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| Dave Pletcher Takes A.A.C.S. Race #2 at DeSoto | By Rick Anges
(KNS)Twenty-eight of the top high powered super late models rolled onto track in the late afternoon sun to qualify for race number two of the All American Challenge Series at DeSoto Super Speedway Saturday.
Winner of the first A.A.C.S. Mr. Excitement Jimmy Cope came out seventh on the qualifying grid and burned the around the high banks with a 14.51 sec. time.
With most of the other competitors in the high to mid fourteen second range it looked like Cope would come away with the fast time but young B.J. Mcleod was not to be denied and ripped off the fastest time of the day with a 14.49 sec. clip giving him the top qualifier spot.
The top four rows were inverted by the roll of die, this put Flyin Bryan Mansfield #18 on the pole with Richard Till #53 on the outside of the front row Mcleod and Cope would start seventh and eighth for the 125 lap high powered main event.
As the green flag flew it was Till who jumped out to the early lead with Mansfield tucking in behind him. Daniel Keene #51 and the #3 of last years S.A.R.A Champ Bobby Beauchemin were mixing it up behind the two leaders for the third spot but behind them Cope was coming, picking off spots and nosing his way towards the front.
Tills car looked strong as he pulled away to a several car length lead while the rest of the pack was battling hard behind him.
Lap twenty-four saw the first caution come out for a spin by the #98 of Citrus stand out Herb Neumann Jr. On the restart Cope slammed his way up to the third spot behind Mansfield while Till again pulled away from the pack.
After the second caution came out for a tangle with Keene and the #89 of local favorite Lee Collins, Till did good job on the restart jumping out again to a good lead. Cope in the meantime was all over the rear bumper of second place Mansfield and coming down the backstretch the #61 dove inside Mansfield, the two touched sending Mansfield into a smoky spin in turn three luckily being missed by the oncoming field.
Several other cars did not have the same luck as they spun to avoid the melee including the car of #70 James Glover who smacked head on into the stalled car #07 of Jeff Scofield. Glovers car had to be taken off on the hook ending his night early; Scofield was able to make repairs and returned on the lead lap. Also taken out was the #37 of James Powell III who had a good run going in the top five. In a controversial call Mansfield was sent to the rear of the field and Cope took over the second spot behind the hard charging Till.
 Till had mirror full of Cope for the next several laps with Cope taking the inside and going by for the lead on lap forty four bringing Beauchemin with him. Till got caught high on the track and faded back in the pack. Several cars made strides towards the front of the pack including former NASCAR All-Pro Champ Billy Bigley Jr in the #5x and Justin Drawdy in the #12. Veteran Dave Pletcher #75 had moved into the third spot and Mcleod seemed to cruising in fourth.
By lap 112 the #3 car was all over Cope looking high and low trying to get by. As the two were coming out of turn two they touched and both were sent into a wild smoke filled spin down the backstretch with both cars sitting in the infield. Both drivers were sent to the rear of the pack.
Mcleod who seemed to be pacing himself dropped to the rear of the field with apparent mechanical problems and later retired the fast #78. Later in the pits talking to B.J. it was found out that he had lost his brakes completely and then the transmission went. B.J. said. "We are fast here, we'll be back."
The last five laps of the 125 lapper were the toughest to get completed as cars were wildly spinning all over the track trying to get positions in the closing segments.
Pletcher was able to hold off the tough driving Drawdy to take win and the $3,000 winners purse. Bigley came across the stripe in third, Till came back to finish fourth and rounding out the top five was the determined Jeff Scofield who came back from the earlier crash.
In the winners circle Pletcher said he was battling a tight racecar all night, "I had to keep the car low to protect the bottom line, Justin was tough all night he did a good job."
March 30th will see the A.A.C.S. return to DeSoto Super Speedway for race number three and with a $30,000 points fund on the line for the champion it should be just as exciting as the last two.
