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Mayea, Mott, Rash, And Evans Victorious At Willamette 2015 Season Opener

Mayea, Mott, Rash, And Evans Victorious At Willamette 2015 Season Opener
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Doc's Photos)
Willamette Speedway would get their first race of 2015 recorded in the books in front of large crowd with a sizable field of cars assembled for the Saturday April 18th event. Four classes were in action including the Super Dirt Late Models, Super Sports, Sportsman, and Street Stocks. Some great racing would take place all night long and it was a great way to bring in the new season.

The Super Dirt Late Model feature would have a few stoppages before the first lap would be complete but when it did Bend driver Thomas Hunziker would come out on top. Hunziker, originally from Seegräben, Switzerland, would be dominant, in his Spirit Fueled Racing/Gray's Racing Engines/AM-1 Roofing #38 Victory Circle, leading the opening half of the main event. Rob Mayea, also of Bend, would pass Hunziker for the lead around the midway point.

Once Mayea had secured the position he would put on a clinic and dominated the field. Mayea, driving the J&S Farms/Cornett Racing Engines #37 Rocket, would lap the majority of the competition, in fact by the time the race ended only four cars would remain on the lead lap. It would be successful opening to the season for Rob Mayea and crew as they begin their title defense.

Trevor Glaser of Tangent was second in his Mid Valley Farms/Bayer Crop Science/Farmland Tractor Supply #2 entry followed by the Driving Force Graphics/Tube Shark Portable Tube Benders/JimsFlagSales.com #46 Rocket of Darren Coffell from Bend in third. Thomas Hunziker would finish the evening in fourth and the Lebanon's Randy Boyd was fifth in the Newport Candy Shoppe/Doodle Bugs Ice Cream/Knothole Market #94 Victory Circle.

In Super Sport action Salem driver Chris Mott got out to the early race lead. Mott, in the Mott Family Racing #16 GRT, would have his hands full with the likes of Randy Barley, from Albany, and Salem's Gil Pickett trying to overtake him. It would turn into a terrific three car battle for the top spot but Chris Mott would hold on for the victory.

Gil Pickett was second in his Pickett's Custom Cabinets #82 Swartz followed by the Dennis Automotive & Tire/Snap On Tools #13B Rayburn of Randy Barley. Springfield's Tim Archer came home fourth in the Archer Floor Covering #18 Swartz while Vancouver, Washington native Jerry Casey was fifth in his Swan Island Sandblasting/Hanson Automotive Machine/James Gang Pizza #61 MasterSbilt.

In the Sportsman feature Dennis Archer of Halsey, in the Archer Floor Covering #39 Swartz, was the leader in the first half of the race. Unfortunately Archer would spin while leading which resulted in him giving up the position.

Inheriting the top spot would be the Royalty Homes #43 Avenger driven by Junction City veteran Sandy Sanders. Sanders would pace the field for most of the second half of the race until just three laps remained. With three to go Lebanon native Jeff Rash would got past Sanders and to the front to win the main event in the Wirth Wireless/Hackney Racing #1 Swartz for car owner Glen Hackney.

Sandy Sanders was a respectable second while in third would be the Marson Transport/Marson Transit #13 entry of Jeff Marson from Molalla. Newberg's Brian Winkler crossed the stripe in fourth in his Flatt Muffler/Doerfler Farms/Extreme Motorsports #88 Rayburn followed by the Jon Inskeep Racing Engines/Les Schwab Tires of Coos Bay #75 Dirt Works piloted by Dave Foote from Coos Bay.

Finally the Street Stocks would put on a good race when it was time for their main event. Molalla driver Shannon Horn would grab the early race lead in the Marson Transit/Marson Transport #13 Camaro. Leading the first five laps or so he would eventually be overtaken by Lebanon's Justin Evans.

