LOVELOCK (Aug 1-2)- The Frontier Day races at the Lovelock Speedway can be wild affairs. The two-day event highlights the annual celebration of the town’s founding and the action at the speedway is part of the festivities.
Cory Sample (00) is about to dive inside Wade Taylor (8) and make the winning pass ensuring his sweep of the IMCA Modified feadtures.
After winning his second IMCA feature in as many days, Cory Sample takes a victory lap.
Brandon Ternora and Loren Cooney (5) line up for a restart. A few laps later Ternora would make the winning pass to win the sprint car feature.
Brandon Ternora takes a victory lap after his win at the Lovelock Speedway.
This was about as close as anyone got to Zach Cail (6) during the Sport Mod features. Here he’s trailed by Butch Seals (81) and Skeeter Donaldson.
After completing a sweep of the Sport Mod features, Zach Cail takes a victory lap.
Jimmy Berhorst (13) and Friday’s Hobby Stock winner Cody Morris tangle. This allowed Roger Donahue (0) to grab the lead and victory.
Roger Donahue takes a victory lap after winning Saturday’s Hobby Stock main.
Granson Ternora scored his first 250cc victory when he won his Outlaw Kart race on Saturday.
Jacob Dias was the 250 winner on Friday night.
Before Saturday’s main events all the drivers did a few parade laps to honor young Jonathan Cooney, who lost his life in a crash early Friday morning. Here his father Robert leads the parade followed by relatives Bob and Loren Cooney. Watching everyone form up is Director of Competition Galen Reese.
This year the races had an added twist as the new I-80 Challenge Series was there to stage its fourth round. The result was two days of hard, fast racing and on Saturday more than a bit of carnage.
When the dust settled a veteran driver from Winnemucca and an young lion out of Fallon had swept their respective classes.
After Saturday’s IMCA Modified feature, winner Cory Sample said, “It was just a good deal but there were way too many cautions and I actually started to get tired under the yellows. I think we definitely had enough fuel have a 32-gallon fuel cell.”
When the green waved 17 cars took off with Walter Ball leading the charge after getting past Travis White. Behind them Sample and Wade Taylor were charging toward the front.
The first of many cautions came out around lap 5 after two cars tangled. Then it took two attempts to get the race rolling again and Taylor briefly led until the charging Sample grabbed the point for good.
The race itself was a blend of fast and furious as well as stop and start action but with such close racing there was going to be contact and some spins or flat tires. Seven more cautions would slow the pace.
On lap 18, after many cautions, the officials decided to cut the race from its originally scheduled 40- to 25-laps. At that time there was a real risk of some of the cars running out of fuel but the final seven laps were run caution free.
For Sample the cautions meant he hardly had to deal with any lap traffic. When the checkered flag waved he led Randy Artz, Taylor and K.C. Kubichek. In those final laps Fallon driver Robert Mull put on a charge that earned him a fifth place finish but contact with another car during the cool down lap meant his car had to be towed to the pits.
Helping to round out the show were the winged warriors from the Ruby Mountain Sprint Car Series.
The start of their feature was slightly delayed as Keith Mikaelsen’s car needed a push start after stalling on track while another driver never even completed the parade lap before dropping out of the race.
Robert Cooney led the charge when the 12-car field took the green with Bob Cooney in hot pursuit. Behind them Jeff Macedo was charging his way toward the front.
Macedo’s run ended abruptly around the seventh lap when he clipped one of the tires marking the inside of a turn. After a short, wild ride onto the infield he came to a stop with broken front suspension.
Cooney suffered the same fate a few laps later and he too wound up on the infield.
Around the seventh lap Macedo’s race came to an end when he clipped one of the tires marking the inside of the turns and broke his front suspension. He stopped after a short but wild ride onto the infield.
Several laps later Robert Cooney, who had a big lead, did the same thing and also wound up on the infield with a broken front suspension.
On the restart Brandon Ternora was chasing Loren Cooney with Bob Cooney not far behind. Finally Ternora used the outside line to grab the lead and tore off to claim the victory followed by Loren and Bob Cooney with Dan Stevens in fourth.
“Macedo and especially Robert Cooney were real fast and I don’t think if they hadn’t wrecked I could have caught them,” Ternora said later. “Loren Cooney got the jump on me so I thought I’d take a chance on top because that’s the only chance I had and the car stuck as my brother set up the car up real good. I want to thank my family, crew and to dedicate this win to Robert and his family”
Zach Cail, one of the up and coming drivers swept the Sport Mod division when he scored a runaway victory on Saturday. His only hiccup of the weekend came when he spun during his heat race but he still managed to recover and still win.
“It was a pretty good weekend for us,” he said. “That heat race was pretty crazy as I spun out so I had to work for that one. The back straight was dry then it was super wet on top.”
When the Hobby Stock feature began there was a brief side-by-side duel between Jimmy Berhost and Cody Morris. Rounding Turn 2 Berhost had the advantage but not far behind was Roger Donahue.
Soon Donahue was challenging for the lead as he and Berhost swapped places a few times. Then, using an outside move, Donahue took the top spot for good and streaked of the claim the victory.
Berhorst was the runner-up for the second time in as many days followed by Ray Quinn and Tony Taylor.
