Eagle Raceway Results and Stories

Saturday, April 15, 2017
By Greg Soukup

After washing out night one of the 2017 Ice Breaker, that fickle spirit Mother Nature gave the fans and teams a beautiful race day. 141 teams towed to Eagle Raceway for the season opening event. Since the first night had to be cancelled, the winner’s share of the Modified and Sport Modified purses was increased to $3000 to win the Modifieds and $750 for the victory in the Sport Modifieds. In fact, the Modified purse was the largest in Eagle Raceway history.

16 heats, 1 C Feature and 3 B Features were run without serious incidents.
 
The Sprint Series of Nebraska A Main was next on the card. Tyler Drueke took advantage of his front row outside starting position and passed the flag stand first in his #12. Adam Gullion’s 91, the 7KX of Toby Chapman and Jason Martin’s 36 were hot on his push bumper however. Chapman and Martin swapped the third spot the next two laps with Chapman holding on to the spot on lap 3. Lap 5 saw Ron Love spin out on the back stretch in his #5. 1 lap after the restart both Chapman and Martin passed Gullion to move to second and third. Despite a furious battle amongst the top 4 their spots remained unchanged to the checkers with Drueke, Chapman, Martin and Gullion the top 4.

“We led the whole thing, but it wasn’t really easy. The top was really fast, and Adam tried to squeeze us going into turn one. I committed to trying to beat him around the outside. When I did that, Toby Chapman was coming from third and he slid us both! Well, when he did that I pretty much had the choice made for me. I was committed to the outside because if I’d tried to brake or anything I think I would have hopped his right rear coming off of turn two. So, I squeezed around the outside of him and from what my crew guys told me, we got a pretty good lead. I knew we had a pretty good race car, thanks to Matt Zoz, Dustin Gerdes, my brother Austin and my Dad. They prepared me a heck of a race car. It sounded like I kind of checked out that first five laps, but I started catching lapped traffic. I got behind Ron Love and Trevor Grossenbacher. They ended up getting together down the back straightaway. When I went to avoid them, I squeezed between Love and the wall. I smacked it pretty hard with the right rear and I broke the top Jacobs Ladder strap. The car was really good before that, but that made it really evil. I actually thought that I’d cut down the right rear! I remember looking at the leader board and seeing there was 18 to go. I thought to myself “There is no way we’re going to make it to the end of this!!”. I had to start using a lot of brake to keep the car settled down. I know that slowed our pace down quite a bit because Toby Chapman started trying to slide us quite a bit after that, but we crossed him up and got him back. After I used up my brakes and the pedal went right to the firewall, I started cheating the cushion a little bit. The top was SO fast that it made passing lapped cars really hard. There was enough moisture on the bottom that you could pull off a big slide job, and that was about the only way that you could pass anybody. We definitely had to earn that one; it wasn’t just given to us! In my interview for the fans in the stands I said ‘How are we going to top this one the rest of the year?’. I like those ones where we just check out, take the money and go home. But, nobody pays to go watch church, so there’s no way they should have to pay to watch a boring race” stated Drueke. Tyler’s sponsors include Speedway Motors Racing Engines, Danner Spray Foam, Drueke Trucking and Ranch, Zoz Farms, Jeffres Truicking and J & J Chassis.

Next Saturday at Eagle Raceway is the season opener as the Nebraska Lottery presents Get Fired Up Night featuring the Racesaver IMCA Sprints, Kaplan University IMCA Modifieds, Hoosier Tire IMCA Sport Modifieds, Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stocks,  and Mountainn Dew Kickstart IMCA Sport Compacts. 

Happy D Klown will be there from 5:30 to 7:30. Also, the Nebraska Lottery will be on site with their trailer. 

Front gates open at 5:15 with hot laps starting at 5:30 and racing at 6:30. Adult admission is $10, youths 6-12 are just $5 and children 5 and under are free.
Pit gates open at 4:00 and pit passes are $25.

SSN Sprint A-Feature
  Driver  Nbr 
  ------------------------------ -----
 1.  Tyler Drueke  12 
 2.  Toby Chapman  7KX 
 3.  Jason123 Martin  36 
 4.  Adam Gullion  91 
 5.  Jason Danley  4X 
 6.  Joey Danley  14 
 7.  Jack Dover  84 
 8.  Shayle Bade  03 
 9.  Matt Richards  1R 
 10. Stu Snyder  23S 
 11. Ryan King  93 
 12. Gene Ackland  14G 
 13. Terry Richards  18 
 14. Trevor Grossenbacher  35 
 15. Clint Benson  100 
 16. Dan Satriano  17 
 17. Zach Blurton  2J 
 18. Kaleb Johnson  22 
 19. Nathan Weiler  4W 
 20. Ron Love  5 

SSN Sprint B-Feature
  Driver  Nbr 
  ------------------------------ -----
 1.  Trevor Grossenbacher  35 
 2.  Zach Blurton  2J 
 3.  Nathan Weiler  4W 
 4.  Kaleb Johnson  22 
 5.  Tim Fricke  62 
 6.  Doug Lovegrove  44 
 7.  Austin McLean  83 
 8.  Mike Johnston  14J 
 9.  Chase Weiler  0 
 10. Boyd Peterson  57B 
 11. Jimmy Grasso  8G 
 12. Kayla Stoops  18K 
 13. Neil Nickolite  12N 
 14. Chevy Hadan  4 
 15. Mike Boston  51 
 16. Cody Ledger  47 
 17. Jason Miller  77 
DNS  Danny Nekolite  22D 
DNS  Shon Pointer  20P 

SSN Sprint Heat 1
  Driver  Nbr 
  ------------------------------ -----
 1.  Tyler Drueke  12 
 2.  Dan Satriano  17 
 3.  Ron Love  5 
 4.  Shayle Bade  03 
 5.  Mike Johnston  14J 
 6.  Tim Fricke  62 
 7.  Boyd Peterson  57B 
 8.  Chevy Hadan  4 
 9.  Shon Pointer  20P 

SSN Sprint Heat 2
  Driver  Nbr 
  ------------------------------ -----
 1.  Stu Snyder  23S 
 2.  Gene Ackland  14G 
 3.  Adam Gullion  91 
 4.  Clint Benson  100 
 5.  Nathan Weiler  4W 
 6.  Chase Weiler  0 
 7.  Doug Lovegrove  44 
 8.  Jimmy Grasso  8G 
 9.  Neil Nickolite  12N 

SSN Sprint Heat 3
  Driver  Nbr 
  ------------------------------ -----
 1.  Toby Chapman  7KX 
 2.  Matt Richards  1R 
 3.  Joey Danley  14 
 4.  Jack Dover  84 
 5.  Kaleb Johnson  22 
 6.  Austin McLean  83 
 7.  Mike Boston  51 
 8.  Trevor Grossenbacher  35 
 9.  Jason Miller  77 

SSN Sprint Heat 4
  Driver  Nbr 
  ------------------------------ -----
 1.  Jason Danley  4X 
 2.  Terry Richards  18 
 3.  Jason123 Martin  36 
 4.  Ryan King  93 
 5.  Zach Blurton  2J 
 6.  Cody Ledger  47 
 7.  Kayla Stoops  18K 
 8.  Danny Nekolite  22D