95A SPEEDWAY HAD A NIGHT OF HARD RACING AND A VERY CLOSE FINISH

Fernley (May 9) – Spring weather set the stage for some intense competition and one surprise winner in the closest race of the night. But once again the biggest field was for the IMCA Modifieds.

“The car was real good,” Robert Miller said after winning the IMCA feature. “I kind of did some experiments last week and my bother and Lyle Hopper said, ‘hey, let’s go back to what we know.'”

In what’s become a pre-race tradition, the field formed into a four-wide salute to the fans before getting in order for the green flag. On the start Joe Frock, who usually races a Dwarf Car, was on point with Bill Pearson and Cory Sample giving chase.

Around lap 7 there was a short caution after Russ Cazier spun. By now Jake Holland and Miller held the fourth and fifth spots.

 

By the time the field reached the first turn Miller was on the outside and jumped into second behind Frock. Then the battle for the lead became a three-way affair as Frock held off Pearson and Miller.

The next caution came after contact in Turn 3 spun Missy Natenstedt and send the car of Carl Barlow into the tire wall. His night was ended and she would make at least one pit stop to have her car checked.

Once again Frock was on point with Miller breathing down his neck with Holland running a close third. Behind them Pearson and Sample were dueling for fourth.

Around the halfway mark Miller took the lead as Frock began to fade handing second to Holland. From there the chase was on.

With two to go there was another caution and Miller’s advantage disappeared. On the green he took off with Holland in hot pursuit but at the end they finished in that order.

 

After a victory lap Miller said, with some emotion, “I just like to dedicate this to my mother-in-law, who passed away this week.”

Then after regaining his composure he thanked R&L Landscaping, Friesen Crate Motors and GRT cars. And he added a special thanks to the fans.

Then Holland, who was about three seconds behind Miller at the end said, “You know these two GRTs are almost identical cars. Robert just out did us on setup today and I didn’t really have anything for him as I kind of burned the right rear off getting up front.”

Then he thanked sponsors Granite Propane, Earl Motorsports, Lerry Shocks, Graphics Unlimited and Competition Carburetors.

Finishing third was early leader Frock, who said, “Have to thank Robert Miller, the only reason I’m in this car, the IMCA. Out car was really good at the first then the right rear just went away and slowly but surely started fading but it was good, it was fun. Fifty laps of racing was a lot for me.”

He also added special thanks to Ira Compton for letting him race the IMCA.

Fourth place Bill Pearson, who doesn’t use a crate motor, then said, “They’re tough to stay with an open motor on this slick track but I was trying. And I want to thank my dad and my mom, if it wasn’t for them I really couldn’t keep doing this.

When the Pro Stock feature began Darrick Rauscher and Rob Grace were side-by-side through the first couple of turns. Not far behind the leaders was B.J. Pearson, who turned 77 that week, and was driving his Nuclear Banana car.

 

But up front it was Rauscher holding off Grace until about the three quarter mark. That when contact sent Raushcer sliding down the front straight and onto the infield.

Then Grace and Gary Nevers tangled in Turn two. The officials sent Grace to the back of the pack for rough driving and put Nevers in the lead.

On the green Pearson briefly held the lead until Nevers took the point. Behind him Grace was boiling his way through the field.

After getting past Pearson, Grace set his sights on Nevers and a nose-to-tail duel ensued.

At the checkered flag Nevers beat Grace by inches for the closest finish of the night. Behind them Rauscher and Pearson came home third and fourth.

 

When the Street Stock main began Jake Baker and Rick Miller went into the first turn side-by-side. Miller would slide wide letting Dwight Bolton take second.

By the second lap, after a bit of side-by-side racing, Bolton took the lead while Miller’s motor let go in a huge cloud that ended his night.

 

After the clean up was completed the race was all Bolton as he left everyone in his dust. Baker had to settle for the runner-up spot ahead of Jimmy Berhorst.

At the awards ceremony Bolton said, “Started in the back and I was glad to see the two cars in the front go into Turn 1 a little hot at the start of the race. They slid up and I got a break and was able to get under them. The track was dry but right on the bottom of all four corners there was a lot of moisture, at least in our race.

“And right against the wall there was a lot of moisture there too, so that really helped. That was the line I found that seemed to work.”

Then he thanked his pit crew and Russ Cazier for tuning Bolton’s car, which seemed to perk it up.

Bobby Wilson took off when the Dwarf Car main began but behind him it only took one lap for Joe Frock to take second. After that the chase was on as both ripped around the oval.

 

A quick caution bunched up the cars and on the green Wilson and Frock took off with Rodney Sweet running a very close third.

Frock did finally take the lead but a spin put him back to second as scoring reverts to the last green flag lap. One more quick caution for a spin also kept the leaders close to each other.

On the next green Wilson took off with Frock glued to his back bumper. Then using another caution for a spin slowed their duel.

This time Frock chose to go up high and used an outside move to grab the point. Not it was Wilson’s time to chase the leader.

At the checkered Frock scored his second victory in three weeks while Wilson was a strong second ahead of Sweet and Glen Sciarani.

 

“Bobby (Wilson) was running really well, got by him once then lost it on a yellow I guess and had to go back,” Frock said later. “Then he’s blocking the inside so I decided a nice outside move around 3 and 4 to win that and it was a good race. Winning the Western States Regional then to follow it up with another win, I can’t complain, life is good.”

Then he thanked HRT Racing, Wild Island, Excel Sports, DRI, Diatte Racing Inovations and Ignition Motorsport Designs.

