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NWRACETECH
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 04:24 PM |
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Grays Harbor Raceway, Elma, Wash.
By Bill Poehler
Rob Mayea’s patience paid off.
After seeing John Duty rocket away with the lead on lap 18, Mayea bided his for 10 laps then the driver out of Bend rode the high way around the 3/8-mile clay oval of Grays Harbor Raceway into the lead and pulled away to the Bud I-5 Challenge Series win.
For the 2004 Bud I-5 champion, it was his second straight series win at the track. The last was in 2005, the last time the series raced at the ultra-fast speed plant.
Polesitting Lisa Stroup took the initial lead for the 50-lap A-Main and paced the first three laps until Albany driver Todd Shandy went around the only female driver in the field on the outside of turn two and took over the lead. The fast cars made their way through traffic and Mayea moved into the top five on lap seven.
Duty, running No. 2 and collecting points for three-time defending series champion Trevor Glaser — who was attending his sister’s wedding — made a daring move on lap 19, going from fourth to first in one lap to the delight of the crowd.
Mayea calmly went by Mike Miller for third and Shandy for second by lap 23 and set sail for Duty. Mayea caught a break when Russ Sell’s car went dead after spinning in turn two on lap 26. On the restart, Mayea went to the high side, but checked back when Duty got high coming out of turn two. On lap 28, however, Mayea made the winning move, going to the high side of Duty entering turn three and clearing Duty by the time they exited turn four.
Close behind Mayea and Duty, Miller and Greg Walters battled for third place with Walters finally gaining the spot with six laps left in the 50-lap main event.
On the 50th lap Jayme Van spun and the caution flew, but the race was declared completed under caution with Mayea the winner, Duty in second, Walters in third, Miller in fourth and Brett McCutcheon completing a solid run in fifth.
Todd Shandy finished sixth, close behind McCutcheon and the final car of the 17 starters on the lead lap. Sell finished seventh with Jimmy Schram of Vancouver, Wash., in eighth, Don Piefer in ninth and Jeff Biffle — older brother of NASCAR Sprint Cup star Greg Biffle — rounding out the top 10 and gaining a $200 bonus for being the highest finishing crate engine late model.
Thirty-two dirt late models, most from I-5 series home track of Willamette Speedway, made the trek across state line into Washington for the race.
Casey Vitale of Lebanon destroyed the track record in qualifying with a lap of 14.310 seconds with Walters — a crate engine master running an open competition engine for the event — in second at 14.666, Duty was third fast at 14.946 and Mayea in fourth at 14.950.
Of the four fastest cars, only Mayea and Duty were in line in time to run the trophy dash. The cars of Walters and Mayea were on jack stands in the pits under repair and Schram volunteered to tag onto the field. Mayea led all four laps to win the trophy dash with Duty in second and Schram in third.
In the heat races, Mike Brooks won the first heat from the pole position, Mike DeSilva won the second, Stroup won the third and Walters came from the back of the fourth heat to win the final one.
Brooks led the first three laps of the B-Main event before Biffle went by on the high side out of turn two for the lead on the third lap. Biffle checked out on the field for a few laps until the caution flag fell and allowed Steve Moore to close up in second place.
On lap 14, Moore — running a crate engine purchased this week by Jimmy Schram — went to the high side around Biffle for the lead and looked stout once there until his car came to a halt in turn four, giving the lead to Ryan Gerig.
Gerig checked out for the win in the 25-lap main event, and Biffle finished second to earn a transfer spot for the A-Main event.
The series’ next race is July 26 back home at Willamette Speedway followed by a return trip to Grays Harbor on Sept. 13, another race at Willamette Sept. 20 and the season finale Sept. 26 and 27 at Southern Oregon Speedway in White City.
Grays Harbor Raceway
June 21
Fast time— Casey Vitale (Lebanon) 14.310. Trophy Dash— Rob Mayea (Bend). Heat 1— 1, Mike Brooks (Salem), 2, Jeff Biffle (Vancouver, Wash.), 3, Butch Valdez (Portland). Heat 2— 1, Mike DeSilva (Springfield), 2, Ryan Gerig (Lebanon), 3, Wade Mock (Albany). Heat 3— 1, Lisa Stroup (Redmond), 2, Todd Shandy (Albany), 3, Randy Neal (Lincoln City). Heat 4— 1, Greg Walters (Banks), 2, Brett McCutcheon (Sweet Home), 3, Mayea.
