MID-SEASON TITLE TO SONTAG
AT GRUNDY COUNTY SPEEDWAY
BY ANDY GROD
“I didn’t like losing, “said Brett Sontag after winning the 50 lap late model Mid-Season Championship at the Grundy County Speedway, in Morris, Illinois. Sontag won two features in a row, but was shut out the last two race nights by Eddie Hoffman Jr. “I worked on the car all week at my shop. I’ve got a Pathfinder chassis and set the car up the way I thought it should be and it handled great tonight.”
Josh Nelms, from Lockport driving the Joel Pejkovich car, passed Scott Koerner on the third go around to take the lead in the twenty-two car field, with Jeremy Spoonmore making it around Koerner for the number two position.
Spoonmore was able to keep close to Nelms for the first fifteen laps, as Pat Kelly was making his way through traffic.
Kelly had a strong car and challenged Nelms for the lead, taking the spot away five laps later.
The defending champion, and current point leader, Tom Smith quickly closed in on the leaders, and by lap thirty, had moved in behind Kelly.
Getting the inside line, Smith was able to make the pass on Kelly, with Sontag also making past Nelms and Kelly to run in the number two slot.
The two champions raced close around the 1/3 paved oval nose to tail for the next several circuits, then on lap fourty-three, Sontag went to the inside and took the lead away from Smith.
“These guys were really difficult to pass,” said Sontag. “I got banged more than a few times getting to the front.”
Breaking away, Sontag, in his Rod Baker Ford – Advanced Race Cars sponsored Fusion was able to build an eight car length lead as he went under the checkered flag, with Smith settling for second place on this double championship points night.
Hoffman battled with Kelly for the last twelve laps, taking third away from Kelly as the white flag flew. Nelms finished a respectable fifth, followed by Tom Knippenberg, Billy Knippenberg and Steve Campbell.
The thirty-five lap mid-season championship for the Mid-American cars had pole sitter and 2006 Rookie of the Year Gary Jurak Jr., from Shorewood, lead from wire to wire to claim his first ever feature win in this third season of Mid-Am racing.
Jurak Jr first had to hold off challenges from past champion Jeremy Bloomberg, then later in the event, had his rear view mirror full of Chad Proctor.
As the laps ran down, Proctor put on the pressure, trying to get the inside line as Jurak Jr ran high in the corners, but Jurak Jr, in his Oval Engineering - Mark of Excellence Stairs – Jack’s Car Wash and Lube sponsored Impala was able to take the inside line away from Proctor and hold him off to the checkered flag.
“I was arcing the corners too much, giving Proctor room to get under me,” said Jurak. The final two laps, I knew I had to stay as low on the track as possible.
Finishing behind Jurak Jr and Proctor were Jeff Olson, Scott Dunning, Ron Vandermeir Jr and Eric Pierce.
Sitting atop the point list going into tonight’s action, Chad Bayuk, from Joliet, was able to do what he needed to do to keep on top of the list for the championship.
“I lost a cylinder near the end of the race, “said Bayuk, who has sat on the pole six times this season. “I’ve got to give credit to Bill’s Speed Shop for setting up the car,” said Bayuk. The car was able to stay on the low side of the track in the corners and that makes you fast.”
Chris Woodall, from Calumet City, took the lead from Jeremy Clubb on lap six, but his lead was short lived when Brandon Clubb and Bayuk shot past the leader.
On lap thirteen, Bayuk was able to get past Brandon Clubb for the top spot, and pulled away by three lengths as Clubb held off Woodall.
Defending track champion, Rick Dawson, joined in the battle up front and was running third behind Bayuk’s J & M Moving Truck Rental Caprice and Clubb, but no-one was able to mount a challenge with the positions remained the same to the finish.
Fourth went to Karl Kwaz from Joliet, followed by Nick Clubb, Randy Weese and Mike Brandolino.
In 4 Cylinder action, Jimmy Ellison tried running away from the field, building a full straight a way lead, but a quick caution for Kyle Lindemuth scraping the wall slowed the action and bunched the field.
Making his way through the pack, Jim Beasley, from Plainfield, caught Ellison, and got him sideways at one point, but Ellison kept the wheels straight and held on to the top spot.
With four circuits left, Beasley went to the outside line and ran side by side with Ellison before getting the advantage and holding the lead to the finish in his Nabby’s Restaurant – Ash-Dome of Plainfield sponsored Ford Focus.
Finishing behind Beasley and Ellison were Lindemuth, Eric Boudreau, Trevor Pertell and Brian Struck.
Racing continues every Friday night at the Grundy County Speedway, located at the Fairgrounds, in Morris, Illinois.
