|
Cannonball Motor Speedway in St. Clairsville, Ohio |
|
Cannonball Run featuring the
Dean Miracle Independent Racing Series CMS
debuts new design By
LORI PETTIT ST.
CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio (Sunday, Sept. 2) – After four years, local dirt
drivers enthusiastically welcomed the reopening of a redesigned
Cannonball Motor Speedway in St. Clairsville Sunday afternoon, packing
the pits for a two-day slate of races featuring the Dean Miracle
Independent Racing Series 50-Lap $5000-to-Win Feature for the Late
Models. Sunday’s
racing program included qualifying for all classes, as well as heats,
conseys, and two features. LIMITED LATE MODELS The
Limited Late Model division made its debut at Cannonball with a field of
11 cars. Two heats set the 20-lap feature, with DJ Cline on the pole
beside JE Stalder. Mike Ankrom and Doug Smith formed row two. Ankrom
scooted to the front at the green, but was quickly overhauled by Cline
and then challenged by Stalder. Ankrom went high outside, dropped to
third and was dealing with Smith when the caution came out for a spin by
Rex Frohnapfel on lap 2. On the restart Cline briefly reclaimed the
lead, followed by Stalder, Ankrom and Smith, before a second caution for
debris. Stalder jumped to the front on the restart with Cline in hot
pursuit. Just before the half the two leaders went side-by-side down the
backstretch and Cline seized the advantage for good coming off turn 4. With
laps beginning to wind down, a new threat emerged from the back of the
field to challenge Bruce Takach, who had advanced the 65 from a
ninth-place start and was running fifth at the half. Kristen Flory in
the U2 put a bad day of qualifying behind her, started at the very tail
of the pack and had been steadily picking her way toward the front. On
Sunday Flory started on the pole of her heat but spun out on a restart,
heavily damaging the car. Now she grabbed fifth spot as Takach broke and
fell back. The
caution flew with two to go as Jimmy Rayner retired, setting up the
final battle between Cline and Stalder. It was Cline off the line first.
Stalder slipped high and Flory made a grab for second, but Stalder
recovered and went after Cline. Stalder slipped again, Flory could not
take advantage, and Cline took the checkered flag, followed by Stalder
and Flory. Ankrom and Smith rounded out the top five. 4-CYLINDERS Always
competitive and just as entertaining, the 4-Cylinders rounded out
Sunday’s racing program with their 20-lap feature. Andy Parks and Josh
Schooler led the 17-car field to the green, with Dennis Adkins and Jerry
Adkins in row two. Only
one caution – for debris – slowed the event in the early going,
after that it was one long two-car battle for the lead. Parks ran out
front before the yellow, then, on the restart, Dennis Adkins, Parks and
Tom Adkins sorted themselves out into the top three spots. The leaders
had a scary moment when the tail car of Rob Martin got loose in front of
them, but they dived low and got around. With the checkered approaching,
Parks made a run on Dennis Adkins and finally got by, but Adkins held on
to run side-by-side with the leader down to the white flag, where Parks
took over. Schooler got around fourth-running Jerry Adkins to play
bumper-tag with Tom Adkins for third. Parks
took the checkered, followed by Dennis Adkins and Tom Adkins. Schooler
and Jerry Adkins rounded out the top five. –
– – ST.
CLAIRSVILLE, PURE STOCKS Four
heats set the field for the 20-lap Pure Stock feature. Tim Skelton sat
on the pole beside Scott Wolford with Brad Parker and Aubrey Nolan in
row two. Eighteen
cars started, nine finished. Two major crashes resulted in two complete
restarts and wound up putting more than half a dozen cars out of
competition. On the third try things finally got going. Skelton picked
up the early lead with Wolford in hot pursuit, as the other survivors
sorted themselves out behind. The caution flew going into lap 10 for a
spin by Brock Burcher, and on the restart Wolford got around Skelton.