A-Main— 1, Mayea, 2, John Duty (Portland), 3, Walters, 4, Mike Miller (Springfield), 5, McCutcheon, 6, Shandy, 7, Russ Sell (Brownsville), 8, Jimmy Schram (Vancouver, Wash.), 9, Don Piefer (Lebanon), 10, Biffle, 11, Jason Cadwell (Albany), 12, Rob Campos (Redmond), 13, Jayme Van (Portland), 14, Stroup, 15, Neal, 16, Mike Brooks (Turner), 17, Vitale.
B-Main— 1, Gerig, 2, Biffle, 3, DeSilva, 4, Mock, 5, Bryan Norton (Stayton), 6, Valdez, 7, Chance Hamen, 8, Chris Mott (Salem), 9, Steve Moore (Scio), 10, Mike Brooks, 11, Charels Sieverson, 12, J. J. Irvine (Lebanon).
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rickt
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 07:15 PM |
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Nice write up Bill 
On a side note.. I had a couple folks wondering about the main finish and how come it was over when the yellow was out. The way I understand the rules that run by, the drivers race to the yellow in that series. Jason had thrown the white and the leaders went by. He then threw the yellow. They race back to the yellow so they actually completed the last lap and therefore it was over. Thats how I understand it anyway..
Rickt 
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mdtroy
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 09:22 PM |
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That is how I understood it too Rick. I guess it is just habit for us at GHR to just throw the yellow and not worry about the checkered, because we are going green white checkered for a finish.
The Bud I-5 Late Model Series does race back to the yellow (which IMHO is F' ing nuts) so when the yellow was thrown on lap 49, they were racing to the checkered flag and the win even though the track was under yellow.
Kinda crazy but that's the way they do it, so that is the way it is.
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astoriaracer
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 10:37 PM |
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| Mike you assesment of racing back to the yellow is correct there was some close calls at full speed it made my but pucker sitting in the stands
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ChancesMom
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 11:01 PM |
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I HATE racing back to the yellow! As a racing Mom, it makes more than my butt pucker! I literally loose my breath when I see the yellow come out. It is sooooooo dangerous and just stupid......... IMO.
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Greg#19
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 11:03 PM |
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| I second that. Racing back to the yellow is dumb and dangerous. I will not race at a track that races to the yellow.
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GregB
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 11:08 PM |
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| might be a stupid question but why do they race back to the yellow? Is there a benefit?
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ChancesMom
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 11:36 PM |
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Each and every racer that races at Willamette has asked the "Why" question. We were told that it makes it easier on the lap counters since we don't use the transponders and to have to go back to the last completed lap would take too much time. Willamette is the last track in the State of Oregon to race back to the yellow.
I was sure hoping that GHR would just say NO to the racing back to the yellow for us (LM's) on Saturday night. Maybe next time??? Please, Oh, Please!
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#10 RACING
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 11:51 PM |
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ChancesMom wrote: I HATE racing back to the yellow! As a racing Mom, it makes more than my butt pucker! I literally loose my breath when I see the yellow come out. It is sooooooo dangerous and just stupid......... IMO.
i also agree that is one of the stupidust dangerous rules there is that is when people start getting hurt when they do that
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speedbuggy
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Posted: Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 11:52 PM |
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GregB wrote: might be a stupid question but why do they race back to the yellow? Is there a benefit?
Because it makes your Butt Pucker
What other form of racing has a Butt Puckering finish?
But seriously, I agree with Mike.
Last edited on Monday Jun 23rd, 2008 11:54 PM by speedbuggy
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cjvg
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Posted: Tuesday Jun 24th, 2008 12:54 AM |
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ChancesMom wrote: ...Willamette is the last track in the State of Oregon to race back to the yellow.
...
Actually, Sunset's Coors Light Crate Model series is racing back to the yellow too.
The excuse I've heard is that the fans like it. Personally, if you are that bloodthirsty, go watch ultimate fighting.
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KeeVan_RaceFan100
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Posted: Tuesday Jun 24th, 2008 01:27 AM |
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| Chris i was about tp post that!
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ChancesMom
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Posted: Tuesday Jun 24th, 2008 02:08 AM |
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Yeah, I was told that same thing today. Is that something new or have they been doing that all along with the LM's at Sunset?
Those fans who only come to a dirt track to see crashes can go watch a Destruction derby! They can do alot more but I won't won't post that here............
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