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Jesse Williamson Wins Fourth CGS Modified Nationals Title; Horner And Pierce Also Pick Up Wins

Jesse Williamson Wins Fourth CGS Modified Nationals Title; Horner And Pierce Also Pick Up Wins
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Dirt Monkey Productions)
It was another fantastic Cottage Grove Speedway Modified Nationals on Saturday June 28th despite the first night of the weekend being cancelled due to weather. Thirty-seven IMCA Modifieds would congregate to the historical ¼-mile clay oval to contest for one of the crown jewels of the Pacific Northwest. Also on tap for the evening was the Northwest Extreme Sprints and Hornets.

At the start of the fifty-lap feature main event Eugene’s Jesse Williamson would seize the lead in the S.D.M.F. Race Cars/Mid Valley Metals/F.M. Jones & Sons Quality Trucks and Autos/KC Race Engines #ZERO S.D.M.F. entry owned by Dustin Comer. Williamson would set a rapid pace but would have to negotiate some lapped traffic around the lap seventeen mark. A lap twenty-one caution would bunch up the field and a caution on lap twenty-six gave a chance for the cars to fill up the cells for the rest of the distance.

The race would go green the rest of the way with Jesse Williamson out in front but pressure would be mounting from contenders behind him as the laps continued to click away. In the final ten circuits Salem’s Jeremy Shank would throw his name in the mix. Shank, who started in eleventh, would operate his Left Coast Motorsports/South Pacific Auto Sales and Service Center/Bilstein Shocks by Left Coast #30 Swartz on the bottom the track and closed the gap between him and the leader. Shank would contest for the win in the last laps but Williamson would make some clutch moves in traffic to keep his machine out in front. Williamson would hold on for the rest of the way to win his fourth CGS Modified Nationals win which ties him with Jon DeBennedetti for the most.

Jeremy Shank was a respectable second over Klamath Falls chauffeur Nick Trenchard in the Biehn Racing/Air Gas/Natures Images/Lithia Dodge-Toyota of Klamath Falls #54N Shaw who finished third for car owners Rich and Nicky Biehn. The balance of the top five would consist of Yreka, California’s Kyle Casson in the Ken’s Glass Company/Rodgers Racing Engines #11K Rayburn in fourth and in fifth was the Todd’s Auto Body/D&D Automotive/Vintage Inn Family Restaurant #5 Shaw by S.D.M.F. machine of Braedon Hand from Cottage Grove.

Two consolation features were ran with the Virgil Hanson Automotive Machine/BSB Manufacturing/James Pizza Gang/C.T. Warner #33C Shaw of Albany’s Craig Hanson winning the first one with the second going to Medford veteran Dane Smith in the Don Roemer owned Cascade Metal Recycling/Jon Inskeep Racing Engines/Mr. Smith’s Bar & Grill #83 Shaw. Picking up the win for the second year in a row in the Race of Champions was Jacksonville pilot Mark Wauge in his Dog House Racing/Payroll Specialties Inc./Hoppes Construction/Rodgers Racing Engines #28M Impressive.

In Northwest Extreme Sprint action Hedge Carter from Cottage Grove would take the lead from the Redmond Trucking/Independent Thinning #57 Rocket of Dusty Redmond from Roseburg on lap two. Carter, in the Huddle Automotive Repair/Steelhouse Metal Roofing Supply/Oregon West RV/Hedge Carter Gutter Service #71JR Lunatik Fringe, would keep his mount out in front until lap eight.

Cottage Grove’s Danny Horner would take over the top spot on lap eight from his former crew chief only to lose the lead on the twelfth circuit to Colin Baker also from Cottage Grove. Baker was well on his way to victory lane in the Tim Galloway owned BC Motorsports #83 KPC until mechanical problems would bring his night to a premature end on lap twenty-two. Danny Horner would get the lead back and for the second time in 2014 put his Horner’s Inc./BC Motorsports/Steelhouse Metal Roofing Supply #75H Maxim in victory lane.

The RCV Custom Coach Service/Kobalt Computer Service/William & Mathis Accounting/All Around Printing #4 XXX of Jesse Thistle from Creswell in second and Hedge Carter in third. Crossing the wire in fourth was Dave Hibbard of Medford in the C&H Motorsports/Tangible Real Estate Investment/Dave’s Carpet & Vinyl Liquidators/Southern Oregon Veterans Benefit #3 Maxim and in fifth was the Brian Crockett owned BC Motorsports #91 Avenger of Thurston’s Ricky Ashley.

Jim Simmons of Cottage Grove looked to be the car to beat in the early stages of the Hornet feature. The Bigg Dogg Recycling/Marvin Smith Auto Repair/Body Works Salon #41 Honda Prelude, of Simmons, would be the car to beat for much of the race until Eric Cooper, also from Cottage Grove, got his way to the front. Cooper would be in the top spot for a couple of laps before Chris Pierce would pass him on lap ten.

