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Russ and Pat Densmore wave to the crowd prior to the start of the event. - Bob Cantine Photo
The Track Time Driving School brought their concession trailer along with the #42 Havoline Dodge to put on display. - Bob Cantine Photo
Mother Nature threatened to rain on Russ Densmore's parade, literally, as a thunderstorm
rolled through the Springport area, just as the last division on the docket to qualify, the MCR
Dwarfs, lined up in the make-ready shoot, at the Springport Motor Speedway, renamed Michigan
Ideal Speedway for this one special evening. Volunteers assisted in track drying efforts, and
the evening's festivities soldiered on. The man who built the speedway in his backyard,
Russ Densmore and his wife, Pat, were Grand Marshalls, making a parade lap following a color
guard ceremony. Vintage programs from 1990 were sold, and a video chronicling the inception
and building of SMS was shown in the souvenir stand. Maurice Randall is now the man behind the
scenes at Springport, with the simple philosophy of keeping Russ Densmore's dream alive.
Car counts continue to grow, as Maurice's unique rain policy insures that every attempt will
be made to race at Springport, while other tracks cancel shows early in the day. All
divisions, plus an autograph session, were able to run their entire events, with rain falling
at the close of the Bob Frahm CRC event.
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Under caution prior to a complete restart, Ron Heeney and Dan Lewis do a driver change between their two cars. - Bob Cantine Photo |
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Thirteen Sportsmans lined up for their 20-lap feature, with John Krygowski, of Jackson, and Jerry Schroll Jr., of Onondaga, on the front row. Schroll led lap one, as Mason's Mike Ammerman sliced his way up through the field, while Leslie's Ron Heeney followed suit, reeling Ammerman in by lap eight. Steve Oberst, of Okemos, Lansing's Dan Lewis, and Matt Kirchen, of Charlotte, all gave chase, with the lead duo running away from the field. Heeney took a couple of looks under Ammerman, but Ammerman was able to fend him off. At the line, it was Ammerman, Heeney, Oberst, Lewis, and Kirchen. Only four cars remained on the lead lap at the conclusion. Ammerman and Charlotte's Martin French won their heats.
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The front wheel drive Ford Taurus driven by Patrick McNamara shown here giving the rear wheel drive Monte Carlo of Rich Kinch a hard run. - Bob Cantine Photo |
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Eleven Pure Stocks timed in for their 15-lap feature, as this entry-level division continues to grow each week. Ian Schafer, of Lansing, and Patrick McNamara, of grass Lake, brought the field down to the green, with McNamara holding down the top spot. Jackson's Rich Kinch took the spot away then battled Spencer Drake, of Dimondale, for the honor. McNamara went to work on Kinch, sitting in the second spot. With McNamara running the high line through turns one and two, Kinch was able to outrun him. Williamston's Russ Potter IV jumped into the mix, making his way around McNamara as well. Caution on lap 11 closed up the field, but Drake was able to hold down the number one position after the restart. Kinch, Potter, McNamara, and Schafer rounded out the top five. McNamara and Spring Arbor's Jon Smith each scored heat wins for the evening.
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This was not a pretty sight as Ashley Passick spins her #007 Neon Pony Stock in front of the #11 Neon driven by Brent Marriott. Caution flies and we do a restart. - Bob Cantine Photo
Let's try it again! - Bob Cantine Photo |
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The Pony Stock division saw the passing of the torch, as John Conroy's Orange Crush was sold to Jerry LaFontaine, of Gregory. In keeping with the Conroy tradition, Charlotte's TJ Conroy extended his win streak, with LaFontaine coming home in second. Dennis O'Neil, of Eaton Rapids, held down the third spot, as Onondaga's Ashley Passick and Mason's Jacob Newman took the checker in fourth and fifth, respectively. Passick and Conroy were credited with heat wins.
