Thanks to Pattie Frost and Clint Brown
2006mlra.htm
Thanks to Pattie Frost and Clint Brown
O'Reilly Auto Parts Extends Sponsorship of O'Reilly MLRA
Clint Brown
November 25, 2006
Officials with the O'Reilly MLRA and O'Reilly Auto Parts recently came to an
agreement that will see the auto parts giant continue as the title sponsor
of the late model series for another three years. The partnership comes on
the heels of one of the most successful O'Reilly MLRA seasons and runs
through the 2010 racing season.
"We couldn't be happier to continue on the relationship that we have built
with the people at O'Reilly Auto Parts," stated O'Reilly MLRA promoter
Harriett Chancellor. "Kevin Greven and all of the staff at O'Reilly Auto
Parts have gone above and beyond to support us since we first teamed up and
having them return for another three years will allow us to build further on
that relationship."
O'Reilly Auto Parts began in Springfield, MO in November of 1957 has seen
continued growth through the years with over 1500 stores in 25 states. More
information about O'Reilly Auto Parts can be obtained by visiting their
website at www.oreillyauto.com
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the
web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling
(816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
2006 Thunder Tour Sponsors: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Hoosier Race Tire, Hatfield
Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline
Shop, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Chase Race Decals, Gameday Trophy,
Bodee's Race Bodies, Smitty's Racing Engines, Duralite, Holley, Lunati, Rod
End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race
Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Sports Nutz, Sports Radio 610, Shepherd of the Hills
Entertainment
Fifth O'Reilly MLRA Title to Al Purkey
Clint Brown
October 28, 2006
The 2006 O'Reilly MLRA Thunder Tour has come to a close and the final
rundown found Al Purkey coming out on top with his second championship in a
row and also became the first five time champion in series history. Purkey
held off the season long charge of Belton, MO's Alan Vaughn by 96 points as
the championship came to a close.
Purkey used a model of consistency in 2006 to grab the title with four
victories followed by seventeen top 5's and twenty-five top 10 runs of the
twenty-nine races on the schedule. Wins at Adrian Speedway, Mid America
Speedway, and the season sweep at Winston Speedway helped Purkey move to the
front of the pack and allowed him to hold off the charging pack behind him
in his familiar 33P Hatfield Racing Engines/Larry Shaw Race Cars Pontiac
Grand Prix. The Coffeyville, KS resident also nabbed twelve heat race wins
along with two B feature victories throughout the season. The championship
followed up title runs in 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2005.
Right behind Purkey in the final standings was Belton, MO's Alan Vaughn who
was also looking to grab that fifth O'Reilly MLRA title. Although Vaughn
went through the 2006 season without grabbing a win he did keep his
Mastersilt/K&M Engines Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the title hunt with nine top
5's and twenty-one top 10 finishes. Coupled with those runs Vaughn was also
able to grab eight heat race wins, two B features, and a pole dash victory
during the racing season.
Following the front two points runners David Turner, Jason Bodenhamer, and
David Barker rounded out the top five in the final points. While Bodenhamer
took home a single win during the year Turner and Barker used consistent
runs at the front of the pack to nail down their runs to the front of the
pack.
With the O'Reilly MLRA 2006 Thunder Tour complete the only thing that
remains is to honor all of the championship contenders at the 2006 O'Reilly
MLRA Awards Banquet. Taking place on Saturday, November 25 at the Argosy
Casino there will be a Social Hour beginning at 5:30 pm with Dinner at 7:00
pm. Awards will be awarded immediately following dinner. Tickets are
available for $25.00 in advance or $30.00 at the door. Reservations can be
made in advance by calling 816-650-5063 or 816-305-6572. The O'Reilly MLRA
awards banquet is open to all who would like to attend including drivers,
owners, sponsors, families, crews, fans, etc.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the
web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling
(816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
2006 Thunder Tour Sponsors: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Hoosier Race Tire, Hatfield
Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline
Shop, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Chase Race Decals, Gameday Trophy,
Bodee's Race Bodies, Smitty's Racing Engines, Duralite, Holley, Lunati, Rod
End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race
Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Sports Nutz, Sports Radio 610, Shepherd of the Hills
Entertainment
O'Reilly MLRA Closer to Terry Phillips
Clint Brown
October 8, 2006
Terry Phillips picked up his eleventh win of the 2006 Thunder Tour as the
O'Reilly MLRA closed out the season at Bolivar Speedway USA. The win was
also the 82nd career O'Reilly MLRA victory for the driver out of
Springfield, MO.
Jason Bodenhamer brought the field down to the green flag, but it was
outside pole sitter Steve Kosiski who used the high side to grab the lead
going into turn one. Kosiski and Bodenhamer quickly opened up a small lead
over the rest of the field that saw cars running high and low all over the
track. Jeremy Payne moved his way into the fourth spot on lap three with
Alan Vaughn following him through for the fifth spot. Further back in the
pack Bill Frye was on the move coming to thirteenth on lap five only to pull
into the infield two laps later with motor problems.
Kosiski and Bodenhamer continued to set a blistering pace through the first
ten laps when Terry Phillips began using the low side of the track to move
into the fifth position on lap 11. Phillips began to work on Payne for the
fourth spot and the pair raced three wide with Dewaine Hottinger where Payne
came away with the third position only to have Phillips shoot past both he
and Bodenhamer to take over second. Phillips began to pressure Kosiski for
the top spot and pulled alongside coming off turn 2 where the pair made
contact that saw Kosiski bounce off of the back stretch wall collecting Will
Vaught on lap 18 bringing out the caution.
On the restart Phillips continued out front with Payne moving into second
and a quick running Steve Rushin making the move to take over the third
spot. Rushin quickly began to try and make the low side of the track work
as he pulled alongside Payne as the field reached the 1/2 way point of the
40 lap event as Phillips stretched his lead to a half straight away.
