Points Races Tighten Up At Lakeside Speedway... Hampton Inn Night At The Races This Friday Night

WYANDOTTE, Ks. (Aug. 2) – To win a points championship, you have to have to do three things. Win, finish and be lucky! In the next few weeks drivers will be trying to achieve the title of 2007 Champion at Lakeside Speedway. In each of the 3 classes someone will step up to the throne. The question is who is it going to be? John Allen, Tim Shields and Cody Owens are in the prime position right now, can they maintain the rest of the way?

As the season winds down everyone will make an effort to rise up in the standings. Starting tonight, Hampton Inn Night at the races here at Lakeside Speedway, look for some drivers to start taking chances as they look to get to where they want to go.

Last week at Lakeside Speedway the competition was fierce. The Modified feature was a battle of wills between John Allen and Rodney Sigg, Tim Billings won the Grand National event rather easily but the excitement of the evening came in the Factory Stock division as Buzz Kaster held off, a hard charging, Tyler Schmidt for a close win. Will tonight hold the same excitement for the racers and fans here at Lakeside Speedway?

Modifieds

The 1/2 mile speedway at Lakeside is one of the fastest in the Midwest. Several top notch drivers have come to Lakeside in search of fame and fortune and they have gone away unsatisfied. Lakeside is a track that is tough to tame. In 2007, it has been John Allen and Tim Karrick riding high in the saddle so far.

Last week, John Allen, took home win #6 on the season. Again it wasn't easy. Rodney Sigg and Terry Bruner made it tough on Allen as he had to catch the two up front and they sprint by for the win. Allen, is finding the season both rewarding and a fun experience. Last week's win put a little more distance between him and second place in the points Tim Karrick.

Karrick had a bit of bad luck last week with a kill switch that went bad and forced him out of the race early. It was something that Karrick knew needed attention, but he hadn't gotten around to it yet. It came back to bite him in the butt last week. A time when he could have kept pace with Allen he slipped a little. With a handful of races, Karrick will have to work hard to cut into the lead built up by Allen.

Tom Charles put in a good effort last week as he started 12th in the feature and finished 3rd. Another driver putting on the show for the fans last week was Chad Lyle. Lyle, as we chatted about earlier this year, is still trying to get a handle on his Shaw car. He started 22nd and made his way to 6th spot, earning him the hard charger award of the race. Crowd favorite, Gene Claxton also turned in yet another top 5 run, with a car that still doesn't handle the way he wants it to.


Modified Driver To Watch This Week: Kerry Davis #68
After starting off the season strong, Davis has come on hard times as of late. He won some races at the beginning of the season, but has yet to get back to victory lane. Davis has tasted success in another chassis at another track, but to know the mentality of Davis as a competitor, he really wants to do well at Lakeside Speedway. Some changes might be in store for his Dirt Works DW11 Modified, watch and see if he can get back up to the front of the field tonight.

Top 10 In Modified Points

Position Driver City, State Points Behind
1 JOHN ALLEN CHANUTE KS 381 Leader
2 TIM KARRICK BASEHOR KS 353 -28
3 KERRY DAVIS PARKVILLE MO 326 -55
4 GENE CLAXTON KANSAS CITY MO 307 -74
5 TOM CHARLES BONNER SPRINGS KS 304 -77
6 DANNY CHARLES BONNER SPRINGS KS 272 -109
7 CHAD LYLE LONE JACK MO 261 -120
8 MARK SCHAFMAN EDWARDSVILLE KS 254 -127
9 RODNEY SIGG IOLA KS 248 -133
10 JEFF HERBERS HOLTON KS 221 -160

Grand National
Tim Billings, has found some rhythm in the last few weeks. Two victories and a runner up position has the veteran driver back in the points race. Not only has it brought him higher in points, it has his mind in the right frame for him to climb higher and win some more races. Billings looks primed to make a run for the points title in a class that could provide some great racing, if they get their over aggressive driving tendencies out of the way.

In the Grand National division the top 3 spots in points are divided by just a mere 4 points. The 5th place driver is only 33 points back of the leader. This is why the Grand National division could shape up to be one of the more exciting points races ever at Lakeside Speedway. Over the past few weeks, this fact has been over-shadowed by a lack of good driving by the entire class. There are a lot of good drivers in this class, as they learn to use their heads and some patience look for this class to excite and amaze the fans of Lakeside Speedway.

Point leader Cody Owens and Nic Bidginger are the top two in points right now, with Billings applying some pressure. Look for several drivers to take advantage of opportunities at the track tonight.

Last week, Mike Busby lost a drive shaft that came through the floor pan of his cockpit. Rattling around in the cockpit the drive shaft hit Busby in the side. Feeling sore, Busby has no broken bones and is on the mend. Look for him to be back racing again soon. We are glad to see that he suffered no serious injury, as this could have turned out to be a very bad accident.