A spin after the green meant a restart for the Super Stock 4 feature. When racing began Justin McIlvain lead the charge with Justin Busch giving chase.

 

Lap after lap the leaders tore around the track until Busch finally got the lead and went on to claim the victory. McIlvain was second head of Dennis Crook, and Kenny Schmitt.

Unfortunately only two Pure Stocks were on hand and Rich Innis took off after their main began. Then both closed up and Trevor Quell got the lead.

 

After swapping the point a few time Innis finally took off and claimed another victory. This even thought his motor sounded like something was amiss.

Next time the track is in action more Pure Stocks are expected.

“The car count sucks but there’s a few cars coming out,” Innis said later. “We put a new carburetor on it and think it’s a little fat but we’re working on it.”

• Earlier in the day the Outlaw Karts raced. The compete in a separate track located outside the big oval.

Brent Rauscher and Casey Dias won their respective Beginner Dashes while Gauge Felzke won the main with Dias and Rauscher finishing second and third. Cole Reid swept all the Box Stock events with Robert McBroom taking second in the heat, dash and main.

Fernley 95A Speedway is dark next week but action returns Saturday, May 23.

OTHER RACING NEWS

• NASCAR spent the weekend at the speedway in Kansas but only one Nevada driver competed. And none were in Friday’s Camping World Truck event.

On Saturday evening Kurt Busch started eighth and finished eighth in the Sprint Cup event.

RESULTS

Fernley 95A Speedway – May 9

IMCA Modifieds:

+Heat 1: 1. Joe Frock, 2. Royce Goetz, 3. Robert Miller, 4. Darrell Hughes, 5. Steve Evenson, 6.Travis White

+ Heat 2: 1. Bill Pearson, 2. Jeff Olschowka, 3. Russell Rosario, 4. Shawn Natenstedt, 5. Carl Barlow, 6. Walter Ball, 7. Paris Archie

+Heat 3: 1. Cory Sample, 2. Jake Holland, 3. Keith Walsh, 4. Missy Ntenstedt, 5.Rocky Goetz, 6. Russ Cazier

+ Main (29-Laps) – 1. Robert Miller, 2. Jake Holland, 3. Joe Frock, 4. Bill Pearson, 5. Shawn Natenstedt, 6. Cory Sample, 7. Royce Goetz, 8. Travis White, 9. Walter Ball, 10. Russell Rosario, 11. Missy Natenstedt, 12.Vincent Evenson, 13. Rocky Goetz, 14. Paris Archie, 15. Keith Walsh, 16.      Jeff Olshowka, 17. Carl Barlow, 18. Russ Cazier, 19. Darrell Hughes

Pro Stock:

+ Heat: 1. Gary Nevers, 2. Rob Grace, 3. Darrick      Rauscher, 4. Malen Gonzalez 5. Malen Gonzalez, 6. David Rauscher

+ Main: 1. Gary Nevers, 2. Rob Grace, 3. B.J. Pearson, 4. Darrick Rauscher, 5. David Rauscher

Street Stock:

+Heat Race: 1. Rick Miller, 2. Dwight Bolton, 3. Jake Baker, 4. Jimmy Berhorst.

+ Main: (15-Laps): 1. Dwight Bolton, 2. Jake Baker, 3. Jimmy Berhorst, 4. Rick Miller

Dwarf Cars:

+ Heat 1: 1. Bobby Wilson, 2. Rodney Sweet, 3. Glen Sciarani, 4. Chris Knight

+ Heat 2: 1. Joe Frock, 2. Jeff Foster, 3. Chris Knight

+ Main (36-Laps) – 1. Joe Frock, 2. Bobby Wilson, 3. Rodney Sweet, 4. Glen Sciarani, 5. Jeff Foster, 6. Cameron Knight, 7. Chris Knight

Super Stock 4:

+ Heat Race 1: 1. Justin McIlvain, 2. Kenny Schmitt, 3. Steve Crook Jr., 4. Billy Gibson

+Heat Race 2: 1. Justin Busch, 2. Dennis Crook, 3. Stephen Crook, 4. Kenny Martin

+ Main (24-Laps): 1. Justin Busch, 2. Justin McIlvain, 3. Dennis Crook, 4. Kenny Schmitt, 5. Billy Gibson, 6. Kenny Martin, 7. Steve Crook St., 8. Stephen Crook

Pure Stock:

+Heat Race: 1. Rich Innis, 2. Trevor Quell

+ Main (10-Laps) – 1. Rich Innis, 2. Trevor Quell

OUTLAW KARTS:

Beginners:

+ Heat #1: 1. Brent Rauscher, 2. Guage Felzke, 3. Casey Dias, 4. Ashley Dias

+Heat #2: 1. Carson Foster, 2. Temperance Sherman, 3. Heath Davis

+Dash #1: 1. Brent Rauscher, 2. Guage Felzke, 3. Carson Foster, 4. Temperance Sherman

+Dash #2: 1. Casey Dias, 2. Ashley Dias, 3. Heath Davis, 4. Ainsleigh Evenson, 5. Mallory Evenson

+Main: 1. Guage Felzke, 2. Casey Dias, 3. Brent Rauscher, 4. Ashley Dias, 5. Ainsleigh Evenson, 6. Carson Foster, 7. Temperance Sherman, 8. Mallory Evenson, 9. Heath Davis

Box Stock:

+ Heat: Cole Reid, 2. Robert McBroom, 3. Landon Tangreen

+ Dash: 1. Cole Reid, 2. Robert McBroom, 3. Landon Tangreen

+Main: 1. Cole Reid, 2. Robert McBroom, 3. Landon Tangreen

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