race, giving the pole position to Simpson with Bremerton’s Derek Junell on the outside.

Blood challenged Simpson early in the race until he spun out in turn-2 on lap-9, bringing out the caution flag

On the restart, it was Simpson, Todd Hardesty of St Helens, OR. Olympia’s Eddie Blood, Knowlton and Junell at the front of the field.

Simpson finished his Saturday night drive over 3 seconds in front of Knowlton, Eddie Blood held onto third, Hardesty fell to fourth and Jeremy Blood edged out Junell for fifth on the final lap.

Big Rigs

The near capacity crowd was treated to the spectacle of the modified for racing tractors that you would normally see on I-5 pulling trailers as they belched black smoke and thundered around the track.

Zahn had to start the race in the third row and took 16-laps to move to the front spot.

Rochester drivers, John Nelson, Mike Gibbons, Jeff Swanstrom, and Mickey Iverson were the early race leaders.

Gibbons held the lead from lap-4 through lap-8, and again after overtaking Swanstrom on lap-10.

Nelson regained the lead on lap-12 but yielded the top spot to Zahn17.

Dave Barr of Centralia followed Zahn across the finish line, Gibbons finished third, Mickey Iverson finished fourth and Nelson fell all the way to fifth.

Nelson picked up the checkered flag in the first trophy dash and Iverson was the winner in the second dash.

Cruisers

Brearty, who picked up his first feature win at the Mid-Season championship races with Henry Dawson as co-driver in the absence of usual co-driver, Brearty’s nephew Brian, this week Brearty, had Elma’s Jim Mills alongside of him in the car.

The Shelton driving team of Doug Richert/Sparkin Heimer was the early race leaders until series points leaders, Dana Austin, Olympia/James Hinkley, Centralia grabbed the lead on lap-3, but had to head to the pits under the caution flag on lap-5 to replace a flat tire.

Louis Zoren/Donnie Henson of Shelton took second, Richert/Heimer third, Austin/Hinkley recovered to take fourth and Jim Atkinson, Grayland/Mike Clingen finished fifth.

Next week end will feature the 10Th Annual Ship Wreck Beads Northwest Modified Nationals, with the Race of Champions on Friday night along with heat races to earn points for the Feature race on Saturday night. Saturday night will be the conclusion of the Northwest Modified Nationals with The Dwarf Cars also on the program.

Gates open at 4:30 with racing around 7:00 both nights.

Grays Harbor Raceway Top Finishers 7/25/09

Ship Wreck Beads “Modifieds” A Main 1. Scott Dorie, St Helens, OR. 2. Josh Muller, Montesano. 3. Scott Miller, Shelton. 4. Blair Shoemaker, Yakima. 5. Kenny Miller, Vancouver. 6. Clint Petty, St Helens. 7. Leroy Lawhead, Rochester. 8. Doug Davenport, Veronia, OR. 9. Jim Oien Jr. McCleary. 10. Joe German, Aberdeen. B Main. 1. Davenport. 2. David Wolfard, Seabeck. 3. Scott Westley, Centralia. 4. Rob Sjogren, Maple Valley. 5. Jesse O’Hara, Damascus, OR. Heat 1. Muller. 2. Kris Asche, Shelton. 3. Randy Ward, Olympia. 4. Oien Jr. 5. Westley. Heat 2. 1. Scott Miller. 2. Shoemaker. 3. Dave Burns, Bremerton. 4. Steve Signal, Olympia. 5. Sjogren. Heat 3. 1. Shawn Dorie, St Helens. 2. Kenny Miller. 3. Sean Fox, St Helens. 4. Greg Dineen, Aberdeen. 5. O’Hara. Heat 4. 1. Scott Dorie. 2. German. 3. Lawhead. 4. Petty. 5. Tim Isaascon, Olympia. Fast Time: Muller 15.866 85.088 MPH. Top Points (Unofficial). Muller-992. Miller-969. Wolfard-909. German-890. Oien Jr.-874. Dineen-818. Burns-771. Rau-735. Signal-712. Foster-688.

Cut Rate Auto Parts “Hobby Stocks” A Main 1. Zack Simpson, Hoquiam. 2. Keith Knowlton, Bremerton. 3. Eddie Blood, Olympia. 4. Todd Hardesty, St Helens. 5. Jeremy Blood, Hoquiam. 6. Derek Junell, Key Center. 7. Tim Phillips, Spanaway. 8. Brian Izzi, Olympia. 9. Westin Smith, south Bend. 10. Koit Honea, Montesano. Heat 1. Knowlton. 2. Alan Muenchow, Shelton. 3. Junell. 4. E. Blood. 5. Izzi. Heat 2. 1. Simpson. 2. J. Blood. 3. Hardesty. 4. Smith. 5. Greg Watkins, Enumclaw. Fast Time: Junell 18.245 73.993 MPH. Top Points (Unofficial) Simpson-1239. Knowlton-1140. Junell-1074. Muenchow-1062. E. Blood-1024. Izzi-936. Smith-524. Wilder-508. J. Blood-496. Hardesty-367.

“Cruisers” A Main. 1. Travis Brearty/Jim Mills, Elma. 2. Louis Zoren/Donnie Henson, Shelton. 3. Doug Richert/Sparkin Heimer, Shelton. 4. Dana Austin, Olympia/James Hinkley, Centralia. 5. Jim Atkinson, Grayland/Mike Clingen, Westport. Heat Race. 1. Brearty/Mills. 2. Austin Hinkley. 3. Richert/Heimer. 4. Zoren/Henson. 5. Atkinson/Clingen. Top Points (Unofficial). Austin/Hinkley-790. Atkinson/Clingen-756. Brearty/Brearty-595. Smith/Heimer-463. Zoren/Richards-387.

Rolling Thunder “Big Rigs” A Main. 1. Scott Zahn, Rochester. 2. Dave Barr, Centralia. 3. Mike Gibbons, Rochester. 4. Mickey Iverson, Rochester. 5. John Nelson, Rochester. 6. Brian Wilson, Rochester. 7. Craig Wright, Rochester, 8. Tammy Rodstrom, Federal Way, 9. Jeff Swanstrom, Rochester. Heat Race. 1. Gibbons. 2. Barr. 3. Nelson. 4. Zahn. 5. Iverson. Dash 1. 1. Nelson. Dash 2. Iverson.