|
Chuck Griffith
LAKEVILLE, Ohio (July 25) - Benny Lester has had some great runs and some tough luck this year in the New Lakeville Late Models. The pilot of the Hall's Auto Sales entry has never let the swings slow his desire to perform at his best and Friday night was the proof that he has the ability and the machine to make it happen. In the first leg of the Triple Crown three race series, back on May 23rd, Lester had battled very hard to record a fifth place finish and stay within striking distance to wrap up the title on October 3rd and 4th at The Ohio Dirt Blowout. On Friday night he had the look of the tiger in his eyes and showed his strength by winning his heat race to position himself in the third starting spot in the forty lap feature event. As the front row of J.R. Gentry and Jason Flory came off of turn four for the first time,contact was made involving several cars and Flory sustained enough damage that his night was finished and went to the pits. On the realignment and restart that moved Kristin Flory to the outside of the front row with Lester and Mike Lonas in the second row.Only one lap was completed as the yellow came out for Eric Eicholtz as he spun while the fans saw several side by side battles with K.Flory putting heat on Lester who had taken the point and Gentry and Lonas battling for position.In the first eight laps,Lester somewhat checked out on the field as he began to work his way through lap traffic.Debris on the track slowed the field again on lap sixteen.On the single file restart,K.Flory was pressuring Lester and the seventh place starter,Coby Bartrum was running his best race of the year as he was shown in the fourth place.Lonas was attempting to get around Gentry on several occassions but pulled off the racing surface on lap twenty five and was finished for the evening.Late in the event,Eicholtz had made a very good recovery from his earlier spin and was picking off positions as he started his climb to the front.K.Flory chased Lester very close in the final ten laps as she tried the high side and the low side to move to the point but could not make the pass on the leader. Lester was the first to the checker with K.Flory second,Gentry finished third,Bartrum recorded a fourth and Eicholtz was the fifth place finisher.
The New Lakeville Speedway will be back in action next Friday night August 1st with all seven division of action.Stay up to speed on all the action at www.lakevillespeedway.com.
SUMMARY
Late Models
Heat 1- Kristin Flory, John Reasor, J.R.Gentry, Jason Flory, Ryan Eddleblute
Heat 2- Benny Lester, Coby Bartrum, Matt Irey, Mike Lonas, Clint Coffman
TRIPLE CROWN #2
Lester, K.Flory, Gentry, Bartrum, Eric Eicholtz, Jay McDougal, Irey, Eddleblute, Coffman, Reasor Gary Hensel Sr, Richard Grogg, Bill Clapp Jr, Lonas, J.Flory.
Sprints
Heat 1- Tim Hunter,Jeremy Aumend, Bill Underwood,Gary Feller,Nick Patterson
Heat 2- Kurt Jefferies,Cody Jacobs,Nick Mulheim,Chad Levingston,Danny Mumaw
Feature - Hunter, Jacobs, Mulheim, Jefferies,Aumend, Underwood,Mumaw, Feller,Levingston,Patterson
Pure Stocks
Heat 1- Jose Marsh,Paul McVicker, Donna Canode,Dave Haven Sr,Larry Loney
Heat 2- Frank Oriti,Don Baney,Bob Daugherty, Dave Haven Jr,Shaun Cains
Feature - Oriti,Baney,Marsh,Haven Jr,Daugherty,McVicker,Cains,Haven Sr,Canode,Heath Jessup, Loney, Murray Anderson,Jason Kodek,John Stream,Mark Bee
Pure Stocks
Heat 1- Jordan James,Kyle Moore,Brad Hensel, Lenny Quinn,Doug Hensel
Heat 2- Sean Rush,Dustin Cyrus,Jason King, Roger Rush Sr,Mark Myers
Feature - James,Cyrus, Brad Hensel, Doug Hensel, King,Myers,Bobby Stamper,Steve Quicksall, Rush Sr, Carl Roberts,Roger Rush Jr,Keith Rush,Don Clay, Quinn,(Sean Rush and Kyle Moore DQ)
|
