Jon Binning Snares Late Model Special for Fourth Victory at
Central Missouri Speedway (CMS)!

By Sam Stoecklin
Track Announcer/PR
Warrensburg, MO
June 22, 2008  

Another multi-grooved, lightning fast and well-prepared racetrack greeted the 76 drivers on hand at Warrensburg’s Central Missouri Speedway, Saturday night June 21st.  In what has become routine this season, another round of wet weather rolled through the ‘Burg late in the week, once again providing a challenge to the CMS track preparation crew.  However, their valiant efforts paid off as the fans in the stands witnessed some of the best racing this season with three- and four-wide racing being the norm throughout the night.  Several drivers donated items for a benefit auction for Judy Fohey, crew chief for Shawn Williams, driver of the number fourteen ULMA late model.  Fans were able to bid on items, which included everything from side panels, hoods, mud plugs, spoilers, wings, t-shirts, hats, and deck lids.  By the end of the night, collection bids rose to over $600, proving once again there is absolutely no other sports community as caring and close as the grass-roots racing family that gathers week in and week out at tracks all across America.   

Nineteen late model drivers, all ULMA members, drove through the gates and registered for the night’s main event race, the annual CMS late model special.  The race paid $800-to-win and $120-to-start.  Three heat races predetermined the line-up for the nightcap 25-lapper.  Heat winners were Danny Monroe of Jamestown, David Barker of Kingsville, and Jon Binning of Warrensburg.  In the main event, pole sitters Monroe and Barker held the point until a complete re-start after Mike Ryun’s misfortune on the front stretch led to a complete restart.  Once the race resumed, Monroe could not fend off the challenge of veteran late model competitor Barker, who grabbed the lead until lap three.  Low-groove running Binning powered his way to the front coming off of turn four at lap three as tenth-starting James Rutledge hooked up on the high side and made a valiant run to third by lap seven.  Mechanical woes sidelined Jamie Wineland, Ryun, Steven Clancy and Randy Ainsworth from the finish.  On lap nine, Monroe’s near spin brought out a caution flag and the field was regrouped for another single-file restart.  On lap ten, Rutledge passed Barker for second as Binning continued his dominance.  Allen Perryman brought out a caution at the halfway point of the race just as defending ULMA champion Brett Rollert began to real in the leaders using the high-side.  After a lap sixteen re-start for troubles with Jason Sivils of Springfield off of turn four, the crowd witnessed an exciting battle to the finish.  Binning had several scary moments coming off turn four as he could not get the car to roll thru the corner properly.  This allowed Rutledge and Rollert to close in late in the race.  With a few laps remaining, Jason Bodenhamer and Gary Billings, Jr. passed Barker for fourth and fifth place as the lead trio took their battle right to the line.  Rollert made one last-ditch effort on the high side heading into turn three and snuck by Rutledge for second.  At the finish line, Binning hung on for his fourth CMS and fourth ULMA win of the year.  Eighth-starting Rollert’s run for the front came up one position short as he settled for second in his first CMS appearance this year.  Rutledge was close behind in third with Bodenhamer, Billings, and Barker taking fourth, fifth, and sixth.  Brett Wood, Jake Williams, Kevin Kaiser, and David Angell rounded out the top ten.  

On the modified front, twenty-six drivers signed in for three preliminary heat races to determine the feature-race lineup.  Every heat looked like a glorified trophy dash and featured outstanding driving with multi-grooved racing.  Odessa driver Jim Moody bested Dave Meyer and Terry Schultz in heat one.  ‘Smokin’ Joe Walker, Matt Johnson, and Jake Richards crossed the line nose-to-tail in heat two while Jason Bodenhamer, Tim Karrick and Doug Walrath found their way to the front in heat three.  Twenty-five drivers made their way to the track for the 20-lap feature as the crowd roared their approval at the drop of the green flag.  Moody led early on until Walker powered his way to the front by lap number two just as several front-runners were involved in a pile-up off of turn three.  Moody, Karrick, Schultz, Dean Wille, Chad Staus, Jimmy Dowell, Bodenhamer, and Dave McVey all had to re-start the race from tailback after the incident.  Once the race resumed, Walker again led the field with Johnson, Meyer and Richards in tow.  Tom Charles and Richard Layne were sidelined due to mechanical woes.  On lap seven, Don Dannar left the race while Walker started to check out on the field.  Another caution involving many of the same drivers from the earlier incident slowed the field by lap eight.  Karrick, Bodenhamer, Wille, Staus, and Dowell were all done for the night as a result of their second yellow flag involvements.  On lap ten, Richards’ night ended as his strong run came to a close with a flat tire.  During the ensuing re-starts, Schultz was on the move as he used the high side to pick up many positions.  By lap twelve Schultz made an impressive run to fifth.  Up front Walker continued leading Johnson with Schultz eventually making his way to third by lap fifteen.  In the end, no one had anything for Walker as he garnered his second win of the year ahead of Johnson and Schultz.  Meyer crossed the line in fourth with point’s leader Aaron Marrant fifth.  Brothers Doug and Dennis Walrath were sixth and seventh, with Don Crnkovich, Moody, and Joshua Stephens completing the top ten.   