Phillips began to work lapped traffic taking his machine to both the high
and low sides to make passes - even going three wide on occasion and
extended his lead even more.
The yellow flag flew on lap 31 for the spun machine of David Conkwright who
went around just ahead of second running Payne. With the field rolling
around under yellow a problem had developed for Payne who had right front
suspension damage. After checking the damage out Payne lined up to fight it
out to the finish.
On the restart Steve Rushin shot around Phillips as the green flag waved
only to give the spot back as he couldn't keep the momentum up. Behind
those two Bodenhamer worked back into third around the wounded machine of
Payne while Jeff Taylor moved into the top five. The remaining laps clicked
off and as the checkered flag waved Phillips built up a full straight
advantage to take the win. Rushin held on for second with Bodenhamer,
Payne, and 15th starting Jeff Taylor completing the top five.
Four heat races were contested on the night with Steve Kosiski, Reid
Millard, Jeremy Payne and Dewaine Hottinger coming out on top. Kelly Boen
and Billy James fought for the wins in the two B Features that were
contested prior to the feature event.
The night also capped off the O'Reilly MLRA 2006 Thunder Tour title fight
which saw Al Purkey bring home his fifth title with the series. Needing to
merely start the event, the Coffeyville, KS racer encountered problems early
in the night, but fought back to a thirteenth place finish to claim the
title over Alan Vaughn.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the
web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling
(816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
2006 Thunder Tour Sponsors: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Hoosier Race Tire, Hatfield
Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline
Shop, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Chase Race Decals, Gameday Trophy,
Bodee's Race Bodies, Smitty's Racing Engines, Duralite, Holley, Lunati, Rod
End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race
Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Sports Nutz, Sports Radio 610, Shepherd of the Hills
Entertainment
Full Results
Bolivar Speedway USA
October 7, 2006
Heat 1
1) Steve Kosiski, 2) Will Vaught, 3) Larry McDaniels, 4) Delbert Smith, 5)
Kelly Boen, 6) Billy James, 7) Jesse Stovall, 8) Bill Frye, 9) CJ Lyle, 10)
Ricky Vandergriff, 11) PJ Haskins
Heat 2
1) Reid Millard, 2) Steve Rushin, 3) Badder, 4) Vaughn, 5) Rayburn, 6)
Smyser, 7) Essary, 8) LaFollette, 9) David Conkwright, 10) Jack Sullivan,
11) John Hampel
Heat 3
1) Jeremy Payne, 2) Terry Phillips, 3) Jason Bodenhamer, 4) Larry Jones, 5)
Steve Kempt, 6) Steve Grotz, 7) Larry Clawson, 8) Leroy Johnson, 9) Al
Purkey ,10) Scott Drake
Heat 4
1) Dewaine Hottinger, 2) Justin Wells, 3) Dane Daucus, 4) Jeff Taylor, 5)
David Barker, 6) Billy Murphy, 7) Brandon McCormick, 8) Joey Mack, 9) David
Turner, 10) Jeff Floyd
B Feature #1
1) Kelly Boen, 2) Christian Rayburn, 3) Joey Mack, 4) David Barker, 5) Shane
Essary, 6) Jesse Stovall, 7) Steve Grotz, 8) Brandon McCormick, 9) CJ Lyle,
10) PJ Haskins, 11) Ricky Vandergriff, 12) Al Purkey, DNS - Scott Drake
B Feature #2
1) Billy James, 2) Steve Kempt, 3) Larry Clawson, 4) Billy Murphy, 5) Chris
Smyser, 6) David Turner, 7) David Conkwright, 8) Brett LaFollette, 9) Leroy
Johnson, 10) Jeff Floyd, DNS - John Hampel, Bill Frye, Jack Sullivan
A Feature
1) Phillips, 2) Rushin, 3) Bodenhamer, 4) Payne, 5) Taylor, 6) Smith, 7)
Hottinger, 8) Vaughn, 9) Wells, 10) James, 11) McDaniels, 12) Boen, 13)
Badder, 14) Daucus, 15) Purkey, 16) Floyd, 17) Murphy, 18) Turner, 19)
LaFollette, 20) Jones, 21) Millard, 22) Rayburn, 23) Conkwright, 24) Kempt,
25) Vaught, 26) Kosiski, 27) Frye
Chris Smyser picks up Night 1 win at Bolivar Speedway USA
Clint Brown
October 8, 2006
Chris Smyser found the high banks of Bolivar Speedway USA to his liking on
Friday night as he grabbed the O'Reilly MLRA victory. The win came on night
#1 of the Late Model Showdown which also saw the O'Reilly NCRA and O'Reilly
TORA series in competition.
Smyser lead the field down to the green, but Justin Wells was able to power
to the front from his outside row one starting position. The lead pair
continued to spread the gap back to third running Alan Vaughn as the laps
clicked off on the high banks. Wells began to encounter lapped traffic on
lap eleven and that allowed Smyser to close the gap and shoot past for the
top spot on lap 13. From that point on Smyser extended his lead and raced
under the checkered flags picking up his first O'Reilly MLRA win of the
year. Wells held on for second with Kelly Boen, Alan Vaughn, and eight row
starting Terry Phillips rounding out the top five.