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The MCR Dwarf pit area was bustling with activity - Bob Cantine Photo |
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The MCR Dwarfs made their first appearance of the 2007 season, with "Jumpin" Junior Gould taking the feature win over Eric Hoffman, Mike McManman Jr., Joe McManman, and Jeff Slayton. The Dwarfs are 5/8 replica cars that run motorcycle engines for a powerplant. The Jaxsports Dwarfs called SMS home a number of years ago, so it was a homecoming of sorts for these cars, and they do love the big 3/8-mile track.
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Six armed forces service men prepare to do battle. - Bob Cantine Photo |
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The Bob Frahm Community Racing Challenge featured branches of the military racing to honor fallen soldiers, Lance Corporal Brent Beeler, of Napoleon, and Lance Corporal Troy Nealey, of Eaton Rapids, both of whom served with Charlie Company, 124th Infantry in Iraq. Proceeds from the CRC went to funds to erect memorials in honor of these brave soldiers. Participants for the evening included USN AME Pat Moreland, of Jackson, USAF Sgt. Jason Bernstein, Jackson, USAF Sgt. Mike Blackburn, Jackson, USMC Sgt. Jermiah Skutt, Flint, US Army Sgt. Mike Doran, Spring Arbor, and USMC Corporal Tom Heimen, Jackson. Sgt. Mike Doran, US Army, brought home the win. The next installment of the Bob Frahm Community Racing Challenge, on June 9th, has Springport Area Faster Pastors scheduled to race, with a Volunteer Firefighters Challenge added for June 23rd. Please join us each and every Saturday night for racing action at the Springport Motor Speedway. The June 9th show will include a full racing program, Vintage Modifieds and the Faster Pastor CRC. June 16th brings the biggest event of the 2007 season, Racin' and Rockin' III. The event will include a full program, plus Super Late Models, Modifieds, Classic Car Cruise-In (in conjunction with Springport's 8-80 Days Festival), along with free food in the pits, awards ceremony, and music by the Basement Dawgs following the races. Racing begins one hour earlier, at 6:30 P.M. for Racin' and Rockin' III night only. Please check out the website at www.springportmotorspeedway.com for gate times, ticket prices, and schedules. As always, we'll see you at the races! |
(not yet ready)
Doug Miller wins heat race #1 for the Dwarfs. - Bob Cantine photo |
Heat #1
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 22 Doug Miller 2 19 Joe McManman 0.111 0.111 3 06 Dave Wylie 2.425 2.314 4 333 Brian Connon 5.672 3.247 5 7 Pat Bobek --1 Lap-- --1 Lap--
Mike McManman Jr enjoys his trip to the Engine Pro Winner's Circle in heat race #1. - Bob Cantine photo |
Heat #2
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 17 Mike McManman Jr 2 16 Mike McManman Sr 0.378 0.378 3 65 Junior Gould 0.559 0.181 4 97 Eric Hoffman 0.732 0.173 5 27 Jon Wylie 1.136 0.404 6 10 Nick Shanks 3.886 2.750 7 27 Terry Slayden 4.300 0.414 8 43 Brian Insley 5.349 1.049 9 78 Craig Myers 8.101 2.752
