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Eric Baldaccini bags ASCS Lone Star Region sprint car feature at Boyd Raceway

Baldaccini Bags ASCS Lone Star Win at Boyd

Lonnie Wheatley, BOYD, Texas (June 26, 2009) – Eric Baldaccini became the sixth different winner in as many American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Region events by topping Friday night’s 25-lap feature at Boyd Raceway.

The 21-year-old overtook early pace setter Robert Sellers en route to capturing his second triumph of the year aboard Harry Baldaccini’s Smiley’s Racing Products No. 4 Maxim after posting his first career ASCS victory in Gulf South action just six weeks earlier.

Taking the point before a lap 18 red flag for Kolt Walker’s tip over, Baldaccini took the checkered flag in front of current ASCS Lone Star point leader Kevin Ramey, who took the runner-up slot away from Sellers in the final handful of circuits.

Sellers settled for the show position, with Matt Clevenger and Tennessee’s Don Young rounding out the top five. Billy Melton was sixth, with J.P. Bailey in seventh. Brian McClelland picked up Hard Charger honors by racing from 17th to eighth, with Michael Lang and Scott Reneau completing the top ten.

Two-time ASCS Gulf South champion Brandon Berryman, Melton, Brad Welborn and Sellers topped heat race action for the 28-car field, with McClelland winning the “B” Main.

ASCS Lone Star Region Results from Boyd Raceway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 31-Brandon Berryman, 2. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 3. 14-Michael Lang, 4. 20-Chad Wilson, 5. 40-Junior Jenkins, 6. 26-Dalton Steed, 7. 5m-Glenn Martin.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 87x-Billy Melton, 2. 74e-Claud Estes, 3. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 4. 11-Justin Melton, 5. 87-Brian McClelland, 6. 33-Kris Miller, 7. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 17w-Brad Welborn, 2. 65-Skip Wilson, 3. 45k-Kolt Walker, 4. 1r-Scott Reneau, 5. 76-John Ricketts, 6. 45x-Martin Edwards, 7. 10-George White.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 25-Robert Sellers, 2. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 3. 75-Don Young, 4. 45-J.P. Bailey, 5. 14b-Robert Byrom, 6. 9-Brian Parker, 7. 69-Larry Howery.

“B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 87-Brian McClelland, 2. 1r-Scott Reneau, 3. 11-Justin Melton, 4. 45x-Martin Edwards, 5. 10-George White, 6. 33-Kris Miller, 7. 76-John Ricketts, 8. 26-Dalton Steed, 9. 5m-Glenn Martin, 10. 69-Larry Howery, 11. 9-Brian Parker, 12. 17-Bruce Griffith, Jr.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 3. 25-Robert Sellers, 4. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 5. 75-Don Young, 6. 87x-Billy Melton, 7. 45-J.P. Bailey, 8. 87-Brian McClelland, 9. 14-Michael Lang, 10. 1r-Scott Reneau, 11. 11-Justin Melton, 12. 45k-Kolt Walker, 13. 20-Chad Wilson, 14. 31-Brandon Berryman, 15. 17w-Brad Welborn, 16. 65-Skip Wilson, 17. 45x-Martin Edwards, 18. 40-Junior Jenkins, 19. 74e-Claud Estes, 20. 14b-Robert Byrom.

ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kevin Ramey 844, 2. Brad Welborn 788, 3. Brian McClelland 786, 4. Matt Clevenger 762, 5. Kolt Walker 750, 6. Justin Melton 720, 7. Michael Lang 719, 8. J.P. Bailey 711, 9. Eric Baldaccini 698, 10. Claud Estes 697.

by Lonnie Wheatley
Photo by Tim Aylwin

ASCS Lone Star weekend double on tap at Boyd Raceway and Cowtown Speedway

The inaugural season of American Sprint Car Series Lone Star Regional competition continues with a pair of events in North Texas this weekend.

