ASA/NSRA
Source — ASA/NSRA PR
Date Posted — June 27, 2011
Matt Hein and Sierra Jackson left the two race Diamond Cup at Meridian Speedway tied in early season points. Andy Alberding was just eight points behind the leader with Jeff Montgomery only twenty points down from Hein and Jackson. Hein would have a stellar night, while Alberding and Jackson would both have good nights. Only Montgomery would have a dismal race leaving the track after just four laps with continuing overheating problems.
Hein started the twenty car, thirty lap A Main in eighth position as a result of an eight-car invert. On the pole was #17 Justin Mack followed by #23 Darren Spiers, #3 Robert Beck, #76 Andy Alberding, #25j Sierra Jackson, #33j Jeff Montgomery, #14 Matt Mansell all ahead of Hein. Behind him were #5 Reece Goetz, #22 Shawn Rice, #4 Greg Middendorf, #97s Brian Smith, #15r Vern Scevers, #91 Bryan Warf, #44 Todd Coleman, #94 Merv Bursello, #2 Ron Larson, #33 Mitch Holte, #16 TJ Munro, and #65 Kevin Burck. Before the green fell Munro left the track with smoke trailing, later to be determined as leaking valve cover gaskets. With a now nineteen car field Mack jumped out to a commanding lead with a very good start on the green. Beck and Alberding quickly dispatched Spiers taking away second and third from him. Hein started his relentless move towards the front while Jackson was just holding her own in fifth. Goetz, a rookie in the pavement sprint cars as well as Evergreen Speedway was one to watch, the crowd having great expectations from him based on a commanding win in his heat race. Goetz stayed mired in ninth, temporarily dropping back to tenth before starting to move up in the field in the latter stages of the race. Within the first fifteen laps Beck had caught Mack and made a pass for first going into turn one. Beck had taken the lead down the backstretch but emerging from turn four was Mack again in the lead with Beck coasting on the inside of the track, his engine had just shut off. Beck’s car dead on the track brought out the only caution in the race. Reverting to the last green flag lap Mack was again the leader for the restart with Alberding second, Jackson third and Hein fourth. This year NSRA has opted for double file restarts with the leader choosing the inside or outside row. Mack chose the inside. Mack again got a great start keeping the lead over Alberding. Hein however, drove by Jackson to take over third coming off two. Within five laps Hein had passed Alberding for second and set his sights on Mack. Goetz had started moving forward from his tenth spot taking fourth away from Jackson who had a loose car coming off the turns. Burck had also found his car to his liking during the race moving all way up to eighth place from his last place starting position. Mansell had his left rear tire go on lap twenty-three down on the front stretch but he stayed low and limped his car to the pit entry on the backstretch without bringing out a caution. Hein and Mack were now locked in a battle for first with lapped traffic thrown in the mix. Hein did not get an opportunity to take the lead using lapped traffic as Mack caught the traffic at just the right places on the track to not block his progress. With Mack and Hein clear of lapped traffic the contest for first was again on. In turns three and four Hein made his move on the outside of Mack taking the lead on the front stretch as the white flag flew. Hein took the checkered flag leading just one lap of the thirty with Mack in second, then Alberding, Goetz, Jackson, Rice who had steadily worked his way from tenth to sixth, Scevers, Burke taking home the hard charger award for moving from nineteenth to eighth, Barcelow the last car on the lead lap, Coleman, Middendorf, Spiers, Larson, Holte, and Walker. The sixteenth place Warf, Mansell, Beck, and Montgomery had left the track before the checkered.
In a post race interview Matt Hein commented on his pass of Mack, “I just held my breath, stepped down on the throttle and went around him on the outside in 3 and 4.”
Heat one had the #16 of Munro on the pole but continual driveline issues for that team did not allow them to roll out for their heat. The revised starting grid had #94 Merv Barcelow on the pole, #92 Bryan Warf, #97s Axel Walker, #5 Reece Goetz, #3 Robert Beck, and #33j Jeff Montgomery. At the green Goetz drove around the outside of the three competitors ahead of him coming off turn 2 with the lead ! Warf took over 2nd place until his demise after 4 laps leaving the track because of abnormal engine noise and exhaust fumes in the drivers compartment. Warf’s issues were traced to a loose muffler. While Warf was on track he was losing time to Goetz, Warf trailing by a quarter lap after 4 laps. Montgomery had pulled into the pits after completing the first lap seeing 230 on his water temp gauge and choosing not to risk engine damage. During the course of the heat Beck moved into third passing first Walker then Barcelow. With Warf leaving the track after the 4th lap Beck then took over second but a half lap behind the leader. At the checkers Goetz convincingly won his first ever race in a pavement sprint car, followed by Beck, Barcelow and Walker.
