Stewart Wins Spud Cup At Ephrata Raceway Park
![ERP logo-courtesy K. Hart](https://thumb.spokesman.com/2aWpblsD77plhQUFnuOsxO8ct8g=/810x0/media.spokesman.com/photos/2010/05/09/logo_ephrata1.gif)
Ron Stewart took the main event victory for Ephrata Raceway Park's annual Spud Cup. Stewart, a veteran of the Northwest Outlaw Street Stock Series, also won the "A" Trophy Dash and "A" Heat Race.
(Ephrata, WA) 5/8/10 by Kelly Hart
The 2010 Spud Cup race featuring the Lone Pine Trucking Northwest Outlaw Street Stocks was the feature event Saturday night at Ephrata Raceway Park. Forty cars were signed in at the back gate with 12 Outlaw Street Stocks, 8 Jerry’s Auto Supply BIG CARS, 9 Pioneer Muffler II Pure Stocks and 11 Schaeffer’s Oil Mini Stocks graced the pit area at Ephrata Raceway Park. May 8th was also the Race ‘N For a Cure night fundraiser for the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation.
Quincy driver Mitch Kleyn set the pace for Outlaw Street Stocks on the night with a very fast 15.254 lap in qualifying. The three trophy dashes were won by Karen Beller, Josh Ingram and Ron Stewart. The heat race victories went to Josh and Stewart . Twelve cars took the green flag for the 50 lap Spud Cup Main event. On the initial green Ingram took off and set sail on the field. The first yellow flag came out on lap 11 when Bart Hector and Curtis Adams swapped paint in turn two with Adams spinning to the infield. The restart saw Ingram maintain his lead. Four laps later Steve Sawyer spun in turn 2 bringing out the second yellow. At the halfway mark, Ingram was getting pressure from the trio of Ron Stewart, Brad Morrison and Mitch Kleyn. Stewart used lapped traffic and took the lead on lap 26. Hector to the pit area after lapped traffic caused a bunch-up in turn 3 on lap 28. The final yellow flag was on the 44th lap bunching the field for one last 6 lap dash. With Kleyn pulling up to the outside of Stewart at the commitment cone on the restart and Ingram and Morrison right behind. Kleyn gave it a shot on the outside but couldn’t run down Stewart settling for second. Ingram held on for third. The 2010 Spud Cup champion is Ron Stewart.
The pacesetter for the Jerry’s Auto Supply BIG CAR division was Chris McCart in a car that is supposed to be doing double duty this season also racing in the Hobby Stock class. McCart set fast time with a 17.000 lap. Winning trophy dashes were David Ware and Josh Hector. The heat race was won by McCart. For the BIG CAR main event, all 4 corners were wet down by the fire trucks and madness set in from the drop of the green flag. Josh Hector cleared the front row and led the first 12 laps before a yellow came out to bunch the field. Chris McCart had been pressuring Hector and battling with Troy Lannoye when his right rear wheel took leave of the rest of the race car. The lap 13 restart saw Lannoye spin Hector but not slow him enough to lose a lap. Hector went off the track in turn two on the 17th lap handing the lead to Fred Moore who had been dumped early in the race and had to dig to get back on the lead lap. Hector stuck on the Euke tires in turn two as the white flag came out for Moore who held the lead long enough to take the win. As the race came to and end Ray Hahne took the tabletop jump on the motocross course and flew his BIG CAR for BIG AIR bringing the crowd to its feet!
The class that used to be called Hornets is now called the Pioneer Muffler II Pure Stocks. First fast time of the season was set by Derrick Kapalo at 17.833. In the trophy dashes Mike Mullale and Derrick Kapalo took home hardware. Winning the heat race was Kapalo aiming for a clean sweep. Dallas White led the first lap as they came four wide into turn one. Kapalo and Jake McGraw gave early chase. Kapalo used an outside pass in turn three and took over the lead on the sixth lap for the lead. Kapalo completed the clean sweep by leading the final 9 laps to win.
