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(Savannah, GA) Emory
Stone’s invisible clear dome over his historic half mile
speedway once again held off strong thunderstorms hitting
the Savannah area Friday afternoon and the NASCAR Dodge
Weekly Series event went off without a hitch. Russ Brown
returned to victory lane in the Coca-Cola Late Models while
‘Rapid’ Ray Collins took home top honors in the Love’s
Seafood Street Stocks. Walter Sills, Charles Swann and
Heather Dudley also claimed the laurels on Friday night at
Oglethorpe Speedway Park.
Savannah’s
Russ Brown shot out to the early lead building a several car
length lead over Rincon’s Glenn Yawn. But, as the top two
ran for the checkers most fans were locked on the intense
battle forming between Shane Riner and Robert Diekemper for
third and fourth position.
Near the
midway point of the 25-lap Coca-Cola Late Model main, Riner
slid to the inside of Diekemper going into turn one. The
cars touched with Diekemper going around and forcing the
race’s only caution flag. Both drivers were sent to the
back of the pack to resume their charge to the front of the
pack that kept all fans on the edge of their seats.
Russ Brown
never was seriously challenged as he picked up his second
career NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series victory ahead of Glenn
Yawn and 18-year-old Sean Meeks. Riner and Diekemper fought
their way back into the top five, but Riner was light across
the scales costing him the feature race points. Savannah’s
Mark Davis ended up fourth ahead of Diekemper. Lonnie
Brant, ‘Flat Footin’ Casey Barrow, Jay Hendricks, Donnie
Bazemore and Shawn Pritchard rounded out the first ten.
Riner’s
miscalculation on fuel burn-off sent him tumbling down the
points chart. Coming into the night the second year late
model competitor was sitting in third place and looked to be
closing the gap on Donnie Bazemore for second. He now finds
himself in seventh place overall in an intense battle with
seven drivers separated by only 82 points.
Another
growing race in the point standings is taking place in the
Sunset Novelties Mini Stocks. Garden City’s Charles Swann
and Rincon’s Chris Johnson have swapped the points lead
twice already this season. Friday night’s racing action
proved to be the latest trade for the lead as Swann passed
Johnson out of the final turn to win the feature and surge
four points ahead in the overall divisional standings.
Randall Wegmann ended up third after leading a good part of
the race. Defending points champion Bobby Morris was fourth
followed by Randy Fields. Mark Susen, Buddy Jacoby, AJ
Horton, David Sanchez and Josh Parrish rounded out the top
ten finishers on Friday night at OSP.
“I didn’t mean
to get into Chris that hard,” said Swann in OSP’s hallowed
victory lane. “But, we’re racing for the points and I
needed to get past him.”
‘Rapid’ Ray
Collins returned to victory lane in the Love’s Seafood
Street Stocks on Friday night. Collins held off a strong
charge by Albert Cosnahan who finished second for the third
straight race. Points leader Donald Norby was third while
Clint Sills ended up fourth and Timmy Dasher fifth. Chris
Litchfield, Brian Barnes, John McCosker, Mike Crosby and
Michael Helmly rounded out the top ten.
An interesting
points race in the street stocks has developed. It’s not
for first place, but for seventh, eighth and ninth where
rookie Michael Helmly leads Michael Slater and fellow rookie
of the year candidate Dustin Collins. The three hard
charging drivers are separated by only five points going
into Saturday night’s double points feature race.
“It’s fun to
find the battles within the division standings,” said OSP
promoter Ted Austad. “Those points races are just as
important as winning the title to the drivers that are
running in them. Plus, Helmly and Collins are looking for
the rookie crown. Slater is the sandwich trying to stay
ahead of the youngsters.”
Walter Sills
has been racing for a long time at Oglethorpe Speedway
Park. He watched his father race and now watches his son
race when he is not behind the wheel himself. For Sills,
racing is truly a family affair.
“I want to
dedicate this to my daddy who I watched race and was a part
of his racing for a long time,” said Sills after his
Southern Racing Supplies Pure Stock victory. “He meant a
lot to me and I miss him.”
The dedication
came after a gut wrenching battle for the top spot in the
Pure Stock feature that saw twenty-five cars on the starting
grid. Sills moved past Jamie Hopkins on lap seven and then
proceeded to hold off Greg Annas, then Anthony Parker before
finally having to keep the division points leader Terron
Roberts at bay. Roberts would end up second behind the
“ageless one” Walter Sills. Dan Douglas was third followed
by Anthony Parker and Buster Kleckley. Don Douglas, Greg
Annas, Chris Hinely, John Loomis and Billy Oglesby also
claimed top ten finishes.
