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Tanner Scores Clair Cup Victory; Winebarger, Archer, And Winkler Also Visit Victory Lane

Tanner Scores Clair Cup Victory; Winebarger, Archer, And Winkler Also Visit Victory Lane
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Doc's Photos)
Willamette Speedway would complete the entire program of the second night of Clair Cup presented by Les Schwab Tires on Sunday May 25th. Another great bout was in store for all of the race fans that were in attendance at the historic 1/3-mile clay oval as the race was ran in memory of longtime owner/operator of Willamette Speedway Clair Arnold. Classes in action were the X-Factor Race Cars Super Late Models, Wirth Wireless IMCA Modifieds, Crocker’s Cars Super Sports, and the Albany & Eastern Railroad Sportsman.

Leading the entire distance and keeping all challengers in check was Portland’s Joey Tanner in the X-Factor Race Cars Super Late Models. After destroying a car just a week before Tanner managed to take full advantage of his front row starting position to finally conquer the Clair Cup after coming so close in 2011. It was the second victory of the season for the X-Factor Race Cars/Schram Brothers Excavating/Driving Force Graphics #111 X-Factor of Tanner and his first since the Season Opener on April 19th.

Ending the evening in second was the Northwest Family Chiropractic/Danette Pemberton with Saba/Northern Lights Theatre Pub #36 GRT of Keizer chauffer John Campos while third went to Collen Winebarger of Corbett driving his Discount Race Car Parts/Gordy Lee Photography/Frisbie Motorsports #SW MasterSbilt. The rest of the top five would consist of the Left Coast Motorsports/South Pacific Auto Sales and Service Center #50 Swartz of Brownsville native Russ Sell followed by Bend’s Rob Mayea in the J&S Farms/Cornett Racing Engines #37 Rocket. The driver that would pass the most cars would be awarded the Clair Arnold Memorial Hardcharger and the winner of that trophy would be Russ Sell who passed a total of twenty-two cars during the weekend.

In the Wirth Wireless IMCA Modified feature Vancouver, Washington pilot Matt Mitchell was quite dominant in the first half of the race in his A-Line Concrete Cutting/Shepard Performance/Van Raden Industries #15M Rayburn. But as the laps clicked away Collen Winebarger, in his Discount Race Car Parts/Gordy Lee Photography/Frisbie Motorsports #SW Shaw by Jeff Taylor, was on a mission after starting dead last and was able to make the pass for the lead. A couple of cautions occurred but it wasn't enough to slow Winebarger down as he would earn the win and become the fourth different winner of 2014 in the class.

Matt Mitchell was the runner-up finisher while crossing the line in third was the Ester Lee Motel of Lincoln City/Dr. Mary Harada Breast Cancer Specialist at Samaritan Health Services/Debra Herndon Family Nurse Practitioner #25 Rocket by Ruhlman of Craig Cassell from Albany. Fourth went to Albany’s Matthew Drager in his Drager Performance/GRT Race Cars/Hooligan Design #21A GRT followed by the Fastenal/Cascade Outdoor Power & Equipment/Radiator Supply House #47 Pro of Kyle Yeack from Lebanon.

In the caution filled Crocker’s Cars Super Sport feature Tim Archer of Springfield was the big winner. He would hold off all challengers that attempted to take the lead while maneuvering his Archer Floor Covering #18 Swartz around the 1/3-mile. It was Archer’s first win in the Crocker’s Cars Super Sports in his entire career.

Albany’s Bricen James in the James Gang Pizza/Lebanon Auto Body/Sign Express #13 MasterSbilt was a respectable second while third went to the Dennis Automotive and Tires/Charlie James Racing Graphics/Lebanon Auto Body #13B Rayburn of Randy Barley, and also from Albany, was third. The Crocker’s Cars/Left Coast Motorsports #44 Swartz of Brian Thompson from Sweet Home came home in fourth and Portland’s Sean Cronk was fifth in his Metro Services/Gassner Trucking/Big Sky Landscaping #29 Raider Z-4.

