Margeson Again at South Sound
By Dolan Lannan
August 28
In 1947 your writer saw WMRA driving ace Allen Heath win 17 of the 22 races he was able to attend. We have a driver today who is just as dominant, as in 1947, whether he starts from the front, or the back, he is the odds on favorite to win. None of this comes easily, it is the preparation that goes in the days before that is a big factor in these wins. Also, in 1947 Allen heath had a brand new Kurtis Kraft midget and spare motors, equipment far better than any of his competitors. Evan Margeson competes with cars easily the equal of his, some better! As with the 1947 Champion, Margeson has a car owner who is dedicated to midget racing and willingly gives him the tools to work with.
Only seven cars made it through the pit gates as regulars Glen Seidelman with his #4 Hawk/Gaerte and the #98 Beast/Ed Pink Ford of Tom Maples were in the shop for motor repairs, but both should be back for Ephrata next Saturday. All seven cars made it through qualifying with Mark Atkinson turning in a blistering 13:127 lap for fast time of the evening.
The trophy dash saw pole sitter Snake Livernash come home the winner in a smooth fast run in which he was never seriously threatened.
The heat line up saw the starting field completely inverted except for "rookie" Joel "Buffalo" Burrier in the 79 car who started last, as the rule states. Going into turn one Livernash, from his third starting spot got by pole sitter Ray Jones in the Voss #45 Ultramotive/Nissan for the lead, which he never relinquished. In fact he started building on it and was pulling out even more as the race progressed. Then it happened, in a huge cloud of oil smoke, the Churchill Challenger/Nissan #79 car momentarily disappeared, then came out went a few feet and spun rapidly in front of the field coming out of turn four, ending his racing for the night. All managed to miss him, but the obvious lengthy track sweep down which was coming resulted in a checkered flag, which still saw Livernash in the lead with Margeson and Atkinson following.
Kevin Koepke, had been fighting brake and handling problems all night, but managed to qualify and finish the heat race, was able to start in the last row of the main event along with Ray Jones in the 45 car who had electrical gremlins under the hood which they just could not locate. On the pole a smooth running Livernash took the green flag and got the lead from Petter coming out of turn two. On lap three Jones pulled out with the same electrical problems which had been his downfall all night long. As the race progressed the 13 car of Livernash maintained a comfortable lead until six laps from the checkered flag a badly blistered right rear tire caused him to start slowing, and waiting to pounce was Evan Margeson, three laps from the end Margeson got by, as did Atkinson, while Petter who had been running third all race long got hung up and lost a spot.
Qualifying: 1. Mark Atkinson, 13:127 2. Evan Margeson, 13:293 3. Ben Petter, 13:406 4. Snake Livernash, 13:415 5. Kevin Koepke, 14:011 6. Ray Jones, 14:428 7. Joes Burrier, 17:040
Dash: Livernash, Margeson, Atkinson, Petter
Heat: Livernash, Margeson, Atkinson, Petter, Koepke, Burrier, Jones
MAIN: 1. Evan Margeson, Beal Beast/Ed Pink Ford. 2. Mark Atkinson, Atkinson Beast/Esslinger. 3. Snake Livernash, Livernash Beast/Esslinger. 4. Ben Petter, Petter Beast/Esslinger. 5. Kevin Koepke, Dixon Hawk/Gaerte. 6. Ray Jones, Voss Ultramotive/Nissan. Did not start: Joel Burrier, Churchill Challenger/Nissan.
Yakima Half Mile to Margeson
By Dolan Lannan
August 14
The Washington Midget Racing Association returned to Yakima Speedway Saturday, for the first time since 2006. The 2006 race was the first WMRA feature win for Evan Margeson. Fast forward to Saturday night where Margeson
picked up his 24th WMRA event, dominating the competition in the Harold Beal owned Beast/Pink Ford.
On a hot afternoon, Pat Bliss in the Maples Beast/Esslinger had motor problems in hot laps, ending his day. Later, in qualifying, Snake Livernash set a blistering time of 18.504 in the Hi-Tech Collision sponsored #13 Beast/Esslinger to take fast time honors over 2008 WMRA Champion, Ben Petter in his own Beast/Esslinger.
The B dash went about a half lap before Kevin Koepke, in the Allen Dixon owned #44, flew off into the dust after losing his left rear wheel. On the restart, Jimmy Screeton in Glen Seidelman’s Hawk/Gaerte, beat Mark Atkinson in the Atkinson Beast/Esslinger to turn one. Although pressured for the entire four laps, Screeton never relinquished the lead to earn his second trophy dash win in a row.
Margeson paced the field with Dallas Melby in the Melby Blue Dot/Mopar on the outside. Melby looked strong in his first WMRA start since the 2008 season. Margeson took the lead and Petter was able to get by Melby for second. The race went to the checkered with Margeson winning, followed by Petter, Melby and Livernash.
Koepke, his car repaired, had the pole for the heat with Screeton on the outside. But by the end of lap one Margeson had taken the lead with Screeton in second. On the second go round, Joel Burrier, in his first start ever in a midget, retired in the #79 Rod Churchill machine. At about the same time, Atkinson got by Screeton for the second spot and began to close the gap just slightly on Margeson. This continued until lap seven of the eight lap race when Atkinson pitted with ignition problems, moving Melby in to second and Petter into third where they remained to the end of the race.
In the Mac Towing sponsored 30 lap feature event, Atkinson lined up on the pole with Margeson next to him. Both drove hard into turn one with Margeson exiting the turn in the top spot. Petter got outside of Atkinson and the two remained side by side for three laps until Petter won that battle. Atkinson fell in behind with Melby and Livernash in close pursuit. They were followed by Screeton, Koepke and Burrier, who dropped out on lap four.
Margeson was dominant, increasing his lead every lap, while making it look easy. For the entire event Atkinson, who was driving with a broken foot, pressured Petter, trying the outside and getting up next to him a few times on the inside. With that battle going strong, Melby would occasionally get underneath Atkinson, with Livernash right behind. A suspected broken valve ended Screeton’s evening on lap 17. At the checkered flag, Margeson held a lead of over six seconds over the still battling foursome of Petter, Atkinson, Melby and Livernash. Koepke ended up in the sixth spot.
Qualifying: 1. Snake Livernash, Livernash #13, 18.504; 2. Ben Petter, Petter #22, 18.631; 3. Dallas Melby, Melby #51, 18.660; 4. Even Margeson, Beal #50, 18.700; 5. Mark Atkinson, Atkinson #23, 18.995; 6. Jimmy Screeton, Seidelman #4, 19.443; 7. Kevin Koepke, Dixon #44, 19.481; 8. Joel Burrier, Churchill #79, no time; 9. Pat Bliss, Maples #98, no time
"B" Dash: #4 Screeton, #23 Atkinson, #44 Koepke.
