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SHERMAN FINISHES WHAT HE
STARTED by Windy McDonald |
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Phoenix, AZ (October 22) Parker Store Night at Manzanita Speedway proved to be fun for the fans with fantastic racing, fireworks, trick or treat goodies for the youngster and a best costume contest but it was more fun for Jeremy Sherman who won his 16th sprint car race of the year and for Kiley Fellers who drove his new car to a narrow win in the mini sprints. Jeremy Sherman ended the 2005 Arizona Sprint Car Association season exactly the way he started it-in Manzanita Speedway’s winner’s circle. In between those two wins he posted 14 others and easily won his first driving championship. Sherman wrested the lead from Bruce St. James on the ninth lap and then held off a charge by Ricky Hood who made the bottom of Manzy’s one third mile track work for awhile but dropped back to fourth in the closing laps. St. James, a prime contender for Most Improved Driver, scored his second straight runner-up finish edging Josh Pelkey and Hood. Jeff Henry started 12 and finished fifth. The race, the 24th of the year marked the end of the best season ever for a sprint car driver. Sherman entered 23 of the races and failed to finish only one, that as the result of a blown tire. He had a remarkable 22 top five finishes in his 23 starts, won 15 heat races and was victorious in six trophy dashes. Sherman started ninth in the 24 car field and tried the inside in the early laps as he worked the F&E Development sprinter toward the front. St. James was pushing the cushion and held off the 2005 driving champion until Sherman made the pass on the ninth lap. Ricky Hood had the Steve Cushman car on the bottom and was fast as he went toward the front. He got even closer when a yellow flag flew when a car spun. He stayed with Sherman for a few laps but then started fading. St. James blasted by and then Pelkey got by on the final lap and Henry was riding the rim trying to make a pass. Rounding out the top ten were Bernie Smith, up from 13th, Brian Hacker, early leader Chuck Buckmnan, Brad Kuhn and Nathan High. The 35 car field exceeded the sprint car season average by less than two cars and produced four fast heat races to put sixteen cars into the feature. Marty Miller and St. James traded the lead a couple of times with Miller, the 2000 driving champion, taking his fifth heat win of the year in the first heat. Sherman and Smith took the other two transfer spots. Seainn Hendricsen went wire to wire in the second eight lapper as he beat Hood, J.T. Imperial and Kuhn. The third heat was the quickest of the night as Pelkey was just a second off the eight lap record and made it look easy in beating Buckman, Hacker and Ben Gregg. The final heat was also won from the front row with Mike Martin, Bob Ream, Jr., Henry and Chris Bonneau taking the top four spots. The 15 lap semi placed the top eight drivers into the 24 car feature and Matt Rossi led the way to the checkered flag. Nathan High dropped one position with a second place finish. Jay Ervine was third, Mike Leslie fourth, Ryan Linder fifth, Mike Bonneau sixth, Jesse Dunham seventh and rookie driver Chad Boat who had to tag the race made the main event with a drive from 15th to eighth. The race was halted when Brian Swinehart and rookie driver Bryan Holsford made contact on the front straightaway and Swinehart did a series of end over end flips into turn one. Swinehart was not injured. Ream, Jr,. whose car is sponsored by the Parker Store, took the win in the Arizona Race Mart trophy dash in a near record time of 59.65 seconds, an average of 14.91 on the one third mile track. While the regular season has ended the work will begin to ready the cars for their part of the Checker Auto Parts/Budweiser Western World Championships October 10-12. SUMMARY
PARKER STORES/ASCA SPRINT CARS
Main Event: 1. Jeremy Sherman 2. Bruce St. James 3. Josh Pelkey 4. Ricky Hood 5. Jeff Henry 6. Bernie Smith 7. Brian Hacker 8. Chuck Buckman 9. Brad Kuhn 10. Nathan High 11. Mike Leslie 12. Seainn Hendricsen 13. Chris Bonneau 14. Jay Ervine 15. Jesse Dunham 16. Mike Martin 17. Ben Gregg 18. Ryan Linder 19. J.T. Impeerial 20. Marty Miller 21. Mike Rossi 22. Mike Bonneau 23. Chad Boat 24. Bob Ream, Jr. Lap leaders: laps 1-4 Buckman, laps 5-8 St. James, laps 9-25 Sherman
1st Heat: 1. Marty Miller 2. Bruce St. James 3. Jeremy Sherman 4. Bernie Smith 5. Nathan High 6. Bobby Boone 7. Mike Leslie 8. Michael Bryan 9. Brian Swinehart (8 laps, time: 2:00.89)
2nd Heat: 1. Seainn Hendricsen 2. Ricky Hood 3. J.T. Imperial 4. Josh Pelkey 5. Jesse Dunham 6. Johnny Williams, Jr. 7. Bryan Hosford (8 laps, time: 2:02.07)
3rd Heat: 1. Josh Pelkey 2. Chuck Buckman 3. Brian Hacker 4. Ben Gregg 5. Matt Rossi 6. Mike Bonneau 7. Ryan Linder 8. Chad Boat 9. Lealand Fuller (8 laps, time: 1:59.11) 4th Heat: 1. Mike Martin 2. Bob Ream, Jr. 3. Jeff Henry 4. Chris Bonneau 5. Jay Ervine 6. Larry Lloyd 7. Ashley Corey 8. Shon Deskins ( 8 laps, no time)
Semi Main: 1. Matt Rossi 2. Nathan High 3. Jay Ervine 4. Mike Leslie 5. Ryan Linder 6. Mike Bonneau 7. Jesse Dunham 8. Chad Boat 9. Shon Deskins 10. Michael Bryan 11. Ashley Corey 12. Bryan Hosford 13. Lealand Fuller 14. Johnny Williams, Jr. 15. Larry Lloyd 16. Bobby Boone 17. Brian Swinehart (15 laps, no time)
Arizona Race Mart Trophy Dash: 1. Bob Ream, Jr. 2. Chris Bonneau 3. Jeremy Sherman 4. Brad Kuhn 5. Brian Hacker (4 laps, time: 59.65)
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