US ARMY MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT AT BVR 7-2-08
Jeremiah Davis
(07/02/08)
Buena Vista got back to racing on its usual night Wednesday night in Alta, and there were fireworks on and off the track.
The main event on this beautiful night of racing was the King of the Hillthis time for the men in the Stock Car class.
The first round saw two heavyweights square off in Brain Blessington and David Smith. They raced side by side briefly, but Smith was able to take the win and move to the next round.
Next up was Matt Scharn, who was racing the King of the Hill event without his front fenders or hood, which were damaged in the Stock Car feature. He was racing Trent Murphy. The two raced side by side for the first lap, but Scharn was able to take the win and move on.
The third race in the first round saw Dustin Smith against Randy Lawry. Smith ducked to the inside on the final lap, and looked poised to take the round win, but contact with Lawry in the final turn caused him to lose his momentum, allowing Lawry to race past and move on to the next round.
The second round began with David Smith up against Stefan Sybesma, who had gotten a first round bye. Smith had no trouble, and moved on to the final.
Lawry and Scharn faced off in the other semi-final race. Scharn had the lead, and looked like he would take his damaged car to the final, but pulled off on the final lap, apparently due to overheating issues, leaving Lawry to go to the final.
The final saw David Smith taking on Matt Scharn. Smith showed off his power, motoring away from Lawry, and picking up a cool $200 in the process.
The Modified drivers preceded the King of the Hill event, and saw its regular drivers back in action after last weeks USMTS event.
Brian Schmitt of Wall Lake took the early lead from the pole, but was caught quickly by Stacey Mills of Webb. However, as fast as Mills caught Schmitt, he didnt immediately get past him.
Schmitt held off Mills for a few laps, but Mills made the move, and took off into the lead after five laps of racing.
Brad Williams of Lytton followed closely behind Schmitt and Mills, running third and looking to challenge.
However, during a caution at the halfway mark, Williams pulled off the track with apparent mechanical problems.
On the restart, Jim Thies of Mapleton moved past Schmitt for second, and was followed by Nick Deal of Walnut.
From that point on, Mills, Thies, and Deal raced each other for the lead, with each car taking turns in the lead.
Coming to the white flag, Thies and Deal split Mills, and came to the white side by side. They stayed that way for the rest of the lap, with Deal holding on for the win, with Thies a close second and Mills third.
The Stock Car feature was much the same, with three cars racing hard for the win.
The race started out with Matt Scharn and Brian Blessington racing hard for the lead. The hard racing led to Scharn spinning, and damaging his front end heavily, ending his race.
Blessington continued to lead, while David Smith moved up from deep in the field into second, with brothers Donovan and Dustin close behind.
After a quick caution, David was able to slip past Blessington, but couldnt drive away. Dustin Smith stayed close, and stuck his nose in the fight for the lead.
The three drivers battled hard for the win, racing three wide several times over the final laps. Coming to the checkers, they were three wide, door to door. David was able to edge out Blessington and brother Dustin for the win, just a nose ahead. Blessington crossed second, with Dustin third.
The Sport Mod feature saw two of the top three drivers in points racing for the win.
Luke Wanninger took the lead 5 laps in, and never looked back. Wanninger set sail, leaving the rest to race for second.
Brett Meyer moved to second a lap after a quick caution midway through the race, and was followed closely by Tony Pogeler.
Wanninger was able to hold on for the win, and padded his point lead. Meyer came home second, with Pogeler crossing in third.
Side by side racing for the lead seemed to be the theme throughout the night. The Hobby Stock feature saw another last lap battle for the win.
Tim Rupp took the early lead, with Craig Brotherton and Doug Smith following closely. Smith worked past Brotherton with six laps to go, and chased down Rupp.
On the final lap, Smith and Rupp ran side by side. Rupp lost control in the final turn, giving way to Smith, who took the win. Brotherton took advantage of Rupps misfortune and slipped past to take second. Devin Smith also capitalized, taking third. Rupp was able to recover enough to finish fourth.
The Sport Compact feature saw one car race from the back to the front, and another car take a tumble.
Three laps in, point leader Cory Flannigan of Storm Lake got a little too high in turns three and four and slipped off the banking. His tires dug into the loose dirt, causing him to roll several times.
Dan Rhiley, meanwhile, was on his way to the front. Rhiley raced Shawn Turner for the lead most of the race after starting in back. Rhiley was able to take the lead for good with two to go, and held on for the win. Turner finished second, with Daniel Smith coming home third