The Cottage Grove native, Pierce, managed to lead the rest of the distance despite several restarts. It was the first win of the campaign for the Froggy’s Towing/Meineke Car Care Center #28 Chevy Cavalier of Pierce after a whole season of bad luck and mechanical problems.

Eric Cooper was second in his Eastide Rollforming Specialties/R&D Specialties #32 Nissan 200SX followed by the Randy Kuhl owned Bigg Dogg Recycling/DT Machine & Fab/Big B Tire #17 Toyota Tacoma entry of Taunton Swaim from Dexter. K.C. Scott of Springfield was fourth in the Dalton Carpet/Dr. Vape Products/T.L. Morgan Motors #30 Mazda Protégé and the Bigg Dogg Recycling/DT Machine & Fab/Big B Tire #NE1 Dodge Colt of Josh Linville from Springfield was fifth.

Cottage Grove Speedway will be in action on Friday July 4th and Saturday the 5th. Classes in action will include the ASCS-Northwest Region 360 Sprints, Northwest Extreme Modifieds, and Late Models as well as FIREWORKS while on Saturday it will be IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Hornets.

For each night the Pit Gates will open at 2:00 PM, Front Gates open at 4:00, and Racing starts at 6:45. Ticket prices per event are Adults $15.00, Seniors/Military/Juniors (13-17) $13.00, Youths (Ages 12-6) $8.00, and Children under the age of 5 are FREE. For more information log on to www.cottagegrovespeedway.com.

Race Summary:
Cottage Grove Speedway Modified Nationals
Saturday June 28th, 2014
Cottage Grove Speedway
Cottage Grove, Oregon

Northwest Extreme Sprints
A Feature: 1. 75H-Danny Horner; 2. 4-Jesse Thistle; 3. 71JR-Hedge Carter; 4. 3-David Hibbard; 5. 91-Ricky Ashley; 6. 21-Mike Griffith; 7. 70-Raquel Ivie; 8. 5D-Patrick Dills; 9. 10K-Don Waddell; 10. 78-Daniel McGrew; 11. 83-Colin Baker; 12. 57-Dusty Redmond; 13. 4D-Cooper Desbiens; DNS 12-Orion Redmond

IMCA Modifieds
A Feature: 1. ZERO-Jesse Williamson; 2. 30-Jeremy Shank; 3. 54N-Nick Trenchard; 4. 11K-Kyle Casson; 5. 5-Braedon Hand; 6. 28M-Mark Wauge; 7. F1-Monte Bischoff; 8. 85P-Ricky Ashley; 9. 83-Dane Smith; 10. 27-Mark Carrell; 11. 77-Kreg Britton; 12. 33C-Craig Hanson; 13. 57M-Troy McElroy; 14. 25-Craig Cassell; 15. 21A-Matthew Drager; 16. 24-Curtis Towns; 17. 68-Jesse Bailey; 18. 9-David Schmidt; 19. W6-Kelly Williamson; 20. 40-Jeff Lovell

B Feature 1: 1. 83-Dane Smith; 2. 40-Jeff Lovell; 3. 88-Zach Fettinger; 4. 12-B.J. Wild; 5. 44-Greg McDonald; 6. 2G-Brad Gentry; 7. 16-Jerry Schram; 8. 11-Steven Sturdevant; 9. 21-Jeremy Ohlde; DNS SW-Collen Winebarger

B Feature 2: 1. 33C-Craig Hanson; 2. 9-David Schmidt; 3. 73M-Dave Duste Jr.; 4. 45S-Aaron Sheelar; 5. 521-Shane Mills; 6. 45-Jason Kocks; 7. 24H-Kevin Hewitt; 8. 93B-Justin Ryker; 9. 11X-Tom Berry Jr.; 10. 15-Tanner Baldwin; DNS 5M-Jake Mayden

Race Of Champions: 1. 28M-Mark Wauge; 2. 57M-Troy McElroy; 3. 25-Craig Cassell; 4. 5-Braedon Hand; 5. F1-Monte Bischoff; 6. 24-Curtis Towns; 7. 30-Jeremy Shank; 8. 85P-Ricky Ashley; 9. 33C-Craig Hanson; 10. 521-Shane Mills; 11. 45S-Aaron Sheelar; 12. 12-B.J. Wild; 13. 45-Jason Kocks; 14. 27-Mark Carrell; 15. ZERO-Jesse Williamson; 16. 11K-Kyle Casson

Hornets
A Feature: 1. 28-Chris Pierce; 2. 32-Eric Cooper; 3. 17-Taunton Swaim; 4. 30-K.C. Scott; 5. NE1-Josh Linville; 6. 2-Alex Potter; 7. 29-Scott Britton; 8. 7-Josh Corley; 9. 51-Jason Nelson; 10. 48-Mike Swaim; 11. 41-Jim Simmons; 12. 23F-Marcel Forte; DNS 101-James Donaldson

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