In the Albany & Eastern Railroad Sportsman action Brian Winkler was the dominant entry. Winkler, of Newberg, was very fast the night before and everything came together for him in night two. He would pick up the victory in his Fritz Cutting & Coring/Flatt Muffler & Custom Exhaust/Doerfler Farms/Zosel Sheds #88 Rayburn to become the fourth different feature winner in the class.

Brian Smith from Albany was in second in the Wirth Wireless/Hackney Racing #2 Swartz for car owner Glen Hackney while third was Lebanon’s James Slover was third in the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company #25 machine. The balance of the top five would consist of the Doran Racing #47 Monte Carlo of Kyle Yeack in fourth and Scio’s Anthony Bentley in fifth driving the Wirth Wireless/Crocker’s Cars #33 Jet.

Willamette Speedway returns to action on Saturday May 31st with the Wirth Wireless IMCA Modifieds, Crocker’s Cars Super Sports, Albany & Eastern Railroad Sportsman, 4-Cylinders, and W.R.S. 4-Cylinder Late Models on hand. Pit Gates will open at 1:00 PM, the Pit Meeting will take place at 2:30, Front Gates open at 3:30, and Racing starts at 6:00. For more information log on to www.trophymotorsports.com.

Race Summary:
Clair Cup presented by Les Schwab Tires
Sunday May 25th, 2014
Willamette Speedway
Lebanon, Oregon

X-Factor Race Cars Super Late Models
A Feature: 1. 111-Joey Tanner; 2. 36-John Campos; 3. SW-Collen Winebarger; 4. 50-Russ Sell; 5. 37-Rob Mayea; 6. 13-Casey Vitale; 7. 5-John Duty; 8. 29-Brian Cronk; 9. 46-Darren Coffell; 10. 24-Rick Wyatt; 11. 40-Brian Smith; 12. 38-Thomas Hunziker; 13. 113-Jimmy Schram; 14. 9-Rob Campos; 15. 18X-Mike Graham; 16. 09-Todd Shandy; 17. 20-Josh Sim; 18. 15-Justin Duty; 19. 57-Randy Boyd; 20. 10-Cory Hazen

Wirth Wireless IMCA Modifieds
A Feature: 1. SW-Collen Winebarger; 2. 15M-Matt Mitchell; 3. 25-Craig Cassell; 4. 21A-Matthew Drager; 5. 47-Kyle Yeack; 6. 49-Tom Yeack; 7. 84-Eric Ashley; 8. 10-Mike Gummus; 9. W6-Kelly Williamson; 10. 7-Dustin Dittman; 11. 18-Driver 18; 12. 74-Nick Bessette; 13. 28-Rick Sapp; 14. 33C-Craig Hanson; 15. 44-Austin Gorham

Crockers Cars Super Sports
A Feature: 1. 18-Tim Archer; 2. 13-Bricen James; 3. 13B-Randy Barley; 4. 44-Brian Thompson; 5. 29-Sean Cronk; 6. 22-Dave Miller; 7. 11-Larry Rametes; 8. 32-Curt Fry; 9. 5-Danny Altom; 10. 10-Brian Brown; 11. 61-Jerry Casey; 12. 16-Chris Mott; 13. 98-Gil Pickett Bob Jeffrey; 14. 39-Dennis Archer; 15. 07-Destiny Epps; 16. 17-Vahn Stone; 17. 32-Phil Housworth; 18. 6-Keeton Epps; 19. 77S-James Slover

Albany & Eastern Railroad Sportsman
A Feature: 1. 88-Brian Winkler; 2. 2-Brian Smith; 3. 25-James Slover; 4. 47-Kyle Yeack; 5. 33-Anthony Bentley; 6. 3-Steve Moore; 7. 36-Jody Tanner; 8. 49-James Whitehouse; 9. 1-Jeff Rash; 10. 0P-Briley Pompe; 11. 0-Clyde Rood

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