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See You At The Races!!!

Wasina, Richards, Shelby,Olschowka and McLaughlin win;
Modifieds & EXTREME BOMBERS RETURN ON THIS WEEK
By Bob Burbach

It was a day when temperatures went into triple digits and so did much of the action on the track. The hot, dry conditions made the MRP oval a test of driver technique and style rather than brute horsepower. It was the Merritt Family Kids Night and all the kids in attendance had a great time. Hundreds of prizes were given away to the youngsters.

The MRP Street Stock feature opened with a thrilling side-by-side duel for the first two laps. Front row starters Shelby and Jeff Olschowka went at it hard. As the pair came to the conclusion of lap 2 Olschowka got over the berm in turn four. Shelby went high, but Olschowka came across the track. They collided and Olschowka pulled a lead after the bang on the front stretch. Olschowka led, but Shelby was glued to him. Bill Knoop, the point leader coming in, found third during this tussle. Olschowka lead the field through a long green flag segment and closed on lapped traffic. It was his undoing. Olschowka made contact with a lapped car, jumped into the air after collecting a wheel and spun to a stop in turn one.

Olschowka opened some eyes as he charged back to third at the finish. Olivehurst’s Robert Mull shadowed Shelby in the later laps and finished second on the track. Mull was disqualified in post race tech. But, Shelby was untouchable in a great performance as she flashed under starter Robin Davies checkered banner. John Johnson returned to the stock car wars with a fine third in front of Knoop. Just behind Shelby, the fight for position was an entertaining one. Shelby swept the evening.
The MRP Wingless Sprint Car main event produced yet another great race. It was an absolute thriller. This division continues to provide “stand on your feet and scream” type action for the fans. With open wheels spinning and no wings to help, the cut and slash action of this division continues to impress.
Tim Sherman Jr. led the thundering field into the first turn beating fellow front row starter Nate Herbert. Second row starter, Tony Richards immediately went to the top looking for some passing room. Initially he fell back as Sherman was able to put some distance on the field. Third Starting John Anderson (point leader) found third right away behind Herbert. Then Richards began to find something up high. Richards hooked up on the cushion where no one else would go…and he went, forward. Richards started to make up a lot of lost time and flew by both Anderson and Herbert. Richards was second in a flash.

The crowd started to stand as Richards started to reel in Sherman, ever so slowly. Arguably, in his best drive, Sherman kept some distance between himself and Richards as an incredible battle was on from about fourth on back. Rookie contender Phillip Shelby was a factor in this battle that would eventually include Cort Dozier, Anderson and Jeremy Hawes. As everyone’s attention was focused on this great multi car fight, Richards closed on Sherman. A few circuits later he was there.
Sherman held off Richards for a few laps, but the pressure from Richards was relentless. Richards showed a wheel high, then low, then high again. Finally, Richards’ diamond off of four caused Sherman to blink and he was by. The race for the lead was over, but the continuing slugfest for positions behind continued on.

A couple of late race slowdowns bunched the pack and the race behind Richards intensified. With a few laps left Shelby found the high side as well and started to press forward. He got to third and camped on Sherman’s tail. Then, with two to go Shelby was all over Sherman. It was a great race as the two youngsters fought it out to the checkers. Sherman prevailed as Shelby’s high side move at the flag fell just yards short when Shelby had to punch the brakes off of four as Sherman took away his high line.

Richards’ sixth victory in seven tries was among his finest. Until Shelby went high late in the event only Richards stuck with the high side long enough to make it work. Anderson was pressed hard by Dozier and Hawes in the late laps, but held on to fourth. Dozier and Hawes finished in fifth and sixth respectively. Sherman, who is second in points, made a little progress on Anderson in the point standings. Anderson’s amazing series of consistent top five finishes stretching from last year continued unabated.

The MRP Mini Stock feature was a very good race once it got started. But getting started was something else. It took eleven tries to get to lap two. Fast-lady racer, Misty Castleberry carried the field until MRP Street Stock contender Jeff Olschowka of Yuba City slipped on by on the third scored lap. That was all she wrote; nobody challenged after that. Castleberry was an easy second outdistancing a hard charging Joel Giusti. Giusti used every lap to come from eighteenth to third in the drive of the event. Helped by a rash of crashes and retirements and a great, aggressive drive, Giusti maintained his point lead after transferring from the B main. Blane Baker won the B main. Olschowka swept the event.

The MRP Winged Sprint Car main featured a bizarre flip in the early going by race leader Brent Dothage. The Kelseyville charger came into the night with the point lead. Dothage took an immediate lead over fellow front row starter Christine Zaveson when the feature began. Dothage rocketed away as Wasina took second from Zaveson. As Dothage got into one on the second lap he went into a lazy slide. He brushed the inside berm and slowly rolled over onto his wing.

Wasina hooked up and flew at the new green and was never headed. Yuba City’s Korey Lovell got to second right away after a quick spin by Brandon Dozier in turn two. That’s the way it ended with Dothage’s recovery to sixth the passing highlight of the event.

Few yellow slowdowns brought this one to a conclusion very quickly. Jeremy Phillips was quick time qualifier and posted a fine third place finish. Cort Dozier turned in a great performance after a dismal set of circumstances cost him the point lead last week. Sacramento’s Tom Baker had a fast race bringing home a season’s best fifth place finish. Lovell continues to creep toward the top of the standings with his patented hot weather runs to the front.

The closing event was the Sprint 100 feature and it was owned by 2007 champ Tim McLaughlin of Colusa. He simply dominated the event after Nick McColloch spun out of a contending second place. McColloch spent the rest of the race coming back through the field to actually finish second.
Next week the Mighty Modifieds return with the MRP Street Stocks and the “Open 4s”. And, just for good measure, the SORA Sprint 100’s will make another appearance along with the EXTREME BOMBERS!! It will be the first time since the middle of last month that the BOMBERS have been turned loose to create their patented brand of motorized mayhem.

Remember, MRP is just a few miles from anywhere in the Yuba Sutter area. Stay close to home, save your gas and experience Yuba-Sutter’s only professional sports series. Only at MRP.
Pit gates always open at 3 with the grandstands opening at 5. Practice and hot laps start at 6 with qualifying and racing to follow. Put www.marysvilleracewaypark.com on your “favorites” button on you computer. Watch this site for press releases, updates and complete results.

$300,000 in contingency rewards ongoing through 2008:
Remember, our racing program will get $150,000 worth of contingency dollars for our winged and wingless sprint cars. The way it works is that Contingency Connection has signed up 181 sponsors nationwide who contribute products or merchandise each race to the winner. The only catch is that drivers must be sporting the decal of that sponsor to earn the bonus. If a driver who wins the MRP Winged or Wingless feature race has every decal on his car, he could receive some $1150 in products or merchandise. The vouchers can be saved and traded in for larger ticket items. The bonus is a healthy addition to the weekly $1,000 promoter Hawes already pays to the winner of MRP winged sprint car main events and the $750 he pays to MRP wingless sprint car feature winners. You must be a member of the association, but you can buy a membership at any event throughout the year.

In addition to the $150,000 Contingency Connection is providing during the regular season, the program also has earmarked another $150,000 toward a year-end bonus for the top two drivers as well as four other "at-large" drivers whom the promoters believe are deserving of some added cash.
Note: Please make this observer aware of any names that are misspelled or incorrect. The text is based on information we have at the time of its release. Complete finishes, stats and points become official and available at the close of business on Tuesday and will be posted to the web site.

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