I-37 Raceway’s “Thousand Dollar Shootout” to end season on a high note this weekend
November 5, 2009
The final night of championship racing at I-37 Raceway featured a full moon, the second largest crowd of the season (which sang the national anthem after the CD had a glitch), and a hard but clean night of racing that made everyone hungry for more next season.
There is one more event left on the schedule, though, and it’s a big one: the second annual Hill Country Satellite “Thousand Buck Shootout” on Friday and Saturday, November 6-7, 2009. This will be the final race until the 2010 season kicks off in mid-March, and each class will have its own sponsor and the newest class, the already popular with fans and drivers front drive “Front Runner” class, will run two races, a normal race on Friday and an enduro on Saturday that is attracting cars from all over south Texas. The Front Runners will be racing in the “Tator Plumbing Front Runner” feature, backed by the San Antonio company.
Boerne’s Robert Barker, winner of the last Texas Super Racing Series race on the asphalt at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, will try dirt racing for the first time, jumping into fellow Boerne resident (and I-37 Race Director) Eric Knudtson’s Chevrolet Camaro to run the “BPTI Street Stock” race. For the fans, the night’s excitement will include a drawing for a new flat screen television set.
Kerrville’s Moe VanKirk started last season a little late but still managed to win the title. This year he blew away the field and won more than two-thirds of the Limited Late Model races despite having to start nearly every race from the back as the points leader. With no points on the line at the “Shootout,” just money, the Limited Lates will likely let it all hang out in the “C-D Electric Limited Late Model” feature.
San Antonio’s Mark McGahey worked speed and consistency into a formula good enough to win his first IMCA Southern Sports Modified championship at I-37 Raceway. The “Sports Mods” will run the “Manning Safety Services Sports Modified” feature, backed by the suppliers of oil-field safety equipment, and the big Modifieds will be back for the “3-D Landscaping Modified” feature.
The Street Stocks saw a season-long battle among four drivers who should (and probably will) move up in class next year. Though last year’s rookie of the year Wade Jones of Jourdanton had the title locked up early, he also had Floresville’s A. J. Wernette and San Antonio driver Tommy Casey on his tail every week and all year.
They’ll be racing for “BPTI Street Stock” purse with no worries about fixing the car before next season, but they will be dealing with an experienced and high-profile “rookie” in Robert Barker, a former winner at San Antonio Speedway, Thunderhill Raceway and Houston Motorsports Park.. This one is likely to get interesting in a hurry.
The Pure Stock class was a battle among several drivers including former track and class champion Janel Hilla, former track photographer Marc Roy, Sean Terry (forced to miss several races due to his work on an oil rig) and rookie William “Heat” Saunders. It came down to the last night, with Hilla winning her heat race to close to within three points of Roy as they started the feature.
Roy had problems of his own, and was forced to use a car borrowed from his teammate Lynn Hardy for the final two races following damage to his car, while Mike Brown, who hadn’t won a race all year, came through to win on the last night. Roy flashed across the line just behind him with Hilla on his tail, but Roy had the Pure Stock title. Still, Hilla has finished first, third and second in the last three championships and will be back next season.
They’ll be running in the “Douglass Glass Pure Stock” feature, with Dennis “Loco Ocho” Jasik of Douglass Glass probably out there in his number 8 Pure Stock trying to keep some of the money in the company.
Cars are expected from Austin, Houston, Goliad and perhaps Killeen with added cash on the line, Overall title sponsor Hill Country Satellite handles everything from Direct TV to security systems and even supplies racing radios.
Racing will start on Friday at 7:30 pm and on Saturday at 7:00 pm. The full schedule for the special Friday-Saturday event will be posted in advance on the I-37 Raceway web site. (www.i37raceway.com) or call (210) 478-0111.
by TQ Jones
Kerrville’s Greg Dinsmore dominates I-37 Raceway Opening Night with a big Outlaw Modified win
March 21, 2009
Outlaw Modified driver Greg Dinsmore dominated the racing action Saturday at I-37 Raceway’s opening night. The Kerrville dirt track ace had it all his way as he made a shambles of both his heat race and the 15-lap Modified feature at the Pleasanton, Texas, quarter-mile.
Despite the cool temperatures, a good crowd was on hand to enjoy the many improvements to the facility that were made during the off season and watch five action-packed feature events.