In the street stock division, fourteen cars competed in two heat races early in the evening.  Chad Eickleberry, who was in a backup car owned by Bryant Moyer, grabbed the victory in heat one over Justin Metzner and Roger Stone.  Nic Bennett continued his recent string of strong runs with a victory in heat two ahead of Dale Atkinson and track point’s leader Herb Dannar.  For the fifteen-lap feature event, Eickleberry quickly got out to an early lead with Bennett and Atkinson in hot pursuit.  At the halfway distance in the race, Dannar began making his way to the front and moved into the third position.  Lap-after-lap Atkinson hounded Eickleberry for the lead, with Eickleberry being able to fend off the challenges each time.  Michael Mullins of Kingsville ran strong and made his way up thru the field from his eighth starting position.  At the conclusion of the race while coming off of turn four for Hershel Thompson’s crossed checkered flags, Atkinson made one final bid for the win but Eickleberry was not to be denied.  He picked up his eighteenth-ever win at the track and his second this year.  Ironically, Chad’s daughters were trophy girls for the evening and greeted their father with hugs and kisses in victory lane.  Atkinson’s run to second was his best of the year.  Dannar settled for third at the end with Mullins making his way into fourth, Bennett fifth and Metzner sixth.  Ryan Roberts, Roger Stone, Tammy Korff and Anthony Witham were seventh thru tenth at the conclusion of the race.  

Emotions have run high in recent weeks in the B-modified division but grit and determination prevailed on this night as several new faces showed that it’s what goes on during the heart-pounding moments of heated competition that matters most.   The seventeen drivers that were confident enough in their abilities to give a run for the checkered flags competed in three heat races during the evening’s program.  Rusty Trimble took advantage of his excellent pill draw to claim the win in heat one over Byran Montgomery and Steve Evans.  Mark Evinger took heat race two over Michael King and six-time feature winner Scotty Martin.  Young Ethan Isaacs earned his first heat-race win of the year by besting fellow youngster Jacob Ebert to the line with Michael Mullins in third.  Trimble brought the field to turn one with Evinger and Isaacs close behind for the feature race start.  Evans and Jeremy Lile got together to bring out a caution early on with Montgomery also going around early.  Seventeenth-starting Bobby Raybourn blasted his way to the front and by lap six ran inside the top ten.  On lap seven a rare spin by Martin again slowed the field with Martin going to the back on the re-start.  Trimble continued leading Isaacs up front with Lile and Ziegler jockeying for third.  Michael Mullins’ night in the b-mods came to an end with a flat tire as Chris Brockway was also sidelined with mechanical woes.  Late in the event, Lile received a black flag for rough driving in an incident with Isaacs who was in second at the time.  By race end, Trimble claimed his first “stock car” victory ahead of Brian ‘Ziggy’ Zigler, who scored his best run of the year in second.  Jacob Ebert made his father ‘Chargin’ Charlie Ebert proud with an outstanding run to third with Raybourn close behind in fourth.  Michael King started and finished in the fifth spot with Montgomery recovering from his earlier spin to complete the top six.  Martin, Owen Evinger, Isaacs and Lile completed the top ten.    

Action gets underway next Saturday night, June 28th for Comfort Inn Race Night with pit gates swinging open at 4:30, grandstand admission gates open at 5, hot laps go off at 7 and racing takes to the track at 7:30.  Regular admission prices return next Saturday, June 28th.  General admission is $10, Seniors 65+ and military and students with proper I.D. are $8, Kids age six to twelve are $6, children five and under are free, pit passes are $25.  Only a few days left to save money on advanced ticket purchases for the upcoming Tom Wilson Memorial BBQ bowl, which is just around the corner on Friday, July 4th and Saturday, July 5th.  Be sure to check out the information on the Web page for driver entry forms for the modified and street stock special races for Independence Day weekend.  You can log on to the track’s official Web site by pointing your browser to www.centralmissourispeedway.net.  For track information and up-to-the-minute race status call the track report line at (660) 747-2166.  The track Web site includes race results, photos from John Lee of High Fly’N Photos, point standings, admission information and more.  See you at the ‘Burg!