Trevor Glaser wins Strawberry Cup
by Ron Bennett
Sportsman, Super Sport and Outlaw
Dirt Late Models
Lebanon, Oregon June 5th.

105 entries filled the infield pit area at Willamette Speedway on Saturday night as the track hosted the 43rd running of the legendary Strawberry Cup races. The race marked the 39th time that Willamette Speedway has hosted the Strawberry Cup race, which began on the 5/8ths mile Lebanon Meadows Speedway in 1961.
When the checkered flag fell on the Outlaw feature Trevor Glaser had added his name to the long list of winners of the prestigious event. Bruce Hipple brought the 16 fastest cars and the two B-Main transfers down the green to start the feature race and led the first four laps before a red flag stopped the action as defending track champion Tory Swayngim and Butch Valdez crashed going in to turn one. Swayngim had made the event as the winner of the B-Main and along with Scott Byrum had started behind the 16 fastest cars in the fully reversed field. Both Swayngim and Valdez were uninjured but were done for the evening. Hipple led the remaining 16 cars down to the green with Linc Houfek hot on his heels. Houfek took the lead on lap 7 and led the next 8 laps before the high-flying Glaser took the lead on lap 19 and was never headed. Fast timer Rob Mayea had moved from 16th to 2nd as Glaser took the lead and was relentless as the pair lapped 10 of the 16 car restart field. 10th starting Bob Boyd finished 3rd after a race long battle with lapped traffic.
Super Sport driver Brad Tanner made his first 2004 appearance at Willamette an exciting one as he spun on lap 4 while leading the 15 lap Super Sport B-Main and went to the rear of the field for the lap 5 restart. Tanner came from the rear to grab the lead on lap 11 of the 15-lap event. Starting on the rear of the 15 car 20 lap A-Main, Tanner took over the second spot on lap 14 of the 20 lapper but couldn't catch the winning car of front row starter Glen Hackney. Unfortunately, as the first two finishers went thru the scales for the usual post-race inspection, Tanner's car was a few pounds light, the result of a hurried refueling between the A and B features. Bob Day and Randy Barley moved up to 2nd and 3rd place in the final results.
The bright yellow cars of David Cronk and Jim Sapp finished first and second in the 25 lap Sportsman main event as the pair of veteran drivers continued their battle for the 2004 Sportsman championship. Bill Tewalt made his first start of the year in the Bob Neill owned #48 and finished third.
Race #12 of the rain dampened 2004 season is scheduled for next Saturday night as all three divisions of Dirt Late Models return to the high-banked third mile oval. Time trials begin at 4 pm with racing at 6.30.
Sidebar notes: The honorary starter for the Strawberry Cup feature was local racing legend, Granville "Granny" Earp who finished 2nd behind Harold "Pappy" Greenwood in the first Strawberry Cup event in 1961 on the 5/8ths mile Lebanon Meadows horse racing track. Earp began racing in Lebanon in 1957 when he entered the first locally sanctioned race at the Meadows. At the time he was the track champion at the eastern Oregon track in Prineville. Earp is the only driver to win Strawberry Cup races in both the open-wheeled Modified coupes and later, in the Stock Cars at Willamette Speedway. On Friday night the track saluted the "open-wheelers" by scheduling the Northern Sprint Tour. Billy Nutter of Central Point won the NST event as Oregon drivers swept the podium with Marvin and Dale Smith finishing 2nd and 3rd in the NST feature. Early in their racing careers all three drivers had competed in Dirt Track Stock Car events at Willamette Speedway and at their home track in Cottage Grove.
On Saturday night the drivers, staff and fans at Willamette observed a moment of silence as they remembered the sacrifices of the families and friends of the 3 Oregon National Guard members who lost their lives in Iraq during the previous week. One of the soldiers killed was 23-year-old Sgt. Justin Eyerly, a relative of the Eyerly Racing family which has been involved in Oregon racing for over five decades. The family operates Eyerly Racing in Albany and supplies racing parts at Willamette Speedway.
Summary: Sportsman division - Fast Time: 16.361 - David Cronk-Portland.
Fast Four Trophy Dash - David Cronk.
1st Heat race: 1-Sue Futral-Sweet Home, 2-Mike Souther-Woodburn, 3-Jared Steward-Sweet Home.
2nd Heat race: 1-Taylor Dittman-Aumsville, 2-Harland Pope-Lebanon, 3-Joey Tanner-Portland.
3rd Heat race: 1-Jeff Marson-Molalla, 2-Rob Burchard-Albany, 3-Chris Mott-Salem.
4th Heat race: 1-Brad Hopkins-Albany, 2-Jody Tanner-Portland, 3-Bill Gibbs-Canby.
5th Heat race: 1-Bill Tewalt-Lebanon, 2-Gregg Shandy-Albany, 3-Glenn Blanton-Dallas.
6th Heat race: 1-Jim Sapp-Albany, 2-Gary Archer-Brownsville, 3-Mike Wolfe-Scotts Mills.
C-Main event: 1-Joey Tanner, 2-Taylor Dittman, 3-Christian Keeney-Sweet Home, 4-Harland Pope, 5-Steve Piefer-Lebanon, 6-David Bennett-Lebanon, 7-Sue Futral, 8-Mike Souther, 9-Chris Bishop-Lebanon, 10-Jared Steward, 11-Rick Hickman Jr.-Brownsville.
