Two First Career Feature Winners at Dixie (MI) Speedway

Two First Career Feature Winners Highlight Eastern Michigan Food Bank Night
at Dixie Motor Speedway.
By Matt Prieur / Chris Fobbe - Dixie Motor Speedway Presented by Draper Auto
Group

Birch Run, Michigan (Friday, July 23, 2010): Friday Night, July 23rd was
Eastern Michigan Food Bank Night at the Dixie Motor Speedway Presented by
Draper Auto Group as a strong field of cars in all divisions turned out for
a great night of racing in Birch Run, Michigan on a hot summer night.

All Six Divisions within the Weekly Local Racing Series were in action and
the big winners on this night were; Blake Childers - Speedway Grafix Pro
Late Models, Mike Luberda Sr. - O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Modifieds, Don
Riley - RacerChic.us Pro Stocks, Jake Caverly - RacingPartSales.com Street
Stocks, Kyle Maize - Birch Run / Bridgeport Herald Bombers, and Ray DerMiner
- Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s.


Up first on Eastern Michigan Food Bank Night at the Races was on the fast
4/10s (0.400) mile progressively banked d-shaped paved oval and it was the
30-lap Feature for the Speedway Grafix Pro Late Models as they were led to
Chief Starter, Todd Setterington's green flag by Three-Time Defending Track
Champion, Ed Doutre Jr., and 17-year-old Blake Childers.

Right off the bat, trouble ensued when the field bunched up forcing several
drivers to take evasive action. The end result saw Doutre Jr., Fast
Qualifier Mark Welch, and Current Rookie Points Leader, 17-year-old Jimmy
Novak amongst others, all suffering damage to their machines. All three
returned, but Novak and Welch eventually dropped out due to their damage and
Doutre Jr., returned but was several laps down.

On the ensuing restart, Childers moved over to the pole position with
Current Points Leader Tony Hoose along-side of the teenager and it would be
Childers beating Hoose to the first corner after several restarts, to take
the early advantage. Soon, 2004 Track Champion Jay Reinbold maneuvered his
way up to the second position and quickly chased down Childers.

Several more cautions plagued the event and on each double file restart,
Childers was able to fend off Reinbold and Hoose on each of those restarts.
When all was said and done, Childers, the 2008 Rookie of the Year would
fight off those challenges and the 17-year-old Flushing, Michigan driver in
his Motor City Builders Chevrolet would go on to win his first Feature since
his freshman year!

Reinbold settled for second with Hoose, Marty England, and Adam Rowe
finishing off the Top Five. 16-year-old Hanna Christensen, the 2009 Rookie
of the Year, finished a career high sixth as another 16-year-old Josh Hobson
was seventh. Todd Barlass was eighth as Julian Fluty and Chet Allen
completed the Top 10.

Earlier in the afternoon, Welch won his fourth Speedway Grafix Fast
Qualifier Award of the year with a lap measured at a 16.308 while Barlass
and Novak collected Heat Race wins.


The O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Modifieds were up next on the 4/10s mile as
their 30-lap Feature saw Donny Matteson Jr., and 2009 Rookie of the Year,
19-year-old John King bring the field down to the Citizens Bank of
Frankenmuth start / finish line and it would be Matteson Jr., beating King
to the first corner to grab the early lead.

Matteson Jr., set an early torrid pace while the rest of the field
maneuvered their way to Matteson Jr's back bumper. The one and only caution
of the race was a big one as on lap 13 two rookies got together as
16-year-old Kyle Feeney and 17-year-old Trevor Berry, the top two freshman
in the season long points chase, made hard contact with the turn four wall
with Berry hitting so hard that he bounced off the wall and came to rest at
the center of the intersection of the Figure 8s track!

Both drivers were ok, but were done for the night. On the restart, Veteran,
Mike Luberda Sr., edged Matteson Jr., coming out of turn two to take the
lead away and soon, Current Points Leader, Ken O'Connor also motored around
the pole-sitter to grab second and set his sights on Luberda Sr.

O'Connor tried every trick in his arsenal to get by the crafty veteran from
AuGres, Michigan but it was all to no avail as Luberda Sr., would go on to
score his second Feature Win of the 2010 racing season and would climb out
of his Luberda's Wood Products Chevrolet in the Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth
Winners Circle to a rousing ovation from the crowd!

O'Connor settled for second with Two-Time and Defending Track Champion Nick
Clemens finished third. Rick Wiecorek was fourth as Matteson Jr., completed
the Top Five. King fell back to sixth while Matt Severn, Feeney, Berry, and
Don Morse were the Top 10.

In Qualifying, O'Connor won his fourth O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Fast
Qualifier Award of the season as he turned in a 16.212 while Matteson Jr.,
won the lone Heat Race.


