VANCE WILSON BACK WITH WINNING WAYS AT 24 RACEWAY'S FEATURE
Ron Lueck - 24 Raceway, Moberly, MO

MOBERLY, MO (July 14) - In the A-modified segment of the 2009 version of the Firecracker Forty, driver Vance Wilson reunited with team owner Donnie Charleton and made their return to 24 Raceway an impressive one.  Wilson got out to the lead from the git-go over Mark VanWinkle and David Holder.  Holder moved into 2nd by lap two and held that position for most of the race, but just behind Wilson.  On lap 22, Kevin Blackburn had worked his way into 2nd in this 40 lap event, but Holder came back just two laps later to take over 2nd place again.  On lap 25, Holder got around Wilson to lead a lap, but Wilson came right back on the next lap to take the lead the rest of the way to the finish.  A pit stop during a caution at lap 28 caused K.Blackburn to fall back in the pack.  Gary Blackburn, Jr. moved anywhere from 5th to 3rd and wound up finishing in 3rd just ahead of the Iron Man of the night, Jason Bodenhamer, who drove in both of the 40-lap features, finishing 4th in this A-mod feature after an 11th, earlier in the MLRA.  And Stever Potter rounded out the top five after improving his position during the long feature.  Misc:  An overall pit stop was held for re-fueling only on lap 32 after having had ten caution laps.  The yellow flag flew a total of four times.  Wilson won $1000 for his effort and said he's returning to 24 Raceway for more racing this 2nd half of the 2009 season. 

Tim Dawson won his heat race and led all 12 laps in the feature for his 2nd win out of the last three races in the Hobby Stock class.  After each of the three cautions, Dawson stretched out a lead over the rest of the 12-car field, which at various times were racing 4-wide behind him.  Derrick Agee moved up to 3rd by the half-way point, kept on coming and finished in 2nd.  Darren Morgan started from the pole and finished in 3rd.  For the Hornet class, it was some exciting and tight racing once again, as Robert Winfrey, Brooke Hassler, Andrew Hurley, Deven Still and Rob Chase were puttin' on a show early, with the 4 cylinder cars.  Winfrey and Hassler swapped the lead a couple times, but in the end it was Winfrey leading the final five laps for the win, followed by Mike Denslow, making the biggest move of the race to come in 2nd.  Hassler dropped to 3rd, followed by Still for 4th, and Kristi Chase in at 5th.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

    July 18 - Whitehead Memorial with the 360 cubic inch Sprints of the Winged Outlaw Warriors in a 20th year celebration!

    July 25 - Weekly racing series with B-Mod mechanic's race following features.

    Aug 1  -  Weekly racing series with A-Mod mechanic's race following features.

    Aug 8 -  USMTS 2nd annual challenge

The top six finishers from the four classes of MLR LateModels, A-mods, Hobby Stocks & 4 clyinder Hornets are listed below, but the complete list is available at www.speednetdirect.com .  You can navigate to 24 Raceway's results listing by clicking on the "home" page, and following directions from there.  Visit the website of www.24racewayinmoberly.com  for upcoming flyers on events, along with a link to speednetdirect.  Action photos from 24 Raceway can be viewed at www.photogliff.com with ordering available off that website, for professional shots of both driver and racecar.   

PROMO:  This coming Saturday, July 18th, will see the return of the Winged Outlaw Warriors in the 360 cubic inch sprints to 24 Raceway.  It's billed as the Bob Whitehead Memorial Race to honor the memory of one of the original builders of the racetrack back in the late 1980's.  Admission will be $17 to the grandstand for adults, with kids, aged 12 and under admitted free to see the five regular classes of both A & B-modifieds, Sportsman, Hobby Stocks and Hornets race AND the 360 Sprint cars.  Pit passes are $30 per person.  Sponsors for this W.O.W. Sprint car race are the businesses of the three owners:  Kinder Machine and Magic City Glass, both of Moberly; and Marshall Engineering & Surveying of Columbia.  The A-modified class is sponsored this week by Glenn's Garage Doors of Moberly, while the Sportsman class is brought to you by Macon-Atlanta State Bank.  The grandstands will open at 4 p.m.  Hot laps at 6:15 following a short drivers' meeting.  "Dirt Track Racing at its Best" will take place again at 7pm at 24 Raceway, east of Moberly, Missouri on U.S. Highway 24. 

