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Murray, Nichols, and Buss End May with Victories at Dawson
County Raceway
By Darin Racek
LEXINGTON, NE (May 31) - After two failed attempts, Dawson County Raceway
finally got a May race night completed. Rain stayed to the north and west,
which was fine for the drivers of the sixty-six cars in the pits, the people
that came to help them, and the fans that came to watch. David Murray, Jr.
of Oberlin, Kan., Mike Nichols of Harlan, Iowa, and Jim Buss of Blue Hill
felt as though they ended May on a fine note, winning the night’s A
Features.
The racing action was hot and heavy early in the IMCA Modified A Feature.
Heat winner Bo Egge of Kearney took the lead at the start of the event, but
by lap five, fellow heat race winner David Murray found a way to get under
Egge for the lead. As Murray pulled away, Egge and Vince Leibert of
Lexington, the other IMCA Modified heat race winner, put on a classic
side-by-side battle for the second spot, exchanging positions and paint
during the battle. About the time Egge cleared himself of Leibert, a series
of cautions came out to slow the event. As Murray completed lap nineteen,
there was a tangle, bringing out the fifth caution and ending the night.
While a top five was announced after the races, the official top five was
how the cars finished lap eighteen. Murray had the win. Charley Brown of
Maxwell got by Egge for second place with a few laps to go. Chad Dolan of
Gibbon was credited with fourth place, and Jay Steffens of North Platte
rounded out the top five.
Eighteen cars started the IMCA Stock Car A Feature, and seventeen cars were
following Cozad driver Ozzie Romero closely as he paced the race. On the
third lap, Romero spun, and a large pileup ensued. While all but three cars
were able to resume racing, Shane Stout of North Platte inherited the lead.
Stout was able to pace the race until Mike Nichols began to apply the
pressure. Stout’s line was high, but Nichols was able to slide underneath
him on lap fifteen and take the lead, despite going to the pits after the
early pileup, and realigning near the back of the field on lap three. It was
his second consecutive win. Stout finished in second place. Jason Smidt of
Minden started in row six, but ended the race in third place. Fourth and
fifth places went to Cozad’s Cale Osborn and Lexington’s Jim Hagan. Nichols,
Jason Koch of Cambridge, and Charley Brown were the three IMCA Stock Car
heat race winners.
During the IMCA Hobby Stock heat races, which were won by Corey Cruzan of
Maxwell, Ethan Johnson of Broken Bow, Tyler Andreasen of Grand Island, and
Eric Steinmark of Kearney, the car of Brandon Kautz of Gibbon shot off
corner three and went for a violent roll, sending parts and the rear tire of
his car into the open air animal pens off of corner three. Fortunately, he
was able to climb out of the car and take a bow.
The IMCA Hobby Stock A Feature, however, was an exciting race without the
serious accidents. Cash dash winner Jim Buss started on the front row and
immediately went to the high side with the lead. Corey Cruzan and Terry
Eatherton of Gibbon stayed right with him. When Cruzan dropped to the bottom
of the track, Eatherton drove on by. Ethan Johnson then joined the fun, as
he was able to drive a little bit higher than everyone else and move into
third until a broken ball joint took him out of the event. As the laps wound
down, everyone wondered if the 60-something IMCA Hobby Stock “rookie”
Eatherton had anything for veteran Buss . It was not to be, as Buss, who has
had some bad luck early in the season, had nothing but good luck during the
final stretch and kept Eatherton and the rest of the field behind him. Jim
Rayburn of Gibbon ran in third place. Dillon Thompson of Campbell, in a car
formerly run by Cody Blessing of Kearney, won the B Feature, then drove
across the finish line of the main event in fourth. Cruzan took fifth place.
Dawson County Raceway will be back in action on Sunday, June 7. On that
night, the United Rebel Sprint Series will join the three regular classes
for a big night of action. The gates will open at 5 PM, and the races will
start at 6:30 PM, Central Time. Admission will be $12 for adults, $5 for
children 6 - 12, and free for children 5 and under. Pit passes will be $25.
May 31 Results
IMCA Modified
Heat 1
2X-Bo Egge
7A-Steve Aitken
12J-Jay Steffens
Heat 2
7R-Vince Leibert
87D-Chad Dolan
4C-Charley Brown
Heat 3
97M-David Murray, Jr.
3-John Huffman
2-Jeremy Herbst
A Feature
97M-David Murray, Jr.
4C-Charley Brown
2X-Bo Egge
87D-Chad Dolan
12J-Jay Steffens
1X-Scott Blessing
19J-Jim Mlady
19-Charles Stryker
15K-Jamey Kennicutt
2-Jeremy Herbst
59M-Travis Mack
7R-Vince Leibert
00M-James Moore
29E-Brooke Eilts
95-Meddie Cote
3-John Huffman
3X-Brian Levander (DNF)
7A-Steve Aitken (DNF)
23S-Josh Sabin (DNF)
7-James Libra (DNF)
41J-Jeff Linner (DNS)
IMCA Stock Car
Heat 1
74KO-Jason Koch
5S-Shane Stout
18-Jason Smidt
Heat 2
63-Mike Nichols
33OZ-Ozzie Romero
24W-Casey Werkmeister
Heat 3
4C-Charley Brown
6C-Cale Osborn
12J-Kerry Jones
A Feature
63-Mike Nichols
5S-Shane Stout
18-Jason Smidt
6C-Cale Osborn
72H-Jim Hagan
16-Jeff Whiting
50-Colton Osborn
70KO-Aaron Koch
09H-Bob Hoing
12J-Kerry Jones
29E-Brendan Eilts
42W-Kyle Werkmeister
57-Dan Stoll
00-Sara Powers (DNF)
33OZ-Ozzie Romero (DNF)
74KO-Jason Koch (DNF)
4C-Charley Brown (DNF)
24W-Casey Werkmeister (DNF)
IMCA Hobby Stock
Heat 1
8C-Corey Cruzan
80-Jim Rayburn
1Xjr-Cody Blessing
Heat 2
13-Ethan Johnson
12-Jim Buss
0-Kyle Bond
Heat 3
13T-Tyler Andreasen
27-Tim Miller
29-Jeromy Wagner
Heat 4
00-Eric Steinmark
66-Terry Eatherton
99H-Brad Easterday
Cash Dash
12-Jim Buss
B Feature
11-Dillon Thompson
3L-Leland Stute
38-Jack Sherman
00H-Greg Hoing
172-Kevin Hagan
10-Litton Stute
20-Huner Cantrall
3D-Dalton Dolan
3Z-Zach Canas (DNF)
93M-Christian McCance (DNF)
40-Dan Rheome (DNF)
5M-Frank Mladek (DNF)
5-Chuck Ledbetter, Jr. (DNS)
09-Brandon Kautz (DNS)
A Feature
12-Jim Buss
66-Terry Eatherton
80-Jim Rayburn
11-Dillon Thompson
8C-Corey Cruzan
29-Jeromy Wagner
13T-Tyler Andreasen
3L-Leland Stute
27-Tim Miller
00H-Greg Hoing
00-Eric Steinmark
38-Jack Sherman
99H-Brad Easterday
172-Kevin Hagan
10-Litton Stute
0-Kyle Bond
1Xjr-Cody Blessing
13-Ethan Johnson
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