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Willamette Speedway Gets In Night #2

Willamette Speedway Gets In Night #2
By Ben Deatherage
(Photos Courtesy of Doc's Photos)
The second race of the 2013 season is officially in the books at Willamette Speedway. After it was all said and done only one driver so far has won twice in two events this year. Classes that were in action on Saturday April 27th included the DIRTcar Super Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, Super Sports, Sportsman, and Street Stocks.

Tangent’s Trevor Glaser would show the way early in the DIRTcar Super Late Model feature in his Bayer Crop Science/Farmland Tractor Supply/Ground and Water #2 Trak-Star. When Glaser caught up with the tail end of the lead lap field Russ Sell would chase him down. Sell, of Brownsville in the 99.9 KRKT Cricket Country/South Pacific Auto Sales and Service Center/Left Coast Motorsports #50 Swartz, would cut down Glaser’s lead just before a caution would come out around the halfway mark.

When racing resumed Glaser would jettison himself back out in front of the field with a healthy margin over Sell. But again Sell would reel him back in but laps were running out fast for Sell to try and overtake Glaser. Glaser would hold on for his first win, and a clean sweep for that matter, of the 2013 campaign after finishing a respectable second in the first race of the year.

“Our car worked beautiful tonight,” said Glaser, “I think we’ve found something with this car. Now the key is to keep staying up front and finish well. It’s great that we’ve had such a good start to the season because the last couple of years the first few races in the beginning of the season haven’t went our way.”

Russ Sell would finish in second place followed by the Woodshed Bar & Grill/Phantom Race Gear/Xtreme Motorsports #111 X-Factor of Joey Tanner from Portland in third. The rest of the top five finishers were Justin Duty of Happy Valley in his Don Frank Flooring/Metro Services/Big Sky Landscaping #15 Rocket in fourth and crossing the line fifth was Bend’s Rob Mayea in the J&S Farms/Cornett Racing Engines #37 Victory Circle.

Earlier in the evening four heat races were ran and the winner were Trevor Glaser, Justin Duty, Joey Tanner, and the Left Coast Motorsports/South Pacific Auto Sales #4 Swartz of Salem’s Brady Sell. Glaser would be the victor in the trophy dash later on in the program after the heats. A consolation feature was ran with the top four finishers transferring to the main event and that race was won by John Campos of Keizer in his Harold’s Automotive #36 X-Factor.

Kyle Yeack of Crawfordsville returned to his winning ways by picking up the IMCA Modified feature. Yeack would lead in his Mountain View Woodworking #47 Pro from flag to flag after starting on the pole position. In dominant form it was a great way for the three-time track champ to get back to victory lane.

Craig Cassell of Albany was second in the Esterlee Motel/Mid-Valley Farms #25 Rocket followed by Dustin Dittman, also from Albany, in third piloting the Susan River Reality/Driving Force Graphics #7 Shaw. Vancouver, Washington chauffer Matt Mitchell was fourth in the A-Line Concrete Cutting/Shepherd Performance #15M Rayburn while behind him would be Lebanon’s Jeffrey Rivers in fifth driving the Scott Byram owned Western Metal Fabrication/Newport Candy Shoppe #45 Shaw. Earlier in the evening Kyle Yeack and the Williams Family Salsa/DNC Competition Engines #14 Dirt Works of Craig Moore from Seabeck, Washington were heat race winner while later on in the program Moore would win the trophy dash.

Legendary Bob Jeffrey of Albany made his return to victory lane after hunting down Tangent’s Dennis Archer in the Super Sport main event. Dennis Archer set the pace for about half of the race in his Archer Floor Covering #39 Swartz but would be eventually overtaken by Jeffrey. Once Jeffrey took the lead it was clean sailing for the Jeffrey Masonry/Pickett Custom Cabinets #82 Swartz and the second straight win for the team as Gil Pickett drove the very same car to victory the week befoe.

Dennis Archer would finish in the runner-up position while third place went to Sean Cronk of Portland in the Metro Services/Gassner Trucking #29 machine. The Woodworking Enterprises/Airport Steel #16 Rayburn of Salem’s Chris Mott was fourth followed by Brian Smith of Albany finishing in fifth. In heat race action the Dennis Automotive #13B Rayburn of Albany driver Randy Barley and Dennis Archer were heat race winners with Archer earning the victory in the trophy dash.

Cylde Rood of Lebanon in the Wirth Wireless #0 machine was victorious in Sportsman action to earn the win for car owner Glen Hackney. Rood decided to use the highline with around five laps to go to move from fifth to the lead. He would hunt down the #10 entry of Portland’s Brian Brown and beat him out at the finish line for the victory.

“Before the main event started I had planned on running up high,” said Clyde Rood in victory lane, “our car was fast and it’s great to get the win.”

Brian Brown would finish a respectable second with Newberg’s Brian Winkler in his Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe/Flatt Muffler #88 Rayburn in third. Brian Goetz from Lyons placed fourth in the Slayden Construction #38 Rayburn while the fifth place finisher would end up being Brad Gentry of Lafayette driving the Busy Bee Cleaning/Freeborn Motors #2G entry. Heat race winners were Brian Smith, pulling double duty, in the Wirth Wireless/Hackney Racing #2 car and Brian Winkler with Winkler going on to win the dash.

So far in 2013 David Cronk is the only multiple feature winner of this season. Cronk would win his second straight Street Stock feature, and second straight clean sweep, of the campaign in dominating fashion in his Metro Services/Dog Lover’s Gold/Gassner Trucking #29 Camaro. The seven-time champion like last week had the field covered and led the caution free feature from start to finish.

“It’s great that we’ve been able to clean sweep both weekends,” commented Cronk, “this is a great start to the season. I can’t thank enough Metro Services, Dog Lover’s Gold, Gassner Trucking, and Big Sky Landscaping for all their support.”

A great race for second took place with Albany’s Bricen James finishing in the runner-up spot in his James Gang Pizza/Lebanon Auto Body #13 Monte Carlo followed by the Western Metal Fabrication/Newport Candy Shoppe #01 Camaro of Lebanon driver Michael Byram in third. The balance of the top five consisted of Justin Evans, now living in Redmond, in fourth in the #17 machine and Lebanon’s Bud Kingsberry in fifth. Earning victories in heat race action were Michael Byram and David Cronk with Cronk going on to win the trophy dash.

Willamette Speedway will be back in action on Saturday May 4th for the third race of the year for Fighting Hunger Night. Classes that will compete will include DIRTcar Super Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks, and Mini Trucks. For more information log on to www.trophymotorsports.com or call the brand new Northwest Tracks Hotline at (360)-699-RACE.

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