In the Schaeffers Oil Mini Stocks fast time was set by David Macken of Moses Lake at 16.753. Winning the trophy dashes was Tim Clark and Doug Brown. The heat races went to JR Miner and Sid White. The cars went three wide all the way down the back stretch and into turn three and four. Samantha Todd and Adam Smith made contact and that brought out the first yellow flag. Charles Larr led the first two laps before giving way to JR Miner. Miner held the top spot with Razey, Adam Smith and Doug Brown breathing down his neck. Smith took over the top spot at the ten lap mark with Brown following shuffling Miner back to 4th, Razey working over Brown for second on the high side of the racetrack. Miner wound up going to the pit area with a sickly race car just before the white flag. Smith held on for the win.
RESULTS
BIG CARS
Fast time: 95 Chris McCart 17.00
B dash: 5 David Ware, 111 Lee Love, 11 Ray Hahne
A dash: 84 Josh Hector, 8 Fred Moore, 4 Troy Lannoye, 95 Chris McCart
Heat: 95 McCart, 84 Josh Hector, 8 Moore, 4 Lannoye, 11 Hahne
Main: 8 Fred Moore, 4 Lannoye, 11 Hahne, 111 Love, 84 Josh Hector, 5 David Ware, 95 McCart
Lap leaders: 84 Josh Hector 1-14, 8 Moore 15-20
PURE STOCKS
Fast time: 37 Derrick Kapalo 17.833
B dash: 20 Mike Mullale, 9 Michael White, 62 Jeremy Larsen, 63 Nathan Schell
A dash: 37 Derrick Kapalo, 32 Terry McGraw, 09 Dallas White
Heat: 37 Kapalo, 32 Terry McGraw, 9 Michael White, 8 Brad Arneson, 62 Larsen
Main: 37 Derrick Kapalo, 09 Dallas White, 32 Terry McGraw, 9 Michael White, 62 Larsen, 28 Jake McGraw, 63 Schell, 20 Mullale
Lap leaders: 09 Dallas White 1-5, 37 Kapalo 6-15
MINI STOCKS
Fast time: 52 David Macken 16.753
B dash: 50 Tim Clark, 44 Charles Larr, 19 Eddie Razey, 13 Samantha Todd
A dash: 84 Doug Brown, 18 Jeremy Razey, 52 Macken, 68 Bart Hector, Jr.
B heat: 07 JR Miner, 7 Adam Smith, 50 Clark, 13 Todd
A heat: 1 Sid White, 84 Brown, 52 Macken, 18 Jeremy Razey
Main: 7 Adam Smith, 18 J, Razey, 84 Brown, 68 Bart Hector Jr., 50 Tim Clark, 1 Sid White, 52 David Macken, 13 Todd, 07 Miner, 44 Larr
Lap Leaders: 44 Larr 1-2, 07 Miner 3-9, 7 Smith 10-30
NWOSS
Fast time: 1 Mitch Kleyn 15.254
C dash: 16 Karen Beller, 25 Bob Greiner, 83 Patrick Lyons
B dash: 97 Josh Ingram, 64 Bill Rutherford,11 Steve Sawyer, 77 Curtis Adams
A dash: 20 Ron Stewart, 4 Brad Morrison, 68 Bart Hector, 1 Mitch Kleyn
B heat: 97 Ingram, 11 Sawyer, 16 Beller, 25 Greiner, 83 Lyons
A heat: 20 Stewart, 4 Morrison, 1 Kleyn, 64 Rutherford, 68 Hector
Main: 20 Ron Stewart, 1 Kleyn, 97 Ingram, 4 Morrison, 16 Beller, 64 Rutherford, 77 Adams, 25 Greiner, 11 Sawyer, 68 Bart Hector, 83 Lyons, 71 Dunagan
Lap leaders: 97 Ingram 1-25, 20 Stewart 26-50