Track champions crowned at RPM Speedway

admin | September 23, 2013

By Mike Hughes

HAYS, KS (September 21)—It was championship night at RPM Speedway in Hays, KS, on Saturday evening, September 21. Three of the five track titles were still up for grabs as the evening started.

In the S & W Supply IMCA Modified class, it was a 2 car race for the championship as 4 points separated Salina’s Corey Lagroon and ‘Dynamite’ Dylan Sherfick. Scott Brown took the lead at the start of the 20-lap feature with Tim Watts and ‘Rapid’ Ronnie Hill in tow. Hill though took over the top spot the following lap. Jerry Teel spun on lap 8 to bring out a caution. Hill led the field back to green, only to be passed by ‘The Terminator’ Travis Sherfick of Wakeeney on lap 9. The red flag flew on the following lap when Teel flipped on the back straightaway. Teel was okay but done for the night. Travis led the remaining distance when the green flag waved again to claim his third win of the year at Hays. Younger brother Dylan finished second with Lagroon third, good enough for Lagroon to claim the title. Watts and Hill completed the top five. Heat race winners were Lagroon and Brian Calhoon.

The Golden Plains Trucking IMCA Northern Sport Mod point standings had ‘The Frye Man’ Tyler Frye of Belleville holding a 7 point lead over ‘The Money Man’ Clay Money. Heat 3 winner Cody Pancake took the lead at the drop of the green, and held onto the lead through a couple of caution periods to lead at the halfway mark of the 15-lap A-main. Heat two winner and defending track champion Jake Krone took over the top spot on lap 9 but had to retire to the pits two laps later, handing the lead over to Frye. Frye held off the field to claim his 6^th feature win and the track championship. Pancake finished in the runner-up spot, followed by Kurtis Pihl, Dustin Daneils and heat two winner Clay Sellard. Blaine Walt claimed the checkers in the B-feature.

The closest point race was in the Rebel Tank Service IMCA Hobby Stock division as ‘Cheeseburger’ G.W. Fuller of Tescott held a slim 2 point advantage over ‘The Wild Child’ Garrett Hager. Heat two victor Ron Wehling led the first 2 laps of the 15-lap feature before the first caution waved on lap 3 when Colton Pfeifer and Darren Unrein tangled in turn one. When the green flag reappeared, Fuller shot to the lead. The caution flag waved again several times throughout the race but Fuller was up to the task and was first to the checkers to get his first win at Hays this season, along with the track championship. Hager finished second, with heat one winner Aaron Gray, Kent Tammen and ‘Neon’ Leon Pfannenstiel rounding out the top five. Travis Coop also won a heat race.

Colby’s Jeff Tubbs had the track championship wrapped up in the Advantage Glass Plus IMCA Stock Car division at the start of the night. Tubbs took over the lead on lap 8 when leader Geoff Jermark got high coming out of turn 2 and fell back to fourth. Tubbs went on to make his second appearance in victory lane at RPM Speedway this season. ‘The Spiderman’ Nick Tubbs, Josh ‘The Hammer’ Hudson, heat one winner Nolan Remus, and Jim Powell would round out the top five. Keith Riley was victorious in the other heat race.

All Stockton’s Michael Smith had to do was take the green flag in the D K Ranch IMCA Sport Compact division to claim the track title. And that he did as he chased Monte Honas of Ellis most of the feature. Honas held on to win his 10^th feature of the year at Hays. Smith finished second, followed by heat 2 victor Dallas Dunn, Kirk Pfannenstiel and Tanner Chapin. Honas won the other heat race. Honas missed the first point night at Hays in April and finished 17 points behind Smith.

The School Buses also competed with heat race winner Darren Unrein also winning the feature. Terry Hobbs finished second, followed by Glenn Unrein and Mike Wagner.

The evening’s race sponsor was Discovery Drilling.

