Rain, Again at South Bend Motor Speedway

Rain, Again at South Bend Motor Speedway

By Scott Binkley

South Bend, IN (8-13) After a few sprinkles moved through the area just before qualifying was set to begin, the skies cleared and the sun returned. With lower humidity than previous weeks, the stage was set for some exciting racing. A total of sixty-two cars filled the pit area with many new faces joining those who were more familiar. However, with only about six competitors remaining to qualify, the skies opened up and racing action had to be halted. Rain was still falling at 11 pm.

With only two points races remaining, Rodney Smith has a 78 point lead over Kevin Clash for the Sportsman division. Kody Thornton remains in 3^rd place just 24 points over Greg Gifford. Robert Haisley holds 5^th place while Steven Woods, Jerry Zachery, Sean Stuart Rich Boal and Josh Smith (08) round out the top ten. There have been a total of 31 drivers in competition throughout the season in this class. Smith, Clash and Zachery have all scored feature wins.

In Street Stock points, Chuck Maggio holds a 37 point lead over Cindy Stremme while Josh Highbaugh is still within mathematical striking distance. Corey Woods and Kenny Esmont maintain 4^th and 5^th with Karl Fuchs, Chad McGinnis, track record holder Danny Brown Jr, David Bailey and early leader Steve Smith filling the top ten. Thirty-five drivers have competed in Street Stock action this year with Maggio, Stremme, Woods, Smith, Bailey and Brown notching feature wins.

Rich Hensley appears to be unbeatable for the Mini Stock Crown as he holds a 129 point advantage over 2^nd place Derek Davis. If Hensley can maintain his lead going into the last night, he will be assured the championship. Jim Newman holds 3^rd over Ben McCallum and Zachery Newgent for the top 5. Davit Raley Jr, Kevin Davis, Michael mast Nich Kretchmer and Corky Knight complete the top 10 in the most competitive division of the season. With 26 competitors, this class has produced six different feature winners so far. Hensley, Newgent, Mast, Justin Cogswell, Dale Olivier Sr and Bobby Stremme have all taken top feature honors.

The 4 cylinder Front Wheel Drive class continues to be dominated by 3 drivers. George Werner jr leads Tom Taylor and Chris Walsworth in the points chase with Doug Fox, Austin Woodcox and Ken Harper following. Taylor George, Bryant Ragsdale, Bobby Stremme and Chad Ganus make up the remaining drivers in the top 10. Although 27 drivers have earned points, this class continues to struggle, averaging just 6-8 cars per race. Bobby Stremme, Werner and Taylor have won the features for this class.

In the Late Model class, Jeff Ganus leads, Rich Boal and Ronnie McLean for the top spot. Ken Lollar Jr and Lisa Hartz are both close behind as only 66 points seperates 2^nd thru 5^th. Rich Hensley John Long, Brian Ross, Charles Darr and Alex Pratt make up the remainder of the top 10 in this class. A total of 29 different drivers have competed in this class so far in 2011. Jeff Ganus, Robbie Ferrier, Rich Boal and Mike Brooks have scored feature wins this season.

This coming Saturday will be another special night for the kids with a wealth of special activities, from obstacle courses to coin tosses planned. Be sure and join us for this special night.

Gates swing open at noon with practice beginning at 2, qualifying at 5 and racing at 7.

For rules or more information, check out our website at www.southbendmotorspeedway.com or follow us on Face book (FaceBook.com/southbendmotorspeedway) or Twitter (@sbmotorspeedway)

Don’t forget the big $10,000 to win Midwest Championship Demolition derby on September 3 and the ‘Billboard Nationals’ coming up September 23 & 24. Think dry and we’ll see you at the races.