6/4/2017
Tri-City Motor Speedway
6/2/2017 Race Results
6/2/2017 Blood Drive Night
Melling Select Performance Late Models: #6M Dona Marcoullier
Elgin Stocks: #69 Nate Murphy
Suspension Maxx Street Stocks: #X5 Eric Lake
Thornton Brothers Sewer and Septic Service Bomber Stocks: #18 Nick Putman
Walker’s Ideal Trophies Mini Wedge: #7 Dakota Vennix
Main Street Seed and Supply IMCA Modified #42 Craig Vance
Come from behind wins the name of the game on Blood Drive Night at Tri-City Motor Speedway
6/2/2017 (Auburn MI) The first starting spot didn’t guarantee a win last Friday night at Tri-City Motor Speedway, as the pole sitter failed to win every feature during the fifth night of racing of the 2017 season, which featured several cars battling from the back to take the checkered flag up front during an exciting evening of action. Eighty-eight cars were on hand across the six racing classes on Blood Drive night.
The Walker’s Ideal Trophies Mini Wedge division was the first to take the green on their feature action Friday night, and was also the closest a winner would start to the front all night long, as Linwood’s #7 Dakota Vennix would take the win from a second-place starting position. It was Vennix’s second feature win in a row, and just the second in his career, as he took the checkered flag in the 10-lap caution-free race. #36 Jeniffer Young brought the field to the green, with Vennix starting on the outside. #15 Cole Doty would come home second after a third-place starting spot, followed by #3 Mason Clements, Young and #80 Preston Mieske. Vennix started his night by getting a win in his heat race as well. Vennix leads the points by 10 over Doty.
The next class to take to the track would be the Thornton Brothers Sewer and Septic Service Bomber Stocks. #18 Nick Putman would overcome starting in the fourth and final position in the feature to take the win in the 15-lap event. It was the second win in a row and the third of the season for the Kawkawlin driver. Putman battled with #66 Mike Schnettler of Midland to take home the win, with Schnettler taking second. #7 John Staszak would take home third place with #03 Josh Charbonneau finishing fourth with a DNF. Putman now leads the points by three over Schnettler, with Charbonneau trailing in third by 13 points.
Twenty-one Suspension MAXX Street Stocks then took to the track for their 20-lap feature, which had some of the best three and four-wide racing of the night throughout. X5 Eric Lake out of Montrose would once again prevail for his third win of the season after a second-place finish the previous week, coming from an eighth-place starting position. Lake battled back and forth with a hard-charging M65 Rick Spencer of Whittemore for the win, but was ultimately able to hold Spencer off. Spencer would come home second on the night after starting in the back of the field in 18th. #67 Ryan Fitzgerald, #91 Gary Shank and #23 Garrett Laudenslager rounded out the top-five. Lake is now 26-points ahead of #15.2 Robert Cunningham, with Cunningham taking a 13th-place finish in the feature.
Next to hit the dirt were the Main Street Seed and Supply IMCA Modifieds, as #42 Craig Vance was able to overcome a 17th-place starting spot in the 21-car field to take home the win. Contact in turn one ended the night the #71 Timmy Near, as he finished 19th with a DNF after battling with Vance. #03C Chris Cohoon came home in second, #187 Gavin Hunyady finished third, points leader #19JR Kody Johnson finished fourth from a last-place starting position and #511 Chaz Pray rounded out the top five. Johnson leads #19 Joey Fowler by 11 points in the standings going into racing this Friday.
A 21-car field of Melling Select Performance Late Models took to the track next. #6M Dona Marcoullier made his third appearance of the season, taking home his second win after starting fifth on the night. Marcoullier was able to move to the front early and tried to pull away, as he dominated the class. #4T Andrew Terrill came home in second while #3 Kyle Roberts maintained his points lead with a third-place finish. #21D David Hilliker came home fourth and #76 Torrey Ahrens finished fifth. Lansing’s #51 Chad Finley led the field to the green fresh off a heat race win before fading to seventh in the feature.
The final race of the night was the night was the Elgin Pro Stocks which saw #69 Nate Murphy battling back from a 10th-place starting spot to take his second win in a row, second of the season and second of his career. Murphy is undefeated after a crash left him on his lid the third week of the season. Murphy was able to fight through challenges from several tough competitors to take home the win. #K11 Kendall Morrison took over the points lead in the pro stock division with a second-place finish after starting 17th, while #28 Jared Rizer took third, #9 Marc Super finished fourth and #J3 Tim Murphy finished fifth. Murphy led the field to the green and hung out in the front of the field all night, as did Super and Rizer, who were unable to hold off the charges from back in the field from Morrison and Murphy. Kendall leads #44 Jeff Haley by seven points in the standings.
More great racing is on hand this Friday night as the Great Lakes Super Sprints make their first appearance of the season at Tri-City Motor Speedway, with racing courtesy of Stanford LP Gas Co. Other classes include the IMCA Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Street Stocks, Bomber Stocks and Mini Wedges, as the Late Models will have the night off. Don’t wait in line on race days anymore! Purchase your tickets online at www.tricityracetrack.com !! The gates open at 5:00pm with practice beginning at 6:30. Family Fun Friday action begins at 7:55 with our preliminary races. Make plans now to attend the special Father’s Day Monster truck show while tickets are still available. All the details for this event and the rest of the 2017 schedule are online now at www.tricityracetrack.com/schedule.
Article Credit: Eric Young
Submitted By: Erika Puvalowski
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