LaSalle Speedway
9/24/17
LaSalle Speedway
LaSalle, IL
Bill Waite Jr. Memorial
IRA/MOWA
33 cars
Carson Macedo (6th car out to time) set quick time on the 1/3-mile oval at 11.777 seconds. Brooke Tatnell (5th car out) was second quick, followed by Scotty Thiel (15th), Jeremy Schultz (12th), Justin Henderson (8th), Joe B. Miller (7th), Bill Balog (30th), Spencer Bayston (25th), Bret Tripplett (3rd) and Jim Moughan Jr. (14th). Mike Reinke went up in smoke in hot laps and scratched for the night. Scott Uttech also had issues and didn’t get a time in. With hot laps slated for early in the evening, the track dried out quickly. A couple of breaks for track prep helped.
Heat one (started): 1. Ben Schmidt 73 (1) 2. Tripplett 22 (2) 3. Macedo 3G (4) 4. Henderson 83 (3) 5. Jordan Goldesberry 65 (5) / 6. Wayne Modjeski 14AJ (6) 7. Jeremy Standridge 10s (7) 8. Jeff Tuxhorn 32 (8) DNS – Mike Reinke 02
10-lap heats took the top five to the A. The top six qualifiers making it through the heats and the four heat winners redrew for their starting spot in the first five rows of the feature. Schmidt led the distance in this one. Tripplett and Macedo traded slide jobs and the second spot a few times on the high banks. Standridge suffered a flat right rear tire late.
Heat two (started): 1. Jim Moughan 1m (2) 2. Tatnell 55 (4) 3. AJ Bruns 15 (5) 4. Jacob Patton 79J (1) 5. Miller 51B (3) / 6. Trey Datweiler 23D (7) 7. Dennis Spitz 41 (6) 8. Dylan Tuxhorn 9T (8)
Jim Moughan led throughout. Bruns used the low side of turn four to pass Patton for third late. While most ran the top, a bottom groove was coming in.
Heat three (started): 1. Thiel 64 (4) 2. Bill Balog 17B (3) 3. Kyle Marten 99 (5) 4. Mike Terry Jr. 85 (1) 5. Logan Faucon 52F (6) / 6. Travis Mahoney 93 (7) 7. Kevin Eltz 78E (8) 8. Kris Spitz 4K (2)
The first start was called back with the front row worrying about each other while Balog cruised by. The second was ugly. Balog tried a slider on K. Spitz that caught his right front and sent him into a flip. Thiel led the third try at green ahead of Terry and Balog. Balog and Terry battled for the second spot before Balog claimed it. Marten had the bottom groove working and passed Terry for third on lap 7. Faucon was caught in Spitz’s crash and suffered wing damage. Despite that, he came from the rear to claim the fifth and final transfer.
Heat four (started): 1. Brad Loyet o5 (2) 2. Scott Neitzel 2w (6) 3. Chris Urish 77u (1) 4. Bayston 39 (3) 5. Joey Moughan 29 (5) / 6. Schultz 5J (4) 7. Jimmy Fifield 14 (7) DNS – Scott Uttech 7
Fifield spun before a lap could be completed. Loyet led Urish and Bayston early as all three were within five car lengths. Neitzel was the show, playing catfish on the bottom. While Urish and Bayston battled, he cruised by both for second on lap seven. Joey Moughan nipped Schultz at the line for the final transfer in dramatic fashion.