On Friday night, the series makes its lone stop of the year at Boyd Raceway in Boyd, TX. Then on Saturday night, the series moves on to Kennedale’s Cowtown Speedway for a $2,000 to win tilt.

Trying to add to a pair of past ASCS Sooner Region championships, Fort Worth’s Kevin Ramey is out to the early lead in the race for the inaugural ASCS Lone Star crown.

But his lead has been cut to just 30 points after suffering a “DNF” in the series most recent outing at Abilene Speedway on May 30.

Trying to close the gap on Ramey is Princeton, TX, shoe Brad Welborn, an ASCS Sooner Region feature winner at Cowtown last year.

Up to third in Lone Star points is Tulsa’s Brian McClelland, the two-time and defending Sooner Region champion. McClelland, who topped last year’s inaugural ASCS event at Boyd, comes off his first win of the season after topping the Sooner Region this past weekend in Springfield, MO.

Kermit, TX, native Kolt Walker and Flower Mound’s Matt Clevenger round out the current top five in ASCS Lone Star points, with the balance of the top ten including Justin Melton (Flower Mound), Michael Lang (Mesquite), Claud Estes (Godley), J.P. Bailey (Fort Worth) and John Ricketts (Burleson).

While McClelland has topped the lone previous ASCS event at Boyd, there have been nine different winners in the last nine ASCS Regional events atop the high-speed, high-banked Cowtown Speedway dirt oval. Ramey is the series most recent winner at Cowtown with his April 4 triumph.

Last year’s Cowtown ASCS winners included Travis Rilat, Gary Taylor, Brad Welborn, Kolt Walker, Gavin Punch and Brian Brown.

Friday’s action at Boyd Raceway is set to go green at 8:00 p.m., with Saturday’s Cowtown card firing off at 7:00 p.m.

The semi-banked, ¼-mile Boyd Raceway dirt oval is located in Boyd, TX, 2.5 miles south of SR 114 on FM 730, then 1.5 miles west on FM 2048. For more information, contact the track at 940-433-5587 or 817-304-2044.

The high-banked, ¼-mile Cowtown Speedway dirt oval is located in Kennedale, TX, just east of Fort Worth off I-20 Exit 442-A, then 1.7 miles southeast on Mansfield Highway, then 1.4 miles southwest on New Hope Road. For more information, contact the track at 817-478-9952.

The inaugural slate of ASCS Lone Star Region competition consists of 18 events at nine different tracks throughout North Texas in addition to one venture north of the Red River to Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway.

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Boyd Raceway:
5/16/08 – Brian McClelland (Sooner)

Past ASCS Regional Feature Winners at Cowtown Speedway:
4/4/09 – Kevin Ramey (Lone Star)
10/11/08 – Brian Brown (National vs. Sooner)
10/10/08 – Gavin Punch (National vs. Sooner)
8/23/08 – Kolt Walker (Gulf South)
7/26/08 – Brad Welborn (Sooner)
5/17/08 – Gary Taylor (Sooner)
4/5/08 – Travis Rilat (Sooner)
9/15/07 - Nick Smith (Sooner)
7/7/07 - Brian McClelland (Sooner)
4/14/07 - Kevin Ramey (Sooner)
9/23/06 - Travis Rilat (Sooner)
6/10/06 - Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sooner)
4/8/06 - Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sooner)
9/24/05 - Travis Rilat (Sooner)
6/25/05 - Jason Martin (National vs. Sooner)
4/9/05 - Sean McClelland (Sooner)
9/25/04 - Andy Shouse (Sooner)
5/29/04 - Kevin Ramey (Sooner)

The American Sprint Car Series, in its 18th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing events, brings the best of Sprint Car racing to nearly 100 different tracks throughout 25 states and Canada in 2009. Anchored by the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of a dozen different Regions throughout the nation.