Dale Flanagan and Greg Dinsmore started up on the front row of the Modified feature with Johnny Torres and Jeffrey Nix in row two. There was, however, a tense moment in the Dinsmore camp before the race was even under way as sparks were visible coming from under Dismore’s new Modified during the warm up laps.
As the green flag waved Dinsmore screamed into turn one, got the car completely sideways, lifted the left front tire off the track as he got back on the throttle and shot down the back straight already several car lengths in front of Flanagan.
After that it was simply a question of who would finish second. And the battle for second turned out to be the show.
Torres quickly went to work on Flanagan while Flanagan went to work trying to figure out a way to hold off the determined youngster. The pair went side-by-side for a lap or two, but Torres wisely didn’t force the issue and settled back into third, waiting for the right moment to make his move. Sure enough, a couple of laps later Torres made a clean pass just before Chris Swenson caught up with the duo.
Meanwhile, Dinsmore was nowhere in sight with almost a half-lap lead over Torres.
After several laps, Swenson finally found a way around Flanagan to claim third and took off in pursuit of Torres, but the laps ran out before he could catch him.
Dinsmore, who never even remotely challenged, won by half a lap over Torres, Swenson, Flanagan, Jeff Nix and Arlan Schult. Dinsmore also won his heat race convincingly.
Unofficial Outlaw Modified results
1. 8g Greg Dinsmore
2. 66 Johnny Torres
3. 48 Chris Swenson
4. 57 Dale Flanagan
5. 85 Jeff Nix
6. 19 Arlan Schult
7. c31 Marlin Samford - DNSM
Chris Swenson had much better luck in the IMCA SportMod feature, though, proving once again that experience is hard to beat on the dirt as he worked his way up through an 11-car field to take a well-deserved win.
Teammates Mark McGahey and Doug Livingston set the early pace with Pat Lyon and Chris Rye not far behind battling for third.
After a brief caution period for a spin, Swenson had worked his way up to fourth and started to work on Rye for third. It only took two laps for Swenson to figure out a safe way by Rye and he set sail for the two leaders, who were still bumper to bumper.
Swenson squeezed by Livingston at the halfway point and five laps later had McGahey in his mirror. Swenson then cruised off leaving McGahey and Livingston to resume their race-long battle, but this time for second place.
At the finish it was Swenson, McGahey with Livingston glued to his bumper, Kris Rye a distant third, and Patrick Lyon.
Doug Livingston and Kris Rye won the SportMod heat races.
Unofficial IMCA Southern SportMod results
1. 48 Chris Swenson
2. 88 Mark McGahey
3. 89 Doug Livingston
4. 4$ Kris Rye
5. 60 Patrick Lyon
6. 2x Dennis Hilla
7. 11 Chris McLendon
8. 09 David Routon Jr.
9. 4r Unk
10. 771 Wesley
11. 18 Larry Jerryman
In the Street Stock 15-lap feature Justin Henley came from deep in the 13-car field to notch his first victory of the new season.
For a while it looked like Tommy Casey would take the win, but as the laps wound down Casey and A.J Wernette, who ran a strong race to celebrate his seventeenth birthday, were both passed by a surging Henley on the 12th circuit.
Two laps later the group dicing for second place got into a free-for-all in turns three and four and suddenly Wernette was sitting in the infield as Henley motored off to take the win.
Casey, Chico Cox, who had started on the pole, Wes Werts, who had started beside Cox, and Wade Jones rounded out the top five.
In the first Street Stock heat race Chris Brock made the highlight footage as he went flying – literally - out of the park in turn three and completed a four-point landing safely in the pit area.
Rene Mares and Wade Jones won the Street Stock heat races.
Unofficial Street Stock results
1. 99 Justin Henley
2. 42 Tommy Casey
3. 21 Chico Cox
4. 77 Wes Werts
5. 41 Wade Jones
6. 01 Bijah Fowler
7. 55 Cody Clark
8. 37 AJ Wernette
9. 68 William Johnson III
10. 33 Frederick Gierisch
11. 51Don Lewis
12. 08 Rene Mares
13. 88 Chris Brock
Moe VanKirk picked up right where he left off last season, taking a convincing win in the 15-lap Limited Late Model main event.
