6/21/2024
Cottage Grove Speedway
Winebarger, Berkeley, And Killingsworth Dominate Thursday Night Show At Cottage Grove
Winebarger, Berkeley, And Killingsworth Dominate Thursday Night Show At Cottage Grove
By Ben Deatherage
(Jason Davenport Photography)
Cottage Grove, Oregon—After taking a night off, the IMCA Wild West Speedweek returned to action on Thursday, June 20th, at Cottage Grove Speedway for the fifth race of the 2024 season. The pit area was jammed full of competitors from across North America competing in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds presented by Wheeless Trailers Sales Service & RV Repair, Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, and the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Roadhouse Billiards and Brew.
Eugene veteran Paul Rea powered his car to the front on the opening start of the main event for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds presented by Wheeless Trailer Sales Service & RV Repair after going three-wide with Geoff Morris and hometown racer Braedon Hand to lead lap one. Everyone made it through the first circuit without accident, but a multi-car crash in turn two would bring out the race's first stoppage.
When the race got back underway, Morris went to the point with a brilliant overtake of Rea on the inside of turn two, and the Metchosin, British Columbian became the new race leader on the second circuit. Just when the third trip past the flag stand was completed, the final stoppage occurred with a big crash heading into the turn.
When the green flag returned, Morris received a great deal of pressure from 2021 Speedweek champion Collen Winebarger. The two raced down the backstretch and Winebarger secured the position the next time to the wire. The race for third was intense as Rea tried to keep back Kevin Williamson of Coburg.
Racing for car owners Paul and Maria Culp, Williamson could not make the top of the track work to his advantage to get around Rea and would be under fire from Cottage Grove's Tyler Smith for fourth. Smith successfully got past Williamson on lap eight only to take it back on the twelfth circuit.
Winebarger, racing for car owner Jerry Schram, hit lapped traffic on the twenty-fifth time around the track, but it did not slow down his quick pace. He would dominate the thirty-three-lap green run to win by over four seconds. It is his thirteenth career IMCA Wild West Speedweek victory and the second time this season. He now has four wins in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region.
Morris wound up an impressive second over third in finishing Rea. Williamson held off Smith to place fourth.
The Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars began with Lafayette's Sean Gentry taking control of the race lead after getting ahead of Kersey Ferrando of Stayton. Culver teenager Mason Myers would storm into second on lap two after a brief battle with Ferrando. Myers would concentrate his efforts on the top side of the track, but his pursuit of the top spot would halt due to caution on the fourth circuit.
On the restart, Myers again worked the high side while Gentry preferred the bottom. Behind them were Coburg's Jesse Williamson, racing for car owner Jerry Schram, and two-time defending series champion Chase Berkeley from Colville, Washington. Myers' persistence finally paid off, as he would become the new race leader on lap six. Williamson followed the new leader to second, while Berkeley and Gentry went after it for third. As those two drivers fought for the final step on the podium, Williamson would flip violently in the final set of corners to bring out a red flag, with seven circuits complete, but fortunately walked away uninjured.
Berekely would put a lot of pressure on Myers on the restart and snatched the lead from him with a move to the inside line on lap eight. A trio of cautions in the next five laps kept everyone closely knit to one another. There would be some exciting three-wide action for fourth between Madras youngster Tyler Pagel, Chester Kniss of Antioch, California, and Gresham gasser Kevin Roberts. Roberts seized control of the position before the yellow waved on lap nine.
Later, after a restart with eleven complete, Roberts got past Myers to move Roberts into second and he stayed there just before another yellow came out. On the following green flag, Roberts tried to rip the top of the track to get around Berkeley for the lead but couldn't quite make it work. Behind the two drivers, a fantastic race would happen with Myers, Pagel, and Oregon City's Jeff Lovell all jockeying for third. Lovell finally secured the spot with six laps left to run.
Roberts tried his very best to get the lead. There were times when he would get near Berkeley, but the higher portion of the racetrack was a treacherous line with zero room for error. Unfortunately for Myers, he would get upside down in turn two on the twenty-fourth circuit. He was able to climb out of his car unharmed.
The green-white-checkered closing restart had Berkeley keep back the advances of Roberts once more to win his third straight victory of the week and the first time he's won at CGS. He now has nine career IMCA Wild West Speedweek wins, the most all-time, and has four wins in 2024 in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region.
Roberts was a respectable second, followed by Lovell in third. Colville, Washington's B.J. Wild rallied from seventeenth to fourth in the Dwayne Klein-owned machine. Gentry completed the Top 5 by finishing fifth.
The Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods main event, presented by Roadhouse Billiards and Brew, began with defending Speedweek champion Ethan Killingsworth getting the lead. Defending state champion Trevor Points of Salem settled in second. At the same time, Brookings driver Steven Sanders had his hands full with Jordan Henry of Roseburg for third. Sanders kept the defending Cottage Grove Speedway track champion in check just before the first caution came out, with five circuits were successfully completed.
On the restart, the Yreka, California chauffeur of Killingsworth exerted his dominance as he pulled away from the rest of the pack. Points and Sanders went to war for second, but Points held on. It would be a battle of philadelphia for the third as Sanders squared up against his brother Matt, with Matt taking control on lap six.
Matt Sanders utilized his signature high line to run down points for second. He beat Points at the line on the eighth circuit, but Points was quick to get it back on the next lap. Matt Sanders did not let up, and the 2022 Oregon State champion moved back into second on the tenth trip past the flag stand. A pair of cautions on lap thirteen cool down the battles among the Top 5 and evaporate Killingsworth's massive advantage.
Ray Bloom glanced at Steven Sanders for fourth on the restart, but Baypoint, California's Danny Wagner would capitalize and made a quick pass on the inside of the Creswell driver to propel his mount to fifth.
As the green flag run developed, Matt Sanders tried to run down Killingsworth, but just like the Stock Car finale, Killingsworth was masterclass on the bottom. As the race wound down, a pair of cautions with twenty-one laps down slowed things down again and set up a four-lap shootout to the finish.
Killingsworth's execution of running the bottom proved flawless as he went on to stay out in front the rest of the way. It is his second straight win of the week and at CGS with the IMCA Wild West Speedweek. Killingsworth is now the first repeat winner in the division for 2024 and is tied for the most all-time series wins with six. It was the seventh occasion the #7M has hoisted a winner's trophy in the current campaign.
Points rallied in the final laps to get second ahead of Matt Sanders. Steven Sanders ended the event fourth, while Wagner was fifth.
The IMCA Wild West Speedweek will head north for Willamette Speedway in Lebanon on Friday, June 21st.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage
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