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.

by Lonnie Wheatley

David Murray wins the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational Qualifier at Boyd Raceway

Four-time IMCA National Modified Champ David Murray made the trip down to Boyd Raceway from Oberlin, Kansas, well worth the effort by winning the IMCA Modified Fast Shafts All Star Invitational Qualifier Race this Friday at Boyd’s quarter-mile, semi-banked dirt oval.

Murray, winner of over 400 IMCA sanctioned A-Mains over his career, started the feature in the third row beside Tim Clonch with front-row starters Tommy Fain and Sam Cox and Chris Bragg and Chris Dawson in row two – a very formidable lineup.

Hot shoes Gabe Tucker, Jeff Emerson and Charlie Harmon started 11th, 12th and 13th respectively while Chris Elliott started in the 19th spot.

Fain jumped to an early lead as Murray roared to the top of the track to pick off both Bragg and Cox.

Murray then set his sights on Dawson and Fain, but the steering in Dillon Smith’s ride broke and he slid to a stop in turn 3-4 in front of the charging field. Charlie Harmon and Greg Kruger stacked up beside Smith without much damage, but Michael McLaughlin couldn’t avoid the mayhem and ran across the front of Smith’s car, twisting the front clip way out of shape.

The race resumed with Fain, Dawson, Murray, Cox and Bragg the top 5.

As they took the green, Dawson dove under Fain in a challenge for the lead and pulled him by half a car length. They drag raced side-by-side down the front stretch with Fain battling back in turn 1 & 2. But Murray, in what some might say is his classic style, made the move of the night and by jumping to the high side and powered by both as the threesome tore down the backstretch.

After that, Murray was never seriously challenged by Fain, who finished second, but he had to survive two caution periods, one of which put Clonch out for the night with major damage to his car.

As the laps counted down, the on-track battle was for third among Cox, Bragg and Tucker with Tucker working his way past both Cox and Bragg in the late stages.

At the checkered flag it was Murray by half a straightaway over Fain, Tucker, Bragg and Cox.

IMCA Modifieds

1. 97m David Murray, Jr Oberlin, KS
2. 90 Tommy Fain Abilene, TX
3. 28 Gabe Tucker Carbon, TX
4. 24b Chris Bragg Springtown, TX
5. 3 Sam Cox Flower Mound, TX
6. 35 Jeff Emerson Hobbs, NM
7. 6 Varian Sisson Springtown, TX
8. 199 Charlie Harmon II Oak Point, TX
9. 7 Randy Martin Springtown, TX
10. 23 Chris Elliot Abilene, TX
11. 52 John Gober Poolville, TX
12. 316 Junior Styles Boyd, TX
13. 12 Toby Hubbard Weatherford, TX
14. 18 Daniel Wyatt Princeton, TX
15. 7x Chris Dawson Post, TX
16. 118 Tim Clonch Quinlain, TX
17. 7k Greg Kruger Pilot Point, TX
18. 715 Michael McLaughlin Aubrey, TX
19. 71m Chad Melton Springtown, TX
20. 3 Dillon Smith Waco, TX

In the Boyd Mini Stocks feature it didn’t take Eric Bragg long to get to the front from his sixth-place start and lead most of the race. He seemed to leave the rest of the field to race for second place until late in the action when Ruben Broussard showed up in second from his ninth-place start.

Broussard got inside Bragg with one lap to go and the pair battled over that top spot like a couple of cur dogs fighting for a t-Bone. The battle was intense as they came off turn four door- to-door headed for the checked. They separated going down the front stretch and opened the door for Zac Sydney to thread the needle between them and steal the win. Talk about edge of your seat action. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Broussard wound up in second with Bragg, Austin Gregg and Alex Hunt rounding out the top 5.