"A" Dash: #50 Margeson, #22 Petter, #51 Melby, #13 Livernash.
Heat race: 1. Margeson, 2. Melby, 3. Petter, 4. Livernash, 5. Screeton, 6. Koepke, 7. Atkinson, 8. Burrier
Main Event: Evan Margeson, Ben Petter, Mark Atkinson, Dallas Melby, Snake Livernash, Kevin Koepke, Jimmy Screeton, Joel Burrier.
Convincing Win for Margeson at Wenatchee
By Dolan Lannan
July 24
Saturday was a super hot day at the Wenatchee Valley Super Oval and Evan Margeson was equally hot, dominating the competition and easily winning the 35 lap feature.
Margeson, in the Harold and Verda Beal owned Beast/Pink Ford, was one of the last cars to take to the track for qualifying and took fast time honors. Earlier, first time midget driver Joel Burrier in the Rod Churchill Challenger/Nissan had motor troubles. Kevin Koepke’s run of bad luck continued, breaking a shaft in the rear end during qualifying and ending his evening in the beautiful Allen Dixon #44 car.
Jimmy Screeton flew in from California to pilot the Glen Seidelman Hawk/Gaerte and took the win in the first trophy dash of the night, starting on the pole and increasing his lead to the checkered, over Mitch Hoffses, Tony Seidelman and late arriving Bob Pratt in the Keith Davidson Ellis/Focus. The "A" dash saw Pat Bliss charge into the lead in the first turn while fourth starting Margeson got on his rear bumper almost immediately, but he could not find a way around. Bliss in the Tom Maples Beast/Pink Ford was strong and smooth all the way and garnered the win. Bliss and Margeson were followed by Snake Livernash in the Livernash Beast/Esslinger and Mark Atkinson in the #23 Beast/Esslinger.
Tony Seidelman, in the Dick Voss #45, brought the field to the green in the heat race. Screeton took the lead from his outside front spot while Bliss moved quickly moved up four spots to second place. Margeson moved from eighth to third on lap three and got by Bliss on the fifth go round. Margeson got underneath Screeton on the next lap and the two were side by side for almost two laps until Margeson was able to gain the lead going into turn one. He went on for the win, followed by Bliss, who got by Screeton on the final lap of the ten lap event. They were followed by Hoffses, Livernash, Atkinson, Seidelman, Ben Petter and Pratt.
At the start of the feature, Seidelman got a little sideways coming out of turn four. Hoffses, in the Karl Hoffses #5, could not avoid nudging him causing Seidelman to spin in front of the pack. Somehow, everyone missed him and things went much smoother on the complete restart. Screeton won the drag race to the first turn. By the end of the first lap Petter, in his #22 Beast Esslinger, had moved to second, followed by Hoffses and Bliss. Margeson, who started eighth, moved to second on the sixth lap and one lap later Screeton fell to the hard charging Margeson.
Margeson rapidly drove away from the field while Petter worked on getting around Screeton, which he did on the tenth circuit. Bliss got by Screeton two laps later and was solidly in the third spot when he had a suspension failure on lap seventeen, bringing out the yellow flag and ending his race. Pratt also pulled into the pits during the caution.
On the green, Margeson once again distanced himself from the field. Mark Atkinson, moved from seventh on lap fifteen to fourth on the restart after going outside both Livernash and Hoffses. He got by Screeton on lap 21 and gradually closed on the fast and smooth Petter. He was able to challenge for the spot but faded just a bit in the last couple of laps. At the finish, Margeson help a comfortable lead over Petter, Atkinson, Screeton. They were followed by Livernash and Hoffses, both who had severely blistered right rear tires.
Qualifying: 1. Evan Margeson, Beal #50, 12:549; 2. Mark Atkinson, Atkinson #23, 12:651; 3. Pat Bliss, Maples #98, 12:664; 4. Scott Livernash, Livernash #13, 12:678; 5. Ben Petter, Petter #22 , 12:725; 6. Mitch Hoffses, Hoffses #5, 12:877; 7. Jimmy Screeton, Seidelman #4, 12:929; 8. Tony Seidelman, Voss #45, 13:215; 9. Kevin Koepke, Dixon #44, no time; 10. Bob Pratt, Davidson #60, no time; 11. Joel Burrier, Churchill #79, no time
"B" Dash: Screeton, Hoffses, Seidelman, Pratt
"A" Dash: Bliss, Margeson, Livernash, Atkinson
Heat: Margeson, Bliss, Screeton, Hoffses, Livernash, Atkinson, Seidelman, Petter, Pratt
Main: Margeson, Petter, Atkinson, Screeton, Livernash, Hoffses, Bliss, Pratt, Seidelman
Margeson Wins Bob Gregg Memorial
By Dolan Lannan
June 26
Bob Gregg would have been proud. The Washington Midget racing Association feature had thirty laps of excitement, frustration, mayhem, and wild fan reaction as Evan Margeson battled to a win, due to his perseverance, skill, and a little bit of luck, as a full moon beamed brightly from above.
This race was the revival of the Bob Gregg Memorial. Gregg was a legend in racing and especially in the WMRA, with 22 WMRA wins and four championships among his credits. Another impressive accomplishment was Gregg winning at least one race in five decades, the forties through the eighties. Thank you to John Gregg and Main Street Motors for making this race possible.
Eleven cars signed in the pit gate at South Sound Speedway, as the not yet risen full moon started to make it's presence known. The red #98 Tom Maples Beast/Ed Pink Ford gave up the ghost right away, as the motor seized up after about a lap and a half of warm ups. Sadly for Maples, and driver Pat Bliss, this motor has spent far more time in the repair shop than on the track. Next to feel the sting was the Allen Dixon #44 Stealth/Gaerte with the rear end going out early. Driver Kevin Koepke and his buddy jumped in their truck and made a quick bee line to Tacoma where they removed the rear end from the garaged 43 car and took it back to the speedway and worked hard, fast, and furious to get the 44 car running.
Mark Atkinson in his dad’s Beast/Esslinger was the man to beat in qualifying as he turned in a blistering 13:135, just about 1/10 of a second quicker than teammate Evan Margeson and about 1/10th slower than the track record.