Up next for the O'Reilly MLRA is the final race of the 2006 Thunder Tour
with night 2 of the Late Model Showdown at Bolivar Speedway USA on Saturday.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the
web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling
(816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
2006 Thunder Tour Sponsors: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Hoosier Race Tire, Hatfield
Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline
Shop, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Chase Race Decals, Gameday Trophy,
Bodee's Race Bodies, Smitty's Racing Engines, Duralite, Holley, Lunati, Rod
End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race
Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Sports Nutz, Sports Radio 610, Shepherd of the Hills
Entertainment
Full Results
Bolivar Speedway USA
October 6, 2006
Heat 1
1) Jeremy Payne, 2) Alan Vaughn, 3) Brett LaFollette, 4) Reid Millard, 5)
Terry Phillips, 6) , 7) Shad Badder, 8) Gary Billings, 9) Steve Kempt, 10)
Jason Bodenhamer
Heat 2
1) Chris Smyser, 2) John Hampel, 3) Larry Jones, 4) Dane Daucus, 5) Delbert
Smith, 6) Dewaine Hottinger, 7) CJ Lyle, 8) Shane Essary, 9) PJ Haskins, 10)
Billy Murphy
Heat 3
1) Justin Wells, 2) Steve Rushin, 3) Jesse Stovall, 4) Jack Sullivan, 5)
Larry McDaniels, 6) David Turner, 7) David Conkwright, 8) Leroy Johnson, 9)
Eric Anderson
Heat 4
1) Al Purkey, 2) Kelly Boen, 3) Steve Kosiski, 4) David Barker, 5) Scott
Drake, 6) Billy James, 7) Jeff Taylor, 8)
B Feature #1
1) Turner, 2) James, 3) Lyle, 4) Essary, 5) Kempt, 6) McDaniels, 7) Badder,
8) Johnson, 9) Murphy
B Feature #2
1) Bodenhamer, 2) Drake, 3) Hottinger, 4) Haskins, 5) , 6) Barker, 7)
Taylor, 8) , 9) Conkwright, 10) Billings
A Feature
1) Smyser, 2) Wells, 3) Boen, 4) Vaughn, 5) Phillips, 6) Purkey, 7) Stovall,
8) Payne, 9) Smith, 10) Kosiski, 11) Drake, 12) Daucus, 13) Essary, 14)
Bodenhamer, 15) Sullivan, 16) James, 17) Badder, 18) McDaniels, 19)
LaFollette, 20) Jones, 21) Millard, 22) Murphy, 23) Turner, 24) Rushin, 25)
Kempt, 26) Conkwright
O'Reilly MLRA Closes out 2006 Thunder Tour
Clint Brown
October 4, 2006
For the first time in O'Reilly MLRA history the series will make a visit to
Bolivar, MO and the lightning fast Bolivar Speedway USA on Friday and
Saturday, October 6 & 7. The two night stand will also serve as the curtain
call on the 2006 Thunder Tour.
Friday night, October 6, will see the combatants from the O'Reilly MLRA,
O'Reilly NCRA, and O'Reilly TORA square off to see who can come out on top
and take home the $2000 pot of gold awaiting them in the winner's circle.
Drivers from the three series set to do battle include Al Purkey, Kelly
Boen, Larry McDaniels, Alan Vaughn, Steve Kosiski, Delbert Smith, David
Turner, Jason Bodenhamer. Not to be outdone the local contingent of drivers
including 2006 Bolivar Speedway USA champion Brad Looney, Brandon Maggard,
Larry Jones and Dave Ware will be out to show the traveling band the quick
way around the high banks.
The following night, Saturday, October 7, the three series from Friday night
will once again return to action, but will also be joined by MARS and their
drivers to add even more competition to the already tough field. Look for
Springfield's Terry Phillips to lead the charge of MARS participants
including Bill Frye, Jeff Floyd, Jeff Taylor, Jack Sullivan, and Wendell
Wallace as they attempt to garner top dog status.
Friday night will also see the Factory Stock and Bomber classes take part in
the action while the Rookies and Super Stocks will have their go on Saturday
night.
Gates open at Bolivar Speedway USA on Friday night at 5:00 pm with hot laps
set to take to the track at 6:45 pm for the first night of action. Saturday
night the action moves up an hour with gates opening at 4:00 pm and hot laps
rolling of at 5:45 pm.
Tickets prices for each night see adult admission at only $20.00 with
children 6-12 $5.00 and those 5 & under free. Pit passes for the evening
are $25.00 per person.
For more information about Bolivar Speedway USA contact the track at
(417)326-3966 or visit them on the web at
www.bolivarspeedwayusa.com.
Coming into the event Coffeyville, KS driver Al Purkey holds down the top
spot with a 114 point advantage over Alan Vaughn of Belton, MO. Purkey and
Vaughn have waged a battle all season long to see who would be the first
five-time champion in O'Reilly MLRA history. Purkey rolls in with four 2006
Thunder Tour victories while Vaughn has shown deadly consistency while
looking for his first win of the year.
David Turner, of Adrian, MO, sits behind the front pair in the third spot
with Jason Bodenhamer in the fourth slot. David Barker currently resides in
fifth, but only one point separate he and sixth place CJ Lyle. Shad Badder,
Larry Clawson, Brett LaFollette, and Scott Drake round out the top ten
heading into the finale.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the
web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling
(816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
2006 Thunder Tour Sponsors: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Hoosier Race Tire, Hatfield
Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline
Shop, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Chase Race Decals, Gameday Trophy,
Bodee's Race Bodies, Smitty's Racing Engines, Duralite, Holley, Lunati, Rod
End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race
Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Sports Nutz, Sports Radio 610, Shepherd of the Hills
Entertainment
Phillips Completes Capital Federal Savings Late Model Showdown
Sweep
By Clint Brown
September 30, 2006
Terry Phillips captured the second night of the Capital Federal Savings Late
Model Showdown and completed the weekend sweep in O'Reilly MLRA action. The
win marked the tenth of the season for the Springfield, MO driver and his
81st overall with the series.
The caution flag immediately replaced the green as Jason Bodenhamer and
Scott Drake came together on the font stretch. On the restart pole sitter
Alan Vaughn powered to the front ahead of Brian Harris, Chris Simpson and
John Anderson who battled for second.
