Stories

Fair races at Rooks County Speedway

By MIKE HUGHES

Special to The Hays Daily News

STOCKTON, KS (August 15)--Fair races were the highlight of the Rooks County Fair in Stockton, KS, on Wednesday evening, August 15, as four divisions took to the ½-mile track.

Cody 'Bam Bam' Graham of Hays took advantage of his outside pole starting spot in the 15-lap feature and jumped to a lead he would not relinquish as the race went caution free and Graham led from green to checkered. G.W. 'Cheeseburger' Fuller stayed right up with Graham but could not make a pass and had to settle for second. Mike Giesenhagen finished third, followed by Mark Normandin and Jacob Crowell. Heat race winners were Graham and Fuller.

Blaine Walt took the lead at the drop of the green in the IMCA Sport Mod feature. But Belleville's Tyler Frye passed Walt on lap 4 to take the lead, and by the halfway mark of the 15-lap main event, checked out on the field. The lone caution waved on lap 9 when Jason McCartney spun and Frye led the field back to green, followed by Walt, Brian Calhoon, Joe Couse and Tanner Portenier. Frye again pulled away for the easy win, with Walt, Calhoon, Couse and Portenier rounding out the top five. Brendon Damon and Kurtis Pihl won the two heat races.

The IMCA Stock Car feature had more than its fair share of cautions, but when the 18-lap event was complete, Wakeeney's Terry Cunningham found himself in victory lane. Scot Granzella took the early lead but Cunningham took the lead on lap 5 after a couple of early cautions. By the halfway point, Cunningham had checked out, leaving a four car battle for the runner-up spot. At the checkers, Dustin McClurg won the race for the runner-up spot behind Cunningham, with Jason Davis, and heat race winners Pat Bedore and Adam Balthazor close behind.

Russell's Marty Clark was a man on a mission in the IMCA Modified feature. After dominating in his heat race, Clark took the lead from Brian Calhoon on lap 2 of the 20-lap race and never looked back on his way to the checkers. A couple of caution periods gave the field a chance, but on each occasion, Clark pulled away. Calhoon finished second, trailed by 'The Wichita Lineman' Randy Wilson, David Murray Jr., and heat two winner and reigning national champion Jordan Grabouski.

The fair races conclude Thursday evening, August 16.

RESULTS

IMCA Hobby Stocks

Heat 1: 1. Cody Graham, 2. Mark Normandin, 3. Brad McCoy, 4. Jacob Crowell.

Heat 2: 1. G.W. Fuller, 2. Jeromy Wagner, 3. Leon Pfannenstiel, 4. Mike Giesenhagen.

Feature: 1. Graham, 2. Fuller, 3. Giesenhagen, 4. Normandin, 5. Crowell, 6. Wagner, 7. Michael Smith, 8. McCoy, 9. Pfannenstiel, 10. Al Emmons, 11. T.C. McKain, 12. Rhett Kingsbury, 13. Tim Colburn (DNF), 14. Jay Hrabe (DNS), 15. Ron Wehling (DNS), 16. Roger Garrison (DNS).

IMCA Sport Mods

Heat 1: 1. Brendon Damon, 2. Tyler Frye, 3. Tanner Portenier, 4. Tracy Holloway.

Heat 2: 1. Kurtis Pihl, 2. Blaine Walt, 3. Mark Zorn, 4. Cory Struckhoff.

Feature: 1. Frye, 2. Kaid Calhoon, 3. Walt, 4. Joe Couse, 5. Portenier, 6. Pihl, 7. Zorn, 8. Holloway, 9. Dan Lauer, 10. Struckhoff, 11. Damon, 12. Jason McCartney, 13. Jerrod Couse (DNF).

IMCA Stock Cars

Heat 1: 1. Pat Bedore, 2. Josh Hudson, 3. Tyler Hahn, 4. J.R. McCreery.

Heat 2: 1. Adam Balthazor, 2. Trevor Thornton, 3. Scot Granzella, 4. Dustin McClurg.

Feature: 1. Terry Cunningham, 2. McClurg, 3. Jason Davis, 4. Bedore, 5. Balthazor, 6. McCreery, 7. Chase Conaway, 8. Nolan Remus, 9. Granzella, 10. Eric Kinderknecht, 11. Thornton (DNF), 12. Hahn (DNF), 13. Hudson (DNF).

IMCA Modifieds

Heat 1: 1. Marty Clark, 2. Tyler Sutton, 3. Randy Wilson, 4. Tim Watts.

Heat 2: 1. Jordan Grabouski, 2. Brian Calhoon, 3. Mike Petersilie, 4. Dylan Sherfick.

Feature: 1. Clark, 2. Calhoon, 3. Wilson, 4. David Murray Jr., 5. Grabouski, 6. Watts, 7. Jeff Walters, 8. Jesse Richter, 9. Matt Henke, 10. Sherfick (DNF), 11. Sutton (DNF), 12. Petersilie (DNF).