The final race of the night on the 4/10s mile was for the RacerChic.us Pro
Stocks as their 25-lap Feature rolled out and were led to the Citizens Bank
of Frankenmuth start / finish line by a pair of rookies in Barry Vance and
Jamie Jacobson and it would be Vance just edging out Jacobson heading into
the first turn to take the early lead while the rest of the field jockeyed
for position behind him.

It would only take Defending Track Champion and Current Points Leader, Don
Riley just four laps to get to Vance's back bumper from his outside the
third row starting spot and on the next lap, Riley, who had been held
winless at Dixie over the last three races, drove around Vance, originally
from Birch Run, Michigan but now calling Sarasota, Florida home, to take the
lead on lap five.

From their, Riley was simply gone while the rest of the field scrambled for
the remaining positions. Fast Qualifier and Winner of the last Three
RacerChic.us Pro Stocks Features, Jon Giffel finally worked himself into
second place, but Riley had nearly a half a track lead over Giffel and the
remainder of the field.

When all was said and done, Riley returned to his dominating ways in his
Stevens Cycle Sales Chevrolet and the Bay City, Michigan veteran would go on
to win his Fifth Feature of the 2010 racing season and Eighth Overall
between Dixie and Dixie's sister track to the Southwest, the Owosso
Speedway.

Giffel finished second while 2008 Track Champion Kevin Harder claimed the
last podium position in third. Current Rookie of the Year Points Leader,
19-year-old Tim Cummings was fourth as Gary Shank Jr., finished up the Top
Five. Jacobson fell back to sixth over another 19-year-old, Nicole Korbinski
as Buddy McGeathy, Rick Osborn Jr., and Vance were the Top 10.

Giffel scored his second RacerChic.us Fast Qualifier Award of the 2010
racing season as he laid down a 17.338 while Vance and Riley won the Heat
Races.


With action on the 4/10s mile complete, it was time to move down to the
adjoining 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked paved oval and the 20-lap Birch Run /
Bridgeport Herald Bomber Feature kicked things off on the smaller oval with
Mike Wines and Ricky Dinius Jr., bringing the 19-car field down to the green
flag as Wines would grab the early advantage while the rest of the field
settled in behind him.

Several early cautions plagued the event bunching the field up each and
every time with the double file restarts. On each restart, Wines would
continue to maintain his advantage until 17-year-old Kyle Maize took the
lead away from Wines on lap six and tried desperately to pull away from the
rest of the field.

Andrew Burton, the winningest driver of the 2009 racing season at Dixie with
Eight combined Feature Wins, pressured Maize all around the
1/3 mile while feeling pressure himself from 18-year-old Rookie, Eric Lake
and the rest of the field. All the while, Maize maintained the top spot.

Burton and Lake tried one last time to motor by Maize but the Otter Lake,
Michigan driver was up to the task as the driver of the Ron's Auto Repair
Chevrolet would fend off the challenges from Burton and the rest of the
field and the 17-year-old would go on to score an emotional First Ever
Feature Win!

At the line, Burton beat Lake to finish second while Lake scored a career
high Third Place finish. Jordan Lechota was fourth over Anthony Jurek who
wrapped up the Top Five. Current Points Leader Cam Hiltz finished sixth
while Wines slipped back to seventh ahead of Dinius Jr., New Rookie of the
Year Points Leader Rick Kiger, and Andy Karg, who slipped back to second in
the freshman title chase, completed the Top 10.

Lechota scored his second Birch Run / Bridgeport Herald Fast Qualifier Award
of the year as he toured the 1/3 mile at an 18.275 with Wines and Burton
winning the Heat Races.


The final oval track race of the night was also on the 1/3 mile and it was
the 25-lap RacingPartSales.com Street Stocks Feature as Current Rookie of
the Year Points Leader, Andy Moss started on the pole along-side 2009 Rookie
of the Year Runner-Up, Jake Caverly and it would be Caverly winning the race
to the first two corner to take over the early lead with the rest of the
field in tow.

Caverly would maintain the early lead until 2009 Rookie of the Year Aaron
Spearling made his move to the front and took over the top spot on lap 11
and he brought two drivers with a combined Six Feature Won between them this
season in 2001 Pro Late Model Track Champion Robby Johnston, and Two-Time
Defending Street Stocks Track Champion Ed Newman Jr.

As the crossed flags signal was given signifying halfway, Johnston drove by
Spearling to take the lead and soon Newman Jr., followed suit and the long
awaited battle between the two most successful Street Stock drivers in
Eastern Michigan over the past five seasons was on!