Heat two started one car shy of the seven scheduled. The 25z car of Chris Schmelzle had withdrawn determining that earlier suspected fueling and timing issues were indeed a failing head gasket. Ron Larson in the #2 sat on the pole then the #44 of Todd Coleman, Greg Middendorf in the #4, Justin Mack #17, Andy Alberding #76, and Matt Mansell #14. At the green there was a tussle for the lead with Coleman, Middendorf, and Mack all interested in taking it from Larson. Emerging from turn two down the backstretch Larson maintained the lead as he would for the entire 8 laps with Coleman retaining second. The struggle became for third place with first Mack then Alberding getting around Middendorf by lap two then a lap later Mansell getting around Middendorf for fifth. That’s the way they finished; Larson, Coleman, Mack, Alberding, Mansell, and Middendorf.
Heat three had #33 Mitch Holte on the pole then #65 Kevin Burck, #15r Vern Scevers, #22 Shawn Rice, #23v Darren Spiers, #25j Sierra Jackson, and fast qualifier #98h Matt Hein. Within a half lap Holte had gone from the pole to seventh with first Burck passing in turn one, then Rice passing Burck down the backstretch with the rest of the field getting around Holte. Scevers had lost a spot in the passing of the first lap while Hein was steadily working his way forward from last place. Hein passed Burck by lap six and went to work attempting to catch the leader Rice. The white flag lap provided an opportunity for Hein to get around Rice due to Rice coming up on Holte to lap him. Rice caught Holte at the right place off of turn two easily passing him which did not provide Hein with the opportunity to take away first from Rice. The checkers caught Rice first followed by Hein, Burck, Scevers, Jackson, Spiers, and Holte.
The B Trophy Dash had the #91 of Bryan Warf on the pole, #65 Kevin Burck, #4 Greg Middendorf, and #97s Axel Walker. Warf held the lead through all four laps with Burck in second. Only 3rd was challenged with Walker trying to get around Middendorf on the backstretch on laps 2 and 3. At the finish Warf took the checkers followed by Burck, Middendorf, and Walker.
The A Trophy Dash saw the four quickest qualifiers including the two tied in early season points. On the pole was #25 Sierra Jackson, #33j Jeff Montgomery, #14 Matt Mansell, and #98h Matt Hein. With the green flag waving Montgomery drove around the outside of Mansell assuming the lead. Half way through the first lap Mansell had been shuffled from the pole to last place both Jackson and Hein driving around him. The order stayed the same at the checkered Jeff Montgomery in the #33j, Jackson finishing second, Hein settling for third and Mansell finishing fourth.
Twenty-one cars would take the green for qualifying. The fast qualifier, Matt Hein in the #98h clicked off a 19.055 second lap, second quick was Canadian Matt Mansell in the #14 with a lap time of 19.190. Third went to the #33j of Jeff Montgomery; 19.290, fourth #25j of Sierra Jackson; 19.303, fifth #76 Andy Alberding; 19.360, sixth #3 Robert Beck19.451, seventh #23v Darren Spiers; 19.680, eighth #17 Justin Mack; 19.806, ninth #5 Reece Goetz; 20.011, tenth #22 Shawn Rice; 20.087, eleventh #4 Greg Middendorf; 20.202, twelfth #97s Axel Walker; 20.283, thirteenth #15r Vern Scevers; 20.304, fourteenth #25z Chris Schmelzle; 20.308, fifteenth #91 Bryan Warf; 20.447, seventeenth #44 Todd Coleman; 20.693, eighteenth #94 Merv Barcelow; 21.195, nineteenth #33 Mitch Holte; 21.343, twentieth #2 Ron Larson; 21.363, and twenty-first #16 TJ Munro; 22.823.
The competitors had two practice sessions to get their cars attuned to the five-eighths oval. Both sessions revealed issues with some cars though no incidents on the track. The #44 had the braces on the left side of the front wing loosen letting the wing settle on the front tire creating smoke while on the track. That was quickly resolved in his pit. The #94 wouldn’t fire for the second practice which was traced to a broken wire in the magneto. The #25z was fighting issues believing during practice it was a timing issue ultimately being a failed head gasket. The #16 had continuous problems with their driveline preventing them from getting any real practice time.
| ASA/NSRA |
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| 21 cars A-Main 8 car invert (30 laps): 1. 98h Matt Hein, 2. 17 Justin Mack, 3. 76 Andy Alberding, 4. 5 Reece Goetz, 5. 25j Sierra Jackson, 6. 22 Shawn Rice, 7. 15r Vern Scevers, 8. 65 Kevin Burck, 9. 94 Merv Barcelow, 10. 44 Todd Coleman, 11. 4 Greg Middendorf, 12. 23v Darren Spiers, 13. 2 Ron Larson, 14. 33 Mitch Holtz, 15. 97s Axel Walker, 16. 91 Brian Warf, 17. 14 Matt Mansell, 18. 3 Robert Beck, 19. Jeff Montgomery. |