Junior Gould visits the Engine Pro Winner's Circle after capturing the MCR Dwarf Feature win. - Bob Cantine photo |
Feature
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 65 Junior Gould 2 97 Eric Hoffman 0.482 0.482 3 17 Mike McManman Jr 1.053 0.571 4 19 Joe McManman 1.640 0.587 5 5 Jeff Slayton 1.711 0.071 6 78 Craig Myers 5.465 3.754 7 10 Nick Shanks 6.557 1.092 8 06 Dave Wylie --1 Lap-- --1 Lap-- 9 7 Pat Bobek 0.710 0.710 10 12 Mike Arnott --2 Laps-- --1 Lap-- 11 16 Mike McManman Sr --10 Laps-- --8 Laps-- 12 22 Doug Miller 4.429 4.429 13 333 Brian Connon --11 Laps-- --1 Lap-- 14 43 Brian Insley --16 Laps-- --5 Laps--
Pos No. Name Best Tm Diff 2nd Best 1 70 Dan Lewis 16.732 -.--- 17.084 2 16 Mike Ammerman 16.935 0.203 17.085 3 00x Steve Oberst 17.037 0.305 17.182 4 36 Matt Kirchen 17.539 0.807 17.702 5 61 Chuck Ammerman 17.917 1.185 19.090 6 69 Al Williams 18.383 1.651 18.442 7 02 Martin French 18.559 1.827 18.881 8 2x4 Jerry Schroll Jr 18.591 1.859 19.153 9 76 Dennis Rockey 19.264 2.532 19.284 10 x Pete Shong Jr 19.471 2.739 20.225 11 7 Mike Darnell 20.310 3.578 20.819 12 15 John Krygowski 20.887 4.155 21.277 13 70 Ron Heeney -.--- -.--- -.---
Martin French leads a heavy pack of Sportsmans on his way to victory in heat race #1. - Bob Cantine photo |
Heat #1
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 02 Martin French 2 69 Al Williams 2.830 2.830 3 2x4 Jerry Schroll Jr 3.783 0.953 4 15 John Krygowski 11.888 8.105 5 7 Mike Darnell 12.201 0.313
Mike Ammerman makes the pass on the outside of Matt Kirchen as Ron Heeney begins to work on Kirchen. - Bob Cantine photo |
Heat #2
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 16 Mike Ammerman 2 70 Ron Heeney 2.576 2.576 3 00x Steve Oberst 2.735 0.159 4 36 Matt Kirchen 5.244 2.509 5 70. Dan Lewis 5.445 0.201 6 61 Chuck Ammerman 9.025 3.580 7 x Pete Shong Jr --3 Laps-- --3 Laps--
Mike Ammerman hasn't grown tired of these features wins yet. - Bob Cantine photo |
Feature
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 16 Mike Ammerman 2 70. Dan Lewis 0.356 0.356 3 00x Steve Oberst 9.854 9.498 4 70 Ron Heeney 18.561 8.707 5 36 Matt Kirchen --1 Lap-- --1 Lap-- 6 61 Chuck Ammerman 12.975 12.975 7 02 Martin French 13.655 0.680 8 69 Al Williams --2 Laps-- --1 Lap-- 9 2x4 Jerry Schroll Jr 2.539 2.539 10 15 John Krygowski 11.696 9.157 11 7 Mike Darnell --3 Laps-- --1 Lap-- 12 x Pete Shong Jr --15 Laps-- --12 Laps-- * penalized one lap
Pos No. Name Best Tm Diff 2nd Best 1 28 Spencer Drake 19.368 -.--- 19.530 RWD 2 51 Jon Smith 19.589 0.221 19.692 RWD 3 63 Rich Kinch 20.063 0.695 20.132 RWD 4 10 Russ Potter IV 20.183 0.815 20.211 FWD + 5 6 Patrick McNamara 20.796 1.428 20.892 FWD 6 30 Ian Shafer 20.900 1.532 20.926 RWD 7 83 Jeremy Lutz 21.425 2.057 22.442 RWD 8 25 Matt Patrick 21.776 2.408 22.240 RWD 9 103 Doug Drake 21.810 2.442 23.309 RWD 10 76 Craig Rockey -.--- -.--- -.--- RWD 11 99 CJ Ewing Jr -.--- -.--- -.--- RWD + Fast qualifier in FWD class