Lap four saw Simpson take over the second spot as he moved past Harris only
to hand the spot back on lap nine just behind Vaughn. Running the low line
Simpson then powered past Vaughn to take over the top spot. Simpson held on
as the yellow flag for Dave Eckrich's flat tire waved on lap fourteen.
Phillips, who started the race in row ten, used the restart to vault into
the top five and grabbed overtook Vaughn for third on lap eighteen as
Simpson continued to run out front. Phillips chased down Harris and worked
past on lap twenty four then worked off the bottom to take over the top spot
from Simpson a lap later.
Phillips moved flawlessly through lapped traffic for the remainder of the
event and crossed the line at the finish half a straightaway in front of
second running Harris. Denny Eckrich moved up in the field to come home
third with Vaughn and Kyle Berck rounding out the top five.
Another big field of 65 cars signed in for the night to compete in seven
heat races which were won by Alan Vaughn, Trent Follmer, Chris Simpson, Ed
Kosiski, Mike Smith, Al Purkey, and John Anderson taking the wins. Eric
Pember, Kyle Berck, and John Hampel came home with the B Feature wins to
advance to the feature event.
The Capital Federal Savings Late Model Showdown was co-sanctioned with the
Polydome World Dirt Racing League.
Up next for the O'Reilly MLRA is the closing of the 2006 Thunder Tour with a
two night stand at Bolivar Speedway USA on Friday and Saturday, October 6 &
7.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the
web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling
(816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
2006 Thunder Tour Sponsors: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Hoosier Race Tire, Hatfield
Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline
Shop, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Chase Race Decals, Gameday Trophy,
Bodee's Race Bodies, Smitty's Racing Engines, Duralite, Holley, Lunati, Rod
End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race
Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Sports Nutz, Sports Radio 610, Shepherd of the Hills
Entertainment
Full Results
Capital Federal Savings Late Model Showdown Night #2
Lakeside Speedway
September 30, 2006
Heat 1
1) Alan Vaughn, 2) Chad Simpson, 3) Shad Bader, 4) Kurt Kile, 5) Dave
Eckrich, 6) Bryant Goldsmith, 7) Randy Carder, 8) Rusty Miller, 9) PJ
Haskins, 10) Brian Kenkel
Heat 2
1) Trent Follmer, 2) David Turner, 3) Jack Sullivan, 4) Will Vaught, 5) CJ
Lyle, 6) John Kuchar, 7) Bill Koons, 8) Grant Junghans, 9) Terry Melton, 10)
Jason Schobinger
Heat 3
1) Chris Simpson, 2) Kelly Boen, 3) Mark Voigt, 4) Brett LaFollette, 5) Karl
Tipton, 6) Craig Preble, 7) Jason Utter, 8) Steve Foster, 9) Jeremy Payne
Heat 4
1) Ed Kosiski, 2) Eric Pember, 3) Scott Drake, 4) Bryan Collins, 5) Rob
Moss, 6) Steve Kempt, 7) Mike Wiarda, 8) Josh Most, 9) Jimmy Dowell
Heat 5
1) Mike Smith, 2) Brian Harris, 3) Larry Clawson, 4) John Hampel, 5) David
Barker, 6) Reid Millard, 7) Tony Gregg, 8) Todd Bell, 9) Joe Kosiski
Heat 6
1) Al Purkey, 2) Denny Eckrich, 3) Kyle Berck, 4) Terry Phillips, 5) Ryan
McAnninch, 6) Dustin Mooneyham, 7) Al Humphrey, 8) Jeremy Grady, 9) Bill
Goodwin
Heat 7
1) John Anderson, 2) Jason Bodenhamer, 3) Bone, 4) Kevin Kile, 5) Scotty
Martin, 6) Mike Little, 7) Charley Reed, 8) Delbert Smith, 9) Sonny Findling
B Feature #1
1) Pember, 2) Phillips, 3) Moss, 4) Tipton, 5) Vaught, 6) Lyle, 7) Kempt, 8)
Mooneyham, 9) Utter, 10) Junghans, 11) Schobinger, 12) Little, 13) Foster,
14) Grady, 15) Kevin Kile
B Feature #2
1) Berck, 2) Dave Eckrich, 3) Goldsmith, 4) Kurt Kile, 5) Kuchar, 6) Koons,
7) Barker, 8) Miller, 9) Carder, 10) Wiarda, 11) Goodwin, 12) Bell, 13)
Bone, 14) Joe Kosiski, 15) Haskins, 16) Collins
B Feature #3
1) Hampel, 2) Badder, 3) LaFollette, 4) Voigt, 5) McAninch, 6) Martin, 7)
Humphrey, 8) Milalrd, 9) Melton, 10) Gregg, 11) Most, 12) Preble, 13) Reed
Pole Dash
1) Vaughn, 2) Harris, 3) Follmer, 4) Anderson, 5) Chris Simpson, 6) Ed
Kosiski, 7) Denny Eckrich, 8) Smith
A Feature
1) Phillips, 2) Chris Simpson, 3) Harris, 4) Denny Eckrich, 5) Vaughn, 6)
Berck, 7) Anderson, 8) Purkey, 9) Chad Simpson, 10) Clawson, 11) Moss, 12)
Ed Kosiski, 13) Utter, 14) Joe Kosiski, 15) Follmer, 16) Boen, 17) Turner,
18) Sullivan, 19) Dave Eckrich, 20) Pember, 21) Haskins, 22) Bodenhamer, 23)
Delbert Smith, 24) Hampel, 25) Badder, 26) Drake
Terry Phillips Grabs Night One of the Capital Federal Savings
Late Model
Showdown
By Clint Brown
September 29, 2006
Terry Phillips wired the field as he powered to the Friday night win of the
Capital Federal
Savings Late Model Showdown at Lakeside Speedway with the O'Reilly MLRA.
