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Ursetta Sets The Pace at Dawson County Raceway
By Darin Racek
LEXINGTON, NEBR. (July 26) - The Blood, Sweat, and Tears Modified series
came to Dawson County Raceway on July 26th to compete with the area
Modifieds and put on a show with the IMCA Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks. The
drivers did their best at setting a furious pace throughout the night. At
the end of the evening, Dominic Ursetta of Arvada, Colo., Mike Nichols of
Harlan, Iowa, and Cody Blessing of Kearney were the drivers who set the pace
towards victory.
Despite 22 cars starting the IMCA Modified A Feature, the race went pretty
clean, slowed only at lap thirteen after a spin, then twice more on the
restart for cone violations. Dominic Ursetta sat on the pole and burst out
to a big lead over local drives Jamey Kennicutt of Gothenburg and heat race
winner Vince Leibert of Lexington, who raced nearly side-by-side for ten
laps battling for second. They were soon joined by Chad Dolan of Gibbon and
David Murray, Jr. of Oberlin, Kan., who started back in twelfth place.
Murray used both the high and low lines and found a way by all three to take
second place, then over a straightaway behind Ursetta. The caution for the
spin of Ryan Gaylord, Golden, Colo., aided Murray and the entire field to
bunch up behind the Colorado driver. On the restart, Murray went to the high
side and took the position he is used to, the head of the pack. Murray
stayed on the high side while Ursetta dropped back and nearly fell back to
third place. Ursetta finally decided to try the low groove and reeled in the
Kansan. Murray had his heart set on winning his seventh Dawson County
Raceway feature in a row, but on the last corner of the last lap, Ursetta
gave it one more blast and got by for what locals would call an "Upsetta by
Ursetta". Charley Brown of Maxwell, who damaged his car the night before in
North Platte, was able to bide his time and passed Dolan late in the race
for third place. Kennicutt held on for the fifth spot. The other three IMCA
Modified heat race winners other than Leibert were Brown, Bo Egge of
Kearney, and Chuck Stryker of Eddyville.
Denny Egge sat on the pole of the IMCA Stock Car A Feature with his bright
yellow car, and to celebrate, the field ran a caution-filled event. The
field started off well until one car stopped on the track with a flat tire.
After that, six more cautions slowed the twenty lap race. Part of the field
was nearly taken out after the restart when Jason Smidt of Minden and Osborn
brothers Cale and Colton of Cozad all tried to run the low side of corner
four all at the same time. A few more cars were involved before it was all
over, but everyone was able to resume the race. Egge enjoyed his time up
front until his fellow heat race winner Mike Nichols found his way to the
second spot, pressuring for the lead. Nichols took a good run at the lead
and was finally able to get by on lap four. While Nichols cruised to
victory, the battle for second place heated up when Shane Stout of North
Platte and Jason Smidt, who were battling each other for laps for third,
began to try to get by Egge as well. Denny held his ground to earn second
place. Stout crossed the finish line before Smidt did. Colton Osborn, who
nearly lost his right door panel, finished in fifth.
Most of the IMCA Hobby Stocks had a more difficult time in the heat race
than the feature, the most visible evidence being the four cars unable to
start the feature. Eric Steinmark of Kearney did well in his heat race,
earning the win. On lap two of the Hobby main, Steinmark got by Frank Mladek
of Cozad, who later in the evening, took a wild ride off of the backstretch,
nearly rolling his car for the second time in three race nights. Kyle Bond
of Gibbon followed Steinmark for many laps, but was passed by Cody Blessing
with only three laps to go. Little did anyone know that would be the winning
pass. Although Steinmark crossed the finish line in first at the end of the
race, he drove into the pits after the race instead of stopping in the claim
area. IMCA procedure requires the top four drivers in each class in each
IMCA A Feature stop in the claim area.
Blessing was blessed with the win. Terry Eatherton of Gibbon also got by
Bond, and that helped him get second place money. Behind Bond was Jeromy
Wagner of Kensington, Kan. and Jim Rayburn of Gibbon. Wagner and Blessing
were the other heat race winners in the Hobby Stock Class.
The next night of racing at Dawson County Racing will be on Sunday night,
August 2. The races will start at 6:30 PM. It will be a regular night of
racing, but also the ninth night of the Burger King Nine For Nine Challenge
Series for the IMCA Hobby Stocks.
July 26 Results
IMCA Modified
Heat 1
4C-Charley Brown
97M-David Murray, Jr.
15K-Jamey Kennicutt
Heat 2
2X-Bo Egge
12J-Jay Steffens
6U-Dominic Ursetta
Heat 3
7R-Vince Leibert
87D-Chad Dolan
00M-James Moore
Heat 4
19-Charles Stryker
59M-Travis Mack
25-Toph Harmon
A Feature
6U-Dominic Ursetta
97M-David Murray, Jr.
4C-Charley Brown
87D-Chad Dolan
15K-Jamey Kennicutt
2-Jeremy Herbst
17J-Jeremy Frenier
12J-Jay Steffens
2X-Bo Egge
00M-James Moore
7B-Chris Burk
19-Charles Stryker
7R-Vince Leibert
7A-Steve Aitken
20M-Perry Meisner
19J-Jim Mlady
12-Gene Smith
95-Meddie Cote
59M-Travis Mack
29E-Booke Eilts
25-Toph Harmon
27R-Ryan Gaylord (DNF)
7-James Libra (DNS)
IMCA Stock Car
Heat 1
63-Mike Nichols
09H-Bob Hoing
5B-Kerry Jones
Heat 2
1-Denny Egge
5S-Shane Stout
18-Jason Smidt
A Feature
63-Mike Nichols
1-Denny Egge
5S-Shane Stout
18-Jason Smidt
50-Colton Osborn
80M-Mike Wadel
6C-Cale Osborn
00-Sara Powers
57-Dan Stoll
09H-Bob Hoing (DNF)
29E-Brendan Eilts (DNF)
74KO-Jason Koch (DNF)
60T-Trevor Wadel (DNF)
5B-Kerry Jones (DNF)
16-Jeff Whiting (DNF)
70KO-Aaron Koch (DNS)
IMCA Hobby Stock
Heat 1
29-Jeromy Wagner
5M-Frank Mladek
3Z-Zach Canas
Heat 2
1Xjr-Cody Blessing
80-Jim Rayburn
20-Hunter Cantrall
Heat 3
00-Eric Steinmark
0-Kyle Bond
00H-Greg Hoing
A Feature
1Xjr-Cody Blessing
66-Terry Eatherton
0-Kyle Bond
29-Jeromy Wagner
80-Jim Rayburn
00H-Greg Hoing
27-Tim Miller
3D-Dalton Dolan
99H-David Easterday
5-Chuck Ledbetter, Jr.
5M-Frank Mladek (DNF)
93M-Christian McCance (DNF)
53-Tyler Easterday (DNS)
3Z-Zach Canas (DNS)
8C-Corey Cruzan (DNS)
20-Hunter Cantrall (DNS)
00-Eric Steinmark (DQ)
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