IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

March 15, 2004 FSCR Goolsby grabs First Mod Win at Bronson; Schreifels & Cooper top Figure 8 Action By Rick Warren Larry Goolsby Modified Winner Saturday night saw great weather and a large crowd at Bronson Motor Speedway. There was something for everyone, from a moonwalk and clown, and a coin chase on the front straight to entertain the younger fans, to some great racing action for race fans of all ages, to the Figure 8 school bus race that had the closest finish of the night. The heat races had some good action, as drivers in each division competed for starting positions in the feature events. Noticeably absent in the heat races was the use of the caution flag, as all the drivers raced hard and smart, and the yellow flag was only displayed 2 times in the 11 heat races! A good field of Open Wheel Modifieds lined up for the workparttime.com feature event, and it was indeed a very good race. There was non-stop action the entire race, at both ends of the track. Larry Goolsby, who moved up from the mini-stock division last season, was able to take the lead early in the race. As Goolsby tried to keep the Maguire Racing entry out front , several drivers had other plans for the outcome of the race. Steve Perez, Greg Nordstrom, Kevyn Terry, and last weeks winner Gene Owen were all snapping at Goolsby’s heels, trying to take the top spot away. As the race wore on, it turned into a 3 car race, with Goolsby running a consistent race as he held off the charges made by Perez and Owen. At the checkered flag you could have covered the top 3 with a blanket, and it was Goolsby holding on for the win, followed by Perez and Owen. Twenty Pure Stocks took the green flag for their Feature Race, and it was a great race to watch. The race was a wild and competitive affair, which has become the expectation for this division. John Mamph sailed to the lead on the first lap, and ran as hard as he could for 20 laps. Mamph was challenged early by Mike Baker, and later in the race by Joey Hunt, Arnold Hughes and Jason Holbrook. Mamph showed the way home, and took the hard fought win. It was a very popular win with the fans, and an emotional win for Mamph. Mamph, who not long ago was involved in a very serious traffic accident and as a result suffered an amputated leg, was ecstatic in the winners circle. This was his first feature win since the accident, and needless to say a wonderful pay off for all his hard work and rehab. The Mini-Stock feature was also a very exciting race. At the drop of the green flag, it looked like Clint Foley was on his way to yet another victory, with an early lead and clear sailing ahead. However, several cars chasing him had different plans for the outcome of this race. Tom Jones Jr., Marty Neikens and Chris Hooker were involved in some serious racing for position, hoping to get a shot at Foley for the lead. Chris Hooker had his racer on a rail, and managed to work his way to second place, and began to reel in the leader. With only a few laps left, Hooker caught Foley, and managed to drive under Foley to take the lead and hang on for the win. Jones ended up in third, followed by Neikens and Billy Smith. The Sportsman feature was short a few cars due to attrition and other commitments, but it left the door open for Joe Rankin to survive a first lap crash, and claim his first Sportsman Feature win at BMS this year. Joe is a tough competitor, and this is probably not the last time we will see him visit Victory Lane this season. Second went to Scott Wilkerson, followed by Eddie Sapp. The Figure 8 feature lived up to its billing, and was a thrill a minute. Robbie Powell, winner of the last 3 features, and last years points champion, had his work cut out for him, as he started dead last. When the green flag waved, Ronnie Schreifels blasted to the lead, and was running a smooth consistent race, holding off several challenges. Meanwhile, Powell was making a mad dash thru the pack, in pursuit of the leader. While Schreifels maintained his lead, Powell was closing fast. Just as Powell broke into the clear to begin chasing the leader, he arrived at the crossing at the same time as Ken Crews. The laws of physics took over at that point, specifically the one that says two solid objects can not occupy the same space at the same time. The result was Crews lost the back of his racer, while Powell lost the front of his. Both drivers were uninjured, but their cars were done for the evening. After the debris was cleaned, and the race restarted, Schreifels continued to lead, with Ethan Nistok and Robert Aaron dogging his every move. The race ended with Schreifels in front followed by Aaron and Nistok. A full field of V8 Bombers saw Kevin Hodge hold off the charge of rookie Randy O’Neal for the win. 4 Cyl. Bomber action saw Edward Francis bring home the win, followed by Jeff Pittsley. The fans were more than ready for the School Buses to roll onto the Speedway. The bus drivers put on one of the best races of the evening, wit lots of bumping, grinding, passes, and near misses at the crossroad. Jerome Brown and Robbie Cooper started from the rear, and had the fans on their feet and cheering loudly, as they began to make their way toward the front of the field. Brown finally caught leader Mike McGinty, and the two raced side by side for several laps, with no one able to gain an advantage. Just as it looked like Brown would take the lead, his right front tire decided it had been thru enough, and blew out, ending Browns’ evening. Cooper took over the chase, and managed to get by McGinty with only a few laps remaining. As the Busses took the white flag, Cooper slowed to avoid a collision at the crossing, and allowed McGinty to drive under him going ito the turn. The sparks flew as the two busses raced side by side to the checkered flag, with Cooper pulling out the win by inches. Everyone was in agreement that this was one heck of a good bus race. Be sure to join us next week March 20, as the Corteco / GulfCoast Madified Series begins their season with a 50 lap feature at Bronson Motor Speedway. Hope to see you there! Final Results 03-13-04 Modified 1. #16 Larry Goolsby 2. #92 Steve Perez 3. #11 Gene Owen 4. #06 Greg Nordstrom 5. #13 Kevyn Terry Pure Stock 1. #65 John Mamph 2. # 5 Joey Hunt 3. #55 Arnold Hughes 4. #17 Jason Holbrook 5. #77 Dusty Bouchard Mini Stock 1. #1x Chris Hooker 2. # 7 Clint Foley 3. #60 Tom Jones 4. #70 Marty Neikens 5. #00 Billy Smith Sportsman 1. # 8 Joe Rankin 2. #12 Scott Wilkerson 3. #13 Eddie Sapp 4. # 2 Bart Meagley 5. #40 Dwight Pinner V8 Bombers 1. #37 Kevin Hodge 2. #22 Randy O’Neal 3. #34 Charlie Kennedy 4. #55 Don Paugh 5. #25 Ken Sheffield 4Cyl Bombers 1. # 6 Edward Francis 2. #20 Jeff Pittsley 3. #64 Clark Pittsley 4. #23 John Hagan 5. #22 John DeGeorge Figure 8 1. #64 Ronnie Schreifels 2. # 6 Robert Aaron 3. #27 Ethan Nistok 4. #25 Robbie Powell 5. #81 Ken Crews School Busses 1. #98 Robbie Cooper 2. #76 Mike McGinty 3. # 6 Robert Aaron 4. #52 A.J. Burns 5. #3 Jerome Brown Have an opinion on this story? 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