08/30/2019 Michigan CAT/MacAllister Rentals Night
Feature Winners:
- Great Lakes Super Sprints: #85 Dustin Daggett
- Members First Credit Union Pro Stocks: #9 Marc Super
- Midland Steel Late Models: #19 Derrick Hilliker
- Suspension MAXX Street Stocks: #8 Aaron Spearling
- Walker’s Ideal Trophies Mini Wedge: #28 Kyron DeShano
- AllStar Performance IMCA Modifieds: #79 Nate Jones
Great Lakes Super Sprints Help Close out 2019 Season at Tri-City Motor Speedway
08/30/2019 (Auburn MI) The kick-off of the Labor Day weekend was also the final weekend of the 2019 racing season at Tri-City Motor Speedway. Along with a $1500 to win Midland Steel late Model special, roofless IMCA Modifieds and Pro Stocks, Street Stocks, and Mini Wedges, the Great Lakes Super Sprints decided their 2019 Season Champion with their final points paying event of the year.
Twenty-Nine winged sprint cars pulled into the pits for Friday night’s show. Helena Ohio driver, #7c Phil Gressman came into the show as the Great Lakes Super Sprints point leader with a comfortable 168 point advantage over Portland MI #85 Dustin Daggett. It was likely a good thing that Gressman had amassed the large point advantage as this night belonged to Daggett. He came out early with the second quickest qualifying lap behind #28m Conner Morrell. In his heat race, Daggett finished runner-up to teenager #77 Andrew Scheid. So, it was no surprise for Daggett when he drew the number two for his feature starting position. He started on the outside pole for the 25-lap main event and took no time in passing pole sitter #16b Ricky Peterson. From there, Daggett would dominate the field to pick up the feature win ahead of #77i John Ivy, #49t Greg Dalman, Peterson, and #11f Seth Sabo. Gressman finished the evening in the 13th position, but still was able to claim the GLSS Championship for 2019. #27 Brad Lamberson transferred to the feature as the B-Main winner. Other heat race winners included #84 Kyle Poortenga, #7m Brandon Moore, and #22m Dan McCarron.
The Members First Credit Union Pro Stock got to run without roofs for the first time giving the fans a unique view of their favorite drivers wheeling their machines. 2019 Champion #69 Nate Murphy held off the field to win the heat race earlier in the evening. In the feature, Murphy motored past #27 Rob Westergard on the second lap to take charge of the field. He was dominating for a majority of the race until #9s Marc Super got into his rhythm. Somehow finding grip on the slick track, he reeled in leader Murphy and took away the lead on lap sixteen. From there, Super led the final three laps beating Murphy to collect his first ever dirt feature win at TCMS. #25 Rick Yaroch, Westergard, and #316 Terri Lynn Murphy all took spots in the top five at the finish.
For the final race of the AllStar Performance IMCA Modifieds, they also were able to run without roofs. In the two heat races, #42 Craig Vance and #79 Nate Jones were victorious. In the final feature, #18 Chase Burda was the early favorite by taking the lead from the second row on the first lap. His lead would only last until eight when the 2019 points runner-up #79 Nate Jones pulled out front. From there, Jones went untouched to notch another 2019 feature win. #33 Todd Matheson came close but had to settle for a second place finish. The remainder of the top five included Vance, 2019 Champion #27 Matt Szecsodi, and #4s Toby Steele.
Midland Steel stepped up once again in 2019 to offer the Late Model drivers an opportunity to compete for a bigger purse. This time, the seventeen drivers were competing for a $1500 top prize for the winner of the 35-lap main event. Midland’s #11x Ryan Lanphierd started off the night with the fastest lap in qualifying, which determined the starting order for the heat races. Those heat races were won by #49 Brian Ruhlman and #27 Eric Spangler. In the main event, #55 Amanda Wing took the opening lap before #76 Torrey Ahrens took his turn at the front. Ruhlman methodically worked the race surface and took his turn at the front of the field at lap twelve. The final lead change came at lap 20 when the 2019 Late Model Champion #19 Derrick Hilliker drove past Ruhlman on the top side and led the final fifteen circuits to capture his second feature win in a row. Hilliker was followed to the finish by Spangler, #33 David Hilliker, Ruhlman, and #21s Steven Hilliker.
In the final Walker’s Ideal Trophies Mini Wedge class, #3 Jett Gohr won the heat race. However, the 2019 season Champion #28 Kyron DeShano finished ahead of Gohr at the end of the feature event. #14s Brayden Simmon, in his first time out, captured third with #14 Ethan Beaulieu and#7 Ella Gradowski rounded out the top five.
The SuspensionMAXX Street Stocks also had the opportunity to run under a different rules package on Friday night. They were allowed to run spoilers and sideboards to increase down force. #91 Gary Shank and #152 Robert Cunningham showed their prowess with the extra speed by topping the field in their heat races. It was a caution-riddled main event that saw #8 Aaron Spearling persevere to capture his first TCMS feature win since 2014. The battered #72 Bobby Kosha was credit with a second place finish ahead of #15 Andrew Fidler, #04 Brennan McGuire, and Shank.
Tri-City Motor Speedway thanks the fans, drivers, and marketing partners for another successful racing season. For updates and chances to win prizes throughout the offseason, be sure to check in at www.tricityracetrack.com . We look forward to celebrating our tenth season with you all in 2020!
- administrator on Sep 02, 2019
- Article Date: 9/1/2019 by Roger Williams