There was also a special 50/50 raffle with the track’s proceeds going to the Chloe Medina medical fund. Chloe is 18 months old and recently diagnosed with pre-leukemia, and will have to travel for treatments. The winner donated his portion back to the fund, so at the end of the evening, over $1,000 was raised.

The season’s finale with be the annual Fall Nationals on October 10-12. The sport compacts will run a full show on Thursday night with $300 to the winner. The remaining 4 classes will compete on Friday & Saturday night. The modified feature winner will collect $5,000; the stock car winner $3,000; sport mod $2,000 and hobby stock $1,000. Race time on Thursday & Friday will be 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 on Saturday.

RESULTS

IMCA Modifieds

Heat race winners: Corey Lagroon, Brian Calhoon.

Feature: 1. Travis Sherfick, 2. Dylan Sherfick, 3. Lagroon, 4. Tim Watts, 5. Ronnie Hill, 6. Marty Clark, 7. John Fabrizius, 8. David Solberg, 9. Chadd Brown, 10. Danny Keller (DNF), 11. Calhoon (DNF), 12. Scott Brown (DNF), 13. Jerry Teel (DNF), 14. William Nusser (DNS).

IMCA Stock Cars

Heat race winners: Nolan Remus, Keith Riley.

Feature: 1. Jeff Tubbs, 2. Nick Tubbs, 3. Josh Hudson, 4. Remus, 5. Jim Powell, 6. Geoff Jermark, 7. Jason Davis, 8. Riley, 9. Pat Bedore, 10. Andre Rexford, 11. John Annon, 12. Cody Zimmerman, 13. B.J. Wagoner (DNF), 14. Jay Hachmeister (DNF), 15. Arnold Williams (DNS).

IMCA Northern Sport Mods

Heat race winners: Jake Krone, Clay Sellard, Cody Pancake.

B-Feature (top 5 advance): 1. Blaine Walt, 2. Dan Lauer, 3. Brendon Damon, 4. Alex Johnson, 5. Jeremy Couse, 6. Dakota Sproul, 7. Tony Fisher, 8. Chance Miller, 9. Ryan Gier, 10. Bentley Pywell (DNS).

A-Feature: 1. Tyler Frye, 2. Pancake, 3. Kurtis Pihl, 4. Dustin Daniels, 5. Sellard, 6. Brian Fink, 7. Daniel Gottschalk, 8. Trenton Kleweno, 9. Walt, 10. Clay Money, 11. Austin Walker, 12. Damon, 13. Kenny Schmidt, 14. Johnson (DNF), 15. Krone (DNF), 16. Tyler Watts (DNF), 17. Couse (DNF), 18. Cory McGann (DNF), 19. Michael Copper (DNF), 20. Lauer (DNF).

IMCA Hobby Stocks

Heat race winners: Aaron Gray, Ron Wehling, Travis Coop.

Feature: 1. G.W. Fuller, 2. Garrett Hager, 3. Gray, 4. Kent Tammen, 5. Leon Pfannenstiel, 6. H.J. Colburn, 7. T.C. McKain, 8. Trevor Schmidt, 9. Mark Normandin, 10. Daniel Irwin, 11. Coop, 12. Wehling, 13. Tommy Fose, 14. Roger Garrison, 15. Aaron Honas, 16. Al Emmons, 17. Robert Emmons, 18. Oscar Runyon, 19. Donnie Werth, 20. Irvin Earl (DNF), 21. Darren Unrein (DNF), 22. Colton Pfeifer (DNF).

IMCA Sport Compacts

Heat race winners: Monte Honas, Dallas Dunn.

Feature: 1. Honas, 2. Michael Smith, 3. Dunn, 4. Kirk Pfannenstiel, 5. Tanner Chapin, 6. Ed Jasper, 7. Shyla Hughes (DNF), 8. Art Herzog (DNF), 9. Andrew Soderlund (DNF), 10. Dean Herzog (DNS).

Category: Kansas / Nebraska, RPM Speedway