RESULTS:
AACS FEATURE RESULTS:
1. 75 DAVE PLETCHER
2. 12 JUSTIN DRAWDY
3. 5X BILLY BIGLEY JR
4. 53 RICHARD TILL
5. 07 JEFF SCOFIELD
6. 23 MIKE ABBOTT
7. 74 SONNY HUGHES
8. 3 BOBBY BEAUCHEMIN
9. 64 BOBBY COYLE
10.61 JIMMY COPE
11. 1 JOHNNY JACKSON
12. 5K DANIEL KEENE JR
13. 79 CLINT SLAGGY
14. 78 BJ MCLEOD
15. 51 DANIEL KEENE
16. 5 JOE BOYD
17. 22 PERRY BROWN
18. 98 HERB NEUMANN JR
19. 14 ARIC ALMORILA
20. 18 BRYAN MANSFIELD
21. 37 JAMES POWELL III
22. 16 TOMMY KING
23. 70 JAMES GLOVER
24. 34 JEFF DUFRESNE
25. 89 LEE COLLINS
26. 14m MARIO MARESCA
27. 9 JONATHON BROWN
28. 82 DENNY NEIGHBOR JR
In other action:
Open Wheel Modified
Rocco Ranallo #67 made some strong moves and made it back to back wins in the Open Wheel Mod division finishing ahead of the #20 of James Glover. Bobby Dixon in the #205 came across the stripe in third, #63 Phillip Morrison was forth and Bill Davis #15 took fifth.
Sportsman
In a rock em’ sock em’ race it was James Casady #75 taking the checkered flag over #3 John Casady. Wallace “Body Damage” Ramsey roared home in third from the back of the pack Followed by Buddy Brown #62 and #86 Jeff Anderson rounding out the top five.
Street Stocks
Jonathon Heidenthal #27 took his first ever victory in convincing fashion holding off #77 Scott Woodland in second. #10x Matt Scheffler, #10 Todd Wozniak and Dennis Wilson #42 rounded out the top five.
Mini-Stocks
Jessie Dutilly #30 roared from the back of the pack to take his fifth feature win in a row of the young season. Shane Whitbeck #22 did all he could to get around the Dutilly but had to settle for the second spot. Dutilly’s father John in the #38 was third followed by Jon Bailey #14 in forth and William Slack #20 in the fifth spot.
Pure Stock
The pure stock race was also a wild affair as the #16 of Chris Jackson gave everyone a scare slamming hard into the turn two-wall head on and completely destroying his car. Jackson was able to walk away from his battered machine. Mark Picklesimer #6 was able to avoid being caught up in the crash and took his first ever feature win at the high banks finishing ahead of a hard charging Peggy Hurst #3, Tim Garrod #5 was third across the line ahead Keith Thorbin #68 and Mark Lau #4.
Cowboy Caddies
#46 Buck Wilson was able to hang on for the win over Don VanAcker #33, #13 Jay Bryant and #24 Justin Bryant.
OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED FEATURE:
67 ROCCO RANALLO
20 JAMES GLOVER
205 BOBBY DIXON
63 PHILLIP MORRISON
15 BILL DAVIS
59 ANDY DYNDUL
69 MITCH BOGART
96 JAY SEKOYA
09 STEVE HARBUCK
7 JIMMY DEBONA
40 MARK CHAPMAN
SPORTSMAN FEATURE:
72 JAMES CASADY
3 JOHNNY CASADY
38 WALLACE RAMSEY
62 BUDDY BROWN
86 JEFF ANDERSON
STREET STOCK FEATURE:
27 JONATHON HEIDENTHAL
77 SCOTT WOODLAND
10X MATT SCHEFFLER
10 TODD WOZNIAK
42 DENNIS WILSON JR
MINI STOCK FEATURE:
30 JESSIE DUTILLY
22 SHANE WHITBECK
38 JOHN DUTILLY
14 JON BAILEY
20 WILLIAM SLACK
PURE STOCK FEATURE:
6 MARK PICKLESIMER
3 PEGGY HURST
5 TIM GARROD
68 KEITH THORBIN
4 MARK LAU
COWBOY CADALLIC FEATURE:
46 BUCK WILSON
33 DON VANACKER
13 JAY BRYANT
24 JUSTIN BRYANT
LEGENDS FEATURE:
8 RAY SASSER
25 JASON REISMAN
29 JOE FLANAGAN
1 ANDY LOGAN
3 JOEY MCKINNEY
99 JEGG JOHNSON
76 KEN PENTA
7 MIKE VERHAAGH
23 BRUCE SASSER
07 MITCH VERHAAGH
14 RUSS JODOIN
97 GREG MONTGOMERY
29M BRUCE REBMAN
6 KENNY WYATT
49 GARY TINKER
20 DALE HORNE
47 TIM BAGWELL
Rick Anges
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