7/17/2017
Tri-City Motor Speedway
7/14/2017 Race Results
07/14/2017 Thrivent Financial Feature Winners
Melling Select Performance Late Models: #24 Alex Hupert
Suspension MAXX Street Stocks: #x5 Eric Lake
Main Street Seed and Supply IMCA Modifieds: #98 Austin Wonch
Walker Ideal Trophies Mini Wedges: #15 Cole Doty
Thrivent Financial Faster Pastor: #63h Duane Harris (Auburn United Methodist Church)
Area Charities Win Big at Tri-City Motor Speedway
07/14/2017 (Auburn, MI) The weather over Tri-City Motor Speedway (TCMS) was certainly blessed this past Friday night as area pastors were on hand to compete in the annual Faster Pastor Race. In addition, a brilliant fireworks display from Wolverine Fireworks Display, Suspension MAXX truck drags, IMCA Modifieds, Late models, Street Stocks, and Mini Wedge cars were on hand to entertain the nearly full grandstands. Thrivent Financial was the night’s entertainment sponsor.
The 2016 version of the Faster Pastor race raised nearly $20,000 to area charities. Eleven area pastors were eager to get on the race track to represent their cheering sections and put on quite a show in the track-owned and prepared front wheel drive Bomber Stocks. Heat races were won by James Lounsberry (Midland Nazarene), Ean Green (Community Wesleyan), and Duane Harris (Auburn United Methodist Church). Those victories would earn them a spot in the feature event. Harris would start in the first position and was never challenged as he would take home the big trophy for the second year in a row. Lounsberry and Green would finish second and third. However, the biggest winners were the area charities that each pastor was representing. Nearly $30,000 was raised amongst all the churches!! This is a new record for this event.
Number 3 Mason Clements won his heat race in the Walker Ideal Trophies Mini Wedge Division. However, a mechanical failure would keep the young man from Bay City from competing in the ten lap feature. The four car field was brought to the green flag by #80 Preston Mieske. Mieske would lead a number of laps in the caution plagued event. Eight year old #15 Cole Doty would make his way from the rear of the field after an altercation earlier in the race to challenge Mieske for the lead. Doty would eventually make the winning pass and went on to capture the feature win. Point leader #7 Dakota Vennix, Mieske, and #36 Jennifer Young would complete the top four finishing positions.
Twenty-one Melling Select Performance Late Models led by heat race winner #6r Carl Ries and #14 Tyler Norton would take the green flag for their thirty lap main event. Ries would take command of the majority of the event. At times, he would stretch his lead to almost a full straightaway. The long green flag runs started to change track as more rubber was being laid down making it difficult to find grip. Opening night winner #24 Alex Hupert was able to find grip and speed in the bottom groove and began reeling in Ries. With five laps remaining, Hupert was battling Ries for the lead. He would complete the winning pass with three to go and captured his second win of 2017. The win would vault Hupert into a tie for the point lead with just three more point races left in the 2017 season. Ries would have to settle for a runner-up finish. The remainder of the top five included #19 Derrick Hilliker, #21d David Hilliker and defending track champion #4t Andrew Terrill. Hupert and #21s Steven Hilliker were also heat race winners.
Thanks to one of our long-time sponsors, that chose to remain anonymous, all twenty-five Main Street Seed and Supply Modified drivers would take the green flag on their main event. Front row starter #0 Will Small led a pair of opening laps before last week’s winner #7D Myron DeYoung took his turn at the front. #98 Austin Wonch was patiently working his way from the tenth place starting position to pressure DeYoung for the lead. Wonch and DeYoung would fight back and forth before Wonch would take the lead and clear DeYoung. DeYoung kept the pressure on the young Stanton driver but Wonch was able to hold on for his second career TCMS victory. DeYoung, #75 Roy Harvey, #71 Brenten DeYoung, and defending champion #20w AJ Ward completed the top five. #D42 Don Sautter won the B-main with #97 Nick Stormzand, #187 Gavin Hunyady, and M. DeYoung took the top spots in their respective heat races.
It was another tough field of Suspension MAXX Street Stocks. Point Leader #x5 Eric Lake would suffer a flat tire after contact from another car in his heat race. That would place Lake at the tail of the B-main. Lake would finish in second behind winner #02 Will Stanley to start seventeenth in the 20-lap main event. #16 Steve Doty, who couldn’t catch a break during the races the previous week, took advantage of his front row start and led a handful of opening laps. #7r Kevin Newcomb and #50 Jake Thompson would provide Doty quite a battle for the top spot. While they battled, Lake used the very top groove to catch the lead trio. He would cruise on by the competition to notch his sixth feature win of the season and extend his point lead. Behind Lake, it was Newcomb, Thompson, Stanley, and Doty. Newcomb, Thompson, and #91 Gary Shank were heat race victors.
This Friday at TCMS we welcome back the Great Lakes Super Sprint Series for their second of three visits in 2017. The Elgin Pro Stocks will be back in action as well as the Thornton Brothers Sewer and Septic Service Bomber Stocks. The Late Models and IMCA Modified cars will also be a part of the race program sponsored by Stretch Limo and United Financial Credit Union. Make sure you get to the track early to get the best seats!!! Remember there is no need to stand in line on race days anymore! Purchase your tickets online today at www.tricityracetrack.com!! Come on out for #fillthestandsFridays! The grandstand gates open at 5:30pm with practice beginning at 6:30. Family Fun Friday action begins at 7:55 with our preliminary races. Check out our website for more details of this and our other remaining shows for 2017.
Submitted By: Erika Puvalowski
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