Phillips motored to the front from the pole position as the green flag
dropped and held off the early race challenge of outside starter John
Hampel. Behind the front pair Johnny Bone Jr. had his hands full holding
off both Alan Vaughn and Will Vaught for the third position.
Lapped traffic came into play on the seventh lap as Phillips opened up his
lead to nearly a full straight as he went three wide to lap the machines of
Kevin Kile and Dave Eckrich.
Alan Vaughn began his move forward as the powered into the third position on
lap twelve and set chase for Hampel who continued to run in second. A pair
of laps later Kyle Berck made his presence in the top five while Phillips
had widened the gap to over a full straight away.
Vaughn continued to move forward as he moved past Hampel on lap twenty with
Berck beginning to bear down on the pair. Lap twenty three would see Berck
make the move past Hampel and take over the third spot.
With a seemingly insurmountable lead, Phillips continued to work lapped
traffic only to have Vaughn begin to close the gap to less than a straight
away from the leader. The laps wound down just too quickly as Phillips
raced under the checkered flag for his ninth O'Reilly MLRA win of the 2006
season. Vaughn held on for the second spot with Berck, 20th starting Brian
Harris, and 24th starting Denny Eckrich rounding out the top five positions.
A total of sixty-eight cars signed into the pits to compete in seven heat
races where Scott Drake, Will Vaught, Joe Kosiski, Jeremy Payne, John
Hampel, Terry Phillips, and Johnny Bone Jr. taking the wins. Ed Kosiski,
Kelly Boen, and Dave Eckrich were able to grab the wins in the three B
Features and continue their evening.
Two scary moments slowed the evening's action with Kurt Kile flipping wildly
on the front stretch at the beginning of the seventh heat race. Ray Guss
Jr. rode out a violent flip during the first B Feature that destroyed his
machine. Both drivers walked away from their incidents, but for each their
night was done.
The Capital Federal Savings Late Model Showdown is co-sanctioned with the
Polydome World Dirt Racing League.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the
web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling
(816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
2006 Thunder Tour Sponsors: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Hoosier Race Tire, Hatfield
Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline
Shop, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Chase Race Decals, Gameday Trophy,
Bodee's Race Bodies, Smitty's Racing Engines, Duralite, Holley, Lunati, Rod
End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race
Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Sports Nutz, Sports Radio 610, Shepherd of the Hills
Entertainment
Full Results
Capital Federal Savings Late Model Showdown Night #1
Lakeside Speedway
Friday, September 29l, 2006
Heat 1
1) Scott Drake, 2) Mark Voigt, 3) Kelly Boen, 4) Chad Simpson, 5) Denny
Eckrich, 6) Brian Harris, 7) Mike Wiarda, 8) Ryan Rairden, 9) Jeremy Grady,
10) Shad Badder
Heat 2
1) Will Vaught, 2) Larry Clawson, 3) Craig Preble, 4) CJ Lyle, 5) David
Barker, 6) Troy Daly, 7) Bob King, 8) Randy Carder, 9) Grant Junghans, 10)
Leslie Essary
Heat 3
1) Joe Kosiski, 2) Kyle Berck, 3) Jack Sullivan, 4) Dustin Mooneyham, 5)
Brian Collins, 6) Mike Smith, 7) John Kuchar, 8) Bill Koons, 9) Al Humphrey,
10) Steve Foster
Heat 4
1) Jeremy Payne, 2) David Turner, 3) Dave Eckrich, 4) Trent Follmer, 5) Ken
Schrader, 6) Eric Pember, 7) Brett LaFollette, 8) Bill Goodwin, 9) Todd
Bell, 10) Jason Bodenhamer
Heat 5
1) John Hampel, 2) Steve Kempt, 3) Alan Vaughn, 4) Rob Moss, 5) Ray Guss
Jr., 6) Ryan McAnninch, 7) Chris Simpson, 8) Karl Tipton, 9) Reid Millard,
10) John Anderson
Heat 6
1) Terry Phillips, 2) Steve Kempt, 3) Delbert Smith, 4) Al Purkey, 5) Sonny
Findling, 6) Jason Utter, 7) Brian Kenkel, 8) PJ Haskins, 9) Jason
Schobinger
Heat 7
1) Johnny Bone Jr., 2) Ed Kosiski, 3) Bryan Allison, 4) Jimmy Dowell, 5)
Rusty Miller, 6) Mike Little, 7) Terry Melton, 8) Eric Anderson, 9) Kurt
Kile
B Feature #1
1) Ed Kosiski, 2) Harris, 3) Schrader, 4) Essary, 5) Utter, 6) Collins, 7)
Foster, 8) Denny Eckrich, 9) Mooneyham, 10) Haskins, 11) Schobinger, 12)
Goodwin, 13) Dowell, 14) Rairden, 15) Kuchar, 16) Guss, 17) Chris Simpson
B Feature #2
1) Boen, 2) Sullivan, 3) Findling, 4) Moss,5) Pember, 6) Lyle, 7) Humphrey,
8) Smith, 9) Wiarda, 10) Millard, 11) Badder, 12) Miller, 13) Bodenhamer,
14) Carder, 15) Little, DNS - Kenkel, Anderson
B Feature #3
1) Dave Eckrich, 2) Purkey, 3) Follmer, 4) Chris Simpson, 5) LaFollette, 6)
Tipton, 7) McAnninch, 8) Melton, 9) King, 10) Junghans, 11) Koons, 12)
Anderson, 13) Bell, 14) Barker, 15) Grady, 16) Allison, 17) Daly
A Feature
1) Phillips, 2) Vaughn, 3) Berck, 4) Harris, 5) Denny Eckrich, 6) Hampel, 7)
Bone, 8) Joe Kosiski, 9) Drake, 10) Boen, 11) Dave Eckrich, 12) Sullivan,
13) Payne, 14) Smith, 15) Preble, 16) Chris Simpson, 17) Badder, 18) Vaught,
19) Bodenhamer, 20) Ed Kosiski, 21) Kevin Kile, 22) Kempt, 23) Voigt, 24)
Turner, 25) Clawson, 26) Purkey
TERRY PHILLIPS WINS AL BODENHAMER MEMORIAL
Todd Turner
ADRIAN, Mo. (Sept. 28) - Taking the lead from Alan Vaughn on the 11th
lap, sixth-starting Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., cruised the
rest of the way at Adrian Speedway for his series-leading eighth
O'Reilly Auto Parts Midwest LateModel Racing Association victory of
the season.