The single heat of the evening saw only eight cars take the green flag as the Voss #45 Ultramotive/Nissan, with Jeremiah Franklin behind the wheel, was unable to start due to throttle problems. Eighth starting Evan Margeson, in the Harold Beal Beast/Pink Ford, got everyone’s attention when he managed to come home the winner in this hard fought and exciting race, however he had a hard driving Jimmy Screeton in the beautiful Glen Seidelman Hawk/Gaerte to get around, and that was not easy. He finally accomplished the feat on the sixth lap of the eight lap event. Behind Screeton, Mitch Hoffses in the family’s Beast/Profab Chevy garnered the third place finish. On the sixth lap Snake Livernash gave everyone a start as he jumped the right rear wheel of the Hoffses car, flew through the air headed for the wall, and barely saved it. Skeeter Flake in Rod Churchill’s 79 car dropped out on lap two, the team’s evening ended by the same ignition sensor problem that plagued them at the previous race.
Fans were pleased to see Kevin Koepke in the Allen Dixon 44 car being pushed off for the main event, but this was to be short lived, as this time it was fuel line troubles that sidelined him.
At the drop of the green flag, Snake Livernash grabbed the lead from his outside front row starting position, beating pole sitter Hoffses to turn one. He was followed by Hoffses, Ben Petter, Chad Nichols, Atkinson, Margeson, and Franklin. On lap two, Hoffses had the misfortune to get caught in the high groove as four cars went by on the low side, moving Petter, in his red Beast/Esslinger into second. Livernash gradually built up a ten car length lead over Petter, who was followed by Atkinson, Margeson, Nichols, Hoffses, Screeton, and Franklin. The positions remained the same until lap fourteen when Atkinson was able to get by Petter and he began slightly eat into Livernash’s substantial lead. On the seventeenth go-round, Screeton came to a stop on the backstretch with a broken wheel, bringing out a caution flag and erasing the gap between Livernash and the rest of the field. Petter retired to the pits with a badly blistered right rear tire but was unable to return to action before racing resumed.
After the restart, the top five cars were in a tight battle until, on lap 26, Margeson and Nichols came together with Margeson spinning. Both cars were sent to the back. At the green Livernash again got the lead going into turn one, very closely pursued by the 23 car of Atkinson, Nichols and Hoffses right there, followed by Franklin and Petter who could finally rejoin the race. Coming out of turn four there was contact between the 23 car of Atkinson, and leader Livernash, sending Livernash hard into the wall, causing heavy damage to his car. As the field was lining up for the restart Atkinson was given the black flag and signaled to go to the pits. This made the new leader Margeson, followed by Nichols, Hoffses, Franklin and Petter. They remained in this same position until the checkered flag was displayed three laps later.
Qualifying: 1. #23 Mark Atkinson, Atkinson - 13:125 2. #50 Evan Margeson, Beal - 13:208 3. #17 Chad Nichols, Nichols - 13:320 4. #22 Ben Petter, Petter - 13:351 5. #13 Snake Livernash, Livernash - 13:412 6. #5 Mitch Hoffses, Hoffses - 13:482 7. #4 Jimmy Screeton, Seidelman - 13:688 8. #45 Jeremiah Franklin, Voss - 14:893 9. #79 Skeet Flake, Churchill - 15:710 10. #44 Kevin Koepke, no time. 11. #98 Pat Bliss - no time.
Heat Race: Margeson, Screeton, Hoffses, Atkinson, Petter, Nichols, Livernash, Flake.
Main Event: 1. Margeson, 2. Nichols, 3. Hoffses, 4. Livernash, 5. Atkinson, 6. Franklin, 7. Petter, 8. Screeton.
Two in a Row for Margeson
June 5
By Dolan Lannan
In a hard fought battle with teammate Mark Atkinson, Evan Margeson took the lead two laps before the checkered flag to score his second consecutive victory in the young 2010 racing season.
Eleven cars were in the pits for this, the second scheduled race of the year. Rod Churchill’s #79 car battled electrical problems all night long and was never able to overcome them, so was not a factor in this event. Rob Lindsey appeared for the first time in several years in his own Ellis/Pontiac and Dick Voss had his new Ultramotive in the line up.
Qualifying saw the #98 Tom Maples midget break a rocker arm, and with no replacement available, the car was out for the remainder of the event. The second race in a row where his Ed Pink Ford has let him down.
No trophy dashes were run for any of the groups racing this evening. In the only heat race Mark Atkinson jumped out to the lead at the green flag and was never headed, Margeson worked his way up from 4th starting position to a well deserved second place, followed by Mitch Hoffses, Ben Petter and the rest of the field.
The line up for the main event saw Atkinson once again on the pole, and at the start he took off, building up a comfortable lead over Hoffses who had his hands full battling Margeson who never let off on the pressure. Fireworks on lap five as Petter and Livernash got together between turns three and four, leaving the 13 car stranded with it’s front wheels in the infield grass, but at the same time, the #45 car blew an oil filter and in a small imitation of BP in the Gulf of Mexico, had its own massive oil spill and was through for the night! The red flag was displayed for the lengthy clean up. On the restart the field was lined up as follows, Atkinson, Hoffses, Margeson, Lindsey, Hadman, Koepke, Livernash, and Petter. Now with the field closed up, the racing became even more intense as again Atkinson got off to the lead with Margeson once again pressuring Hoffses for the second position, behind them there was close racing for every spot. Both Livernash and Petter were battling to regain the positions they had lost, all this made for exciting racing until Koepke in the 44 car lost a rear end and stalled coming out of turn four on lap sixteen. The yellow flag came out and the restart saw the cars lined up as follows, Atkinson, Margeson, Hoffses, Petter, Lindsey, Livernash, and Hadman. Two laps before the checkered flag, Margeson went by Atkinson, who had slipped high entering turn one.
Qualifying: 1. Snake Livernash, 13:226 #13 Livernash Beast/Esslinger, 2. Evan Margeson, 13:354 #50 Beal Beast/Ed Pink Ford, 3. Ben Petter, 13:369, #22 Petter Beast Esslinger, 4. Pat Bliss, 13:426 #98 Maples Beast/Ed Pink Ford, 5. Mitch Hoffses, 13:536 #5 Hoffses Hawk/Gaerte, 6. Mark Atkinson, 13:577, #23 Atkinson Beast/Esslinger, 7. Kevin Koepke, 13:742 #44 Dixon Stealth/Gaerte, 8. Rob Lindsey 14:238 #23x Lindsey Ellis/Pontiac, 9. Ray Jones, 14:267 #45 Voss Ultramotive/Nissan, 10. Rhett Hadman, 14:334 #43 Dixon Autoresearch/Gaerte, DNQ Skeet Flake #79 Churchill Challenger/Nissan.
Heat Race: Atkinson, Margeson, Hoffses, Petter, Livernash, Koepke, Lindsey, Hadman (out), Jones (out).
Main Event: Margeson, Atkinson, Petter, Hoffses, Livrnash, Lindsey, Hadman, Koepke (out), Jones (out).
