By Alan Miller, Track
Announcer/ PR
Warrensburg, MO
May 18, 2008
The
warm weather on Saturday night at Central Missouri
Speedway matched the hot racing action on the tacky
track for KMMO radio race night. Fans were
anxious to see the races after extremely wet
conditions caused a race cancellation the previous
weekend. The fans were not disappointed in the
modified division when Aaron Marrant from Orrick
drove his car into victory lane for his first feature
victory this season. 81 drivers were registered
to race in four divisions with Jason Bodenhamer of
Centerview taking the ULMA Late Model feature; Chad
Eickleberry of Warrensburg winning the Street Stock
feature for his first feature victory in 2008 and in
the B-modified division, Scotty Martin from
Independence takes home another victory early in the
race season.
The
27 cars registered in the ‘mighty’ modified
division contested four heat races to round out the
24 car feature event. This weekend of racing
marked the final time drivers could prepare before
next weekend and the first CMS modified special of
the year. In the heat races, Aaron Marrant,
Terry Schultz from Sedalia, Jimmy Dowell of Marshall
and Tim Karrick from Basehor, KS won their respective
heat events to set the front of the field for the
feature. At the start Marrant and Dowell
battled for the lead on the first lap with Terry
Schultz pulling off early on with a gear
problem. Marrant, Josh Stevens from Buckner
along with veteran drivers Lee Hibner of Chillicothe
and Karrick making their moves up towards the front
of the field. Karrick and Don Danner of Odessa
fought a tough race for the fourth position and
traded the spot several times. Dave Meyer from
Concordia moved up into the fray for positions as
well. In the end Marrant, the modified points
leader, held off a hard charging Dustin Boney
for his first feature win this year with Boney
settling into a second place finish after starting on
the sixth row, Meyer ended with a third, Karrick
fourth and Danner finishes strong in the fifth spot.
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ULMA late models were on hand for the evening with
Jon Binning of Warrensburg and Jason Bodenhamer from
Centerview winning the heat races. Binning,
Gary Billings of Prairie Village, KS and Brett Wood
of Warrensburg staged a tight first heat race.
Then Binning and Bodenhamer led the field of
late models into the first turn of the feature with
Bodenhamer nailing it down for the first lap lead.
Meanwhile Kevin Coyne from Kingsville and
Binning were working hard racing each other all over
the track to secure the second spot. The
caution free race from green flag to checkers was a
classic example of good late model racing which left
the racing fans cheering. Bodenhamer wins his
second CMS feature in a row and his second win this
weekend to lead the early ULMA point’s
race. Binning takes the second position with
Coyne finishing in third, Mike Ryun of Pleasant
Valley fourth and Brett Wood with a solid fifth place
finish.
The
street stocks ran another hotly contested feature
race which produced some exciting high and low side
racing action. 14 drivers signed into the pits
with Nick Bennett from Oak Grove and Chad Eickleberry
taking the checkers for their two heat-race
victories. Eickleberry led the first lap of the
feature with Bennet working hard to move
up. A scary wreck then occurred high on turn
two when Sean Barnes rolled over several times.
Barnes from Independence was checked out by track
officials on the scene and was ok with some major
damage to the car. Brian Johnson of
Independence started to move into battle at the front
of the pack before suffering a mechanical problem and
had to leave the track. Scotty Dukes from
Odessa started to pressure Eickleberry and Marc
Carter with Herb Danner working their way up as
well. Eickleberry held his line and hung on for
his first CMS feature win this year with Dukes taking
second, Carter of Warrensburg in third, Danner fourth
and Nick Bennet finishing in fifth.
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B-modifieds filled the pits and raced four heats and
one b-main to fill out the 20-car starting
lineup. Scotty Martin of Independence, Michael
King from Orrick for his first heat win in his rookie
season, the young driver from Higginsville, Jeremy
Lile and Owen Evinger from Oak Grove picked up the
heat race checkered flags. Bobby Raybourn of
Holden wins the b-main race and transfers into
feature the along with Max Grogan, Michael Mullins
and Gary Akers. Once again Martin leads the
first few laps early in the race, but Lile fought
hard to keep up the pace to stay close behind.
Lile even pressured Martin some in the early portion
of the race. Evinger continued to stay
close to the front of the field until Martin worked
his way into some lapped traffic on lap ten.
Only one caution came out when Bubba Kline of Kearney
suffered a mechanical problem and had to leave the
track. Martin stayed strong in lapped traffic
and received the checkers for his third feature win
this season with Lile taking a strong second place,
Evinger finished third, Rusty Trimble with a nice run
into fourth and King in fifth.
Join
us next Saturday night and start off your Memorial
Day weekend watching the first of three
CMS/Kenny’s Tile modified specials this season
with a $2,000 to win 40 lap feature event. If a
modified driver has raced in a modified at least
twice at CMS this season, you will not have to pay
the $100 entry fee. All four regular divisions
will be racing for the checkers. Pit gates will
open at 4:30 with admission gates opening at 5.
Hot laps begin at 7 and racing hits the track at
7:30. For continuous race information and up to the
minute race status call the track report line at
(660) 747-2166. For complete race results,
point standings, admission information and much more,
be sure to visit the track’s Website at www.centralmissourispeedway.net.