Phillips, who earned $2,500 in winning the fourth annual Al
Bodenhamer Memorial, built leads of more than a straightaway through
the middle stages of the 40-lapper.
His only scare came on the 36th lap when a spinning Jack Simmons
nearly collected Phillips in turn three. The leader was able to slip
past the spinning lapped car as a caution flag appeared and restarted
out front for a four-lap dash to the finish.
Vaughn couldn't muster a charger in the final laps and settled for
second ahead of Jack Sullivan, who started eighth but ran third most
of the way. Series points leader Al Purkey, who started ninth,
finished fourth and rookie Shad Badder's fifth-place finish was the
best of his MLRA career. Polesitter Eric Anderson battled Vaughn for
the first few laps but ended up fading to a seventh-place finish.
David Turner, who finished eighth in the feature, won a special Race
of Champions among winner of 2006 MLRA features.
MLRA competitors head for Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., for
Sept. 29-30 action. For O'Reilly MLRA information call 816-650-5063
or 816-305-6572 or visit them on the web at
www.mlraracing.com.
Feature: 1. Terry Phillips, 2. Alan Vaughn, 3. Jack Sullivan, 4. Al
Purkey, 5. Shad Badder, 6. Jason Bodenhamer, 7. Eric Anderson, 8.
David Turner, 9. Bryan Collins, 10. Bob Fennewald, 11. Scott Drake,
12. Jack Simmons, 13. Aaron Seabaugh, 14. Mark Voigt, 15. David
Barker, 16. Billy Humble, 17. Steve Clancy, 18. Larry Clawson, 19.
P.J. Haskins, 20. Ed Dixon, 21. Jimmy Morris, 22. Brett LaFollette.
Heat race winners: Drake, LaFollette, Badder, Vaughn
Consolation winners: Baker, Fennewald
Please support these sponsors who support O'Reilly MLRA Racing
O'Reilly Auto Parts/Hoosier Race Tires/Hatfield Racing Engines/Larry
Shaw Race Cars/GRT Race Cars/AFCO/Driveline Shop/ATL Fuel Cells/
Sunoco/Simons Petroleum/Weld Wheels/Chase Race Decals/Gameday Trophy/
Bodee's Race Bodies/Smitty's Racing Engines/Duralite Wheels/Holley/
Lunati/Rod End Supply/Schoenfeld Headers/Kluhsman Racing Components/
Performance Bodies/Shepherd of the Hills Entertainment/610 Sports Radio
Adrian Speedway/ Al Bodenhamer Memorial Injured Drivers Fund
Established.
Sept 27, 2006
The racing community has long been one to come to the aid of a fallen
member, but until now that wasn't organized until after the need was already
present. Glenn & Colleen Portzen, owners of Adrian Speedway have stepped to
the forefront to help alleviate that with the formation of the Adrian
Speedway/ Al Bodenhamer Memorial Injured Drivers Fund.
"What we have done here is to set up a fund that is available immediately
when the need arises," stated Glenn Portzen. "Whenever something has
happened in the past the racing family has always stepped up with swift
help, but that help has always come after the need. Now with the money
available those in need can receive the help that they need right then."
The Portzens themselves found out just how generous the racing family is
when a fire destroyed their home during the winter. "Our own situation was
one of the things that set things in motion for this fund being set up,"
continued Portzen. "We just could not believe the outpouring that we
received from the racers & their families. They all helped us out & for that
we will be forever grateful & now we just want to give back."
Initial money for the fund will come during the Fourth Annual Al Bodenhamer
Memorial run on Thursday, Sept. 28 at Adrian Speedway & continue on during
the years to come. "We're going to continue to do things during the winter &
the weekly race program at Adrian Speedway to keep this fund growing,"
Portzen continued. "We don't want it to just start & then it sit there - we
want it to grow.
Our dear friend Kenny Wallace has stepped to the pump to help us Thursday
night along with many others from the Cup, Busch & Truck teams. It appears
that a large amount of Chip Ganasi's teams will again be here to help the
cause bringing a total number of our Nascar friends to about forty plus to
be in attendance Thursday night.
The first recipient of the fund will be a former employee of Dirt Works Race
Cars in Walker, MO. Monty Grice who is now working for Chip Ganasi on one of
his Nextel Cup teams. Monty is suffering from pancreas & liver problems &
his local home team people wish to help him in his time of need. So please
help by attending this race Thursday night Sept. 28. Don't miss all the
action & fan autograph sessions starting at 5:30 along with many exciting
things thru out the evening. Gates open at 5:00, hot laps at 7:00, and first
race at 7:30.
Those interested in contributing to the Adrian Speedway/Al Bodenhamer
Memorial Injured Drivers Fund are encouraged to contact Adrian Speedway at
816) 297-4400.
This event is receiving National interest & we hope it will interest Kansas
City the same, as this is its place of origin.
