9/27/02
Oshkosh Speedzone
Oshkosh, WI
Gumout Series
38 cars
Tyler Walker (19th car to time)set quick time over the field with a new track record of 11.668 seconds. The track got only faster as the night went on and at times looked wicked fast. Shane Stewart (35th) was second quick, followed by Tom Busch (37th), Curt Trainer (36th), Kurt Winker (16th), Mike Reinke (25th), Jeremy Campbell (24th), Todd Hepfner (3rd), Kim Mock (33rd) and Justin Henderson (17th). Raymond Hensley suffered problems almost immediately after his car was fired in hot laps and scratched for the night. Howie Gleason discovered some metal in his oil pan, so he left his 21G in the pits and retrieved the 53 of Charley Osborn.
Heat one (started): 1. Walker 35 (4) 2. John Haeni 21J (1) 3. Mock 1m (2) 4. Brandon Wimmer 7TW (5) 5. Winker 10w (3) / 6. Scott Young F22 (7) 7. Dave Uttech 68 (6) 8. Gleason 53 (9) 9. Bob Bennett 3 (8) 10. Roger Hurst 14K (10)
Walker and IRA champ Haeni put on a great duel on a fast track that wasn't easy to pass on. Walker passed him and drove away. Bennett brought out a caution when he stopped on lap three. Hurst exited at that time. Gleason created some excitement when he spun into the infield on the white flag lap.
Heat two (started): 1. Leonard Lee 16L (1) 2. Reinke 17 (3) 3. Stewart 8h (4) 4. Brian Carlson 18 (7) 5. Travis Whitney 02 (5) / 6. Brian Kristan 5K (6) 7. Billy Warren 95 (9) 8. Steve Meyer 85m (8) 9. Henderson R19 (2) DNS - Hensley 7D
Lee led the distance. Henderson bowed out while running second on the third lap. Reinke passed Stewart early, but Stewart came roaring back and a battle ensued the last couple of laps. Reinke barely held off the hard charger at the checkered flag. Whitney was in Scott Cowman's 02.
Heat three (started): 1. Wayne Johnson 29 (2) 2. Colin Northway 60 (1) 3. Busch 4BX (4) 4. Campbell 10c (3) 5. Byron Reed 5 (6) / 6. Jason Johnson 44 (7) 7. Kurt Davis 6 (8) 8. Ryan Irwin 49 (9) 9. Scott Biertzer 4B (5)
W. Johnson blistered the field from his front row starting spot. Biertzer created some excitement when he spun into the infield without brakes and gently ran into a push truck. No one was hurt.
Heat four (started): 1. Craig Keel 9 (2) 2. Jason Sides 7s (1) 3. Trainer 36 (4) 4. Hepfner 28 (3) 5. Scotty Neitzel 2w (5) / 6. John Sernett 91 (6) 7. Dave Enders 51E (7) 8. Scott Uttech 7 (8) 9. Jeremie Hedrick 19 (9)
Keel looked like his car was on rails as he rocketed to a convincing margin over Sides. Hedrick was driving a 406 for the first time after earning 360 MSA Rookie of the Year honors this season.
Dash one (started): 1. Walker (1) 2. W. Johnson (2) 3. Busch (4) 4. Haeni (3) 5. Winker (5) DNS - Northway
Walker was again dominant in a single file affair.
Dash two (started): 1. Keel (2) 2. Stewart (5) 3. Lee (1) 4. Sides (4) 5. Trainer (6) 6. Reinke (3)
Reinke and Sides barely avoided disaster coming to the green, with Reinke getting out of shape and stopping. When the green fell again, before a lap could be completed, Reinke flipped five or six times in turns three and four. Amazingly, the crew got the car ready for the A. Keel took the lead from Lee with two to go to garner his first dash win of the year. Stewart followed him around Lee on the last circuit.
B main (started): 1. Henderson (1) 2. D. Uttech (3) 3. Biertzer (2) 4. Enders (8) / 5. J. Johnson (7) 6. Young (6) 7. Davis (11) 8. S. Uttech (12) 9. Gleason (13) 10. Meyer (10) 11. Warren (14) 12. Irwin (15) 13. Hedrick (16) 14. Bennett (9) 15. Kristan (4) 16. Sernett (5) 17. Hurst (17)
Hurst dumped his machine before a lap could be completed. He was uninjured. After one lap was completed, Sernett and Kristan came together bringing out a red. Both were towed pitside. Bennett exited on lap five. Henderson won by a full half a lap over Uttech. Enders moved up nicely gaining four spots.
A main (started): 1. Walker (1) 2. Stewart (4) 3. Haeni (7) 4. Sides (8) 5. Keel (2) 6. Winker (9) 7. Mock (15) 8. Lee (6) 9. Whitney (17) 10. Hepfner (14) 11. Reed (19) 12. Wimmer (14) 13. Busch (5) 14. Carlson (20) 15. Trainer (10) 16. Enders (24) 17. D. Uttech (22) 18. Biertzer (23) 19. Northway (11) 20. W. Johnson (3) 21. Henderson (21) 22. Reinke (12) 23. Campbell (13) 24. Neitzel (18)
Though Walker dominated, lapping all but the top eight, there were several stoppages. Biertzer spun on lap three. Reinke spun on lap four. Both Neitzel and Campbell retired at this point. Reinke would follow on lap ten. Trainer spun on lap seven. On the restart, his teammate, Busch, hit the cone and was sent to the tail while running fifth. W. Johnson was running second went he came to a stop a lap later. He would bow out on lap twelve. Henderson dropped out on lap eleven after taking off his destroyed nose wing in the work area on lap eight. The race was non-stop from lap eight to lap 25, with Walker riding high above the lapped cars in the rough stuff at a blistering pace. D. Uttech spun on lap 25 and Enders stopped on lap 26 slowing down the event. Haeni who had been fighting tooth and nail with Mock for fifth for ten laps, put his car on the cushion and rode around Keel and then Sides in the final corner of the race. Mock suffered what looked to be a stop problem and coasted home seventh after a fine run. If Walker earns quick time and a feature win at Powercom Park Saturday night he will earn an extra $10,000 from Riley Pontiac.