7/17/05
Tri-State Speedway
Haubstadt, IN
USAC Indiana Sprintweek Round #3
46 cars
Justin Marvel (27th car out to time) set quick time at 12.903 seconds on the high-banked, well prepared ? mile. Damion Gardner (26th car out) was second quick, followed by Cory Kruseman (46th), Jay Drake (10th), Bryan Clauson (17th), Tracy Hines (13th), Darren Hagen (24th), Dave Darland (12th), Derek Scheffel (1st) and Bill Rose (38th). Haubstadt is a first-class operation from track prep to facilities. The track was reworked twice during the night to provide a dust-free tacky, racey surface. Brad Sweet got over the turn one cushion and launched out of the ballpark and into the pits at a great rate of speed. Fortunately, no one was hit, and Sweet walked to the ambulance under his own power.
Last Chance Heat one (started): 1. Lee Boss 8B (1) 2. Chris Urish 77u (2) / 3. Alex Shanks 55B (4) 4. Ronnie Clark 33 (5) 5. Derek ODell 11D (3) 6. Kenny Gentry 51 (6) 7. Quinton Vance 31 (7)
The six lap Last Chance Heats took the top two to start in the back of a heat race, the rest loaded up for the night. Boss led the distance, with the best race for third between Shanks and Clark.
Last Chance Heat two (started): 1. Hud Cone 14 (1) 2. Dickie Gaines 21x (5) / 3. Kevin Besecker 62 (6) 4. Kyle Cummins 3c (2) 5. John Scott 83 (3) 6. Josh Cunningham 6s (4) DNS Brad Sweet 1x
Cummins got sideways on the first lap collecting Cunningham who suffered flat tires in the rear and had to retire. Scott also was mixed up in the fray and exited with a flat left rear. Cone led the distance.
Heat one (started): 1. Kyle Wissmiller 2K (1) 2. Levi Jones 2B (5) 3. Kevin Briscoe 5 (2) 4. Marvel 47 (8) / 5. Clauson 7c (7) 6. Rex Norris III 63 (3) 7. Boss (9) 8. Scheffel 2J (6) 9. Tom Hessert 5H (4)
Wissmiller led flag to flag. Jones did well in moving up into second, as did Marvel who took the high sided around Scheffel and Norris to grab the final transfer. On lap eight, contact between Scheffler and Norris collected Hessert, effectively ending their run. The ten lap heats took the top four to the A.
Heat two (started): 1. John Wolfe 3m (3) 2. Tony Elliott 7E (1) 3. Hines 69 (7) 4. Gardner 50 (8) / 5. Critter Malone 7T (5) 6. Jerry Coons Jr. 69OT (2) 7. Urish (9) 8. Rose 10T (6) 9. Todd Chandler 5c (4)
Elliott led over Coons early. Behind them, Wolfe and Chandler collided on lap three. Hines checked up and did a 360, while Rose drove over him. The restart saw Elliott leading Coons, Wolfe, Malone, Hines and Gardner. Malone saw a strong transfer position evaporate when he got over the turn four tires. Meanwhile, Wolfe took the lead on lap seven, and Hines and Gardner moved into transfer spots. Gardner took to the high sice to loop around Coons.
Heat three (started): 1. Mitch Wissmiller 7x (2) 2. Mat Neely 6 (3) 3. Daron Clayton 92 (4) 4. Kruseman 67 (8) / 5. Alan Ballard 97 (1) 6. Bud Kaeding 29 (5) 7. Kent Christian 1c (6) 8. Hagen 71 (7) 9. Cone (9)
Wissmiller led flag to flag. Neely followed him throughout. Ballard was running third on lap seven, when he got a bit crossed up after contact with Clayton. Kaeding and Christian were caught in the wash and pushed back. Kaeding showed his displeasure by slamming into Ballard after the checkered flag. He was looked at sternly by USAC, but no action was taken. The cross up acted as a boost for Clayton and Kruseman who worked into the final transfers.
Heat four (started): 1. Brady Short 36 (2) 2. Jon Stanbrough 10 (1) 3. Brandon Petty 3R (4) 4. Darland 11 (7) / 5. Josh Wise 20 (6) 6. AJ Anderson 34 (3) 7. Jonathan Vennard 4m (5) 8. Drake 21 (8) 9. Gaines (9)
Short was strong in leading throughout. Anderson ran fourth most of the way with Darland on his tail. Finally, with two to go, Darland took to the high side to shoot around him and grab the final transfer after a nice battle.
B main (started): 1. Drake (1) 2. Clauson (2) 3. Hagen (3) 4. Rose (5) 5. Wise (7) 6. Kaeding (9) / 7. Vennard (10) 8. Malone (8) 9. Scheffel (4) 10. Christian (6) 11. Norris (13) 12. Hessert (11) 13. Coons (15) 14. Gaines (20) 15. Urish (19) 16. Anderson (14) 17. Cone (18) 18. Boss (17) 19. Chandler (12) 20. Ballard (16)
Drake led flag to flag. Positions one through five would ride it out and get their time spots back for the feature. Kaeding battled with Scheffel the first five laps of the 12 lapper before grabbing the final transfer spot.
A main (started): 1. Kruseman (4) 2. Gardner (5) 3. Clauson (2) 4. Jones (11) 5. Hines (1) 6. Wise (10) 7. Marvel (6) 8. Rose (9) 9. Neely (16) 10. Darland (8) 11. Wolfe (15) 12. Petty (14) 13. Kaeding (12) 14. Drake (3) 15. Stanbrough (22) 16. Briscoe (17) 17. Hagen (7) 18. Clayton (13) 19. Elliott (21) 20. Scott (23, pr.) 21. K. Wissmiller (20) 22. M. Wissmiller (18) 23. Hessert (24, pr.) 24. Short (19)
Clauson shot out to a huge lead on the high side of the freshly groomed surface. He was approaching lapped traffic on lap eight, when Clayton spun, bringing a caution. He led Kruseman, Gardner, Hines and a hard-charging Wise. He shot out to another advantage and sliced through lapped traffic for a few laps before a lap 19 caution for a tipped Hessert. Clayton provided entertainment with his above the cushion style. After restarting at the rear, he moved up ten spots, only to lose them with a late race bobble. The lap 19 restart saw Clauson leading Kruseman, Wise, Gardner and Jones. Kruseman put a hard slider on for the lead on lap 20 and never looked back. One more stoppage came for a stopped K. Wissmiller on lap 27. Gardner snuck by Clauson on the white flag circuit to capture a strong second. Jones put a wicked slider on Wise late to move into fourth. Hines also got by as a result. Ill be returning to Haubstadt&