By: SMS correspondent, Michelle Sprague

    At the Springport Motor Speedway, there was a whole lot of racin’ going on, with some great food and rockin’ (courtesy of the Basement Dawgs) in the pits. The Valvoline Instant Oil Change Modified drivers won the Tug-of-War challenge, a friendly competition between each of the four classes.

   Qualifying began earlier than usual, with every driver offered the opportunity to stick with their first qualifying effort, or purchase two more laps in an attempt to better their time. The catch was that as soon as the extra laps were purchased, the first attempts were scratched and the better of the second attempt had to be used. A number of drivers took advantage of this and did indeed better their qualifying effort.

   First up were the Boss Snow Equipment Pony Stocks, with Edson Rowley III, of Jackson, taking the Australian Pursuit win. Scott Rogers of Haslett scored the heat win, with Rowley taking the feature win from dead last. Lansing’s Bill McBride led the first two laps, but Rowley charged to the front to take the lead away on lap three. Charlotte’s Todd Metz Sr. set sail in the high groove to sit in second, while Eaton Rapids’ JT Leach ran in third. McBride dropped back to fourth, with young Matt Vainner rounding out the top five at the finish.

   Next up were the Pure Stocks, with Spring Arbor’s Jonathan Smith taking the Australian Pursuit win, while Charlotte’s Pastor Randy Royston won the heat. East Side Invader, Chad Decker, of Kearsley (Flint-area), made a trip to the Corrigan Oil Winner’s Circle for his win in the rough and tumble 20-lap feature. Lap one was red flagged, when one car brushed the wall and glanced off coming back down into traffic. Cars were sent spinning with Jackson’s Jeremy Lutz sandwiched between the frontstretch wall and another car. Lutz’s car got on its side, sliding down the front stretch, while other cars piled into the mess. Lutz was fortunate, as his car came back down on all fours, coming to rest not far from Mason’s Joe Sharp’s recently purchased car. When the smoke cleared, part of the retaining wall had been knocked down. Spencer Drake, of Dimondale, wound up in the infield as a result of this altercation, clearing the way for Dansville’s Mark Carson to inherit the lead, but Decker made short work of him, taking the lead away on lap five. Carson settled into the second spot, with Smith on the move. As the checker flew, it was Decker, Carson, Concord’s Scot Bouth, Macomb Township’s Rob Grieser, and Smith. Decker won the RWD portion of the feature, while Grieser was the highest finishing FWD.

   The Performance Automotive NW Sportsman division saw Mason’s Scott Sigman take the Australian Pursuit win, with Bubber Patrick, of Stockbridge, scoring the heat win. Lansing’s Al Williams grabbed the lead when the green flag waved, but received a speeding ticket for running laps under his qualifying time, handing the lead to Parma’s Mike Putnam. The duo of Leslie’s Ron Heeney and East Lansing’s Jack Koone Jr. were on a rail, as they made their way to the front to run one and two, after a lap three caution. Heeney put some daylight between himself and Koone, but a caution closed the gap, while Okemos’ Steve Oberst and Sigman battled for position. Back in the pack, Leslie’s Nate Moon settled into fifth, while Dave Thorburn and Patrick fought tooth and nail for sixth. Heeney made the right turn into the pit with 10 laps to go, giving the lead over to Koone. Sigman got around Oberst for second, while Moon came home in fourth, with Patrick rounding out the top five.

   The Valvoline Instant Oil Change Modifieds saw Grand Blanc’s Roger Hunyady score the Australian Pursuit win, while Springport’s Dale Eglon won the four car four lap dash and Earl Miles, of Hanover, took the heat win. Lansing’s Chris Ozanich looked to be on the fast track to win the fifty-lap feature, until Vermontville’s Leroy Ellis derailed him 30 laps into the feature. Eaton Rapid’s Jason Parish made his way around Charlotte’s Bill Butler in the early laps, with Ellis running down both Parish and Ozanich to take the lead. Charlotte’s Perry Davenport held down the fifth spot, trying to find a way around fourth-place Butler. Parish ducked under Ozanich to take away the second position with one lap to go, while Ellis cruised to the win, his second of the weekend. When the checker fell, it was Ellis to the Corrigan Oil Winner’s Circle, followed by Parish, Ozanich, Butler, and Davenport.

   Please join us each and every Saturday night for exciting, family-friendly racing action. Saturday, August 2nd , will be Kid’s Night with a Free Bike Giveaway. An autograph session will allow fans to meet their favorite drivers. Featured divisions are the Valvoline Instant Oil Change Modifieds, Performance Automtive NW Sportsmans, Pure Stocks, and Boss Snow Equipment Pony Stocks. August 9th will be Ladies Night, with half off for all ladies, featuring regular divisions of racing. For more information, check out the Springport Speedway website at www.springportspeedway.com. As always, we’ll see you at the races!

Home - Terms of Use - Privacy Notice - Contact Us ©2002 - 2008 Springport Motor Speedway, Inc. Website proudly hosted by Chazlo Technologies - Mason, MI