Whitehead was the builder and primary owner of 24 Raceway, formerly called Moberly Motorsports Complex, in 1989.  It was his dream to have a speedway in Mid-Missouri.  The track began as a 1/3 mile oval construction project in 1988, but was gradually developed into the half mile track that it is today and built with the high banking to accomodate sprint cars.  Bob's son Jeff Whitehead and daughter Jill Creed, and other family members are set to visit the track for a reunion of sorts to commerate the memory of the builder of 24 Raceway's facility.  The visible racing member of the Whitehead family, grandson Jordan, will be present with his A-modified and will be used for the memorial parade lap carrying the American Flag during the National Anthem.  And Greg Embree, virtually the only flagman at the facility for the first 15 years, is said to be back in town from his Atlanta home, for this night too.  If you notice him in the stands or pit area, be sure to say a hello to him.  He may just kick off the events for the night. 

Each race night, kids, ages 0 to 7 and 8 to 12, can enter a coloring of the night's picture at the Junior Fan Club table and enter the drawing for a chance to win prizes or souvenior booth gift certificates, or maybe even a bicycle donated by a race team.  This last week a bicycle was the big prize of the Jr. Race Fan Club, won by 5 year old Cameron Stone of Columbia.  And a ticket purchased in the 50/50 drawing by Tim Reinhart of Louisville got him a nice take for the night of $151.

Of 87 race team entries, the Top 6 finishers are as follows:
(all hometowns are Missouri unless otherwise noted)

MLRA LateModels (of 30 entries) Main Feature 40 laps

1) 2J John Anderson, Omaha, NE (heat 2 winner)
2) 22v Alan Vaughn, Belton (heat 1 winner)
3) 15TE Tommy Elston, Keokuk, IA
4) 7B Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, IL
5) 30v Mark Voigt, Marine, IL
6) 33F Ricky Frankel, Quincy, IL

MLRA LateModels consolation/qualifier

top four transferred into Main    10 laps
1) 45DW Denny Woodworth, Mendon, IL
2) 5J Matt Johnson, Archie
3) L88 Larry Clawson, North K.C.
4) 15T David Turner, Adrian
5) 29K Bill Koons, Omaha, NE (provisional)
6) 88B David Barker, Kingsville
9) 7BW Brett Wood, Warrensburg (provisional)

A-Modifieds (of 31 entries) Main Feature 40 laps

1) 22c Vance Wilson, Frankford (heat 2 winner)
2) 746 David Holder, Clarence (heat 1 winner)
3) 26 Gary Blackburn, Jr, Fulton
4) 15K Jason Bodenhamer, Centerview
5) 1P Steve Potter, Boonville
6) 71 Kevin Blackburn, Fulton

A-Modifieds consolation/qualifier
top six transferred into Main    10 laps

1) 15 Richard Payne, Jefferson City
2) 11P Curt Potter, Boonville
3) 10 Patrick Mahnken, Fulton
4) 67 Tim Dotson, Sturgeon
5) 43M David Munoz, Columbia
6) 9J Austin Jones, Columbia

Hobby Stocks (of 12 entries) 12 laps

1) 28 Tim Dawson, Callao (heat 2 winner)
2) 32 Derrick Agee, Huntsville
3) 9 Darren Morgan, Paris
4) 41 Kevin Renzelman, Huntsville
5) 31M Chad Walter, Clarence (heat 1 winner)
6) 03 Jerry Warren, Moberly

4 cyl. Hornets (of 14 entries) 12 laps

1) 37 Robert Winfrey, Moberly
2) 02 Mike Denslow, Huntsville
3) 21 Brooke Hassler, Columbia
4) 73 Devin Still, Anabel (heat 2 winner)
5) 33 Kristi Chase, Clark
6) 6 Andrew Hurley, Macon