Late Models Headline Big Night At East Bay Raceway Park
By Larry Jewett
For some racers, competing in one division is just not enough. Several drivers have done double duty and have had great success. On Saturday at East Bay Raceway Park, one driver took it to the next level and did it with a high degree of success.
Jeff Mathews started the night by winning the Limited Late Model main. After a brief Victory Lane celebrant, Mathews moved to the Late Model grid, starting and finishing fourth. He wasn't done, as he jumped into an Open Wheel Modified and brought home his third top five of the night, finishing third.
The Limited Late Model main event was scheduled for a 15-lap distance but the race was cut short to 10 laps due to time. Mathews dominated the entire event, taking the lead at the start with Timmy Bronson giving chase.
Heat winner Forrest Gough was on the move, working into the top five before two laps were completed. Bronson's mechanical woes allowed Gough into the top five with Bruce Harvey securing second a lap before. A seven-car pileup resulted in complete track blockage and a red flag. On the restart, Gough moved outside to challenge, but another caution flew.
Gough brought the car to the infield and out of action. David Simpson and the badly-battered car of Shane Koperda took positions within the top four. A few more cautions led to the decision to abandon the Delaware double file restart in favor of a single file go. Harvey dropped from contention with a flat tire and heat winner Ryan Mitchell started mounting a charge.
A frontstretch led t a two-driver ruckus as time expired. A green-white-checkered finish saw no one present a challenge to Mathews, who scored the win. Mitchell eased into second with Tommy Evonosky coming home third. Koperda and Michael Cherry, who moved to the class from the Street Stocks, logged top five runs.
A 25-lap presentation brought Late Models to the green with 2005 class champion David Schmauss to the front. Schmauss had his first challenge from opening night winner Phillip Cobb. Cobb, meanwhile, had his own work as Roger Crouse closed in to take the second spot.
Undaunted, Cobb tried to regain the spot and bid for the lead, but a yellow stopped that bid. On the lap 10 restart, Crouse made his move to slip past Schmauss for the lead. Marshall Austin climbed into the top three while Donnie Tanner and Jack Nosbisch Jr. were trading spaces in solid position battles. Austin took second from Schmauss on lap 17, but Schmauss returned the favor one circuit later.
Wallace Peacock moved into the top five with five laps to go as Tanner slowed with mechanical problems. When the checkered came out, it was Crouse who was directed to Victory Lane. Schmauss posted a decisive second with Austin third, ahead of Jeff Mathews and Wallace Peacock. Cobb and Schmauss won preliminaries.
The 4-Cylinder Bomber class started with Mario Shelton and last week's feature winner J.L. Moorehead claiming heats. In the main event, 19 cars started with Moorehead off to the early lead.
Opening night winner Michael Tuggle was the first challenge and things got a little heated as Tuggle made contact with Moorehead in making the pass, gaining the lead by the fourth lap. Several top runners were moving into positions within the top five.
Ken Laramee, who finished into the top five last week, ran a steady race to stay within the top five and out of harm's way. Shelton fell back in the early stages but rallied to become a factor with three laps to go. A late race restart could not provide enough chance for the field to catch Tuggle, who scored his second feature win in three weeks. Moorehead was second, ahead of Laramee. Shelton finished fourth with Kyle Eash credited with fifth.
A field of 24 cars lined up for the 15-laps of the Open Wheel Modifieds. John Bradley held the early race lead as Jamie Burrows moved quickly into the runnerup position, giving TD Racing the top two spots. Burrows took the lead on the fifth lap with Raymond Rogers moving into fourth. Rogers took third a lap later.
A strong move at the halfway mark saw Rogers slipping by two competitors to claim the top spot. Burrows hounded the new leader, looking for racing room all over the track. Bradley kept third until retiring with mechanical problems. Mathews inherited third and Burrows put his move on Rogers for the lead.
The move didn't stock as a caution flag waved for an incident in turn two, giving Rogers a new lease on life. Rogers held onto the top spot, claiming his first East Bay Modified win. Burrows claimed second. Mathews picked up his third top five finish of the night with a third place run. David Schmauss added his second top five with a fourth place finish while opening night feature winner Buzzie Reutimann came across fifth. The three Modified heats were won by Burrows, Mathews, and Bradley.
The Street Stocks closed the night's action with a short field for the feature, due in part to the high attrition in the heat races. Those preliminary events were won by Daniel Lewis and Charles Paris, who started on the front row, thanks to a no-inversion draw. Paris had the early lead as Lewis was immediately off the pace. Paris found last week's feature winner Paul Gibbs providing the first challenge and Gibbs wanted to use the outside line as his passage to the front.
On a restart, Gibbs, Paris and Donnie Reed were sparring for position when Reed and Paris made contact, sending the cars briefly airborne and resulting Paris and Gibbs out of the contest. The new leader became Lewis, who lost control shortly after the restart, handing the top spot to Cam Canova. Canova had Buck Woodhouse camped right behind him, but Canova's car was handling well.
Matthew Grissom, who had been in the pits earlier with a flat tire, charged back into contention, using the high side. Reed stayed in the top four. As the checkered came out, Canova had his first win of the year. He was trailed by Woodhouse, Grissom, Reed, and Tim Spencer.
Racing action returns to East Bay Raceway Park Saturday with a five-division program on tap. Complete information is available at www.eastbayracewaypark.com.