May 22nd
Margeson Wins WMRA Opener
By Dolan Lannan
Saturday, at South Sound Speedway, the Washington Midget Racing Association held the opening round of the 2010 MAC Towing racing series . Although there were a couple of unusual twists, the event ended the same way as the first race of 2009, with Evan Margeson in the winner’s circle.
Nine cars lined up for qualifying , with rookie Rhett Hadman in one of two Alan Dixon entries unable to take the green flag due to driveline issues that sidelined him for the evening. Most qualifying times were slower than usual, after an afternoon rainstorm cancelled most of the scheduled hot laps. Chad Nichols, making the tow all the way from his Colma, California home, was the exception, setting fast time by almost a quarter of a second, with a 13.191 second lap, in the Nichols Beast,/ his first visit ever to the speedway.
The trophy dashes were also scrapped due to rain. In the heat, Pat Bliss in the Maples Beast/Pink Ford started on the pole and jumped out to the lead over 2009 WMRA Champion, Ben Petter. At the end of the first lap they were followed by 2007 Champ Evan Margeson, 2008 Champ, Mark Atkinson and 2006 Rookie of the Year, Snake Livernash. With the exception of Bliss, who gained over a car length per lap on the rest of the field, the cars were nose to tail. The line up remained the same until lap seven of the eight lap event, when Petter, in his own Beast/Esslinger slipped up just a bit, allowing three cars of the tight pack to get by. Bliss won easily, followed by Margeson, in Harold Beal’s Beast/Pink Ford, Atkinson, Livernash, Nichols, California’s Jimmy Screeton in Glen Seidelman’s Hawk/Gaerte and rookie Kevin Koepke in the other Alan Dixon entry.
In the feature, Bliss once again started from the pole, and once again he darted into the lead at the start. Atkinson, back from college in North Carolina and in his father’s Beast/Esslinger, tried to get under outside front row starter, Petter for second place going into turn one, but Petter was too quick and maintained the position. Again, Bliss was the class of the field and increased his lead on every lap. After one circuit he was followed by Petter, Atkinson, Margeson, Nichols, Livernash, in his dad’s Beast/Esslinger and Koepke. Screeton took the green but retired early with a broken throttle cable.
Other than Bliss, the cars were extremely evenly matched with many passes attempted but there had been no position changes when the yellow flew on lap twelve for debris on the track. Two laps laps later another caution flag appeared, this time for Atkinson who spun while trying to sneak under Petter coming out of turn two. On each restart Bliss was able to immediate resume his comfortable lead. On the seventeenth lap, a small slip by Petter allowed both Margeson and Nichols to get by for the second and third spots. The racing remained furious with no other position changes until round twenty-two. On that lap Bliss pulled into the infield after experiencing a drop in oil pressure. On the same go round, Margeson went high allowing the hard charging Nichols to go from third to first in one lap. Petter, Livernash, Atkinson and Koepke followed.
On the twenty-seventh round of the thirty lap race, Margeson went low into the first turn attempting to regain the lead. Nichols and Margeson touched, sending Nichols way up the banking and allowing the entire field to get under him. Margeson went on to win, followed across the line by Petter, Livernash, Atkinson, Koepke and Nichols.
Qualifying: 1. Chad Nichols, Nichols #17, 13.191; 2. Snake Livernash, Livernash #13, 13.431; 3. Evan Margeson, Beal #50, 13.489; 4. Mark Atkinson, Atkinson #23, 13.489; 5. Ben Petter, Petter #22, 13.490; 6. Pat Bliss, Maples #98, 13.786; 7. Jimmy Screeton, Seidelman #4, 14.065; 8. Kevin Koepke, Dixon #44, 14.342; 9. Rhett Hadman, Dixon #43, NT
Heat: 1. Bliss, 2. Margeson, 3. Atkinson, 4. Livernash, 5. Petter, 6. Nichols, 7. Screeton, 8. Koepke
Feature 1. Margeson, 2. Petter, 3. Livernash, 4. Atkinson, 5. Koepke, 6. Nichols, 7. Bliss, 8. Screeton
May 1, 2010
Cottage Grove Speedway Wins Another Bout With Mother Nature
By Ben Deatherage
Well it was another weekend in the books last Saturday night at the Cottage Grove Speedway and despite the heavy showers in the early portion of the week the track was able to complete all events. Unfortunately though Friday night’s Kage Kart opener was rained out so the weekend was not one hundred percent completed. The classes on the card for the night were Midgets, Late Models, Wingless Sprints, and Modifieds.
The action for the Midgets were quite exciting in the main event as Tony Seidelman of Spanaway, Washington led the first part of the race but would be caught by Evan Margeson of Tacoma, Washington. Margeson would not slow down once taking over the lead and would pull away with the feature victory. Margeson has a perfect winning record at the Cottage Grove Speedway spanning to last season where he made his first appearance.
“We had a pretty good car we put together a new car this year even though we had a couple of troubles in the main,” Margeson would say and about his success at the track, “We got this place figured out pretty well and we’ll be here a couple more times this year.”
Finishing in second would be Tony Seidelman followed by Pat Bliss of West Linn. Rounding up the top five was Reno Marr of Gresham and Lance Hallmark of McMinnville. Fast time of the night went to Evan Margeson at 12.600 seconds, the trophy dash was won by Seidelman, as heat races were won by Rob Lindsay of Wilsonville and Pat Bliss.
In the Late Models Rick Wyatt of Salem led the opening laps of the feature until lap five when Mark Carrell of Redmond made the pass for the lead. On lap eight the first caution of the main came out and on the restart a three car wreck occurred on the front stretch taking out a handful of the leaders. Once the racing got back under way it was all Carrell as he would go on to win his second race of the season.
“It was a lot of fun this track was a lot of fun and the car has been better since the hopefully we’ll finish (the year) off good,” Carrell would state, “I was kind of nervous with some of those guys behind me because I’ve raced with those guys before and their awful fast and I feel lucky to win tonight.”
Second place was a fantastic struggle with the likes of Craig Hanson of Albany and Rick Wyatt. On the last lap Hanson would secure the position followed by Mike Miller of Springfield, Chuck Christian of Eugene, and Kevin Ropchan of Veneta. Earlier in the night Paul Culp of Springfield set fast time of the night at 13.398 seconds. The trophy dash was won by Culp while heat races were won by Lisa Stroup of Redmond and Mark Carrell.