Evans, in the Al Flora owned Albie's Medical Transport/Allied Medical Transport/Monty's Racing Repair #99 Cougar, would blaze the trail but had some fast company behind him including Kyle Yeack. Yeack, of Lebanon, would challenge on several occasions and even attempted to put his Cascade Outdoor Power Equipment/Laura Gillot at Keller Williams Reality #47 Cutlass past Evans but in the final couple of laps he would experience some mechanical issues which would take him out of the race. Justin Evans would stay in the lead the rest of the distance to capture the first Street Stock race of the season.

The Bullett Motorsports/Crocker's Cars/Bodies By Steve-O #K4 Camaro of J.J. Irvine, hailing from Lebanon, was the runner-up while Vancouver, Washington's Craig Loomis was third in his Buz's Equipment Trailers/City Sprint Delivery/Old Iron Classics #01 Camaro. Wes Sayre, also from Vancouver, Washington, managed to finish fourth, in the Sayre Racing and Customs/Black Flag Motorsports/Economy Auto Wrecking #16 Camaro, followed by Bill Allison of Dallas in fifth in the Tim's Automotive/Dick Kludt Trucking #28 machine.

This Friday, April 24th, Willamette Speedway will be hosting a Test N Tune practice from 4:00 PM to Dusk. Folks wanting to watch from the grandstands is FREE but Pit Passes are $15.00 each and the Car & Driver fee is $30.00.

On Saturday night the historical 1/3-mile clay oval will be back to racing. Classes in action will include the IMCA Modifieds, Super Sports, Sportsman, and Street Stocks. It should make for a great night of racing so be sure and make it out to the track this weekend.

Saturday the 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. Tickets for this event are Adults $14.00, Seniors/Military/Juniors (13-17) $10.00, Youths (Ages 12-6) $5.00, and Children under the age of 5 are FREE and a family pass will be offered for two Adults and up to four Youths for just $35.00. For more information log on to www.trophymotorsports.com and click “Track Info”.

Race Summary
Saturday April 18th, 2015
Willamette Speedway
Lebanon, Oregon
Super Late Models
A Feature: 1. 37-Rob Mayea; 2. 2-Trevor Glaser; 3. 46-Darren Coffell; 4. 38-Thomas Hunziker; 5. 94-Randy Boyd; 6. 29-Brian Cronk; 7. 15-Justin Duty; 8. U2-Bruce Hipple; 9. 51-Todd Sieg; 10. 13-Bricen James; 11. 13-John Duty; 12. 71-Bryan Norton; 13. 4E-Trent Elliott; 14. 44-Brian Thompson; 15. 77-Eric Luckman; 16. 70X-Mark Thompson

Super Sports
A Feature: 1. 16-Chris Mott; 2. 82-Gil Pickett; 3. 13B-Randy Barley; 4. 18-Tim Archer; 5. 61-Jerry Casey; 6. 33-Jordan Wright; 7. 10-Brian Brown; 8. 3-Steve Moore; 9. 74-Dan Dieble; 10. 0-Clyde Rood; 11. 99-Brian Smith; 12. 77-James Slover

Sportsman
A Feature: 1. 1-Jeff Rash; 2. 43-Sandy Sanders; 3. 13-Jeff Marson; 4. 88-Brian Winkler; 5. 75-Dave Foote; 6. 25-James Slover; 7. 39-Dennis Archer; 8. 2-Glen Hackney

Street Stocks
A Feature: 1. 99-Justin Evans; 2. K4-J.J. Irvine; 3. 01-Craig Loomis; 4. 16-Wes Sayre; 5. 28-Bill Allison; 6. T3-Talyn Roberts; 7. 19-Austin Bottcher; 8. 13-Jesse Yankeee; 9. 47-Kyle Yeack; 10. 13H-Shannon Horn; 11. 90-Ryan Emry; 12. 34-Mark Gaylord; 13. 14J-Steve Jorgenson; 14. 83-Doug Scott; 15. 11-John Bussell; 16. 4-Don Stroud

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