Starks Wins Speedweek Finale, Steele, Peters Share Winner's Circle

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion

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Starks Wins WST Speedweek Championship 

With Southern Oregon Speedway Victory

White City, Oregon...July 9...Taking the lead from Mitchell Faccinto on the eighth lap, Trey Starks went on to win the 30 lap WST Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway.  This was the final race of 2016 Speedweek, and Starks used his win to take the series championship by just three points over Steven Tiner.  Starks becomes only the second Washington based competitor to win the Speedweek title since it was founded in 1998.  After four time series champion Roger Crockket won the first two races, the other wins went to Justyn Cox, Cory Eliason, Faccinto and Starks.  Faccinto finished second in the Main Event as Crockett was third.

Crockett worked right up until the last minute to get his car ready for Saturday following his flip at Willamette on Tuesday.  Garen Linder set what appeared to be the quick time of 11.332, but last qualifier Crockett beat that time with an 11.215.  There were three ten lap heat races with the first win going to Crockett ahead of Shawn Forte. Brysen James won the second heat ahead of Faccinto, and Jared Ridge was the third heat winner ahead of 2015 Cottage Grove Limited Sprint champion Patrick Dills.  Ridge kept the momentum going with his five lap Trophy Dash win ahead of Starks.  Tiner would enter the Main Event needing a sixth place finish or better to clinch the series championship.  Cooper Desbians was a Main Event scratch, leaving 21 cars to start the big race.

Ridge and Starks shared the front row for the Main Event, and the race had a false start as Ridge failed to get up to speed on the initial green.  Ridge led Faccinto and Starks at the start.  The flying Ridge was already into lapped traffic by lap five as Starks took second from Faccinto.  A low move in Turn 3 of the eighth lap gained Starks the lead as Crockett caught the third place battle in traffic.  Crockett made a power move in Turn 2 of the 11th lap to pass Ridge and Tiner for third.  D.J. Freitas flipped for a red flag on lap 13.  At that point, Tiner was still doing what he needed to do to preserve his point lead.  Starks remained in command on the restart, followed by Faccinto and Crocket.  Working lap 17, Tiner did a wheelie down the front stretch, and he broke a front shock when the front came down.  Jonathan Allard got by for fifth.  A lap 20 caution flag flew for a stalled Dills on the backstretch.  Starks maintained his advantage over Faccinto on the restart with Crockett in third.  James took sixth from Tiner on lap 22, and Jake Wheeler soon got by for seventh.  Nobody was getting past the flying Starks as he charged to the Speedweek championship clinching victory.  Faccinto used his second place finish to leap into third in points as Crockett took the checkered flag in third.  Ridge was fourth, followed by Allard, James, Wheeler, Tiner, Linder and Daniel Anderson.

Race Results 

NST Sprint Cars

Fast Time-Roger Crockett 11.215.  Trophy Dash-Jared Ridge, Trey Starks, Steven Tiner.  Heat 1-Crockett, Shane Forte, Tiner.  Heat 2-Bricen James, Mitchell Faccinto, Jake Wheeler.  Heat 3-Ridge, Patrick Dills, Chelsea Blevins.  Main Event-Starks, Faccinto, Crockett, Ridge, Jonathan Allard, James, Wheeler, Tiner, Garen Linder, Daniel Anderson, Blevins, Bailey Hibbard, Don Waddell, Bill Hopper, Forte, Dills, David Hibbard, Freitas, Brian Boswell, Todd Whipple, Raquel Ivie, Cooper Desbiens DNS.

Steel Unstoppable At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...July 9...Taking the lead from Gary Anderson early in the race, David Steele won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway.  Steele is the 2015 champion at Yreka, and this was his second win in three starts.  Fourteen year old Ethan Killingsworth finished second, and point leader Bob Burkett used a late pass to finish third.

There were 12 Mini Stocks in action, and Anderson won an eight lap heat race ahead of the truck of Killingsworth.  Steele won the other heat race ahead of Burkett, but Burkett prevented a Steel clean sweep as he held him off for a four lap Trophy Dash win.  Rookie Garrett Fredrickson and Mikey Johnson were Main Event scratches.  Anderson and Steele shared the front row of the Main Event, and Anderson raced into the early lead ahead of Steele and Killingsworth,.  Steele took the lead from Anderson in Turn 2 of the third lap, and Andrew Hall made a low move in Turn 4 of the fifth lap to take third from Killingsworth.  Unfortunately, Hall began to slow with a flat as he surrendered third back to Killinsgowrth on lap seven.  An inside move on the front stretch of the 13th lap gained Killingsworth second from Anderson, who appeared to be slowing just a bit.  Burkett made a pass on the front stretch on lap 18 to take third from Anderson.  Steele set a good pace up front and brought it home to an impressive victory.  Killingsworth had his best finish yet in second as Burkett settled for third.  Anderson used his fourth place finish to regain second in the standings with Eric Hanson a solid fifth.  Kristopher Mix, Marissa Henson, Mike Cloud, Hall and Patrick Stringer-Stine completed the finishing order.

Race Results
Mini Stocks

Heat 1-Gary Anderson, Ethan Killingsworth, Bob Burkett.  Heat 2-David Steele, Andrew Hall, Eric Hanson.  Trophy Dash-Burkett, Steele, Anderson.  Main Event-Steele, Killingsworth, Burkett, Anderson, Hanson, Kris Mix, Marissa Henson, Mike Cloud, Hall, Patrick Stringer-Stine, Garrett Fredrickson DNS, Mikey Johnson DNS.

Peters Scores Second Southern Oregon Speedway Victory

White City, Oregon...July 9...Brock Peters scored another impressive 20 lap SODCA Dwarf Car feature victory Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway.  Once again, he did it in a clean sweep with wins in his heat race and the A Dash as well. In his last three starts at the track, Peters has two wins and a second, and the points will be shaken up after incoming point leader Kalvin Morton didn't start the Main Event.  Morton had to scramble to the last minute making repairs from his race ending flip while leading on the last lap a week earlier, and the repairs didn't quite work.

The Dwarf Cars ran two eight lap heat races, and B. Peters won his heat ahead of Rob Gergel.  Sean Fuller made his first start and won the other heat race ahead of two time reigning champion Josh King.  B. Peters continued his momentum with a four lap A Dash win ahead of King.  Camden Robustelli won the six lap B Dash ahead of Cody Peters.  Bill Winter was also a Main Event scratch.  B. Peters had an outside front row starting spot for the Main Event and sped into the lead at the start.  The race was destined to go non stop as Gergel ran second ahead of King. Joe Sanders and Kaycee Sheeler were both out before the halfway point of the race, and the battle was for third between King, Robustelli and C. Peters.  Robustelli made a back stretch pass on King for third on lap 14, and C. Peters fell slightly off the pace.  B. Peters drove a great race up front and earned the victory ahead of Gergel, Robustelli, King, C. Peters, John Crisman, Fuller, Sheeler and Sanders.

Race Results
SODCA Dwarf Cars

Heat 1-Brock Peters, Rob Gergel, Camden Robustelli.  Heat 2-Sean Fuller, Josh King, Joe Sanders.  A Dash-B. Peters, King, Gergel.  B Dash-Robustelli, Cody Peters, John Crisman.  Main Event-B. Peters, Gergel, Robustelli, King, C. Peters, Crisman, Fuller, Kayee Sheeler, Sanders, Kalvin Morton DNS, Bill Winter DNS.