By Greg Soukup
After washing out night one of the 2017 Ice Breaker, that fickle spirit Mother Nature gave the fans and teams a beautiful race day. 141 teams towed to Eagle Raceway for the season opening event. Since the first night had to be cancelled, the winner’s share of the Modified and Sport Modified purses was increased to $3000 to win the Modifieds and $750 for the victory in the Sport Modifieds. In fact, the Modified purse was the largest in Eagle Raceway history.
16 heats, 1 C Feature and 3 B Features were run without serious incidents.
The Sprint Series of Nebraska A Main was next on the card. Tyler Drueke took advantage of his front row outside starting position and passed the flag stand first in his #12. Adam Gullion’s 91, the 7KX of Toby Chapman and Jason Martin’s 36 were hot on his push bumper however. Chapman and Martin swapped the third spot the next two laps with Chapman holding on to the spot on lap 3. Lap 5 saw Ron Love spin out on the back stretch in his #5. 1 lap after the restart both Chapman and Martin passed Gullion to move to second and third. Despite a furious battle amongst the top 4 their spots remained unchanged to the checkers with Drueke, Chapman, Martin and Gullion the top 4.
“We led the whole thing, but it wasn’t really easy. The top was really fast, and Adam tried to squeeze us going into turn one. I committed to trying to beat him around the outside. When I did that, Toby Chapman was coming from third and he slid us both! Well, when he did that I pretty much had the choice made for me. I was committed to the outside because if I’d tried to brake or anything I think I would have hopped his right rear coming off of turn two. So, I squeezed around the outside of him and from what my crew guys told me, we got a pretty good lead. I knew we had a pretty good race car, thanks to Matt Zoz, Dustin Gerdes, my brother Austin and my Dad. They prepared me a heck of a race car. It sounded like I kind of checked out that first five laps, but I started catching lapped traffic. I got behind Ron Love and Trevor Grossenbacher. They ended up getting together down the back straightaway. When I went to avoid them, I squeezed between Love and the wall. I smacked it pretty hard with the right rear and I broke the top Jacobs Ladder strap. The car was really good before that, but that made it really evil. I actually thought that I’d cut down the right rear! I remember looking at the leader board and seeing there was 18 to go. I thought to myself “There is no way we’re going to make it to the end of this!!”. I had to start using a lot of brake to keep the car settled down. I know that slowed our pace down quite a bit because Toby Chapman started trying to slide us quite a bit after that, but we crossed him up and got him back. After I used up my brakes and the pedal went right to the firewall, I started cheating the cushion a little bit. The top was SO fast that it made passing lapped cars really hard. There was enough moisture on the bottom that you could pull off a big slide job, and that was about the only way that you could pass anybody. We definitely had to earn that one; it wasn’t just given to us! In my interview for the fans in the stands I said ‘How are we going to top this one the rest of the year?’. I like those ones where we just check out, take the money and go home. But, nobody pays to go watch church, so there’s no way they should have to pay to watch a boring race” stated Drueke. Tyler’s sponsors include Speedway Motors Racing Engines, Danner Spray Foam, Drueke Trucking and Ranch, Zoz Farms, Jeffres Truicking and J & J Chassis.
Next Saturday at Eagle Raceway is the season opener as the Nebraska Lottery presents Get Fired Up Night featuring the Racesaver IMCA Sprints, Kaplan University IMCA Modifieds, Hoosier Tire IMCA Sport Modifieds, Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Mountainn Dew Kickstart IMCA Sport Compacts.
Happy D Klown will be there from 5:30 to 7:30. Also, the Nebraska Lottery will be on site with their trailer.
Front gates open at 5:15 with hot laps starting at 5:30 and racing at 6:30. Adult admission is $10, youths 6-12 are just $5 and children 5 and under are free.
Pit gates open at 4:00 and pit passes are $25.
SSN Sprint A-Feature
Driver Nbr
------------------------------ -----
1. Tyler Drueke 12
2. Toby Chapman 7KX
3. Jason123 Martin 36
4. Adam Gullion 91
5. Jason Danley 4X
6. Joey Danley 14
7. Jack Dover 84
8. Shayle Bade 03
9. Matt Richards 1R
10. Stu Snyder 23S
11. Ryan King 93
12. Gene Ackland 14G
13. Terry Richards 18
14. Trevor Grossenbacher 35
15. Clint Benson 100
16. Dan Satriano 17
17. Zach Blurton 2J
18. Kaleb Johnson 22
19. Nathan Weiler 4W
20. Ron Love 5
SSN Sprint B-Feature
Driver Nbr
------------------------------ -----
1. Trevor Grossenbacher 35
2. Zach Blurton 2J
3. Nathan Weiler 4W
4. Kaleb Johnson 22
5. Tim Fricke 62
6. Doug Lovegrove 44
7. Austin McLean 83
8. Mike Johnston 14J
9. Chase Weiler 0
10. Boyd Peterson 57B
11. Jimmy Grasso 8G
12. Kayla Stoops 18K
13. Neil Nickolite 12N
14. Chevy Hadan 4
15. Mike Boston 51
16. Cody Ledger 47
17. Jason Miller 77
DNS Danny Nekolite 22D
DNS Shon Pointer 20P
SSN Sprint Heat 1
Driver Nbr
------------------------------ -----
1. Tyler Drueke 12
2. Dan Satriano 17
3. Ron Love 5
4. Shayle Bade 03
5. Mike Johnston 14J
6. Tim Fricke 62
7. Boyd Peterson 57B
8. Chevy Hadan 4
9. Shon Pointer 20P
SSN Sprint Heat 2
Driver Nbr
------------------------------ -----
1. Stu Snyder 23S
2. Gene Ackland 14G
3. Adam Gullion 91
4. Clint Benson 100
5. Nathan Weiler 4W
6. Chase Weiler 0
7. Doug Lovegrove 44
8. Jimmy Grasso 8G
9. Neil Nickolite 12N
SSN Sprint Heat 3
Driver Nbr
------------------------------ -----
1. Toby Chapman 7KX
2. Matt Richards 1R
3. Joey Danley 14
4. Jack Dover 84
5. Kaleb Johnson 22
6. Austin McLean 83
7. Mike Boston 51
8. Trevor Grossenbacher 35
9. Jason Miller 77
SSN Sprint Heat 4
Driver Nbr
------------------------------ -----
1. Jason Danley 4X
2. Terry Richards 18
3. Jason123 Martin 36
4. Ryan King 93
5. Zach Blurton 2J
6. Cody Ledger 47
7. Kayla Stoops 18K
8. Danny Nekolite 22D