The largest
field ever for a Queen Bee race took to the track on Friday
night as fourteen ladies were on hand to compete for three
trophies. Christian Dudley shot past Heather Hopkins on lap
two and then used lapped cars to keep April Barnes at a car
length distance. Dudley claimed her second win of the
season with Barnes in second, Hopkins in third, Candice
Nease fourth and Jennifer Sitgreaves fifth. Amber Hale,
Anna Wendelkon, Kathy Harvey, Amy Chambers and BrandyBrown
completed the top ten Queen Bees.
Only one
caution slowed the field. Patty Rewis had stopped near the
exit to turn two and before the caution could come out
Denise Gavin labeled her in the rear. Both drivers were OK,
but their borrowed racers were badly damaged.
Oglethorpe
Speedway Park races every Friday night as part of the NASCAR
Dodge Weekly Series. For additional information, contact
the speedway at 912-964-8200 or visit
www.ospracing.net.
Official Results from Fridau,
July 22, 2005
Coca-Cola Late Models
(Feature): 1-Russ Brown, Savannah 2-Glenn Yawn, Rincon
3-Sean Meeks, Guyton 4-Mark Davis, Savannah 5-Robert
Diekemper, Bloomingdale 6-Lonnie Brant, Bloomingdale
7-Casey Barrow, Guyton 8-Jay Hendricks, Rincon 9-Donnie
Bazemore, Guyton 10-Shawn Pritchard, Rincon 11-Keith
White, Ellabell 12-Robbie Cowart, Savannah DQ-Shane Riner,
Rincon
Love’s Seafood Street Stocks
(Feature): 1-Ray Collins, Ellabell 2-Albert Cosnahan,
Guyton 3-Donald Norby, Midway 4-Clint Sills, Bloomingdale
5-Timmy Dasher, Bluffton, SC 6-Chris Litchfield, Rincon
7-Brian Barnes, Bloomingdale 8-John McCosker, Richmond
Hill 9-Mike Crosby, Savannah 10-Mike Helmly, Guyton
11-Adam Chambers, Hinesville 12-David Smith, Guyton
13-Dustin Collins, Ellabell 14-Michael Slater, Stillmore
15-Brian White, Ellabell 16-Micky Smith, Springfield
17-Bobby Oglesby, Bloomingdale
Southern Racing Supplies Pure
Stock (Feature): 1-Walter Sills, Bloomingdale 2-Terron
Roberts, Walterboro, SC 3-Dan Douglas, Hardeeville, SC
4-Anthony Parker, Guyton 5-Buster Kleckley, Ridgeland, SC
6-Don Douglas, Richmond Hill 7-Greg Annas, Springfield
8-Chris Hinely, Rincon 9-John Loomis, Savannah 10-Billy
Oglesby, Brooklet 11-John Rewis, Guyton 12-Donnie Cannon,
Guyton 13-Jeremy Carter, Walterboro, SC 14-Mickey Ward,
Pritchardville, SC 15-Charles Williams, Pembroke 16-Timmy
Dasher, Jr., Bluffton, SC 17-Alan Wiggins, Allenhurst
18-Daniel Douglas, Hardeeville, SC 19-Alfred Banks,
Richmond Hill 20-Hal Horton, Savannah 21-Doyce Glisson,
Guyton 22-Bill Tyler, Faulkville 23-Cari Howze, Rincon
24-Jamie Hopkins, Guyton 25-Andy Stallings, Pembroke
Sunset Novelties Mini Stock
(Feature): 1-Charles Swann, Garden City 2-Chris Johnson,
Rincon 3-Randall Wegmann, Guyton 4-Bobby Morris, Guyton
5-Randy Fields, Springfield 6-Mark Susen, Hardeeville, SC
7-Buddy Jacoby, Rincon 8-AJ Horton, Statesboro 9-David
Sanchez, Hardeeville, SC 10-Josh Parrish, Port Wentworth
11-Troy Godbee, Savannah 12-Kenny Gregory, Midway 13-Matt
Prescott, Guyton 14-Jimmy Groce, Sr., Springfield 15-Randy
Gregory, Midway
Queen Bee (Feature): 1-Charissa Dudley 2-April Barnes
3-Heather Hopkins 4-Candace Nease 5-Jennifer Sitgreaves
6-Amber Hale 7-Anna Wendelkon 8-Kathy Harvey 9-Amy
Chambers 10-Brandy Brown 11-Lori Blackston 12-Heather
Daniels 13-Patty Rewis 14-Denise Gavin
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