Parker had been running just behind the leaders but had his day cut
short by a flat tire leaving Bob Nolan to inherit third. Meanwhile Rob
Foraker had put the 4 into fifth spot and challenged Danny Thomas for
fourth. He succeeded briefly, but when the checkered came out for
Wolford, Skelton and Nolan, Thomas had gotten back around to secure
fourth. Foraker, who started eleventh, rounded out the top five. MODIFIEDS Brandon
Morrow won his head and the pole for the 30-lap Modified feature. Kyle
Brown lined up alongside, with DJ Kline and Rob Stambaugh in row two of
the 18-car field. It
was a rough start for the Modifieds as well. A crash on the first lap
retired three cars, and on the restart Randy Bauknecht left his
driveshaft on the frontstretch. One more restart sorted things out,
action began to heat up, and Morrow took the early lead with Brown and
Stambaugh trying to decide second. Cline settled things by getting past
Stambaugh into third and then making a move on Brown for second. Behind
them things were going three-wide mid-pack. The 185 of Bruce Miller
slowed and fell back, Rick Aukland emerged from the rear of the field
and moved in on Andre Layfield for fifth. Attention focused on the
leaders, but Aukland picked off Layfield, Stambaugh, and then, at the
half, got around Brown for third. A
caution for a spin in turn 4 slowed progress briefly, and on the restart
Cline went after Morrow for the lead with Brown and Aukland side-by-side
for third. Cline got out front, but Aukland swung around outside, moved
into second, and went after the leader. Again Aukland traveled outside,
got wheel-to-wheel with Cline, and then got by. Behind them Stambaugh
had been overtaken by Layfield and Corey Conley, and the three kept up a
steady battle for fifth. With
the end in sight, neither Cline nor Morrow wanted to give up second, and
the two crunched and banged until Cline slipped up. Morrow secured
second and Brown got by for third. At the green it was last to first for
Aukland, followed by Morrow, Brown and Cline. The three-way scuffle for
fifth continued to the wire, but Conley held off Stambaugh and Layfield
to take fifth. LATE MODELS’ INDEPENDENT RACING SERIES A
fireworks display opened the IRS 50-lap Late Model feature on Monday
evening as the 24-car field brought the crowd to its feet with a 4-wide
parade lap to kick off the event. Sunday’s
five-car Dash had sorted out the top five spots for the feature, setting
up Clint Smith on the pole with Keith Barbara alongside, followed by
Robbie Blair and Rick Aukland in row two. The
five Dash cars immediately took charge of the 50-Lap Late Model Feature,
as Smith, Barbara, Blair and Aukland jostled for position in front of DJ
Cline. Barbara put up an early fight with Shane Clanton for third, but
Clanton got the spot and Barbara fell back to fifth. A few laps later
Barbara’s 17X slowed on the backstretch, bringing out the caution for
lap 15 as Barbara retired. Smith
was first across the line on the restart, with Blair and Clanton
scuffling for second. Clanton nailed down the spot, leaving Blair to
fend off Aukland for third. Farther back, Corey Conley tried to chase
down Norm Aronhalt for eighth while holding off Ryan Markham. At
the halfway mark the 59 of Tracy Fritter spun in turn 3, bringing out
the caution and then a fight for the lead between Smith and Clanton
after the restart, but as laps wound down Smith kept the 44 out front.
With 10 to go and the leaders dodging lapped traffic Jared Hawkins made
a run at Blair for third. As
the checkered flew it was Smith all the way, followed by Clanton, Blair,
and Aukland. Jared Miley stalked the leaders the entire distance in the
H1, placing a solid fifth. Aronhalt held on for sixth, followed by Wayne
Chinn and Corey Conley. Jared Hawkins secured ninth and NEW TRACK DESIGN In
the four years since the last races were held at Cannonball, track owner
Roger Barack has had the surface completely replaced and the overall
layout redesigned. According
to Cody Barack, the new track design incorporates a 70-ft wide racing
surface and 17 degrees of banking in a D-shaped configuration. Expected
to be one of the fastest tracks in the nation, the new track size is
4/10 of a mile on the outside and surrounded entirely with guardrails. With
these improvements, dirt fans and drivers can now look forward to more
racing action on their favorite local track. Check back to the Web site
for announcements on future events. Go to TOP /Go to SEPT 2 RACE RESULTS / SEPT 3 RACE RESULTS |
|
|