85 Speedway drivers unite after tragedy strikes

[Guest Firewater]

85 Speedway family honors fellow racer

 

The shadow of sadness that hovered overhead Saturday night at 85 Speedway in Ennis, Texas was overshadowed by prayers and generosity.

 

Colby Finch, driver of the No. 52x IMCA Modified, passed away Friday just one day after his 18th birthday. Finch suffered head injuries caused by a tragic accident while visiting relatives in Oklahoma Wednesday. The Finch family also lost four other members of their family.

 

Saturday evening started with a prayer for Finch's family and a tribute to this young man. In honor of Finch, his car remained parked in Victory Lane until it was time for Kyle Bell to drive it in remembrance of his best friend.

 

To assist Finch’s family with medical and funeral bills, drivers and friends passed helmets around the grandstands to collect donations. Many drivers also showed their appreciation for Finch by donating their winnings from the night. Over $1,200 was collected thanks to the generosity of the 85 Speedway racing family.

 

Several other metroplex racetracks and businesses collected donations over the weekend and the outpouring of help confirmed once again how close the racing family is. The entire racing community pulled together to offer assistance to Finch's family.

 

Just as Finch would have wanted, Saturday night’s race program went on.

 

The monthly Street Stock Dash for Cash, sponsored by Garry Curry of Circle C Racing, was the highlight of the evening. A battle for the lead brewed between No. 1W Walter Hamilton and No. 90 Brian Sartain. Hamilton's driving skills won him an extra $200 and more sponsor recognition for Clonch Race Cars and RCJ Motor Sports.

 

A similar battle took place during the Street Stock A-Main, but with a slightly different outcome than the Dash for Cash. Sartain took his fourth win of the season, Hamilton finished second, and No. 103 JC Howell finished third. No. 11 Jackie Hefti maintains the season lead with a 27 point lead over No. 3X Mike McCoy.

 

No. 1 Courtney Garrison took home her first A-Main win in the Jr. Mini Stock division after racing in only five regular races at 85 Speedway. In addition to having bragging rights for this win, this 15 year old proved her racing abilities when she beat the fathers of the Jr. Mini Stock drivers during a special Father’s Day race on June 18th. Thomas Lunsford drove the No. 11 in for second place Saturday and No. 28 Hunter Garrison finished third. Lunsford still holds onto his season lead by 34 points over No. 38k Matt Garrison.

 

Twister No. 32 Dalton Welch maintained his winning streak by holding off the pressure from No. 20G Sammy Garrett who finished second. Welch’s win makes four in a row and a total of six for the season. No. 77 Jacob Loosier finished third. No. 4 John Smith holds a 36 season point lead over Welch.

 

After seven races without a win, No. 77 David Woodcock celebrated his seventh A-Main win in the Cruiser division. Woodcock has had the most consistent top four finishes this season. No. 47 John Smith finished the race in second and No. 00 Jared Dixon finished third. The season lead still belongs to Smith with 25 points over No. 44 Anita Smith. No. 11$ Lucas Reed follows closely in third with only two points behind the No. 44.

 

No. 46 Johnny Lowey took home his first A-Main win of the season in the Bomber division after a bad night the previous Saturday. No. 45 Mike Marusak of Ennis finished second with No. 5c Clint Chambers finishing third. No. 7m Albert McCall Jr retains his season lead and Marusak jumped into second place after No. 74 Johnny Rivers was a no-show.

 

No. 1X Carver Mathis followed his second place finish the previous Saturday with a win last Saturday in the IMCA Southern Sportmod A-Main. Mathis’ win makes a total of four this season. No. 29X Jerry Boyd and No. 30 Albert McCall finished second and third, respectively. McCall leads in points and has a 30 point lead over Boyd.

 

Jack Sartain brought the No. 47 car out for a third time and won the IMCA Modified A-Main making it his first win. Sartain experienced problems the previous weekend, but he was on top of his game with this win. No. 03 Mike Hathcock finished second, keeping his second place season points standing and No. 777 Archie Whitt Jr finished the race in third. No. 401 of Jeff Long holds onto the season lead by only 16 points over Hathcock.

 

This Saturday’s intermission will feature bicycle races for the children and drivers have donated multiple bicycles to be given away. Children are encouraged to bring their bikes to participate in the races.

 

85 Speedway will be racing again on Saturday, August 6th at 8:30 pm. General admission is $10, senior citizens are $9, kids 6-12 are $5, and kids under 6 are free. 85 Speedway is located at 3118 FM 85 in Ennis, TX. Visit http://ennis85speedway.com/ or call 972-875-8500 for more information.

 

- Dave A. Vance

[rebelracewriter]

Great story Dave!!!