Howie Marcx and Richard Bartosh started on the front row and they raced side-by-side down the back straight. But Bartosh got two wheels up on the tire wall in turn 3-4 and almost became the second car to exit the track unexpectedly. Bartosh somehow managed to get down off the tires and back onto the track and continued to race, eventually finishing fourth.
But it was a VanKirk show once he got by Marcx in the early going.
Patrick Kelly had an excellent race, showing patience and skill as he found a way around Marcx at mid-race to eventually earn a second-place finish.
Meanwhile Bartosh, none the worse for his on-the-tire-wall adventure, worked his way back into fourth as the top four cars separated themselves from the rest of the eight-car field for the remainder of the race.
Kelly tried to make up ground on VanKirk as the laps clicked off, but without much success. At the checkered it was VanKirk, Kelly, Marcx and Bartosh, all separated by a car length or two.
Van Kirk and Patrick Kelly won their respective Limited Late Model heat races.
Unofficial Limited Late Model results
1. 58 Moe VanKirk
2. 84 Patrick Kelly
3. 13 Howie Marcx
4. 7 Richard Bartosh
5. 5-0 Jerry Neal
6. 14 Gary Hunter
7. 1x Andrew Hesler
8. 21 Chris Snocker
In easily the most entertaining race of the night, asphalt ace John Heil worked and bumped his way through the field to win the Pure Stock 20-lap main event.
Janel Hilla started on the front row of the 16-car field and led for the first six laps over Sonny Jones and Adam Torres, who gave her all she could handle until Jones scooted by to take the lead on lap six.
Mike Brown and Danny Kasprowicz weren’t far behind
Back in the pack Heil and another asphalt specialist, Mark Chrudimsky, were running wild as they picked off one car after another.
After a caution for a minor spin, it was Jones, Hilla, Torres, Brown and Kasprowicz the top five as the green flew.
Kasprowicz makes a gutsy, three-wide outside move going into turn one and came out of turn two in second place as Hilla,Torres and Brown were beating and banging below him.
But at the other end of the track, Kasprowicz got way wide allowing Mike Brown to take back second. As Kasprowicz tried to recover that spot, he exited turn four too near the wall and suddenly darted down across the bunched up field dicing for position behind the lead group. With nowhere to go, William Sanders and Mark Chrudimsky crashed hard with Kasprowicz and the threesome ended up trying to knock down the front straight wall.
By now Heil had worked his way up to fourth.
At the restart Heil got a huge jump on the outside and roared into second place behind Jones.
A lap later Hilla spun in turn four, but no caution was needed as she ended up in the infield. This moved Brandon Eure into fourth.
With five to go Heil got around Jones who seemed to slow a bit as the laps clicked off. Torres soon caught Jones as well and was about to complete a pass when he pulled into the infield with flames in the engine compartment.
On the restart it was Heil, Jones, Eure and a surprisingly-fast Marc Roy in fourth, Jake Kruger in fifth, William Cavender in sixth and Hilla back up to seventh. Heil jumped out first with the next few cars in line going three-wide into the first turn with Eure coming out of turn two in second with Roy on his bumper.
Eure, however, had nothing for Heil and at the finish it was Heil, Eure, Roy, Krueger, Cavender and Hilla.
Kasprowicz and Denis Jasik won the Pure Stock heat races.
Unofficial Pure Stock results
1. 30 John Heil
2. 4 Brandon Eure
3. 24 Marc Roy
4. 13 Jake Kruger
5. 15 William Cavender
6.7x Janel Hilla
7. 555 Sonny Jones
8. 9 Phillip Haywood
9. 8 Dennis Jasik
10. 66 Adam Torres
11. 39 Mark Chrudimsky
12. 01 Mike Brown
13. 74k Danny Kasprowicz
14. 98 William Souder
15. 79 George Long
16. 14 Mark Pivarnik
Les Bettis outclassed the five-car Front Runner field taking both the heat race and the 10-lap main event.
Bettis’only real challenger, Greg Mares, gave it all he had but ended up a couple of car-lengths short at the finish.
Unofficial Front Runner results
1. 57 Les Bettis
2. 14 Greg Mares
3. 8jr Alec Jasik
4. 35 James Sanford
5. 41 Amber Helton
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