8/22/2024
Cottage Grove Speedway
Eston Whisler Wins Wednesday Bout At CGS; Philpott, Bryant, And Simmons Also Pick Up Trophies
Eston Whisler Wins Wednesday Bout At CGS; Philpott, Bryant, And Simmons Also Pick Up Trophies
By Ben Deatherage
Cottage Grove, Oregon (August 21st, 2024)—Eston Whisler, who was on the verge of victory at Cottage Grove Speedway earlier this month, was granted redemption in the fifth leg of the prestigious Midweek Mayhem Series. He earned his first win of the season in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, locally supported by Wheeless Trailers Sales Service & RV Repair, after making the pass for the lead around the midway point and holding on to the coveted top spot after a late-race restart.
The main event was a showcase of intense competition. Kevin Williamson set a rapid pace in the early stages, but the race was far from decided. The pack remained close due to two cautions, and the tension escalated when Whisler began his impressive run on the bottom after a restart with eight complete.
Whisler made the appropriate pass for the lead on lap twelve and took off from there. His hard work would be washed away due to a caution on the twenty-second circuit. When things got back to full speed, the Otis operator, who started ninth, took off from the rest of the pack to be the first to the checkered flag.
The battle for the second spot was a thrilling spectacle, with Curtis Towns emerging victorious. Completing the podium in third was Eston's younger brother, Ian Whisler, adding a familial twist to the competition.
Two other Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly divisions were on the card, including the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Roadhouse Billiards & Brew and the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts sponsored by Keifer. Landyn Philpott and Burnie Bryant were the respective winners.
Veteran racer Ray Comer got to the front early in the IMCA Northern SportMod feature. Creating some space, Comer would get bunched up with the rest of the competition when the yellow flag came out with eight laps down. When things got back to green flag action, Comer would be pressured by several drivers but unfortunately got out of shape in the first set of turns on the thirteenth trip around the tack, losing the lead to Philpott.
The third-starting Philpott, from La Pine, would take care of business as he cruised to his second win of the season, both coming at "The Grove ." Daniel Ray won the absolute melee for second, followed by third-finishing Trevor Points.
Randy Kuhl again showed some jungle cat quickness in the IMCA Sport Compacts by pacing the field early. He would experience some mechanical problems and be overtaken by Charles Trissell on lap seven. Trissell tried his best to stay ahead, but Bryant would reel him in and perform the pass to get to the point three laps later.
The only time the field slowed down was when the Sutherlin chauffeur's daughter, Melissa Bryant, got upside down on the fifteenth circuit. She walked away under her own power. Burnie Bryant, who started eighth, would score his fourth win of 2024 at Cottage Grove, the most anyone has had this year, and his seventh overall win of the current campaign.
Josh Corley rallied late to finish second, while Eli Miller was an impressive third.
Also in action were the Street Stocks. Jared Simmons, from Cottage Grove, led the entire finale despite dealing with a green-white-checkered due to the only slowdown happening with a few laps to go. Simmons has accumulated three wins at CGS in 2024, tying him for the most in the class. Matthew Drager and Brad Hicks were second and third.
The event was broadcasted on IMCA TV affiliate Dirt Oval TV.
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Submitted By: Ben Deatherage