It was a close battle in heat race #1 for the Pure Stocks as Patrick McNamara edges out Russ Potter IV for the win. This was the debut of the new Ford Taurus for McNamara. - Bob Cantine photo |
Heat #1
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 6 Patrick McNamara FWD 2 10 Russ Potter IV 0.066 0.066 FWD 3 30 Ian Shafer 5.750 5.684 RWD + 4 25 Matt Patrick --1 Lap-- --1 Lap-- RWD 5 83 Jeremy Lutz --5 Laps-- --4 Laps-- RWD + Winner of RWD class
It was another close battle as #51 Jon Smith brings home the checkers ahead of Spencer Drake and CJ Ewing. - Bob Cantine photo |
Heat #2
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 51 Jon Smith RWD 2 28 Spencer Drake 0.213 0.213 RWD 3 99 CJ Ewing Jr --1 Lap-- --1 Lap-- RWD 4 63 Rich Kinch --3 Laps-- --2 Laps-- RWD
Spencer Drake picks up the class win for the rear wheel drives and the overall win in the Pure Stock division. - Bob Cantine photo |
Russ "Donk" Potter IV gets the front wheel drive class win in the Pure Stocks. - Bob Cantine photo |
Feature
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 28 Spencer Drake RWD 2 63 Rich Kinch 4.561 4.561 RWD 3 10 Russ Potter IV 8.587 4.026 FWD + 4 6 Patrick McNamara 10.567 1.980 FWD 5 30 Ian Shafer 11.617 1.050 RWD 6 51 John Smith 16.946 5.329 RWD 7 99 CJ Ewing Jr --1 Lap-- --1 Lap-- RWD 8 83 Jeremy Lutz --10 Laps-- --9 Laps-- RWD 9 25 Matt Patrick --11 Laps-- --1 Lap-- RWD + Winner of FWD class
Pos No. Name Best Tm Diff 2nd Best 1 17x Thomas Conroy 19.891 -.--- 20.190 2 99 Brent McCort 20.236 0.345 20.486 3 97 Jacob Newman 20.324 0.433 20.350 4 95 Dennis O'Neil 20.355 0.464 20.382 5 23 Jerry LaFontaine 20.364 0.473 20.642 6 007 Ashley Passick 20.368 0.477 20.544 7 90 Erich Weinman 20.563 0.672 20.749 8 94 Steve Wrenn 20.998 1.107 21.160 9 80 Bill McBride 21.451 1.560 21.648 10 48 Josh Sattler 22.315 2.424 22.738 11 11 Brent Marriott 22.413 2.522 23.064 12 3 Mark Mantyla -.--- -.--- -.--- 13 12 Tim Sorrow -.--- -.--- -.---
Ashley Passick picks up a hard fought victory in heat race #1 for the Pony Stocks. - Bob Cantine photo |
Heat #1
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 007 Ashley Passick 2 94 Steve Wrenn 7.616 7.616 3 80 Bill McBride 8.168 0.552 4 48 Josh Sattler 12.971 4.803 5 11 Brent Marriott 18.898 5.927 6 90 Erich Weinman --4 Laps-- --4 Laps--
TJ Conroy continues to win as he visits the Engine Pro Winner's circle after capturing heat race #2 for the Pony Stocks. - Bob Cantine photo |
Heat #2
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 17x Thomas Conroy 2 95 Dennis O'Neil 1.341 1.341 3 23 Jerry LaFontaine 1.686 0.345 4 99 Brent McCort 2.917 1.231 5 97 Jacob Newman 3.083 0.166 6 3 Mark Mantyla --3 Laps-- --3 Laps-- 7 12 Tim Sorrow --4 Laps-- --1 Lap--
TJ "Hard to Stop" Conroy wins another feature. - Bob Cantine photo |
Feature
Pos No. Name Diff Gap 1 17x Thomas Conroy 2 23 Jerry LaFontaine 1.008 1.008 3 95 Dennis O'Neil 1.509 0.501 4 007 Ashley Passick 5.055 3.546 5 97 Jacob Newman 5.467 0.412 6 3 Mark Mantyla 8.763 3.296 7 94 Steve Wrenn 9.605 0.842 8 80 Bill McBride 11.258 1.653 9 99 Brent McCort --12 Laps-- --12 Laps-- 10 11 Brent Marriott --15 Laps-- --3 Laps--