Down to the wire; it’s an accurate way to describe at least a pair of track championship battles at Dodge City Raceway Park.
The final checkered flag of the 2014 season will fly next Saturday night, September 27, at the Second Annual Jerry Soderberg Memorial Championship event.
And with that final checkered flag, at least a pair of track championships will be determined.
In addition to the track’s five championship chase divisions settling the final score of 2014, the United Rebel Sprint Series will wrap up its 2014 campaign with the Soderberg Memorial as well.
While numerous positions among the top ten in points in each division will shift one way or another with the final night of action, the IMCA Modifieds and Thunder Cars are the pair of divisions that will likely come down to the final checkered flag.
In the IMCA Modified ranks, Wichita’s Austin Allen takes a slim 13-point advantage over Ryan Heger into the season finale.
Gunning for a second consecutive track title, Allen could have virtually put it away with a stronger outing in the most recent event on August 23 as he entered the night with a 44 point lead.
But with Heger posting a runner-up finish while Allen went into conservative mode and finishing 13th, the door is open for Heger to possibly snatch the championship crown from Allen’s grasp. Allen can secure the title with a finish of fourth or better in the finale, though anything lower than that could allow Heger to take the top spot. Heger has topped the season ending event over each of the past two years.
The other title chase that comes down to the final night is in the Thunder Cars, where Matt O’Hair is just five points ahead of William Bauer. Posting his second win of the year on August 23, Laverne, Oklahoma’s O’Hair took the top spot by just five points over Bauer.
But, Ness City’s Bauer can at the very least tie O’Hair for the top ranking with a win in the finale, depending upon O’Hair’s finish with each driver ultimately hoping to finish a spot or two ahead of the other in the final Thunder Car outing of the year.
In the track’s other title chases, Woodward, Oklahoma’s Jeff Kaup holds a 117 point advantage over Josh Appel in the IMCA Sport Modified ranks, Garden City’s Perry Misner is 68 points ahead of Dusty Witthuhn in the IMCA Stock Car points chase and Dodge City’s Jarett Lunow holds an 83 point lead as he vies for Hornet perfection.
Kaup can finish off his second consecutive championship season by showing up, Lunow simply needs to take a green flag and Misner can secure his crown by starting the season-ending Stock Car feature.
In the United Rebel Sprint Series ranks, Colorado’s Jake Bubak is just one night away from a second consecutive series championship with an 86 point advantage over Great Bend’s Zach Blurton with the rest of the top five including Steven Richardson and Jeremy Huish along with Jed Werner and Luke Cranston, who are tied for fifth.
The Second Annual Jerry Soderberg Memorial Championship event at Dodge City Raceway Park gets under way at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 27. Tickets to the September 27 season finale are just $15 for adults with children 11 and under free when accompanied by an adult.
Dodge City Raceway Park is located on the south edge of Dodge City, KS, on US 283, then 0.9 miles west on US 56, then 0.1 miles south. For more information, contact the track at 620-225-3277 or check www.dodgecityraceway.com.
- administrator on Sep 19, 2014
- Article Date: 9/19/2014 by Lonnie Wheatley