RESULTS
50 lap Late Model Mid-Season Championship: 1. Brett Sontag, Joliet, 2. Tom Smith, Tinley Park, 3. Eddie Hoffman Jr., Wheaton, 4. Pat Kelly, Seneca, 5. Josh Nelms, Lockport, 6. Tom Knippenberg, Channahon, 7. Billy Knippenberg Jr., Plainfield,
8. Steve Campbell, Lisle, 9. Andy Marchiniak, Joliet, 10. Jack Kalwasinski, Munster, Indiana.
1st 10 lap LM Heat: 1. D.J. Werkmeister, Braceville, 2. Nelms
2nd 10 lap LM Heat: 1. Kelly, 2. Tom Knippenberg
Fast Time: Sontag: 15.194
35 lap Mid-American Mid-Season Championship: 1. Gary Jurak Jr., Shorewood,
2. Chad Proctor, Winthrup Harbor, 3. Jeff Olson, Seneca, 4. Scott Dunning, Bolingbrook,
5. Ron Vandermeir Jr., Joliet, 6. Eric Pierce, Lake in the Hills, 7. John McMahon, Lockport, 8. Jeremy Bloomberg, Hampshire, 9. Ray Brackett, Coal City, 10. Jim Kachel Jr., Willowbrook
1st 10 lap MA Heat: 1. Bloomberg, 2. Jay Foster, Sycamore
2nd 10 lap MA Heat: 1. Vandermeir Jr., 2. Proctor
Fast Time: Stacy Kelley, Minooka: 16.261
35 lap Street Stock Mid-Season Championship: 1. Chad Bayuk, Joliet, 2. Brandon Clubb, Coal City, 3. Rick Dawson, Lemont, 4. Karl Kwaz, Joliet, 5. Nick Clubb, Coal City,
6. Randy Weese, Morris, 7. Mike Brandolino, Joliet, 8. Benn Hoffman, Morris, 9. Chris Sanda, LaGrange Park, 10. Bob Davis, Coal City
1st 10 lap SS Heat: 1. Jurak Jr., 2. Sanda
2nd 10 lap SS Heat: 1. Dawson, 2. Chris Woodall, Calumet City
Fast Time: Bayuk: 17.709
20 lap 4 Cylinder Mid-Season Championship: 1. Jim Beasley, Plainfield, 2. Jimmy Ellison, Morris, 3. Kyle Kindemuth, Morris, 4. Eric Boudreau, Gardner, 5. Trevor Pertell, Warrenville, 6. Brian Struck, Morris, 7. Shelby Eplin, Morris, 8. Mark Sontag Jr., Shorewood, 9. Matt Clemens, Channahon, 10. Ryan Webster, Morris
1st 8 lap 4 Cyl Heat: 1. Beasley, 2. Lindemuth
2nd 8 lap 4 Cyl Heat: 1. Boudreau, 2. Ellison
JURKOVIC WINS CRA MAIN
AT PLYMOUTH SPEEDWAY
BY ANDY GROD
Joliet Illinois driver, Boris Jurkovic, qualified fifth in a field that saw the track qualifying record fall three times, but that didn’t discourage the veteran Midwest driver as he held off the fast qualifier for the final 100 circuits to win the 200 lap mid-season Championship 200 CRA Super series event at the Plymouth Speedway, in Plymouth, Indiana.
Starting fifth in the thirty-one car field, Jurkovic kept pace with the leaders as Michael Thayer, Tim Curry and J.R. Roahrig battled up.
Twenty-five laps into the event, local favorite Scott Hantz got in a tangle, and while under caution, leader Thayer overheated, sending the point man home early. Second place Curry also experienced problems, eliminating his chance at victory.
With Thayer and Curry in the pits, Roahrig took over the point at the drop of the green flag, with fast qualifier and rookie contender Aaron Pierce second and Jurkovic in the number thee position
For the next twenty circuits, Pierce put on the pressure, trying to get past Roahrig while Jurkovic kept pace four car lengths back, and nearing the half-way stop, Jurkovic caught and passed Pierce for the number two slot.
The race was stopped at the 100 lap mark for a ten minute break, and the strategy during this stop helped determine the outcome of the event.
Cars taking no tires restarted where they were running at the time of the stop, but if you took on tires, you were penalized.
With the leader Roahrig taking on new rubber, he lost several spots on the track, restarting in the tenth position.
“We didn’t change anything at the break other than taking 2 pounds of air out of the right front tire,” said Jurkovic after the event.
Lining up for the final 100, Jurkovic held the point with Pierce, also taking no tires, in Jurkovic’s rear view mirror.
Eddie Hoffman Jr., from Wheaton, lined up in third in a borrowed David Dotter car, followed by Jason Shively, Zack Taylor and Steve Campbell.
At the drop of the green, Pierce put heavy pressure on Jurkovic and tried to get the inside line several times, but Jurkovic was able to pull away as he exited the corners, leaving Pierce trying to catch up on the straight-a-ways.
With Jurkovic building a four car length lead, it was Hoffman’s turn to give the rookie Pierce some experience, at one time getting along side, but Pierce fought back and held the position.
With the laps running down, it was time to make your move, and the driver making up positions was David Stremme, taking to the high line and getting past several cars before slipping in behind Hoffman for fourth.
The final twenty-five go-arounds were as good as it gets, and Jurkovic held of challenges from Pierce, and Stremme moving past Hoffman, with Jack Landis on Hoffman’s tail.
Stremme’s third spot was only temporary, as Hoffman, running the inside line, was able to get the advantage on Stremme, with Landis on Stremme’s tail.
As the checkered flag flew, Jurkovic sped across the finish line three car lengths ahead of Pierce, followed by Hoffman, and Landis beating Stremme to the line for fourth.