Mini Stocks

1. 2z Zac Sydney Farmersville, TX
2. 51 Ruben Broussard Paradise, TX
3. 24b Eric Bragg Springtown, TX
4. 1A Austin Gregg Granbury, TX
5. 5 Chris Hunt Ft. Worth, TX
6. 9 Ronnie Evans Springtown, TX
7. 13 Jeremy Rutenchroer Weatherford, TX
8. 157 Paul Simmons Weatherford, TX
9. 15 Mark Rutenschroer Weatherford, TX
10. 40 Shanna Ferrrell Haslet, TX
11. 87 Zac Raybourn Azle, TX
12. 73 Ronald Allison Dallas, TX
13. 49 John Holbrook Azle, TX
14. 50 Matt Lingo Springtown, TX
15. 5 Kris Lunsford Azle, TX
16. 146 Donnie Johnson Springtown, TX
17. 4 Jimmy Doremus Springtown, TX
18. 66 Rod Murphy Weatherford, TX

The IMCA Southern SportMods were up next with Matt Mueller starting outside of Don Owens on the front row for this one. Mueller took the early lead and hung on for several laps before Jeff “The Jet” Turner worked his way up from 11th to take the point.

Dean Abbey finished in second, several car lengths behind Turner. Abbeys’ brother, Steven Abbey came home in third in spite of being hindered, no doubt, by the front cowling on his car which was turned straight up after he ran up under Mueller when he broke on the backstretch. Fourth went to Ronnie Welborn and fifth was Brad Shirley.

IMCA SportMods

1. 44 Jeff Turner Kaufman, TX
2. 37x Dean Abbey Comanche, TX
3. 95 Steven Abbey Comanche, TX
4. 20 Ronnie Welborn Princeton, TX
5. 0 Brad Shirley Springtown, TX
6. 6c Caleb Stone Hobbs, NM
7. 16 Donald Owens Azle, TX
8. 99 Matt Winnett Colbert, OK
9. 77 Tyler Fain Tuscola, TX
10. ZZ Brandon Holbrooks Springtown, TX
11. 5 Chris Hunt Ft. Worth, TX
12. 10 Dustin Robinson Post, TX
13. 86 Paul Vines Prosper, TX
14. 99m Tyler McDaniel Edgewood, TX
15. 2c Chris Custard Flower Mound, TX
16. 12w Gary Fox Haslet, TX
17. 7 Chris Meyers Eunice, NM
18. 38 Matt Muller Stanford, TX
19. 07t Jarrod Thomas Ft. Worth, TX
20. 28 Gabe Tucker Carbon, TX

Cory Davis started on the pole of the IMCA Stock Car A-main with Doug Kennemer on his outside. Jeff Turner started third but it didn’t take too long to get to the front.

Most of this race there were 6 cars together at the front in an intense battle for the lead. Turner was in classic form after blowing a motor last week and kept the lead to win this one.

Doug Kennemer finished second after fending off a strong challenge from Duain Pritchett as the laps wound down. Cory Davis and Michael Childs round out the top five.

IMCA Stock Cars

1. 44t Jeff Turner Kaufman, TX
2. 1 Douglas Kennemer Boyd, TX
3. 22 Duain Pritchett Combine, TX
4. 28 Cory Davis Eunice, NM
5. 1 Michael Childs Weatherford, TX
6. 69 Krik Martin Aledo, TX
7. 4x Rowdy Holbert Cleburne, TX
8. 88 Jackie Dooly Weatherford, TX
9. 23 Robert Ferron Venus, TX
10. 31 Aaron Ferrell Haslet, TX

Boyd Raceway continues to WOW the fans by hosting some of the country’s best race teams! If you race at Boyd, you race not only with a host of the area’s Top Local Talent, but some of the Nation’s Best as well! With names like Turner, Pritchett, Bragg, Montgomery, Mueller, Tucker, Winnett, Abbey, Bissonnette, Coleman, Kinnaird and Sewell on the roster every week, you can be guaranteed of a Great Show!

Then you add into the mix names like Clonch, Emerson, Stone, Fain, Dawson, Smith, Cox, Mims…. OH! And did I mention Murray! Yes, David Murray Jr.… 4 time IMCA National Champ! Murray, winner of over 400 IMCA sanctioned A-Mains, made the trip down from Oberlin Kansas to mix it up with the local talent Boyd hosts on a regular basis.