It looks as if one of the most exciting drivers in the Grand National division will not be returning to the track in 2007. Scotty Martin, who started out as the early season points leader, is done after a hard crash a couple of weeks ago. The crash took it's tool on Martin's ride and can't be repaired. It's a tough loss for the class, but Lakeside Speedway wishes Scotty the best.

Grand National Driver To Watch: Brad Dibben #99
Last week Dibben was a mover and a shaker! He started 17th and finished 6th in the feature event. Dibben is one of those guys that just can't seem to get over that hump to put him in that upper echelon of drivers. He has the talent and the equipment to get him there. I think one of the things that is holding this driver back is confidence! Just one break might kick start Dibben into the top 2 or 3 of the Grand Nationals. Watch tonight and see if he betters last week's run.

Top 10 in Grand National Points

Position Driver City, State Points Behind
1 CODY OWENS KANSAS CITY MO 307 Leader
2 NIC BIDINGER PERRY KS 305 -2
3 TIM BILLINGS LIBERTY MO 303 -4
4 JIMMY WINKLER PARKVILLE MO 293 -14
5 JIM BAKER LEAVENWORTH KS 274 -33
6 BRAD DIBBEN KANSAS CITY MO 261 -46
7 MARSHALL JEWETT GARDNER KS 254 -53
8 SCOTTY MARTIN INDEPENDENCE KS 229 -78
9 MIKE BUSBY KANSAS CITY MO 220 -87
- JEFF SMITH KANSAS CITY MO 220 -87

Factory Stock

WOW! That is the one word the sums up the Factory Stock race from one week ago. Buzz Kaster finally got the win he was looking for in 2007, but he had to do it in dramatic fashion holding off Tyler Schmidt by just a few feet at the finish line. This type of competition is exactly what the fans and employees have enjoyed seeing over the last few years.

Kaster has been frustrated to say the least in 2007. He knows that he is capable of putting his race car up front each and every week, but it seems that problems have kept him from doing this. It's tough for a racer who knows he should be up front and isn't. From reading this you might think Kaster hasn't been doing well in '07. To the contrary to be exact.

Currently he sits 3rd in points and he has a handful of top 5s. Kaster would love to be in the top spot and he would love to have some more wins under his belt. Maybe last week's win will get him going down the stretch run.

What does Tyler Schmidt have to do to win a race? He has been on the losing end of a couple of photo finishes this season. Is there a break around the corner for this young driver? Even though he hasn't gotten a win yet, Schmidt has provided the fans with some exciting racing and great finishes to the season.


Several drivers continue to run strong in this class. With the exception of Tim Shields and his number of victories this season, there are several drivers who have competed well in '07. A lot of drivers from 2nd on back in the points could make a run to the top and challenge Shields.

Factory Stock Driver To Watch This Week: Buzz Kaster #54
This is a first this year, never have we ever chosen a driver to watch that won the previous race. This could be a good time to 'buck' the system. Kaster is coming off and emotional win and we should keep an eye on him to see if momentum can keep him up front. By virtue of Lakeside's feature lineup, he will have to pass some drivers to get to the front. Let's see if Kaster can be the first driver, besides Shields, to win back to back weeks at Lakeside.

Top 10 In Factory Stock Points

Position Driver City, State Points Behind
1 TIM SHIELDS KANSAS CITY MO 331 Leader
2 WILL WHISLER KANSAS CITY KS 295 -36
3 BUZ KASTER KANSAS CTIY KS 288 -43
4 MARSHALL JEWETT GARDNER KS 286 -45
5 JAY KELLY KANSAS CITY KS 283 -48
6 JOE SMITH, JR KANSAS CITY KS 280 -51
7 BRIAN MILLS GLADSTONE MO 272 -59
8 JAKE NEWMAN KANSAS CITY MO 270 -61
9 TYLER SCHMIDT EASTON KS 244 -87
10 BUD WALLIS BALDWIN CITY KS 219 -112

Lakeside Speedway opens the spectator gates at 5 p.m. with hot laps beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the first race goes green at 7:30 p.m.

Don't forget about the October Fast coming up. Lakeside Speedway will host 4 Saturday races where they are going to open up the rules to let other tracks racers compete at Lakeside for the first time. It should be a lot of fun coming up in October. Lakeside Speedway still has a ton of great races left to.. The Ron Shuman Classic with the Good Ole Time Racing Association... Tom Karrick Modified Memorial.... The McCarthy Chevrolet Jayhawk Modified Classic.... and the Capitol Federal Late Model Showdown and Modified Shootout are all still to come this season at Lakeside Speedway.