Big Weekend on tap for the O'Reilly MLRA
Clint Brown
September 25, 2006
The O'Reilly MLRA rolls the 2006 Thunder Tour into the Kansas City area with
their high powered ballet for one of the biggest racing weekends of the
year.
Thursday night, September 28, action kicks off with the 4th Annual Al
Bodenhamer Memorial at Adrian Speedway in Adrian, MO. The event, first run
in 2003, has seen some tight racing action where Alan Vaughn (2003) and
David Turner (2004) took home top honors on a night honoring a true
ambassador of the sport. The 2005 running of the event saw the rains come
and wash away the night. The evening also has a second honoree as the Jack
Vaughn Memorial Dash of Champions will also roll onto the 1/3 mile dirt to
see who can come out on top. Al Purkey rolls into the weekend with the
point lead and looking for his fifth O'Reilly MLRA championship. Not one to
give up Alan Vaughn has been doing his best to chase down Purkey while
holding off the challenge of David Turner, CJ Lyle, and Jason Bodenhamer.
Gates open Thursday at 5:00 pm with racing set to roll of at 7:00 pm.
General admission tickets are only $15.00 with kids 6-12 $6.00 while those 5
& under are free. Pit passes for the night are only $25.00. Adrian
Speedway is located 2.5 miles north of SR 18 on US 71 then .5 miles west on
CR AA.
The weekend then rolls to the north a bit as the Capital Federal Late Model
Showdown takes to the track at Lakeside Speedway on Friday and Saturday,
September 29 and 30. The event, co-sanctioned with the WDRL, draws some of
the top late model chauffeurs in the Midwest clamoring for the top spot and
the big check. Denny Eckrick and Kyle Berck found themselves on top of the
heap in 2005 as they bested the field which drew over 70 cars both nights.
The action kicks off both nights with gates opening at 5:00 pm and racing
action set to take to the track at 7:30 pm. Advance general admission
tickets are available for $20.00 with pricing being $25.00 at the gate.
Lakeside Speedway is located on I-425 to exit 18 then 1 mile NW on SR5.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the
web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling
(816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
2006 Thunder Tour Sponsors: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Hoosier Race Tire, Hatfield
Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline
Shop, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Chase Race Decals, Gameday Trophy,
Bodee's Race Bodies, Smitty's Racing Engines, Duralite, Holley, Lunati, Rod
End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race
Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Sports Nutz, Sports Radio 610, Shepherd of the Hills
Entertainment
2006 Winston Speedway sweep to Al Purkey
Clint Brown
September 17, 2006
O'Reilly MLRA points leader Al Purkey stepped closer to picking up
championship number five as he grabbed win number four on the season and
also picked up the season sweep at Winston Speedway on Saturday night.
Purkey started on the pole for the thirty lap main event and quickly jumped
out front and held on through two cautions periods to take the win ahead of
championship rival Alan Vaughn. John Anderson picked up his best 2006
O'Reilly MLRA finish coming home third with David Turner and Chris Smyser
rounding out the top five.
Purkey, Turner, Anderson, and Smyser picked up heat race wins in the 31 car
field with Corey Zeitner copping the B feature victory.
After a week off the O'Reilly MLRA 2006 Thunder Tour will kick into high
gear for one of the biggest racing weekends in the Kansas City area. Action
kicks off on Thursday, September 28, with the 4th Annual Al Bodenhamer
Memorial at Adrian Speedway followed up by two nights at Lakeside Speedway,
on Friday and Saturday, for the Capital Federal Late Model Showdown
September 29 & 30.
For O'Reilly MLRA information call 816-650-5063 or 816-305-6572 or visit
them on the web at www.mlraracing.com.
Please support these sponsors who support O'Reilly MLRA Racing
O'Reilly Auto Parts/Hoosier Race Tires/Hatfield Racing Engines/Larry Shaw
Race Cars/GRT Race Cars/AFCO/Driveline Shop/ATL Fuel Cells/Sunoco/Simons
Petroleum/Weld Wheels/Chase Race Decals/Gameday Trophy/Bodee's Race
Bodies/Smitty's Racing Engines/Duralite Wheels/Holley/Lunati/Rod End
Supply/Schoenfeld Headers/Kluhsman Racing Components/Performance
Bodies/Shepherd of the Hills Entertainment/610 Sports Radio
Full Results
Winston Speedway
September 16, 2006
Heat 1
1) Al Purkey, 2) Bob King, 3) Scott Drake, 4) PJ Haskins, 5) Brett
LaFollette, 6) Scott Daly, 7) Steven Clancy, 8) Jimmy Dowell
Heat 2
1) David Turner, 2) Alan Vaughn, 3) Tommy Cordray, 4) CJ Lyle, 5) Dick
Weber, 6) Larry Clawson, 7) Mark Evinger, 8) Mike McCoy
Heat 3
1) John Anderson, 2) Shad Badder, 3) David Barker, 4) John Hampel, 5) Corey
Zeitner, 6) Jason Estes, 7) Steve McDowell
Heat 4
1) Chris Smyser, 2) Jeff French, 3) Steve Kosiski, 4) Dale Eaton, 5) Jason
Bodenhamer, 6) Sonny Findling, 7) Paul Glendenning
B Feature #1
1) Zeitner, 2) LaFollette, 3) Bodenhamer, 4) Findling
A Feature
1) Purkey, 2) Vaughn, 3) Anderson, 4) Turner, 5) Smyser, 6) Drake, 7)
Hampel, 8) Bodenhamer, 9) Badder, 10) Weber, 11) LaFollette, 12) Lyle, 13)
Barker, 14) Findling, 15) Clawson, 16) Zeitner, 17) Eaton, 18) Haskins, 19)
Daly, 20) Kosiski, 21) Cordray, 22) French
Jeremy Payne grabs O'Reilly MLRA win at LA Raceway
Clint Brown
September 16, 2006
The O'Reilly MLRA rolled into LA Raceway on Friday night for the second 2006
visit to the central Missouri facility and young Jeremy Payne battled his
way through the field to take his second series win in a row.
