Plymouth Speedway’s 2015 Season Officially Opens

[rebelracewriter]

Plymouth Speedways 2015 Season Officially Opens

 

By: Anita Soltis

 

(Plymouth, IN) The new clay surface has proved to produce competitive racing as witnessed by the fans on the opening night of the 2015 season at the Playground of Power on Saturday night.

 

The first feature of the night was the WTCA Super Streets Division where a familiar car number started on the pole. Last seasons champion, Michael Clark, was on the point to start, but David Short was ready to pounce. Short quickly took the lead on the opening lap from the third position. Short kept his line in the middle groove of the racetrack. Clark tried to gain track position on lap 4 to try for the lead, but Shorts No. 15 was too strong. Short started lapping cars on lap 9 of the 20-lap feature. Clark stayed behind Short with Bob McLean in the third position. On the last lap of the race, something went amiss on Clarks No. 91 and had to pull off the racetrack. That allowed Roger Duszynski to slip into the third position for a podium finish. The checkered flag found Short with the win. Bob McLean crossed the line six seconds later, and Duszynski came in third.

 

We had a little trouble at the end of the heat race, but we worked on it until they were calling us up for the feature, smiled Short. Were grateful for the win.

 

The Dickies Restaurant 600 Open Sprints were next where the 2014 champion started from the pole. Billy Cribbs got a good jump on the field, but a quick caution for a spinning car reset the field for the restart. That didnt phase Cribbs as he got a good lead, but a caution was called again when B-Ray Kinzer and Nick Yoder got tangled up on the back stretch. Kinzer turned end-over-end in his No. 6K. The track crew ran to his aid, and a red flag was displayed. Both drivers were ok. Kinzers 600 Sprint was unable to continue. Yoder spun in the incident but was able to get back into line for another complete restart. Cribbs remained on point as the race resumed and started lapping cars by lap 7. Jason Montel held the second position while Yoder ran in the third spot. Montel was able to close the gap a bit on 13, but Cribbs kept the lead. Cribbs won the feature while Montel was second, and Yoder finished third.

 

What a great start to the season. Things were slow to start by they are coming together, said Cribbs.

 

The Walmart Thunder Stocks winner almost didnt get the top spot on the podium. John Rhoads started on the outside pole and took the lead after a four-wide battle coming out of turn 2. Pole-sitter Keith Crissinger settled into the second position but had competition from Jim Henson. On lap 11, Henson was able to make the pass for second, but a caution was calledshortly after he took the position. Due to the procedure, the lineup goes back to the order of the last completed lap when a caution is called. That put Henson back behind Crissinger for the restart. On the restart, Henson worked the top side of the track and quickly took second place from Crissinger. Henson set his sights on Rhoads and took the lead on lap 13. A caution for a car into the wall in the middle of one and two would set up a crucial restart. Henson led the field to the green flag. Rhoads kept the bottom of the track. After three laps, Henson got too high coming out of turn three on lap 16 which opened the door for Rhoads to resume the lead. Rhoads would finish the race a winner while Henson was second and Crissinger in third.

 

What a good race, Rhoads told Henson as they shook hands after the contest.

 

He was able to get around me on the top, so I switched lines. Luckily, we were able to get the win.

 

The No. 28 of Ben Leviner was pushed up the track by the No. 68 of Trenten Vogts, which brought out a caution on Lap 13. Leviner got out of his vehicle before the safety crew arrived, walked down on the track while the vehicles were still in operation under caution and threw his helmet at Vogts car. It is a rule at Plymouth Speedway that drivers are not to leave their cars while they are on the track unless it is on fire. The drivers helmet is also required to remain secured on the drivers head while on the racetrack. If that rule is broken, the driver is disqualified.

 

The Swan Lake Resorts UMP Modifieds had a couple of rough starts, but once the race got into full swing, it was competitive. Jamie Lomax put on a dominating performance for the first half of the race. Zeke McKenzie looked to the inside of Lomax on lap seven but couldnt clear Lomax for the spot. A caution for a car spinning in front of the leaders closed the gap between McKenzie and Lomax. McKenzie got a good restart and the No. 36 of Lomax and the No. 24 of McKenzie had been side-by-side for three laps before McKenzie got the lead on lap 13. Lomax fought back, and the pair were side-by-side again, but Lomax took back the spot on lap 17 after they fought on all of the racing surfacefor the position. McKenzie drove hard into turn three on the last lap for a last chance at the win, but Lomax was able to snag the first win of the season. McKenzie came in second and pole-sitter Frank Marshall was third.

 

That was good, clean racing, said Lomax. A car dumped water on the back stretch, so we were slipping and sliding, but we didnt come in contact with each other. That was fun.

 

The final race of the night featured a new class this year: the Bane-Welker Cyber Stocks. Kirby Trent started on the pole and led most of the feature, but PeeWee Warren had other ideas. He took the high groove around the race track and found himself in the lead halfway through the feature. Trents No. 111 started going backward as Loren Swanson soon passed him for the runner-up position. Swanson swung out too high out of turn two near the end of the race, and Trent was able to reclaim the position, and close the gap on the leader. Warren, who was running double-duty in a Cyber Stock and a Super Street, won the feature with Trent in second and Swanson in third.

 

Trent sure gave me a run for my money tonight. We got lucky, laughed Warren.

 

Join us next week for a regular night of five divisions of racing. The gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. ET.

 

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About Plymouth Speedway:

Plymouth Speedway features a three-eighths (0.375) mile banked dirt oval owned by Ed Kennedy. Five different classes of racing are featured: UMP Modifieds, Non-wing 600 Sprints, Thunder Stocks, Cyber Stocks and Super Streets. Regular season races are scheduled in the months of April through August on Saturday nights with several special events. For information, visit www.plymouthspeedway.net, follow Plymouth Speedways official Facebook page, @PlymouthSpeed on Twitter or email info@plymouthspeedway.net.