By Kaleb Hart
Dustin
O’Brien started 2012 in a similar way to how he ended 2011: in victory
lane. The defending 600 division champion won the 25 lap feature on
Saturday night to take an early lead in this year’s point’s chase on
Pacific Power Battery night at Deming Speedway. Other winners included
Jared Gunderson, Austin Sheridan and Jesse Schlotfeldt.
O’Brien
was in the right place at the right time in the 600 feature. After race
leader Kelly Mauck tangled with lapped traffic, O’Brien used a lap 18
restart to rocket around Brayden Planko on the outside of turn to take
the point and eventual win. Planko held on for second and Alex Gauthier
was third. Heat wins went to Austin Sheridan, Planko, O’Brien and Alden
Ostrom. Derek Torkelson set quick time.
Jared
Gunderson went from hero to zero back to hero over the course of two
laps as he secured the opening night win in the 1200 division. Gunderson
took an early lead on the field, only to encounter lapped traffic
around lap ten. With the back markers racing for position, Gunderson
looked for a gap to shoot through, only to get caught up with a flipping
Ryan Cully and in the process, destroying his top wing. Gunderson
managed to drive away from the wreck and during the open red that
ensued, looked for options as to fixing his aero issue. No quick
solution was found, and on the ensuing restart, Brock Lemley took
advantage by racing around Gunderson’s outside to take the lead. Fortune
then smiled on Jared, as before the lap was completed, Steven
Hendrickson flipped and caused another open red situation. With the open
red again in effect, his crew swapped his old wing with a new mount.
The new top wing fixed his aero issue, and on the ensuing green, he
raced away to take the win. Lemley was second and Liam Ryan was third.
Aaron Fell set quick time. Ryan and Eric Drake won the heats.
Austin
Sheridan used his veteran advantage to pick up a win in the 600
restricted class. Sheridan chased race leader Eli Schmidt early, then as
the pair closed in on lapped traffic, Sheridan blasted down to the
inside groove entering turn three on the 7th circuit to pass
Schmidt and take the lead for good in what ended up being an 18 lap
main, shortened due to excessive stoppages. Jake Helsel finished second
and Rachel Westmoreland was third. Sheridan completed a clean sweep of
the night by setting quick time and winning his heat race. Westmoreland
and Hannah Lindquist won the other heats.
Jesse
Schlotfeldt won his first main event at Deming Speedway in impressive
fashion with a clean sweep of the night in the Kasey Kahne Junior
Sprints. Schlotfeldt took the lead on lap three and ran away with the
feature win, followed by Bradley Parks and Sawyer Sorgenfrei. Tyler
McLeod debuted at Deming Speedway by winning his heat race.
Kasey Kahne Junior Sprint
Fast Time – Jesse Schlotfeldt
Heat 1 – Jesse Schlotfeldt
Heat 2 – Tyler McLeod
Main
– Jesse Schlotfeldt, Bradley Parks, Sawyer Sorgenfrei, Lynden
Lebedinski, Tyson Lemley, Tyler McLeod, Hailey Constance, Peyton Hagen
Lap Leaders – Parks 1-2 Schlotfeldt 3-15
600r
Fast Time – Austin Sheridan
Heat 1 – Austin Sheridan
Heat 2 – Rachel Westmoreland
Heat 3 – Hannah Lindquist
Main
– Austin Sheridan, Jake Helsel, Rachel Westmoreland, Kyle Mitchell,
Tristan Thomas, Spencer Constance, Bill Mercer, Kaitlynn Hammer, Ashley
Thompson, Isaac Abenroth, JJ Thomas, Darius Walker, Tatum Pospical, Eli
Schmidt, Chance Crum
Lap Leaders – Schmidt 1-6 Sheridan 7-18
1200
Fast Time – Aaron Fell
Heat 1 – Liam Ryan
Heat 2 – Eric Drake
Main
– Jared Gunderson, Brock Lemley, Liam Ryan, Kyle Kenoyer, Clennon
Holloway, Forest Metcalfe, Eric Drake, Eric Turner, Wade Spreckelmeyer,
Tyson Cross, Duane Mackey, Tony Helsel, Aaron Fell, Steven Hendrickson,
Ryan Cully, Spud Allen, DJ Kosa
Lap Leaders – Gunderson 1-25
600
Fast Time – Derek Torkelson
Heat 1 – Austin Sheridan
Heat 2 - Brayden Planko
Heat 3 – Dustin O’Brien
Heat 4 – Alden Ostrom
Main
– Dustin O’Brien, Brayden Planko, Alex Gauthier, Derek Torkelson, Eric
Turner, Dougie James, Jerrod Saddler, Hayden Schmidt, Chase Schmidt,
Greg Hamilton, Kenny Rutz, Kelly Mauck, Nate Vaughn, Alden Ostrom, Jacob
Brown, Austin Sheridan, Tom Hovind, Spud Allen, Kevin Wilkinson, Brock
Lemley
Lap Leaders – Mauck 1-18 O’Brien 19-25