David Smith, Jr.
NCRA Public Relations
(405) 740-4769
[email protected]
Weaver Wins NCRA Modified Inaugural Route 66 Speedway Appearance!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Amarillo, Texas – August 18, 2012 - Former modified south division champion Gene Weaver won one for the home town crowd, earning his second career National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Precise Racing Products feature victory as the tour's modified division wrapped up their Western Oklahoma/Texas tour Saturday night at Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas.
Alan Sharpensteen and former series champion Marc Hurd started on the pole for the twenty-five lap feature with Hurd taking the lead as the green flag fell. Sharpensteen settled briefly into the runner up position with third stating Weaver in the third spot.
Hurd used the top of the three-eighths mile oval to open up six car length lead on lap two while Weaver got passed Sharpensteen for second and set his sights on the leader.
The first caution of the race fell on lap four when Austin Bonner spun in turn four.
On the double file restart Hurd, who came into the weekend as the current series point's leader and won the night before in Elk City, got the jump on Weaver and once again open a five car length advantage. Weaver, Sharpensteen and defending series champion Tyler Davis battled for the runner up position before Weaver broke away and began to battle for the lead.
It was Hurd still up high and Weaver running the middle and down low as the pair raced side by side with Sharpensteen leading each lap. Weaver found his chance to make his move as he got a run underneath Hurd coming out of turn four to take the lead on lap fifteen and quickly opened up a ten car length lead by lap twenty. That is when the caution would fall again when Bonner spun again, this time in turn two. The attempted restart was all for not when Conner Pullen in turns one and two.
The single file restart with five laps to go saw no problems for Weaver as he throttled his AA&A Windshield Repair/Chomiski Performance sponsored, Yeoman powered GRT chassis away from the rest of the field to take the ten car length victory.
"Man the track was the best if has ever been," commented Weaver after the races. "He (Hurd) was running real good and I thought we could get by him a couple of times but I wasn't for sure. I wanted to make sure I raced him clean and I think we did that."
Hurd and Davis, who lined up second and third on the restart and two drivers who sit in the same positions in the battle for the 2012 point championship, battled for runner up position and on the last lap with Davis in the middle and Hurd up top going down the backstretch, both drivers made contact that sent Hurd hard into the wall. Davis would come around to finish second while eighteenth starting Dan Powers earned the $100 AA&A Windshield and Repair Hard Charger bonus by finishing a strong third.
Sharpensteen faded to a fourth place finish while eleventh starting Jon Thompson of Superior, Nebraska rounded out the top five. Hurd would have to settle for a tenth place finish.
The eight lap heat races for the thirty-two car field were won by Davis, Hurd, Weaver and Sharpensteen while Thompson topped the twelve lap "B" feature.
Officials and staff for the National Championship Racing Association would like to thank the Amarillo based AA&A Windshield and Repair for becoming "hard charger" of both the Elk City Speedway and Route 66 Motor Speedway events as well as all the drivers who made the trip a success.
The next event for the NCRA modified division will take place on Sunday night of Labor Day weekend for their annual trip to the Belleville High Banks in Bellville, Kansas on Sunday night, September 2nd.
1st Heat: 1) Tyler Davis, 2) Conner Pullen, 3) Randy Reeser, 4) Austin Bonner, 5) Dee Gossett, 6) Mark Myers, 7) Dan Powers, 8) David Yanaseck, Jr.
2nd Heat: 1) Marc Hurd, 2) Jeremy Gossett, 3) A.J. Brochu, 4) Logan Cabbell, 5) John Thompson, 6) Neal Debore, 7) Don Hodge, 8) Chad Austin
3rd Heat: 1) Gene Weaver, 2) Mike Stroud, 3) Josh Lanterman 4) Justin Moler, 5) Braden Woods, 6) Kirk Coleman, 7) Joe Barnes, 8) Kenneth Bonner, Jr.
4th Heat: 1) Alan Sharpensteen, 2) Matt Newkirk, 3) Derek Scott, 4) Ryan Dalrymple, 5) Chad Bryan, 6) Michael Myers, 7) Eddie Marufo, 8) Dustin Belcher
B Feature: 1) Jon Thompson, 2) A.J. Brochu, 3) Don Hodge, 4) Dustin Belcher, 5) Randy Reeser, 6) Justin Moler, 7) Chad Austin, 8) Dan Powers, 9) Braden Woods, 10) Austin Bonner, 11) Mike Myers, 12) Dee Gossett, 13) Chad Bryan, 14) Neil Debore, 15) Michael Mylers, 16) Ryan Dalryple, 17) Derek Scott, 18) Kirk Coleman, DNS: Joe Barnes, Kevin Bonner, Jr., Eddie Marfu, David Yanasek, Jr.
A Feature: 1) Gene Weaver, 2) Tyler Davis, 3) Dan Powers, 4) Alan Sharpensteen, 5) Jon Thompson, 6) Dustin Belcher, 7) A.J. Brochu, 8) Josh Lanterman, 9) Bradon Woods, 10) Marc Hurd, 11) Conner Pullen, 12) Jeremy Gossett, 13) Mike Stroud, 14) Randy Reeser, 15) Logan Cabbell, 16) Chad Austin, 17) Austin Bonner, 18) Matt Newkirk, 19) Don Hodge, 20) Justin Moler
