John O'Neal Wins A Main Scramble on Night #1 Of Jayhawk Modified Classic, Will Start on Pole For $5,000 To Win Feature
by: Larry Lowrey

KANSAS CITY, KS (Sept 14) - Big events bring out the best in most competitors. Friday night at the 8th Annual Jayhawk Modified Classic Presented by McCarthy Auto Group was no exception. Big things happened for a lot of guys who didn't think it was possible. Modified driver, John O'Neal just happened to be one of those drivers.

"I wouldn't have believed it, is someone would have told me I was going to be on the pole," said O'Neal after winning Friday night's A Scramble, "It was great that I was able to capitalize and have everything go right with my sponsor being here. He will be excited. He will be the first one to run down here (tech area) and give me a hug and tell me 'great job'."

O'Neal was on his A game tonight after missing a majority of the season due to many reasons. In his heat race he had to hold off the likes of Justin Boney, Scott Drake, Jason Friesen and Lakeside Speedway Track Champion, John Allen.

Praising his engine builder, Yancy Shepard, O'neal was excited about his win and his chances for tomorrow night's A Main. O'Neal has run well in the Jayhawk before, but he wants to do even better and only a 2nd or 1st will do.

His chances look very well considering the way he raced his way to an easy victory in the A Scramble on Friday night. This driver has been in big situations before, so look for him to come back on Saturday night looking to get the job done.

Several other supervised faces showed up in the A Scramble tonight.

Danny Charles has had an up and down season. When the money is on the line this youngster steps up his games. He won his heat race and looked pretty good in the scramble with a 4th place finish. He finished strong last year at the end, can he do it again this weekend for $5,000?

Rodney Sigg is one of the only drivers to ever win his first time racing a Lakeside Speedway, since returning to dirt. Rolling to a heat win, Sigg battled O'Neal at the start of the scramble and held on for 2nd spot. This puts O'Neal and Sigg on row #1.

Mike Taylor is a driver that is going through a lot of emotion right now. Just days before the Jayhawk, Taylor lost his car owner to a battle with cancer. A very tight racing team held strong together as they watched their driver, Mike Taylor, hold off former Lakeside Speedway Champion, Tim Karrick to win his heat and advance to the big dance.

Joe Walker won his heat race tonight, but still remains a mystery. Walker is a strong driver and he proved it tonight, but the will he be able to hang in there full the full feature. If tonight's performance was any indication, I would say yes!

Bubba Harvey is another driver who is feeling the sting from a recent tragedy. Earlier in the week Bubba found out that his sister passed away. Like Taylor, Harvey rallied his troops and put on a strong performance to win his heat.

Terry Bruner is another heat race winner from Friday night. Is there ever a driver who is more humble than Bruner? I didn't think so. Bruner is a laid back, blue collar type individual. He clocks in, gets the job done and goes home. Tonight he got the job done with a heat win a 3rd place finished in tonight's scramble. Look for him to have an effect on tomorrow night's race.

Mark Dotson is one fast driver. He is able to make improvements on his car from 1 week to the next. Just a few short weeks ago, Dotson didn't even make the A Main of a regular weekly show. No he is in the running for the $5,000 to win race tomorrow night.

The B Feature packed in a lot of excitement as Tim Karrick and Justin Boney put on a great show up front. Lap after lap they swapped spots with each other, before Tim got another head of steam and pulled away. Chad Lyle and Terry Phillips rounded out the top 4 in the B and transferred to the A Scramble. Unfortunately this foursome did not fair well in the scramble. Each one scored a dnf. Tomorrow night these guys will be itching at making a statement when the green flag drops.

Several notable drivers are not in the show as of now.

John Allen - Lakeside Speedway Track Champion in 2007. Had a tough go of it in the heat race and managed to win the C Feature. In the B he finished 7th, but they were only taken the top 5.

Kerry Davis - After winning the last feature of the points season at Lakeside, you would have thought that Davis might be a favorite. He ran a good heat, but had to race in the B and finished 5.

Kelly Shryock - Kelly had a tough go of it on Friday night. He put his Skyrocket Chassis into the front stretch wall and did extensive damage to his modified. After the crash, Kelly called it a night. The big question is whether he will be back on Saturday? My guess is yes. Even if he doesn't have a backup car, someone will lend him a car to get him in the race.

Jeremy Payne, Dave Trauernicht, Scott Drake and Terry Beckham are just a few other names to pay attention too. Then again, when this kind of money is being dropped down, you might want to pay attention to all the drivers. Anyone could have a good night.

Saturday's events get started with a free breakfast with the purchase of a pit pass. Gates open at 5 p.m., hot laps start at 6:30 and the first green flag drops at 7:30 p.m.