The Wingless Sprints featured an exciting race in the front especially between Matt Hein of Sutherlin and Garen Linder of Central Point. A viscous crash late in the race took out two drivers moving quickly to the front of the field Billy Nutter of Central Point and T.J. Hartman of Puyallup, Washington. In the closing laps of the race it appeared that Linder had the race won until he hooked a rut in turn four and allowed Hein to move on the inside. Linder would get the position back and was able to hold of Hein in the last laps to win his first race of 2010.
“The track was pretty technical I was determined to make the top in turn one work but I finally realized it wasn’t working so I moved down on the track and almost gave it away but after leading that many laps I didn’t want the pit crew beating me up on the way home,” Linder would comment in victory lane.
Hein would finish in a respectable second place followed by Mike Romig of Vancouver, Washington. Rounding up the top five would be Pat Canfield of Portland and Jeffrey Rivers of Lebanon. In qualifications Garen Linder was quickest at 13.803 seconds while Gary Davis of Salem won the trophy dash. In heat race action Linder and T.J. Hartman would be the winners.
In the final class of the night a struggle for the lead occurred between two Modified heavyweights Jesse Williamson of Coburg and Braedon Hand of Cottage Grove. Williamson led early with Hand coming to challenge and briefly took over the lead but only to be overtaken by Williamson moments later. The real deal breaker would be in lapped traffic as Williamson was able to make one move to pass two cars and get enough of a lead to go on and win his second race of 2010.
“Braedon showed himself underneath me and got around me there and I squeaked by him on the bottom and found a groove and held him off in lapped traffic,” “I hooked the left front tire hooked a rut and about turned me around I thought I was going to spin out for a second but I was able to hold on to it and keep it going.”
Braedon Hand would finish in the second place position followed by Brett Muth of Cottage Grove. In fourth and fifth place finishes would be Troy McElroy of Shady Cove and Gus Cooper of Creswell. Fast time of the night went to Jesse Williamson at 14.678 seconds as well as the trophy dash. Heat race winners would be Hand and McElroy of Medford.
September 19th, 2009 - Cottage Grove Speedway NWWT
Margeson scores another NWWT midget win at the Grove
Andrew Kunas, NWWT Publicist
COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. - Evan Margeson's dream season continued on Saturday night as he made another clean sweep of a IXL Metal Condtioner NorthWest Wingless Tour midget car program at Cottage Grove Speedway, which included his fourth main event victory with the NWWT in 2009.
If not for missing a show in August due to work commitments, Margeson would likely be running away with the inaugural NWWT midget championship. Instead, he chipped away at the points lead held by Mitch Hoffses, cutting it to five points unofficially with just one more points race remaining. It will come down to October 3rd's Lebanon Fall Classic at Willamette Speedway to determine the first IXL Metal Conditioner NorthWest Wingless Tour midget car champion.
Margeson, out of Tacoma, Wash. started the 20-lap main event in the sixth position thanks to a six-car invert, but wasted no time getting to the front of the field. He was in second place in just two laps and it was on Lap 4 when he passed initial leader Reno Marr for the lead. From there, Margeson never looked back to rode to a half-lap victory aboard the Margeson Racing No. 50 Esslinger-powered Beast.
After Margeson took the lead and motored away, Marr held the second position for a time before Quincy, Calif.'s Cole Peard, a first time visitor to Cottage Grove Speedway, made a pass around him to take the second position. Peard would gain no ground on Margeson, but held on for an impressive second place finish aboard the Peard Racing No. 58 Fontana-powered Twister.
Gresham, Ore.'s Marr finished third aboard the Mike Marr No. 68 Pontiac-powered Stewart. Hoffses, who held a nine-point lead over Margeson going into Saturday's race, turned in a fourth place effort aboard the Kirk Hoffses No. 5m Gaerte-powered Hawk. Steve Dickenson of Corvallis, Ore. solidified his third place points standing with a fifth place finish aboard his own No. 99 Pontiac-powered Edmunds.
Doug Kammerzell, pole-sitter Mike Gehringer, Doug McVae, Lance Hallmark and Glenn Bittrolf rounded out the Top 10.
Margeson encountered heavy traffic on Laps 11 and 12, but cleared it almost effortlessly. Margeson also has a BCRA victory in California to his credit and also earned victories on the pavement with the WMRA, of which he is a former champion.
Margeson set quick time in qualifying with a lap of 12.82 seconds around the 1/4-mile, high-banked clay oval. He'd later come from the sixth position to win the evening's second heat race over Hoffses and Peard. Kammerzell, making his first midget car start with the IXL Metal Conditioner NorthWest Wingless Tour, won the first heat race. Kammerzell and Margeson both won their heat races very easily, but the racing behind them was generally good.
While the October 3rd finale is all that remains for the NWWT, many of the drivers in the IXL Metal Conditioner NorthWest Wingless Tour will be taking part in Cottage Grove Speedway's Non-Wing Nationals on Septmeber 26th. More information on the IXL Metal Conditioner NorthWest Wingless Tour can be found online at http://www.nwwinglesstour.com.
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IXL Metal Conditioner NorthWest Wingless Tour - midget cars
Cottage Grove Speedway
Cottage Grove, OR
September 12, 2009
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
13 cars
Fast qualifier: 50 Evan Margeson, 12.82 seconds
Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 81 Doug Kammerzell, 2. 27 Mike Gehringer, 3. 11 Peter Bittrolf, 4. 14 Doug McVae, 5. 8 Lance Hallmark, 6. 11x Ryan Bothwell, 7. 6 Steve Veltman.
Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. 50 Evan Margeson, 2. 5m Mitch Hoffses, 3. 58 Cole Peard, 4. 68 Reno Marr, 5. 99 Steve Dickenson, 6. 5 Glenn Bittrolf.
Feature (20 laps): 1. 50 Evan Margeson, 2. 58 Cole Peard, 3. 68 Reno Marr, 4. 5m Mitch Hoffses, 5. 99 Steve Dickenson, 6. 81 Doug Kammerzell, 7. 27 Mike Gehringer, 8. 14 Doug McVae, 9. Lance Hallmark, 10. 5 Glenn Bittrolf, 11. 11 Peter Bittrolf, 12. 11x Ryan Bothwell, 13. 6 Steve Veltman.