Newman Jr., searched high and low, trying to find a way around Johnston and
several times the two collided batting with each other, and each time, they
straightened each other out to continue the war. 
Then things finally came to a dramatic ending on the white flag lap when
Newman Jr., dive bombed into turns three and four to take the lead as the
white flag was flying.

When they drove into turns one and two Johnston and Newman Jr., collided
again sending both around. Caverly, who had driven back around Spearling
with five laps to go, dove underneath both spinning drivers and when all was
said and done, a surprised Caverly, in his unsponsored Caverly Motorsports
Chevrolet, would find himself in the Citizens Bank of Frankenmuth Victory
Lane to give the Freeland, Michigan driver his First Career Feature Win!

Spearling inherited second with Josh Hahn, Gary Stevens, and Moss completed
the Top Five. Rookie Matt Singer finished sixth over fellow Rookie,
19-year-old Brandan Adams while Newman Jr., Johnston, and Al Boitel Jr.,
finished off the Top 10.

Winning the RacingPartSales.com Fast Qualifier Award was Johnston who scored
his sixth such award of the year with Caverly picking up the Heat Race win.


The final race overall of the evening was the Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s
12-lap main event with Ray DerMiner and Rookie Terry Montney starting on the
front row and DerMiner would shoot out into the lead and taking off from the
rest of the field early as the rest of the pack scrambled to keep pace.

DerMiner set a torrid early pace while the past two track champions as well
as First and Second in the Current Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s Points
Standings, 2008 Track Champion Jordan Lechota and Defending Track Champion
Andrew Burton were methodically maneuvering their way through the field from
their 12th and Seventh starting spots respectively.

Lechota got by Burton early in the race, but Burton wouldn't let Lechota out
of his sights and the two drivers teamed up to try and chase down the race
long leader, DerMiner who avoided several close calls at the Intersection to
build up an already huge advantage over the rest of the pack.

DerMiner stayed a safe distance ahead of the two past track champions and
the Flint, Michigan veteran in his Second Hand World Two Chevrolet would
make his return to the Birch Run, Michigan speed plant after a nearly two
month absence and collect his second Feature Win of the year and he led all
13 laps in the process.

Lechota fended off Burton for second while Burton's teammate, Tony Williams
finished fourth and Ricky Dinius Jr., completed the Top Five. 
John Hitsman was sixth while Rookie Terry Montney, Cam Hiltz, Current Rookie
of the Year Points Leader, 18-year-old Eric Lake, and Mike Wines wrapped up
the Top 10.

The Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s do not Qualify or run Heat Races as they
draw for their starting positions in their Feature in a blind draw held
during the Drivers Meeting with Last Week's Feature Winner, in this case,
Lechota, starting last in the event.


THIS Friday, July 30th will be the annual Classic Car Cruise Night at the
Races as the fans in the grandstands get the chance to check out some great
looking classic vehicles of yesteryear in the parking lot before and during
the races and then watch them in a special parade around the 4/10s mile at
Intermission.

On the track, the 4/10s (0.400) mile progressively banked d-shaped paved
oval will be a busy place one more time as the Speedway Grafix Pro Late
Models, O'Guinn Family Funeral Homes Modifieds, and RacereChic.us Pro Stocks
are all on the card.

On the adjoining 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked paved oval the Birch Run /
Bridgeport Herald Bombers will have the inner oval all to themselves for the
night as the Mike's Auto Parts Figure 8s will wrap things up once again on
the inner Figure 8s track.

The RacingPartSales.com Street Stocks get the night off, but will return to
action on Friday, August 6th as part of BIG ONE VIII with the third jewel of
the Dixie Cup Triple Crown Series for the Outlaw Super Late Models; The 4th
annual Mid-Michigan Dixie Challenge 100 and the second appearance of 2010 by
the fire breathing, winged warriors of the Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper
Super Sprints Series co-headlining the biggest single day event in Michigan
during the 2010 racing season.

For Friday, July 30th, Ticket Prices are: Adults (18-59) $12.00 - Seniors
(60 and Over) $10.00 - Teens (13-17) $8.00 - Children (6-12) $5.00 - Kids (5
and Under) FREE - Pit Passes $25.00.

The Pit Gates will open at 2:00p.m., with Practice Beginning at 3:00p.m. The
Grandstands Open at 5:00p.m., as Qualifying starts at 5:15p.m., then after
Pre-Race Ceremonies, the Invocation, and National Anthem(s), Racing is set
for 7:30p.m.


For more information about the 2010 racing season, please call: 1
(989) 624-9778 or 1 (989) 395-0933. You can also log onto the website as
well at: www.dixiemotorspeedway.com

So come out and watch all the exciting action every Friday Night and One
Sunday a Month at the only track in Michigan where the Past, Present, and
Future Collide; the Dixie Motor Speedway Presented by Draper Auto Group.