A beautiful Saturday evening at Crystal Motor Speedway made for some excellent racing for the over 139 cars on hand in the pits. Blake Hollenbeck Auto Sales of Greenville sponsored the night.
The Kentucky Fried Chicken Late Model feature was hotly contested event with Garrett Wiles of Hubbardston and Kenny Playter from Saranac racing side by side for several laps. With three laps to go, the two tangled coming down the front stretch, sending Wiles to the pits and Playter to the rear of the field. Ionia’s Scott Baker took the lead at the green flag and went on to win over David Hilliker, Midland, Josh Borton, Crystal, Ryan Lanphierd, Midland, and Tom Dusen of Muskegon. Lanphierd advanced by winning the B feature, and heat wins fell to Scott Shellenbarger, Kurt Mesman, Wyoming, and Baker. Baker continues to dominate in the points with only three events left where points are accumulated.
Port City Racing Pro Stock feature was just as exciting with Mike VanderMark Jr., Cedar Springs and Jeff Loomis of Weidman in a battle for the lead for most of the last ten laps. Coming in for the checkered flag, the pair came up on lapped traffic, bunching them even tighter than they had been the final few laps. Once past the lapped car, it was a drag race to the line with Loomis edging out VanderMark by a nose piece. Eric Baird, Lowell, Blake Hollenbeck, Greenville, and Ryan Teeter of Crystal rounded out the top five. VanderMark Jr. and Jeramie Raby of Mt Pleasant scored heat wins.
Rusty Sowles of Howard City edged out Collin Schafer from Muir to take the win in the Races On The Web Flinn Stock feature event. Third place went to Allen Roszell of Sheridan, followed by Draven Grosvenor, Crystal, and Corey Stiles of Mulliken. Heat wins were taken by Sowles and Schafer. Allen maintains a twenty-nine point lead in the divisional points race.
Chance Allen of Alma picked up the win in the Lane Automotive IMCA Modified feature over Mitchell Hunt, Greenville, Myron DeYoung, Stanton, Kody Johnson, Vestaburg, and Nick Stormzand of Lowell. DeYoung, AJ Ward of Ionia, and Hunt picked up heat wins. DeYoung picked up a few points on Ward in the race for season champion. Only seventeen points now separate the two former champs with four events left in their season.
The players in the Next Level Graphics and Design Street Stock feature were the same as they were last week, but this time, the finish was a bit different. Ryan Alexander, Stanton, edged out George Wease of Hubbardston for the win. Cade Schafer of Mt. Pleasant, took home a third place finish, followed by Jarrett Monk, Alma, and Shane Spencer of Alma. Wease and Matt Clark of St. Johns advanced by taking their respective B Main features. Jasen Wiley, Fenwick, Schafer, and Will Stanley of Weidman took preliminary heat wins.
Paul Grosnickle, Lansing, took advantage of the front row sleeping through the initial green flag in the Engine Pro Pro Truck event and lead the first fifteen laps without a challenge. Matt Pickard of Grant started deep in the field and spent those fifteen laps working his way through the field, making his way all the way to second. Pickard made his way to take the lead just as the last minute caution grouped the two racers to duel the last eight laps. Pickard found nothing but the cool night air in front of him to take home yet another feature win. Coming in third was Jim Beltz, Kent City, followed by Milt Montgomery, Sheridan, and Curtis Rice of Muskegon.
Howard City’s Andrew Bogart grabbed another feature win in the ten to fourteen-year-old division of the Daily News Mini-Wedge beginners class. Thomas Parker of Wayland came in second, followed by Brent Wonch, Stanton, Dillon Kohn, Sheridan, Zevon Nemetz, Crystal, Landon Miller, Rylee Knoll, Lake, and Riley Bowen of Sheridan. Knoll took the heat win. In the six to nine-year-old class, Lilyann Montgomery of Crystal scored her second feature win over Cole Doty, Shepherd, Jazzlyn Hale, Crystal, Zayden Buskirk, Crystal, Teegan Williams, Stanton, June Dora, Fenwick, and Eli Fellows of Crystal. Doty won the heat event.
Next week at Crystal Motor Speedway finds the Hiram’s Lightning Sprint’s plus all seven divisions of racing, all brought to you by H & H Excavating of Carson City. Gates open at 4:30 PM, with racing starting about 7:30 PM. Adults are $15, kids 5-11 are $5, and pit passes are $25. Further information can be obtained by calling the track office at 989.235.5200 or visiting the website at crystalmotorspeedway.com