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IXL Metal Conditioner NorthWest Wingless Tour
http://www.nwwinglesstour.com
September 5, 2009 - Calistoga, California - Calistoga Speedway - "Louie Vermeil Classic"
QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Shannon McQueen, 7 McQueen-20.470; 2. Jerome Rodela, 25, Rodela-20.773; 3. Garrett Hansen, 47, Bondio-20.852; 4. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-20.927; 5. Robby Josett, 2, Josett-20.976; 6. Alex Schutte, 12k, Kruseman-20.981; 7. Scott Pierovich, 35, Pierovich-21.006; 8. Shane Golobic, 26, Bock-21.014; 9. Josh Ford, 73 Ford-21.034; 10. David Prickett, 15, Neverlift-21.235; 11. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-21.305; 12. Evan Margeson, 50, Margeson-21.428; 13. Dennis Howell, 62, Howell-21.573; 14. Mike Gehringer, 27, Gehringer-21.585; 15. Jake Swanson, 05, Swanson-22.156; 16. Austin Smith, 33, Smith-22.568; 17. Britton Bock, 62, Bock. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Garrett Hansen, 2. Alex Schutte, 3. Shannon McQueen, 4. Evan Margeson, 5. Dennis Howell, 6. Jake Swanson, 7. Scott Pierovich, 8. Jerome Rodela, 9. Austin Smith, 10. Shane Golobic, 11. Robby Josett, 12. Josh Ford, 13. Randi Pankratz, 14. Matt Mitchell, 15. Mike Gehringer, 16. David Prickett. NT ------------------------ **Pankratz and Josett flipped during the feature.
Night two results:
September 6, 2008 - Calistoga, California - Calistoga Speedway - "Louie Vermeil Classic"
QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Alex Schutte, 12k, Kruseman-20.508; 2. Jerome Rodela, 25, Rodela-20.699; 3. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-20.849; 4. Garrett Hansen, 47, Bondio-20.942; 5. Evan Margeson, 50, Margeson-20.985; 6. Josh Ford, 73, Ford-21.110; 7. Shane Golobic, 26, Bock-21.220; 8. Scott Pierovich, 35, Pierovich-21.247; 9. Dennis Howell, 62, Howell-21.560; 10. Austin Smith, 33, Smith-22.022; 11. Shannon McQueen, 7x, McQueen-22.082; 12. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-22.127; 13. Mike Gehringer, 27, Gehringer-22.326; 14. Britton Bock , 62x, Bock-23.034; 15. Jake Swanson, 05, Swanson-26.453; 16. David Prickett, 35p, Pierovich-NT; 17. David Prickett, 15, Neverlift-NT; 18. Shannon McQueen, 7 McQueen-NT.
FEATURE: (20 laps) 1. Josh Ford, 2. Garrett Hansen, 3. Evan Margeson, 4. Scott Pierovich, 5. Alex Schutte, 6. Randi Pankratz, 7. Shannon McQueen, 8. Jerome Rodela, 9. Austin Smith, 10. Shane Golobic, 11. Dennis Howell, 12. Britton Bock, 13. Matt Mitchell, 14. Mike Gehringer, 15. Jake Swanson, 16. David Prickett. NT --------------
TJSlideways.com July 19th:
By Andrew Kunas
HAT TRICK: MARGESON 3-FOR-3 IN NWWT MIDGETS
Posted on Sunday, July 19, 2009 @ 20:40:44 EDT by mudclodbob
“By Andrew Kunas, NWWT Publicist: COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. - People are now starting to wonder if there is any stopping Evan Margeson in the IXL NorthWest Wingless Tour.
The Tacoma, Wash. driver, just turned 21 years of age, has now won all three NWWT midget car main events run this season, including a pasting of the field in Saturday's race at Cottage Grove Speedway. Add his recent Bay Cities Racing Association victory at Placerville Speedway in California and he is a perfect four-for-four on the dirt, which he had never raced on in a full-sized midget before this season.
Only ignition problems in his heat race kept this from being his second sweep in three tries. Margeson first set fast time in qualifying and in the 20-lap main event he quickly moved up from the fifth position to take the lead on Lap 2 and never look back in the Margeson Racing No. 50 Esslinger-powered Beast. When Margeson took the checkered flag, second place finisher Mike Gehringer of Pismo Beach, Calif. was just exiting Turn 2 of the 1/4-mile, high-banked clay oval.
With his efforts, Margeson now holds a commanding 51-point lead in the IXL NorthWest Wingless Tour midget car standings. Dallas Melby and Mitch Hoffses unofficially are tied for second in the point standings now.
"It's been really good...awesome, the whole season in general," Margeson said of his year, which also includes three victories in four starts on the pavement with the Washington Midget Racing Association, which he is a former champion of. In addition to his IXL NorthWest Wingless Tour points lead, Margeson is also the current points leader in the WMRA. There are conflicting races between the two groups later this season, but Margeson indicated he intends run the rest of the NWWT schedule.
Gehringer, now fifth in points unofficially, started on the pole and led the first lap before taking a strong runner-up finish in his own No. 27 Fontana-powered Edmonds. Besides Margeson's dominating performance, Lance Hallmark also made his mark on the field. Racing with the NWWT for the first time on Saturday, the McMinnville, Ore. driver charged from the 11th starting position to finish third in his own No. 8 Pontiac-powered Stinger.
Wilsonville, Ore. driver Rob Lindsey took over the No. 6 Pontiac-powered Gambler owned by Steve Veltman and drove to a fourth place finish. Steve Dickenson of Corvalis, Ore. finished fifth in his own No. 99 Pontiac-powered Edmonds and is now only three points back of Melby and Hoffses.
Beaverton, Ore.'s Hoffses, who won his heat race, had problems in the main event, including flipping upside down at the finish after contact with another car. He was credited with 11th place. Melby, out of Ravensdale, Wash. was twice a winner at Coos Bay Speedway in non-NWWT action over the 4th of July weekend and hoped to continue his good fortunes Saturday, but had problems himself and finished 12th to create the unofficial tie between himself and Hoffses and let Margeson increase his points lead.
Margeson's dominating performance began with a very fast lap of 12.97 seconds in qualifying. Hoffses was Margeson's closest challenger but was a full second slower, clocking a lap of 14.00 seconds. Margeson's effort earned him a $100 bonus from IXL, the new title sponsor of the NorthWest Wingless Tour.
Gehringer won the evening's first heat race over Glenn Bittrolf and Lindsey and the victory in the second heat race by Hoffses came over Dickenson and Reno Marr.
The next race for the IXL NorthWest Wingless Tour midget car division is August 15th at Cottage Grove. More information on the IXL NorthWest Wingless Tour can be found online at http://www.nwwinglesstour.com.
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IXL NorthWest Wingless Tour - Midget Cars Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR July 18, 2009
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
13 cars
Fast qualifier: 50 Evan Margeson, 12.97 seconds
Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 27 Mike Gehringer, 2. 5 Glenn Bittrolf, 3. 6 Rob Lindsey, 4. 8 Lance Hallmark, 5. 14 Doug McVae, 6. 37 Tyler Steenslid, DNS - 15 Peter Bittrolf.
Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. 5m Mitch Hoffses, 2. 99 Steve Dickenson, 3. 68 Reno Marr, 4. 50 Evan Margeson, 5. 98 Dallas Melby, DNS - 23 Mark Atkinson.
Feature (20 laps): 1. 50 Evan Margeson, 2. 27 Mike Gehringer, 3. 8 Lance Hallmark, 4. 6 Rob Lindsey, 5. 99 Steve Dickenson, 6. 14 Doug McVae, 7. 23 Mark Atkinson, 8. 68 Reno Marr, 9. 5 Glenn Bittrolf, 10. 37 Tyler Steenslid, 11. 5m Mitch Hoffses, 12. 98 Dallas Melby, DNS - 15 Peter Bittrolf. ”
Press Release From Placerville (CA) Speedway 6.27.09:
Washingtonian Evan Margeson Claims Placerville Speedway Gold
By Robert Haugh
Evan Margeson in victory lane after winning his first career BCRA Midget main event in only his 3rd dirt start and first at Placerville Speedway. (Matt Sublett Photo)
Evan Margeson (50) takes the high line around Glenn Carson (26) to take the lead and went on to win the 30 lap BCRA Midget Main event at Placerville Speedway. (Matt Sublett Photo)
Washington's Evan Margeson roared to the Bay Cities Racing Association Midget feature win aboard Tom Margeson's #50 Beast/Esslinger at the smooth and fast 1/4-mile Placerville Speedway at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 27th --- his third-career Dirt Midget feature in as many starts.
Margeson, the 2007 WMRA Midget champion has won three of the first four WMRA pavement races, as well as scoring two other Dirt triumphs, the first on May 23 at Cottage Grove Speedway in Oregon with the Northwest Wingless Tour --- the first dirt race he ever ran, then winning his second dirt race ever on June 6 at Cottage Grove, again with the Northwest Wingless Tour. With his win, Margeson has now won Midget races on pavement and Dirt in three different states!
Following the Washingtonian to the checkers was Alamo's Scott Pierovich aboard the #35 Lance Pierovich Spike/Bob Wirth Mopar, open-wheel legend Jimmy Sills of Elverta wheeling the #17 TNT Racesports Dave & Wendy Thurston Spike/Esslinger, Randi Pankratz aboard her #8 AutoResearch/Fontana and three-time BCRA champion Glenn Carson aboard Doug Bock's #26 Spike/Esslinger rounding out the top five.
Following in sixth was 17-year-old Cole Peard manning his own #58 Twister F5/Fontana, with 7-time BCRA champion "The Ageless Wonder" Floyd Alvis piloting his #18a Champion Automotive Stealth/Gaerte to seventh and 2007 third-place driver David Prickett of Fresno campaigning the Neverlift Motorsports #15 Stealth/Van Dyne to eighth place.
Current BCRA points leader and reigning BCRA Midget champion "Young Lion" Nick Foster, Jr. flipped hard in Jim Fowler's #1 Zero-Zero Motorsports Beast/Esslinger on Lap 4. Multiple-time feature winner Shannon McQueen also flipped aboard her #7 Spike/Fontana on the back straight on the same lap.
After taking the green flag after the dual flips, the remaining 26 laps were run caution-free.
2008 pavement Midget champion and BCRA Rookie-of-the-Year "Nitro" Nick Chivello aboard Bob Roza's #20 TEAM F.A.S.T. (Fighting Against Steroids Together) Beast/Esslinger was forced to scratch early with mechanical gremlins.
Prickett claimed Heat 1 over Dillon Silverman aboard the RAM Racing #98 Stealth/SCREAM Chevy, Matt Land in his #91 Spike/SCREAM Chevy and Rick Young in his #99 RAM Motorsports Stealth/SCREAM Ford.
Foster claimed Heat 2 over Carson, Oregon's Rob Lindsey in the Lindsey Motorsports #23 Ellis/Pontiac, Bakersfield's Wink Schweitzer in his #60 Stealth/Fontana and Alvis.
McQueen claimed Heat 3 over Sills, Pierovich, Pankratz and Sean Dodenhoff aboard his own #9d.
Pankratz was fast-qualifier with a 12.202 lap.
San Jose's Tom Doherty flipped the Walker Racing-Bay Muffler #10 Stealth/Esslinger during Heat 2.
Foster continues leading the BCRA points standings. Visit www.bcraracing.com for more information on the BCRA Midgets. The BCRA Midgets next trek to Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson for a co-sanctioned event with USAC-WS.
Summary:
Feature: 1. Margeson, 2. Pierovich, 3. Sills, 4. Pankratz, 5. Carson, 6. Peard, 7. Alvis, 8. Prickett, 9. Dodenhoff, 10. Lindsey, 11. Land, 12. Schweitzer, 13. Lindsey, 14. Young, 15. Lyons, 16. Alton, 17. Spencer, 18. McQueen, 19. Foster
Lap leaders: Schweitzer 1, Carson 2-4, Margeson 5-30
Heat 1: 1. Prickett, 2. Silverman, 3. Land, 4. Young, 5. Spencer, 6. Alton, 7. Lyons
Heat 2: 1. Foster, 2. Carson, 3. Lindsey, 4. Schweitzer, 5. Alvis, 6. Lindsey, 7. Doherty
Heat 3: 1. McQueen, 2. Sills, 3. Pierovich, 4. Pankratz, 5. Dodenhoff, 6. Margeson, 7. Peard
Qualifications: 1. Randi Pankratz, Atascadero, 8x Pankratz, 12.202; 2. Scott Pierovich, Alamo, 35 Pierovich, 12.217; 3. Cole Peard, Quincy, 58 Peard, 12.279; 4. Sean Dodenhoff, Bakersfield, 9d Dodenhoff, 12.366; 5. Jimmy Sills, Elverta, 17 Thurston, 12.386; 6. Evan Margeson, Tacoma, WA, 50 Margeson, 12.416; 7. Shannon McQueen, Bakersfield, 7 McQueen, 12.473; 8. Floyd Alvis, San Carlos, 18a Alvis, 12.552; 9. Glenn Carson, Concord, 26 Bock, 12.630; 10. Wink Schweitzer, Bakersfield, 60 Schweitzer, 12.683; 11. Tom Doherty, San Jose, 10 Walker-Bay Muffler, 12.837; 12. Bill Lindsey, San Carlos, 8 Stu Donaldson, 13.257; 13. Rob Lindsey, Wilsonville, OR, 23 Lindsey, 13.334; 14. Nick Foster, Jr., San Jose, 1 Fowler, 13.527; 15. Bill Lyons, Lakeport, 5n Lyons, 13.872; 16. Lonny Alton, 5n Alton, 14.099; 17. Rick Young, Shingle Springs, 99 RAM Racing, 14.247; 18. Cody Spencer, Shingle Springs, 34 Spencer, 15.315; 19. Matt Land, 91 Land, 15.720; 20. Dillon Silverman, 98 RAM Racing, NT; 21. David Prickett, Fresno, 15 Neverlift Mtspts., NT, 22. Nick Chivello, Manteca, 20 Roza, SCRATCH
Northwest Wingless Tour Press Release 6.6.09:
Margeson holds off Grant, is 2-for-2 in NWWT midgets
Andrew Kunas, NWWT Publicist
COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. - Evan Margeson had to work for it this time, but in the end he caught the right breaks at the right time and held off a determined Justin Grant to win his second NorthWest Wingless Tour midget main event in as many starts, and this is also only his second start in a dirt midget.