He slipped in unannounced and surprised even local racing pal, Chris Bragg who has raced with him all over the country! The racers were certainly surprised to see him parked there next to the fence as they pulled in! That was the first clue that this night was going to be something to see!

This season, Boyd has seen some new regular faces in the pits, names like Jeff Emerson; Jeff has partnered with WH Stone of Hobbs New Mexico and formed Southwest Racing Specialties. SRS will build and market the Racing Chassis Jeff is known for as well as provide racing products to West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. In addition, Southwest Racing Specialties is the 2009 Title Sponsor for the IMCA Southern Sport Mods!

Dillon Smith, a name well known in this region, has made every Boyd race this season; Steven Abbey has joined brother Dean and is proving to be a force to be reckoned with! Chris Elliott is becoming a familiar face at Boyd and I hear tell his dad David will soon have a new Taylor Modified in their stable as well! Gabe Tucker has added a Hughes Modified to his arsenal and has been HOT right from the start! Dustin Mims, an IMCA Hobby Stock racer, he is second in Hobby Stock points now!

The point is this: Boyd Raceway is fast becoming the Friday Night Home to most of the region’s top IMCA talent! The reconfigured track consistently provides competitive racing that rivals any you will see at any track across America! David Murray Jr. remarked while at Boyd that “it was one of the best he had raced on! ”

By Neal Palmer and Nick Holt

Boyd Raceway hosts All Star Invitational Qualifier - Round 2 - this Friday

Friday night, April 3rd, Boyd Raceway will host the second $1,000 to Win Fast Shafts All Star Invitational Qualifier Race of the five they have scheduled for this season. Once again, IMCA Modified drivers who want to try and qualify for the chance to get voted into the Fast Shafts All Star Invitational Race coming up later this year during the IMCA Super Nationals at Boone will converge on the Bullring to give it their best shot! You can rest assured; the racing action will be hot!

Chris Bragg, a local driver from Springtown, added his name to the ballot with his win back on March 6th in a race that was a real barn burner. The action was hot from the drop of the green flag as the thundering horde swept thru the first set of turns and headed off down the backstretch. They were 5 wide coming into turn 3 and, well, that just didn’t work. Rick McDaniel got clipped in the melee and turned broadside of the roaring tide that swept him right into the middle of turn 3 before they got shut down!

Several tough contenders were taken out in that first lap mishap including Monte Bolton, Chris Simmel, Randy Martin and Charlie Harmon. I look for most of those guys to be back with their race face on and their minds made up to get the win they wanted back then!

But take a look at the drivers that finished in the top ten; Guys like Jeff Emerson, (who’s been HOT this season already in his Emerson Chassis!), Gabe Tucker, (he led the first part of this race in his new Hughes!), Rick McDaniel, (even after being pushed broadside down the backstretch in his Allen Chassis!), Chris Elliott, (the young phenom from Eastland in a new Jeff Taylor Modified!), Varian Sisson, (the cagey ole veteran), Michael Moore, (another fast Allen Chassis!), Darryl Campbell, ( WOW! And he did it in his Destroyer 2 link!), William Gould, (top local finisher at TMS earlier this year!), and Dillon Smith, (this boy has got his “groove on” this year!).

All I can say is you won’t want to miss the action at Boyd Raceway this Friday night as these talented drivers converge on the Bullring to take a shot at winning this race! Will you be there to see it for yourself? Or, will you be wishing you would have been!
www.boydraceway.net

by Neal Palmer

Chris Bragg wins “Fast Shafts All Star Invitational Qualifier” at Boyd Raceway

The Sunoco Season Opener for Boyd Raceway featured the first of five Fast Shaft All Star Invitational Qualifier races to be held at the track this season.