B-Main event: 1-Jeff Marson, 2-Bill Gibbs, 3-Keith Marson-Molalla, 4-Fred Lang-Dallas, 5-Rob Burchard, 6-Chris Mott, 7-Zac Hales-Scio, 8-Laurie Stevenson-Mill City, 9-Darryl Blanchard-Depoe Bay, 10-Justin Dittman-Turner, 11-Bob Deitrick-Portland, 12-Brad Hopkins, 13-Jody Tanner, 14-Billy Slover-Salem.
A-Main event: 1-David Cronk, 2-Jim Sapp, 3-Bill Tewalt, 4-David Perez-Lebanon, 5-Gregg Shandy, 6-Glenn Blanton, 7-Anthony Hopper-Lebanon, 8-Jason Sommer-Lebanon, 9-Brad Landers-Lebanon, 10-Gary Archer, 11-Mike Wolfe, 12-Erik Jarnport-Monmouth, 13-Isreal Melson-Albany, 14-Todd Cummings-Sweet Home.
Summary: Super Sport division: Fast time-15.794 - Mark Parker-Tangent.
Fast Four Trophy Dash: Ron Berry-Salem
1st Heat race: 1-Brad Tanner-Portland, 2-Michael Day-Salem, 3-George Fuller-Stayton.
2nd Heat race: 1-Tony Brakeall-Corvallis, 2-Billy Workman Jr.-Aurora, 3-Rob Hoefs-Newport.
3rd Heat race: 1-Glen Hackney-Lebanon, 2-Tom Pitts-Lebanon, 3-Bob Day-Lebanon.
4th Heat race: 1-Dean Archer-Brownsville, 2-Ron Burchard-Philomath, 3-Randy Boyd-Lebanon.
B-Main event: 1-Brad Tanner, 2-Rob Hoefs, 3-Michael Day, 4-Tony Breakall, 5-Billy Workman Jr., 6-Bill Payne, 7-Bill Story-Jefferson, 8-Jim Thompson-Salem, 9-George Fuller.
A-Main event: 1-Glen Hackney, 2-Bob Day, 3-Randy Barley-Albany, 4-Dennis Archer-Halsey, 5-Ron Burchard, 6-Dean Archer, 7-Tom Pitts, 8-Ron Berry, 9-Tony Seeley-Salem, 10-Don Piefer-Lebanon, 11-Randy Boyd, 12-Brad Tanner, 13-Bob Kingsberry-Lebanon, 14-Mark Parker, 15 Todd Shandy-Albany.
Summary: Outlaw division - Fast time-15.369 Rob Mayea-Bend.
Fast Four Trophy Dash: Lynn McDonald-Sweet Home.
1st Heat race: 1-Doug Mott-Salem, 2-John Ziegler-Lapine, 3-Toby Mohr-Redmond.
2nd Heat race: 1-Wayne Sturdevant-Springfield, 2-Jeff Diller-Albany, 3-Kevin Keeney-Sweet Home.
3rd Heat race: 1-Sandy Sanders-Eugene, 2-Scott Byrum-Lebanon, 3-Tom Conway-Albany.
4th Heat race: 1-Tory Swayngim-Lebanon, 2-Dan Kingsberry-Lebanon, 3-Frank Hazen-Bend.
5th Heat race: 1-Bruce Hipple-Salem, 2-Linc Houfek-Albany, 3-Bob Boyd-Albany.
6th Heat race: 1-Trevor Glaser-Tangent, 2-Russ Sell-Brownsville, 3-Rick Hazen-Redmond.
C-Main event: 1-Jeff Diller, 2-Kevin Keeney, 3-Wayne Sturdevant, 4-Jim Pearce-Brownsville, 5-JJ Irvine-Lebanon, 6-Greg Shellhorn-Eugene, 7-Doug Mott, 8-John Ziegler, 9-Jim Holdredge-Salem, 10-Toby Mohr.
B-Main event: 1-Tory Swayngim, 2-Scott Byrum, 3-Mark Carrell-Redmond, 4-Jack Marontate-Newberg, 5-Randy Boyd-Lebanon, 6-Dan Kingsberry, 7-Rob Campos-Redmond, 8-Frank Hazen, 9-Sandy Sanders, 10-Terry Bentley-Sweet Home, 11-Virgil Bradbury-Aumsville, 12-Tom Conway, 13-Glen Hackney, 14-Justin King-Brush Prairie, Wa.
A- Main event: 1-Trevor Glaser, 2-Rob Mayea, 3-Bob Boyd, 4-Bruce Hipple, 5-Steve Moore, 6-Russ Sell, 7-Scott Byrum, 8-Casey Vitale-Lebanon, 9-Brady Sell-Brownsville, 10-Mike DeSilva-Springfield, 11-Rick Hazen, 12-Frank Sossie-Albany, 13-Lynn McDonald, 14-Jayme Van-Portland, 15-Gary Smith-Lebanon, 16-Linc Houfek, 17-Tory Swayngim, 18-Butch Valdez.