For the Tacoma, Wash. driver it was only a qualifying time short of a second clean sweep as well. The former Washington Midget Racing Association champion has gotten comfortable racing on the dirt, also winning the dash and his heat race before an exciting battle with former Bay Cities Racing Association champion Justin Grant in the main event.
Margeson started on the pole for the 20-lap NWWT Summer Shootout feature and immediately took the lead on the start. The fourth starting Grant, an 18-year-old Ione, Calif. star making his first visit to Cottage Grove Speedway, established himself in the second position and chased Margeson the entire race. On three instances did Grant make a serious challenge for the lead.
Grant first challenged Margeson on a restart with five laps complete and the California driver was held at bay by the Washington driver. Then with 11 laps complete, Margeson was slowed as he tried to lap Steve Veltman. That allowed Grant to scoot by to take the lead, only to see his pass negated by a yellow flag for the literally red hot piece of debris that came off of Mike Gehringer's midget.
Another restart was needed with just a few laps remaining and Grant again got inside of Margeson, only to see Margeson slam the door shut one more time and hold on for the win in the Margeson Racing No. 50 Esslinger-powered Beast. Margeson's win in the inaugural NWWT midget main event on May 23rd came by a comfortable margin.
"It feels pretty good really," Margeson said about being 2-for-2 on the dirt. "The first one was nice, but this feels good as there were the California guys here. It was fun, nerve wracking at times (trying to hold off Grant)."
Grant was one of three BCRA drivers, all of them former champions of that series, who made the tow up from California for the NWWT's first annual Summer Shootout Series. Friday's event at Willamette Speedway was rained out. Grant, driving the Dave Thurston No. 17 Esslinger-powered Spike, admitted he still had fun on this trip to Oregon and said he liked racing at Cottage Grove Speedway.
"I was fired up," Grant jokingly said about the moment the yellow flag came out to negate his pass around Margeson that would've been for the lead. "Once I showed him the bottom a couple of times, he moved down. It was still fun. We got the car going in the feature after we struggled a bit in the heat race."
Another BCRA champion finished third, giving California two spots on the podium. John Sarale of Stockton took the spot in his own No. 32 Ford-powered Stealth, also in his first visit to Cottage Grove Speedway. Pavement-to-dirt convert Dallas Melby of Ravensdale, Wash. finished fourth in the Tom & Judy Maples No. 98 Fontana-powered Stealth. Rob Lindsey of Wilsonville was Oregon's highest finisher as he took fifth place in his own No. 23 Pontiac-powered Ellis.
Doug McVae finished sixth in the Ron Brown No. 14 Ford-powered Challenger and Tyler Steenslid was seventh in the Keith Steenslid No. 37 Chevy-powered Stanton. Seven-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis of St. Carlos, Calif. took eighth place in his own No. 18 Wesmar-powered Stealth. Veltman was ninth in his own No. 6 Pontiac-powered Gambler and Steve Dickenson rounded out the Top 10 in his own No. 99 Pontiac-powered Edmonds.
Alvis, who has raced at Cottage Grove Speedway in the past, set a new Cottage Grove Speedway track record for midget cars in qualifying with a time of 12.34 seconds around the ¼-mile high-banked clay oval.
The NWWT midget trophy dash was a dash of champions, consisting of Margeson from WMRA and Alvis, Grant and Sarale from BCRA. Margeson would win that four-lap event over Sarale, Grant and Alvis. Mitch Hoffses won the first heat and Margeson took the checkered flag in the second heat race.
Saturday's program was the second night of the two-night NWWT Summer Shootout Series. Points were to be tallied over two nights and bonus money was to be paid to the top five point scorers. With Friday's event at Willamette Speedway being rained out, half of the bonus money was paid to Saturday's Top 5 in the main event. Combining the bonus money and the track payout, Margeson earned $650 for his efforts.
The other half of the bonus money will be paid out at an event later this season. The NorthWest Wingless Tour hopes to make an announcement about that event in the near future.
More information on the NorthWest Wingless Tour can be found online at www.nwwinglesstour.com.
NorthWest Wingless Tour
Summer Shootout
Cottage Grove Speedway
Cottage Grove, OR
June 6, 2009
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
OPEN MIDGETS
15 cars
Fast qualifier: 18 Floyd Alvis, 12.34 seconds
Dash (4 laps): 1. 50 Evan Margeson, 2. 32 John Sarale, 3. 17 Justin Grant, 4. 18 Floyd Alvis.
Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 5m Mitch Hoffses, 2. 99 Steve Dickenson, 3. 37 Tyler Steenslid, 4. 23 Rob Lindsey, 5. 14 Doug McVae, 6. 6 Steve Veltman, 7. 98x Jim Calhoun, DNS - 15 Peter Bittrolf
Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. 50 Evan Margeson, 2. 32 John Sarale, 3. 17 Justin Grant, 4. 18 Floyd Alvis, 5. 98 Dallas Melby, 6. 27 Mike Gehringer, 7. 5 Glenn Bittrolf.
Feature (20 laps): 1. 50 Evan Margeson, 2. 17 Justin Grant, 3. 32 John Sarale, 4. 98 Dallas Melby, 5. 23 Rob Lindsey, 6. 14 Doug McVae, 7. 37 Tyler Steenslid, 8. 18 Floyd Alvis, 9. 6 Steve Veltman, 10. 99 Steve Dickenson, 11. 98x Jim Calhoun, 12. 5m Mitch Hoffses, 13. 27 Mike Gehringer, 14. 15 Peter Bittrolf, DNS - 5 Glenn Bittrolf.
Lap leaders: Evan Margeson 1-20
New Track Record For Margeson - 9.18.08 Racing West
Margeson Wins At Ephrata Raceway Park! - 6.15.08 Racing West
Top 10 Finish for Margeson At USAC National Event At LaCrosse! - 5.17.08 SpeedTV.com
