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Rocket fast MRP tamed by Wiesz. Hall, Hall and Grenert also see checkers |
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Marysville, CA - April 11, 2009 --- 3-time MRP Winged Sprint Car champion Colby Wiesz wandered out of the hills and promptly showed everyone the quick way around a rocket fast Marysville Raceway Park Saturday night. Wiesz swept the program picking up his 33rd feature victory in MRP Winged Sprint Car competition here. Scott Hall of Lincoln grabbed the honors in the Browns Valley Auto Truck and RV Wingless Warrior Sprint Car Series. Yuba City’s Brent Hall battled to a convincing win in the MRP Mini Stock main while U.S. Air Force Veteran Mike Grenert stole the show in the Nor Cal Dwarf Car feature. Another great crowd experienced incredible speeds and incredible thrills all night long. 82 cars signed into the ambitious 4-division program. After wild preliminary heat race action, in all of the classes, the first sprint car feature out was the Browns Valley Auto Truck and RV Wingless Warrior Sprint Car Series race. Pole sitter Bryan Southers of Sutter jumped into an early lead as Hall, last week’s winner Billy Wallace, and newcomer to the wingless wars, James Sweeney hooked up in a great early race tussle. It took Southers a lap or two to start to build a lead as Hall, in 2nd, repulsed numerous attempts by Wallace to get by. The track was lightning fast and bold moves from the back became commonplace as first Tony Richards and Cort Dozier clawed their way towards the front. Then, Tyler Wolf, starting in 8th position, became the show. Wolf went to the top and started blowing by some very quick cars in his best performance to date. Southers’ run up front was short lived, however, as the fleet teenager had what appeared to be an instant mechanical problem that caused his red #80 to hammer the backstretch concrete and bring his impressive run to an end. Prior to Southers’ demise, Marysville’s Jim Matthews brought out the first of 3 red flags that would punctuate the action in this event. Matthews was a victim of another driver’s mess and flipped his racer violently in turn 1. Matthews jumped out unscathed. With Southers out of the mix, Hall controlled the lead in what was arguably the fastest car on the track with, perhaps one exception, and that was Wolf. The youngster’s surprising run to the front had him breathing down Wallace’s neck for the runner up spot after a couple of great moves got him to 3rd. Two circuits later Wolf got a terrific bite out of turn 2 and pulled along side Wallace on the inside for 2nd. The two cars touched wheels and Wolf was in the air at very high speed. Wolf’s car came down,dug in and started a dizzying series of flips that saw the yellow #19 cover some 30 yards shedding parts and pieces as it rolled to a stop, upside down. Wolf immediately crawled from his overturned, smoking racer uninjured. The crash sent Wallace to the back as his car sustained damage in the melee as well. The new green saw some brief, but exciting open wheel competition as Sweeney, Dozier and Richards slugged it out with point leader Cody Myers. Multiple groves led to some fantastic competition. All three drivers ran this part of the race “elbows up” and on the gas. Hall lengthened his lead as the dice behind him intensified. The event came to an abrupt end, however at ½ way as another heart stopping flip off of turn 2 rocked Johnny Reeves after contact with veteran driver Pat Couch. Reeves, too, popped out shaken, but unhurt. The 3rd major flip over crash in the event brought down the curtain on this one. Hall received the checkers and promptly did a series of celebratory doughnuts in the infield. Hall was probably right when he said later, “…they weren’t going to catch me anyway. We were really fast at the end.” Richards, Myers and Sweeney won the heat races. 2-time MRP Stock Car champion Billy Knoop of Hallwood brought an eerie hush to the crowd as his wingless sprinter crashed, flew and flipped high into the catch fencing in turn 1 during his heat race. The impacts bent the roll cage and his car hung from the fencing as it came to rest. Knoop was awake and alert during the rescue that was required to free the car from its precarious perch. Knoop was taken to the hospital to evaluate his injuries. It took almost 30 minutes to resume the action. The MRP Winged Sprint Car feature had two former champions on the front row in the persons of Mike Monahan and Wiesz. At the green Monahan out-dragged Wiesz into turn one and dove for the bottom. Wiesz stayed in the throttle and parked his blue 21 on the cushion in turn 1 and flew back by Monahan off of turn 2. That was “all she wrote” in the battle for the top spot. Wiesz ran the top in three/four to perfection nearly all race long. Wiesz and Monahan were in lapped traffic by lap 4, but Wiesz carved through traffic with ease early on. Monahan did everything but stand his blue 49 on its tail trying to catch 21, but Wiesz sailed off to a big lead. As the race rapidly found ½ way Monterrey’s Justin Sanders racer had a mechanical failure that caused the 16-year-old chauffer to slow quickly on the backstretch. Veteran warrior Mark Michelet, who was dicing with Sanders at the time tried to avoid the wounded 17 but he ran over Sander’s right rear wheel. Michelet’s bright new racer headed for the stars at 100-mph. When it slammed back to earth it flipped side for side and end for end nearly the entire length of the back chute. Michelet was tossed about inside the gyrating car as it came to rest near turn 3. With almost every piece of the car in ruins, once again, the driver quickly climbed from the smoldering racer rocked, but walking. When the race resumed, and behind the leading