Adult tickets are $15.00 and kids are just $8.00.

8th Annual Jayhawk Modified Classic Presented by McCarthy Auto Group
John O'Neal Jr. Rodney Sigg
Terry Bruner Danny Charles
Mark Dotson Mike Taylor
Bubba Harvey Joe Walker
Terry Phillips Tim Karrick
Chad Lyle Justin Boney

Modifieds - Scramble

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 2 15 John O'neal, Jr. - 0
2 1 18R Rodney Sigg Iola , Ks 0
3 4 8 Terry Bruner Ii Kansas City, Ks 0
4 8 81J Danny Charles Bonner Springs, Ks 0
5 5 85D Mark Dotson Cameron , Mo 0
6 7 17 Mike Taylor Topeka , Ks 0
7 3 3 Larry Harvey, Jr. Kansas City, Ks 0
8 6 11D Joe Walker - 0
9 12 75 Terry Phillips - 0
10 9 1K Tim Karrick Basehor , Ks 0
11 10 96 Chad Lyle - 0
12 11 18 Justin Boney Leavenworth , Ks 0

Modifieds - JAYHAWK B

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 6 1K Tim Karrick Basehor , Ks 0
2 3 96 Chad Lyle - 0
3 4 18 Justin Boney Leavenworth , Ks 0
4 8 75 Terry Phillips - 0
5 7 68 Kerry Davis Parkville , Mo 0
6 10 12P Jeff Herbers Holton , Ks 0
7 19 98 John Allen Chanute , Ks 0
8 11 5 Scott Crystal Overland Park, Ks 0
9 18 1F Jason Friesen - 0
10 2 19 Duane Walker, Sr. Merriam , Ks 0
11 9 94 Allan Lawrence Gardner , Ks 0
12 15 5J Matt Johnson - 0
13 21 5C Don Crnkovich Lenexa , Ks 0
14 12 X09 Joshua Stevens - 0
15 14 33 Nick Newton Kansas City, Ks 0
16 5 220 Dustin Boney - 0
17 20 71 David Holder - 0
18 16 5T Buddy Thompson - 0
19 1 70 Aaron Marrant Orrick , Mo 0
20 13 26 Dan Fetters Montour , Ia 0

Modifieds - JAYHAWK C

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 4 1F Jason Friesen - 0
2 12 98 John Allen Chanute , Ks 0
3 2 71 David Holder - 0
4 3 5C Don Crnkovich Lenexa , Ks 0
5 6 89 Yancy Shepard - 0
6 9 25R Scotty Roberts - 0
7 7 34 Mark Schafman Edwardsville , Ks 0
8 17 810 Jesse Wheeler Independence , Mo 0
9 19 12 Scott Drake - 0
10 16 26K Kevin Blackburn - 0
11 13 G7 Jeremy Tibben Stanton , Ia 0
12 20 45 Steve Brown Olathe , Ks 0
13 11 55 Kevin Parman - 0
14 8 11P Curt Potter Boonville , Mo 0
15 5 0 Joe Cobb Kansas City, Ks 0
16 18 4T Dave Trauernicht - 0
17 14 81 Tom Charles Bonner Springs, Ks 0
18 1 8T Steve Miller - 0
19 10 06 Keith Cobb, Jr. Olathe , Ks 0
20 15 4P Scott Pippert Piper , Ks 0

Modifieds - JAYHAWK D 2

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 2 4T Dave Trauernicht - 0
2 5 45 Steve Brown Olathe , Ks 0
3 4 37 Jerimiah Asher - 0
4 9 71S Steve Starmer - 0
5 3 9G Dylan Gentry Kansas City, Ks 0
6 15 84 Justin Johnson Olathe , Ks 0
7 11 38 Matt Pugh Overland Park, Ks 0
8 1 77J John Washburn Kansas Ctiy, Ks 0
9 6 74 Jeremy Payne - 0
10 7 57 Tim Powell Lansing , Ks 0
11 8 13 Aaron Poe Warrensburg , Mo 0
12 10 118 Terry Beckham Ii - 0
13 12 99 Tim North Jr - 0
14 13 7D Danny Holt - 0
15 16 3X Kelly Shryock - 0
16 14 42 Gene Claxton Kansas City, Mo 0

