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(Savannah, GA) Robert
Diekemper has had one goal all season. The 20-year-old
Bloomingdale young gun wants to win the Coca-Cola Late Model
points championship at Oglethorpe Speedway Park and get his
name circulating in the NASCAR circles this off-season. His
slow methodical climb to the top of the points chart was
reached on Friday night on the strength of a second place
finish for the second week in a row to one of the circuit’s
hottest drivers Shane Riner. Diekemper slipped past
two-time champion Donnie Bazemore by fourteen points.
“There is
still a lot of racing to go this season,” said track
promoter Ted Austad. “This battle will be fun to watch over
the last seven weeks. It is similar to last year’s race
between Donnie and Bobby Morris. But, I think this race
will go down to the final night. Both of these guys are
planning for the points title and they will fight to the
end.”
Shane Riner
powered his Western Sizzlin Chevrolet to the front after
starting in the fourth row Friday night. Riner passed Mark
Davis’ TNT Truck Parts Chevy on lap five after climbing six
spots in the first four laps. Diekemper’s Anderson Eye Care
Monte Carlo was not far behind moving from the eighth
position to second by lap nine.
The race went
caution free after only a first lap slow down for a
disappointed “Flat Footin” Casey Barrow. Riner would post
his second straight win while pulling himself closet to
creating a three car race for the title. Diekemper was
second followed by Davis, rookie Steven Senter and Lonnie
Brant. Donnie Bazemore, Glenn Yawn, Sean Meeks, Jim Manka
and Russ Brown rounded out the top ten from Friday’s
Coca-Cola main event.
Chris
Litchfield took a step towards reclaiming his points lead
from Donald Norby in the Love’s Seafood Street Stocks.
Litchfield lost the points lead to Norby three weeks ago and
has been struggling to get his TNT Truck Parts #4 back into
the top spot.
Friday night,
Litchfield claimed the feature victory ahead of a hard
charging Albert Cosnahan and “Rapid” Ray Collins. Cosnahan
broke during heat race competition starting near the tail of
the field. The first year OSP driver climbed thirteen spots
to run second only to Litchfield who had him covered for the
final five laps of the main. Clint Sills and Donald Norby
completed the top five.
The 1999
divisional champion, Donald Norby, still holds a twenty-six
point lead over Litchfield heading into this weekend’s
double header racing card where Saturday night’s 20-lap
feature offers double points.
“We found the
pickle juice on the brakes works,” said Norby with a big
smile.
Another track
points rivalry is brewing in the Sunset Novelties Mini
Stocks as Charles Swann and Chris Johnson are fighting for
the points lead. Swann gained back some ground on Johnson
Friday as he won for the fourth time this season. Johnson
finished second ahead of defending mini stock champion Bobby
Morris and Buddy Jacoby. Mark Susen completed the top five
with Troy Godbee, Josh Parrish, Josh Carter, Randall Wegmann
and Randy Fields completing the top ten.
Swann’s win
coupled with a good run in the preliminary heat race pushed
him to within eight points of Johnson going into this
Friday’s NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series event. The Sunset
Novelties Mini Stocks will only run on Friday night this
weekend as the class was able to complete it’s Summer
Sizzler feature last month. The rained out portion of that
weekend will run this Saturday night at the historic half
mile speedway.
Danny
Herrington won for the second straight week in the Four Star
Security 440 division. Herrington cleared his competitors
early cruising to the victory. Michael Bean may have had a
challenge for him had the race run more laps. Bean borrowed
a race car from Tom Nerich to compete Friday night taking it
to the second place spot ahead of points leader Jason Rewis,
WR Rewis and Phillip Dickerson.
Oglethorpe
Speedway Park hosts the last summer double-header weekend
this Friday and Saturday night. Fans can enjoy the NASCAR
Dodge Weekly Series action on Friday night including the
Coca-Cola Late Models, Love’s Seafood Street Stocks,
Southern Racing Supplies Pure Stocks, Sunset Novelties Mini
Stocks and the Queen Bees. The speedway will also offer
FREE rides in the race cars on Friday night to all
interested parties including adults.
Saturday night
is the rescheduled completion to the Summer Sizzler weekend
with the National Late Model Series competing in the Cindy
McCurry Memorial 100 headlining the show. The street
stocks, pure stocks and 440 will also compete along with the
season’s first appearance of the National Vintage Racing
Association. The NVRA brings race cars from the fifties,
sixties and seventies to the track and actually races
competitively.
This Saturday
is also the speedway’s “Salute to the Military” presented by
Liberty Dodge in Hinesville and Butler Chrysler Plymouth
Dodge in Beaufort, SC. All military personnel, active and
retired, are invited to enjoy the Saturday night racing
program for only $5 admission into the grandstand. Special
presentations will be made during pre-race ceremonies and a
demonstration by the Fort Benning Silver Wings is planned
for 7:00pm.
For additional
information, contact the speedway at 912-964-8200 or visit
www.ospracing.net.
Official Results from Friday,
July 15, 2005
Coca-Cola Late Models
(Feature): 1-Shane Riner, Rincon 2-Robert Diekemper,
Bloomingdale 3-Mark Davis, Savannah 4-Steven Senter,
Savannah 5-Lonnie Brant, Bloomingdale 6-Donnie Bazemore,
Guyton 7-Glenn Yawn, Rincon 8-Sean Meeks, Guyton 9-Jim
Manka, Guyton 10-Russ Brown, Savannah 11-Jay Hendricks,
Rincon 12-Ronnie Gordon, Savannah 13-Robbie Cowart,
Savannah 14-Steven Howard, Bloomingdale 15-Casey Barrow,
Guyton 16-Keith White, Ellabell
Love’s Seafood Street Stocks
(Feature): 1-Chris Litchfield, Rincon 2-Albert Cosnahan,
Guyton 3-Ray Collins, Ellabell 4-Clint Sills,
Bloomingdale 5-Donald Norby, Midway 6-Wayne Page,
Savannah 7-John McCosker, Savannah 8-Mike Helmly, Guyton
9-Timmy Dasher, Bluffton, SC 10-Dustin Collins, Ellabell
11-Adam Chambers, Hinesville 12-Brian White, Ellabell
13-Michael Slater, Stilmore 14-Danny Smith, Springfield
15-Brian Barnes, Bloomingdale 16-Trace Kicklighter,
Bloomingdale
Sunset Novelties Mini Stocks
(Feature): 1-Charles Swann, Garden City 2-Chris Johnson,
Rincon 3-Bobby Morris, Guyton 4-Buddy Jacoby, Rincon
5-Mark Susen, Hardeeville, SC 6-Troy Godbee, Savannah
7-Josh Parrish, Port Wentworth 8-Josh Carter, Guyton
9-Randall Wegmann, Guyton 10-Randy Fields, Springfield
11-David Johnikin, Savannah 12-Randy Gregory, Midway
13-Kenny Gregory, Midway 14-Patrick Mikell, Garden City
15-AJ Horton, Statetsboro 16-Michael Screen, Rincon
Four Star Security 440
(Feature): 1-Danny Herrington, Rincon 2-Michael Bean,
Guyton 3-Jason Rewis, Guyton 4-WR Rewis, Guyton 5-Phillip
Dickerson, Guyton 6-Clate Fail, Jr., Brooklet 7-Ricky
Kellam, Rincon 8-Brian Nerich, Richmond Hill 9-Keith Bath,
Savannah 10-Gunny Prescott, Guyton
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