duo, a war was on. The MRP surface was faster by feature event time than it was for qualifying. Most of the top 10 drivers were going quicker in the 22-car feature that they were in single car qualifying laps earlier in the evening. The whirlwind of speed was impressive from the grandstands on this hooked-up, monster fast surface. Korey Lovell, Jeremy Burt and rising star Shaun Martin were in an entertaining struggle for the show spot. Lovell with his patented late race charge found third as the race rapidly advanced to its final laps. Lovell stayed 3rd as Burt was able to hold off Martin in the end for 4th. Cort Dozier was 6th, but in a surprisingly competitive drive rookie sensation Nicole Miller was mixing it up with the best of them. This young lady has been fast right out of the box this year and her 7th place finish after racing fast and clean has raised some eyebrows: a tip of the straw hat to this lady racer with the heavy right foot. Dozier, Burt and Wiesz won the heats in quick, convincing style. The MRP Mighty Mini Stocks rolled out their entertaining feature. A knock down-drag out race ensued between a couple of quick #22s. Damian Merritt in #22m and Brent Hall in straight up #22 put on a whopping good race for most of the distance. They started side by side in the front row with Merritt breaking out on top. Misty Castleberry found 3rd right away and shadowed the lead duo as the race went quickly towards ½ way. Then in a bizarre twist, third running Castleberry lost it in turn 2, snapped and stopped sideways with the passenger side to the field. Everybody missed her as the field roared to the yellow flag. Castleberry and Jimmy Ford collided shortly thereafter under yellow when Castleberry restarted. The new green brought new life to the battle up front. Side by side racing had the fans on their collective feet. It was a thriller. After 3 breathtaking laps Merritt pushed a little off of 4 and Hall got a nose ahead. A couple of more corners and Hall had inched his way into the lead. On the 19th lap of the scheduled 20 a two-car spin in turn 2 created a single lap dash to the checkers. Hall roared under the flag 1st with Merritt and a fast closing Joel Giusti in tow. The initial outing for the ultra competitive Nor Cal Dwarf Cars ran off with out hardly a hitch. The fast paced program provided long green flag segments and a dynamite 2-car pass for the lead. Front row starters Tim Jenkins and ageless wonder Ted Stinson brought the snarling field to starter Robin Davies green banner. Stinson gunned his cool looking #5 into the lead as Jenkins faded quickly from the lead cluster of racers. Ryan Winter jumped into 2nd right away with former Nor Cal champ Spanky Grenert in tow. A quick yellow for cars stopped in turn 2 bunched the field for the re-start. At the new green flag, 3rd running Grenert headed for the top and quickly dispatched Winter at the flag stand then, as the field approached turn 1, he hopped over Stinson’s right rear, got a little air and then rocketed off of two to complete a two car, 1 turn pass for the lead. His banzai charge paid dividends as it was clear sailing from then on and Grenert needed every inch as things turned out. A couple of laps later Bryan Quilty and Kevin Bender got together in turn 3 while dicing for 4th. Bender’s car snapped sideways in a strange manner to bring out a yellow flag. Bender spent the rest of the race clawing his way back into contention finally getting into 9th at the end. The new green saw the tenacious Stinson fade as Winter and Quilty got by. Then, Winter closed rapidly on Grenert with Quilty in Winter’s wake. In the end this one got really good as Winter pressed Grenert relentlessly. You could throw a blanket over the top 3 as they headed into the final lap. Quilty slipped by Winter with a nifty last lap move, but Grenert flashed under the checkers in the lead. Grenert’s patented, swirling slide for life doughnuts on the front stretch capped another great Nor Cal feature event. Next week the Browns Valley Auto Truck & RV Performance Center Wingless Sprint Car Series will share the headline in a 4-division program. The BCRA Midgets will make their first appearance at MRP in almost 5 years. Bringing nationally known stars into next week’s program. A number of the drivers in BCRA competed in the annual Chili Bowl in Tulsa Oklahoma in January and the famous Turkey Night Grand Prix in Los Angeles last Thanksgiving. It was interesting to note that a number of BCRA members were in attendance Saturday at MRP. With their Saturday show washed out at another facility, they made the trip to take a look at MRP’s new layout. Those who made this observer aware of their presence were impressed with the hooked up, ultra fast raceway. A far cry from the facility they last raced on here. The last BCRA show here was presented on a slick dry surface that had the Mighty Midgets looking for bite. This Saturday’s show is likely to produce some serious competition for the sleek little hot rods. The BCRA will also bring a nice field of Vintage Midgets that made history over the last 50 years that BCRA has been sanctioning races. Many of these cars are to be displayed and raced during this event at MRP. The MRP Pro 4 Sprinters will also reappear for their 2nd race of the 2009 campaign. The MRP Super Stocks will round out the show with their own form of fendered combat. Something for everyone will be on the card next week. MRP will continue to offer it’s own form of the Economic Stimulus Plan by offering admission prices from the past all year long. The spectator gates open at 5PM with hot laps and qualifying at 6PM. This Saturday the races will start promptly after qualifying. The pit gate opens at 3PM. 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. |