Modifieds - JAYHAWK D 1

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 1 810 Jesse Wheeler Independence , Mo 0
2 4 12 Scott Drake - 0
3 5 0K Kirby Stiens - 0
4 2 171 Donnie Danner - 0
5 8 53C Terry Bivins Lebo , Ks 0
6 3 19B Nic Baalman - 0
7 15 32 Cody Owens Kansas City, Mo 0
8 7 2 Grant Junghans - 0
9 13 21D Colby Dixon - 0
10 11 66 Darryl Turner - 0
11 16 11L Scotty Martin - 0
12 6 5G Craig Gordon Olathe , Ks 0
13 10 4J Jake Richards Kansas Ctiy, Ks 0
14 9 21 Nathan Nickle - 0
15 12 8X Mark Hoover Maryville , Mo 0
16 14 88D Matt Dotson - 0
17 17 00 Jim Moody - 0

Modifieds - Heat 8

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 2 81J Danny Charles Bonner Springs, Ks 12
2 4 75 Terry Phillips - 11
3 1 5T Buddy Thompson - 10
4 6 11P Curt Potter Boonville , Mo 9
5 8 26K Kevin Blackburn - 8
6 3 37 Jerimiah Asher - 7
7 5 13 Aaron Poe Warrensburg , Mo 6
8 9 99 Tim North Jr - 5
9 7 3X Kelly Shryock - 4

Modifieds - Heat 7

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 1 18R Rodney Sigg Iola , Ks 12
2 3 68 Kerry Davis Parkville , Mo 11
3 5 5J Matt Johnson - 10
4 8 34 Mark Schafman Edwardsville , Ks 9
5 4 4P Scott Pippert Piper , Ks 8
6 9 9G Dylan Gentry Kansas City, Ks 7
7 6 57 Tim Powell Lansing , Ks 6
8 7 38 Matt Pugh Overland Park, Ks 0
9 2 84 Justin Johnson Olathe , Ks 0

Modifieds - Heat 6

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 1 17 Mike Taylor Topeka , Ks 12
2 6 1K Tim Karrick Basehor , Ks 11
3 2 33 Nick Newton Kansas City, Ks 10
4 3 89 Yancy Shepard - 9
5 7 81 Tom Charles Bonner Springs, Ks 8
6 5 4T Dave Trauernicht - 7
7 9 74 Jeremy Payne - 6
8 4 118 Terry Beckham Ii - 5
9 8 42 Gene Claxton Kansas City, Mo 0

Modifieds - Heat 5

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 2 11D Joe Walker - 12
2 4 220 Dustin Boney - 11
3 3 26 Dan Fetters Montour , Ia 10
4 7 0 Joe Cobb Kansas City, Ks 9
5 1 G7 Jeremy Tibben Stanton , Ia 8
6 8 77J John Washburn Kansas Ctiy, Ks 7
7 9 45 Steve Brown Olathe , Ks 6
8 5 71S Steve Starmer - 5
9 6 7D Danny Holt - 4

Modifieds - Heat 4

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 2 15 John O'neal, Jr. - 12
2 4 18 Justin Boney Leavenworth , Ks 11
3 1 X09 Joshua Stevens - 10
4 5 1F Jason Friesen - 9
5 6 98 John Allen Chanute , Ks 8
6 8 12 Scott Drake - 7
7 9 2 Grant Junghans - 6
8 7 8X Mark Hoover Maryville , Mo 5
9 3 11L Scotty Martin - 4

Modifieds - Heat 3

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 4 3 Larry Harvey, Jr. Kansas City, Ks 12
2 1 96 Chad Lyle - 11
3 6 5 Scott Crystal Overland Park, Ks 10
4 8 5C Don Crnkovich Lenexa , Ks 9
5 3 55 Kevin Parman - 8
6 5 19B Nic Baalman - 7
7 9 53C Terry Bivins Lebo , Ks 6
8 7 66 Darryl Turner - 5
9 2 32 Cody Owens Kansas City, Mo 4

Modifieds - Heat 2

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 2 8 Terry Bruner Ii Kansas City, Ks 12
2 6 19 Duane Walker, Sr. Merriam , Ks 11
3 9 12P Jeff Herbers Holton , Ks 10
4 5 71 David Holder - 9
5 3 06 Keith Cobb, Jr. Olathe , Ks 8
6 8 171 Donnie Danner - 7
7 7 5G Craig Gordon Olathe , Ks 6
8 4 4J Jake Richards Kansas Ctiy, Ks 5
9 1 88D Matt Dotson - 0

Modifieds - Heat 1

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Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Race Points
1 1 85D Mark Dotson Cameron , Mo 12
2 2 70 Aaron Marrant Orrick , Mo 11
3 3 94 Allan Lawrence Gardner , Ks 10
4 5 8T Steve Miller - 9
5 6 25R Scotty Roberts - 8
6 8 810 Jesse Wheeler Independence , Mo 7
7 9 0K Kirby Stiens - 6
8 4 21 Nathan Nickle - 5
9 10 21D Colby Dixon - 4
10 7 00 Jim Moody - 0