Thirty-four IMCA Modifieds were on hand to take their shot at qualifying for the ballot fans will use to vote in the field of drivers that will compete in this year’s race at the IMCA Super Nationals.

Lap one of the “Quest for the Best” saw the field of Modifieds screaming down the backstretch FIVE wide as they headed into Turn 3! As they neared the turn, the race turned into a full contact modified brawl for space that spun Rick McDaniel sideways and planted him squarely in front of the thundering horde, pushing him broadside clear into the middle of Turn 3! This melee put an end to the quest for four drivers, Randy Martin, Charlie Harmon, Chris Simmel and Monte Bolton.

Bragg survived the incident along with front starters Darryl Campbell, Gabe Tucker and Varian Sisson. The restart has Gabe Tucker starting on the pole with Campbell on his outside. Bragg restarts second row inside with Sisson on his right. Gabe gets the lead going into Turn 1 and puts Bragg behind him down the backstretch. Tucker stumbles just enough going into Turn four to give Bragg the chance he needs to get by him on the bottom and he takes the lead down the front stretch.

Bragg and Tucker break away from the field along with Jeff Emerson who runs in third. That leaves McDaniel, (yes, he survived the broadside slide!), Campbell, Chris Elliott, Greg Kruger and Michael Moore in a fierce battle for fourth. At the crossed flags, McDaniel clears the field and sits solidly in fourth as Elliott and Sisson do battle for fifth. Emerson, who has worked his way up to Tucker, is able to get under Tucker and take second. Bragg is starting to lap the field with a straightaway lead over Emerson as the laps start to wind down.

Bragg wins easily in the Cliff’s Goodyear, Braka Operating, Farris Racing Engines, RMR Ranch, Bilstein Shocks sponsored Allen Autosports IMCA Modified! Emerson, Tucker, McDaniel, Elliott, Sisson, Moore, Campbell, William Gould and Dillon Smith round out the top ten.

by Neal Palmer

Boyd Raceway “Sunoco Season Opener” featuring IMCA Modifieds set for March 6

Boyd Raceway’s “Sunoco Season Opener” will fire up on Friday, March 6, 2009. Headlining the event will be the first of five, yes five $1,000 to win Fast Shaft All Star Invitational Qualifying races for the IMCA Modifieds that Boyd will host this year!

Two drivers from each region will be chosen to compete in the All Star Invitational at the IMCA Super Nationals. Those two will only be chosen from the list of drivers that have won a Fast Shaft All Star Invitational Qualifying Race.

And did you get that? You will get five chances to do that at Boyd Raceway this season! Two drivers from the IMCA ButlerBuilt South Central Region are guaranteed a starting spot in that race! Will you be one of them? Boyd is the only track in the area to provide drivers the chance to qualify in five events throughout the year.

In addition, there will be no entry fee for this race! Teams will be required to register their cars, but that registration will be good for all five races as well as regular race nights.

Boyd is one of the few tracks in the area that uses transponders in an effort to provide the most accurate method available for scoring. Competitors will be required to either purchase or rent one in order to race.

The $1000 purse was made possible by sponsor participation and will only affect the payout for the winner of that race. Second place on down will be the regular weekly payout.

Track Promoter and IMCA ButlerBuilt South Central Region Director, Davey Plato, has reconfigured Boyd Raceway to a dirt track engineers specifications and it is expected to be even better than it was! Boyd already has the reputation of providing some of the best multi-groove racing in the area. The changes are designed to transfer the energy from the car to the track in such a way as to help prevent surface damage in the corners, allowing for a smoother entry and exit from the turns. Twenty some odd truck loads of fresh black clay have been added to the track in preparation for the 2009 racing season along with the addition of more track preparation equipment.

The Platos are working hard to make improvements to Boyd Raceway that will take it to the next level in 2009! Look for more info on special events as it becomes available!

For further information go to http://www.boydraceway.net/

Photos courtesy of Boyd Raceway

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