Welshonse Wraps Up Rookie Season With IMCA Modified Win At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...Gaining the lead after Scott Lenz and Mark Wauge got together on lap 21, Rookie James Welshonse won his fist career 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Welshonse somehow managed to escape the crash directly in front of him for the win as Jesse Bailey finished second. Wauge limped to a ninth place finish and will unofficially win the championship.
Dwayne Melven dueled with Rich McCoy for half of the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event before getting his fist win ahead of likely "Rookie Of The Year" David Marble. Third place finisher Mike Medel will wrap up the track championship, while fifth place finisher Jorddon Braaten still leads the Oregon State point race with one week remaining.
Pro 4 Wedge Car star Dustin Knight made his first start and dominated the Open Stock Main Event for an impessive 20 lap victory ahead of new point leader Bob Dees.
Lee Doty grabbed the Super 4's point lead with his fourth 20 lap Main Event victory. He won by nearly a lap with the husband-wife duo of Terry and Krista Hadley in second and third, respectively.
Joby Shields wrapped up the Hornets season with his fourth 20 lap Main Event win. Shields won by over half a lap ahead of Milt Carter, and Tim Hedges wrapped up the championship with his fifth place finish.
Rookie James Welshonse rode the outside groove to win his first career 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. Welshonse joined a close battle between Scott Lenz and point leader Mark Wauge for the lead by lap eight, but his efforts to race by on the outside proved fruitless with Wauge also trying to get by Lenz. On lap 19, Wauge and Lenz got together in Turn 2, and Lenz and Welshonse somehow managed to keep their cars going. Welshonse took the lead on the restart and pulled away to an impressive victory. Jesse Bailey took second on lap 22 as Lenz settled for a third place finish ahead of Monte Bischoff and Scott Crumm.
Two time IMCA Sport Modified champion Dewayne Melvin won his first 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event of the season. Melvin and Rich McCoy engaged in a side by side battle for the lead during the first ten laps, but it ended on lap ten as McCoy made contact with a spun Willie McFall on the back stretch. Melvin led the restart and the rest of the way with Trophy Dash winner David Marble and new track champion Mike Medel not far behind him. Toby Judd finished fourth with Jorddon Braaten collecting a fifth place finish to maintain his State point lead.
Dustin Knight made his Late Model debut a winning effort with his 20 lap Main Event victory. Knight won a heat race along with Bob Dees, and he charged into the lead at the start. Knight was clocking in with laps in the 12 second bracket as he flew around the track and lapped most of the field. Trophy Dash winner B. Dees finished second with his son Garrett Dees third. David Schmidt won a late battle with John Dees for fourth.
Lee Doty won the Super 4's Main Event in impressive fashion. Doty charged out to the lead from the drop of the green flag and pulled further and further away with every lap. Terry Hadley settled into second ahead of wife Krista Hadley. Doty was soon lapping slower cars in the ten car field and lapped all the way to fourth place as Terry and Krista Hadley were second and third. Trophy Dash winner Charlie Eaton and Dan Prewitt completed the Top 5 a lap down.
Like Doty and Knight, Joby Shields won a heat race to get a front row start in the Hornets Main Event. Shields launched into the lead at the start as Milt Carter and Hayfork Speedway visitor Andy Blackburn battled for second. By mid race, Shields lapped Trophy Dash winner Tim Hedges. Hedges was focused on keeping rival Derrel Nelson Jr. in his sights as he tried to hold on for the championship. He accomplished that goal as he finished a lap down in fifth. Carter, Blackburn and Nelson rounded out the Top 4, all on the lead lap.
Racing concludes next week with the season finale program. On the schedule will be the Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars, Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and Super 4's. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
Open Stocks
Heat
Winners (6 Laps)-Dustin Knight, Bob Dees. Trophy Dash (4 Laps)-B.
Dees. Main Event (20 Laps)-Knight, B. Dees, Garrett Dees, David
Schmidt, John Dees.
IMCA Modifieds
Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Jesse
Bailey, James Welshonse. Trophy Dash (4 Laps)-Welshonse. Main Event
(20 Laps)-Welshonse, Bailey, Scott Lenz, Monte Bischoff, Scott Crumm.
Super 4's
Heat
Winners (6 Laps)-Terry Hadley, Lee Doty. Trophy Dash (4 Laps)-Charlie
Eaton. Main Event (20 Laps)-Doty, T. Hadley, Krista Hadley, Charlie
Eaton, Dan Prewitt.
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Heat Winners (6
Laps)-Mike Medel, Rich McCoy. Trophy Dash (4 Laps)-Marble. Main
Event (20 Laps)-Dwayne Melvin, Marble, Medel, Toby Judd, Jorddon
Braaten.
Hornets
Heat Winner (6 Laps)-Joby Shields. Trophy
Dash (4 Laps)-Tim Hedges. Main Event (20 Laps)-Shields, Milt Carter,
Andy Blackburn, Derrel Nelson Jr., Hedges.