Back in the pits Donahue said, “It was excellent, the guys were battling; I was on the high side and saw they started rubbing a little bit so thought I’d just be patient as eventually they’d either bobble or take each other out and hand it to me. It worked out rather well and after that I was on cruise control”
Then he thanked his parents and sponsors R.L. Hyde Carpet Cleaning, CGR Tire, Napa Auto Part of Hawthorne and Rosemore Motor Supply in Hawthorne for their support.
Over the past couple of years the outlaw kart, inside the big oval, has sat unused. But this weekend these little winged racers, driving by youngsters were back.
Grason Ternora scored is first ever victory in the 250 class while Robert McBroome had a double winning in both the Beginner and Box Stock divisions.
• Friday’s races saw a large field of IMCA Modifieds take the green for their feature. This time Sample was on the outside pole and he used his front row starting position to good advantage.
Giving chase was Lovelock driver J.D. Jurad, who soon was running solo in second with Lee Bosch and Steve Evenson and the pack behind him. Up front, Sample was on cruise control.
However the leader’s advantage disappeared when a caution bunched the cars.
Two quick cautions a few laps later slowed the pace but each time Sample showed everyone his heels. However Jeff Elerick Jr. had moved up to third and after the final caution took over second.
In the final eight laps the chase was on with Sample tearing around the track while Lovelock driver Elerick was closing in and got a break when the leader slowed a bit as he caught slower traffic.
But in the end Sample scored the victory with Elerick not far behind while Wade Taylor, Bosch and Evenson took the next three spots.
During the post-race tech inspection Sample said, “It was pretty good and the draw definitely helps starting on the front row. That’s always a good plus and from the drop of the green we led every lap.”
Asked about his chances Elerick said, “We started 7th, made it up through there and thought we had a shot for the win. We were right with him and I had something for him then he moved up and took my line. I moved down but I wasn’t as fast around the bottom and I couldn’t get him.”
The Hobby Stock main seemed to belong to Jimmy Berhorst until the final turns. But during the last half of the race 15-year-old Cody Morris had been closing in and was applying the pressure.
Heading for the checkered Morris found a slight advantage as they dove into the third turn. He powered out and won the race by about a half car length.
Back in the pits the Fallon high school student said, “I keep getting cut off but I stuck my nose down there and left it. He got a little loose and I got past him, then I knew I had it.”
Then he thanked his uncle Larry Oliveria, Edgington Motors in Fallon, Airmotive and the Roundy family that helps him.
As on Saturday the Outlaw Karts supported the show. Robert McBroome won the Beginner main while Jacob Dias was the 250cc victor.
• Early Friday morning Johnathan Cooney, a recent high school graduate, died in a single car accident east of Lovelock as he was returning from work. His father Robert Cooney is one of the sprint car drivers that were slated race both Friday and Saturday.
That afternoon the Ruby Mountain Winged Sprint Car drivers opted out of Friday’s event. On Saturday they, and most of the other drivers did a tribute to the young man with Robert leading the cars parading behind both rescue trucks.
This reporter would like to add his condolences to the Cooneys, both personal and their extended racing family.
RESULTS
Lovelock Speedway – Frontier Days Races
Saturday, August 2
IMCA Modifieds:
Heat Winners – #1 Walter Ball, #2 Cory Sample, #3 Randy Artz, #4 Shawn LaRocque
Main (40-Laps*) – 1. Cory Sample, 2. Randy Artz, 3. Wade Taylor, 4. K.C. Kubichek, 5. Robert Mull
* – Due to many cautions race was cut to 25-Laps.
360 Sprint Cars:
Heat Winners – #1 Don Massie, #2 Robert Cooney
Main (25-Laps) – 1. Brandon Ternora, 2. Loren Cooney, 3. Bob Cooney, 4. Dan Stevens, 5. Mike O’Conner
Sport Mods:
Heat Winner – Zach Cail
Main (12-Laps) – 1. Zach Cail, 2. Butch Seals, 3. Skeeter Donaldson, 4. Shirley Reeves
Hobby Stocks:
Heat Winner – Roger Donahue
Main (15-Laps) – 1. Roger Donahue, 2. Jimmy Berhorst, 3. Ray Quinn, 4. Tony Taylor, 5. Rob Carey (dnf)
Outlaw Karts:
Beginner – 1. Roert McBroome, 2. Landon Tangreen, 3. Hayden Leach
Box Stock – 1. Roberdt McBroome, 2. J.T. Ternora
250cc – 1. Grasen Ternora, 2. Shansen Ternora, 3. Jacob Dias, 4. J.T. Ternora
• Friday, August 1
IMCA Modifieds:
Heat Winers – #1 Jeff Elerick Jr., 2. Cory Sample, 3. Steve Evenson, 4. Robert Miller
Main (25-Laps) – 1. Cory Sample, 2. Jeff Elerick Jr., 3. Wade Taylor, 4. Lee Bosch, 5. Steve Evenson
Sport Mods:
Heat Winner – Zach Cail
Main (12-Laps) – 1. Zach Cail, 2. Shirley Reeves
Hobby Stocks:
Heat Winner – Cody Morris
Main (12-Laps) – 1. Cody Morris, 2. Jimmy Berhorst, 3. Dan Edgington
Outlaw Karts:
Beginner – 1. Robert McBroome, 2. Landon Tangereen, 3. Hayden Leach
Box Stocks – No Main event
250cc – 1. Jacob Dias, 2. Shansen Ternora, 3.