Steve Kosiski lead the field to the green flag and moved to the front at the
drop of the green with a hungry Scott Drake nipping at his heels. The front
pair put on a spirited side by side battle that had the fans on their feet
with Drake pulling off the move and taking over the top spot on the fourth
lap.
The caution flag flew with seven laps in the books for the spun machine of
Shane Essary in turn 1. On the restart Drake and Kosiski continued out
front followed by sixth starting Payne, Ken Essary, and Al Purkey. Behind
the front group Alan Vaughn and David Turner began to battle side by side,
but the driver catching everybody's attention was John Hampel who had moved
into tenth after coming through the nights B feature.
Lap 12 saw the field slowed by the yellow once again as Scott Daly slid his
car over the turn three banking. On the restart Kosiski stepped up the
pressure on Drake a notch and pulled alongside as he attempted to make the
pass. The pair ran side by side for a couple of laps before Drake pulled
back out in front and retained the spot.
Payne began his move forward as he took over the second spot from Kosiski on
lap 17 and quickly pulled onto the rear bumper of Drake. On lap 23 the trio
of Drake, Payne, and Kosiski ran nose to tail as they began to encounter
lapped traffic only to have the yellow slow the racing action once again and
regroup the field.
As the green replaced the yellow Drake and Payne opened a four car length
advantage over Kosiski as the laps began to wind down. Payne pulled
alongside Drake and completed the move to lead the 27th lap and quickly
opened up a four car gap as the white flag waved and increased it even more
as he raced under the checkered flag for the win. Drake held on for the
runner up spot with Kosiski, Ken Essary, and Al Purkey completing the top 5.
Thirty-two cars signed in to compete on the night with Drake, Ken Essary,
Payne, and Kosiski coming home with the heat race wins while John Hampel
grabbed the top spot of the nights B feature.
Next up for the O'Reilly MLRA is to Winston Speedway in Winston, MO on
Saturday, September 16 to close out the facilities 2006 racing action.
For O'Reilly MLRA information call 816-650-5063 or 816-305-6572 or visit
them on the web at www.mlraracing.com.
Please support these sponsors who support O'Reilly MLRA Racing
O'Reilly Auto Parts/Hoosier Race Tires/Hatfield Racing Engines/Larry Shaw
Race Cars/GRT Race Cars/AFCO/Driveline Shop/ATL Fuel Cells/Sunoco/Simons
Petroleum/Weld Wheels/Chase Race Decals/Gameday Trophy/Bodee's Race
Bodies/Smitty's Racing Engines/Duralite Wheels/Holley/Lunati/Rod End
Supply/Schoenfeld Headers/Kluhsman Racing Components/Performance
Bodies/Shepherd of the Hills Entertainment/610 Sports Radio
Full Results
LA Raceway
September 15, 2006
Heat 1
1) Scott Drake, 2) Chris Smyser, 3) Brett LaFollette, 4) PJ Haskins, 5)
David Barker, 6) Jeremy Watts, 7) Tommy Cordray, 8) Jon Binning
Heat 2
1) Ken Essary, 2) Alan Vaughn, 3) Jason Bodenhamer, 4) Sonny Findling, 5)
Jesse Stovall, 6) Victor Sims, 7) Bob Hiller, 8) Shorty Acker
Heat 3
1) Jeremy Payne, 2) David Turner, 3) Shad Badder, 4) Randy McGraw, 5) Corey
Zeitner, 6) Scott Daly, 7) Dick Weber, 8) Larry Moon
Heat 4
1) Steve Kosiski, 2) Al Purkey, 3) Larry Clawson, 4) Shane Essary, 5) CJ
Lyle, 6) John Hampel, 7) Donnie Gemes, 8) Greg Choate
B Feature #1
1) Hampel, 2) Zeitner, 3) Lyle, 4) Cordray, 5) Barker, 6) Stovall, 7) Acker,
8) Weber, 9) Daly, 10) Watts, 11) Choate, 12) Sims, 13) Moon, 14) Binning,
15) Gemes, 16) Hiller
A Feature
1) Payne, 2) Drake, 3) Kosiski, 4) K. Essary, 5) Purkey, 6) Vaughn, 7)
Turner, 8) Smyser, 9) Bodenhamer, 10) Hampel, 11) LaFollette, 12) Clawson,
13) Badder, 14) Lyle, 15) Barker, 16) McGraw, 17) Zeitner, 18) Cordray, 19)
Haskins, 20) S. Essary, 21) Daly, 22) Findling
O'Reilly MLRA Schedule Change
Clint Brown
September 14, 2006
Officials with the O'Reilly MLRA in conjunction with Adrian Speedway
announced a change schedule change in the upcoming Al Bodenhamer Memorial.
The date had been moved to Wednesday, September 27, to allow for inclusion
in Race Fest @ The Legends Mall, but that date has been changed to Thursday,
September 28.
"The date was originally moved to allow the driver's and fans to take part
in Race Fest, but a need arose to move the date back to Thursday," commented
Harriett Chancellor, O'Reilly MLRA owner & promoter. "We're excited to once
again visit Adrian Speedway to kick off what has to be the biggest racing
weekend in the Kansas City are each year."
In addition to the Al Bodenhamer Memorial fans will also be treated to
another race within a race with the Jack Vaughn Dash. "This is a special
night because we get to honor not only one, but two great men in Al
Bodenhamer and Jack Vaughn," continued Chancellor. "The drivers and crews
really seem to get up for this show just because of the special meaning to
both of these families."
For all the latest news and informa