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Henry Van Dam Wins Marvin Smith Memorial Grove Classic; Hand, Landers, And T. Swaim Also Earn Wins

Henry Van Dam Wins Marvin Smith Memorial Grove Classic; Hand, Landers, And T. Swaim Also Earn Wins
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Madman Photography)
In front of a packed house Cottage Grove Speedway would host the Marvin Smith Memorial Grove Classic as well as Aesthetic Surgical Arts Ladies Night on Saturday May 31st. Classes on tap at the ¼-mile clay oval were the Huddle Automotive Repair 360 Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Hornets.

In the Huddle Automotive Repair 360 Sprints $4,100.00 was on the line to win the feature and attracted thirty Sprint Cars from the states of Oregon, Washington, California, and the Canadian Province of British Columbia. The main event would also be ran for forty-one laps in honor of the late Marvin Smith.

At the drop of the green flag Enumclaw, Washington’s Henry Van Dam would pace the field. Lapped traffic started to come in the picture several times but with cautions occurring every five or six laps the majority of the field would stay on the lead lap. Things would spice up on a restart on lap thirty with Chico, California’s Kyle Hirst making a breathtaking move to the bottom of the race track to seize the top spot on lap thirty-four.

Hirst, driving for Scott and Jason Finley in the Finley Farms/CLT Logging/Carlson Trucking/Rider Racing Engines #77 Maxim, would have his hands full as Van Dam would not let him out of his sights. Van Dam and Hirst would remain side by side for several with Van Dam utilizing the bottom of the track and Hirst the top. As one driver would seize the lead the other would perform a slide job in the next turn to take it right back.

After Van Dam was able to secure the lead on lap thirty-six Hirst tried to get it back but would go off the top of turn four nearly getting into the front stretch wall. Able to avoid disaster Hirst would get back on track brushing Stanwood, Washington’s Jared Peterson, who was running third. The set of events would allow Van Dam to cruise to the victory to earn his first career Grove Classic win and the first time that he has won at CGS since September of 2011. It was also the first triumph of 2014 for Henry and his Kovash Logging/Johansen Excavating/FK Shocks/Big Al Kids & Motorsports Foundation #33V A.R.T.

A respectable second was Kyle Hirst followed by Jared Peterson, in the Roger Henderson owned Island Muffler and Brake/Cascade Metal Recycling/Bailey Brothers Performance Center #7N KPC, in third. The balance of the top five would consist of Quilcene, Washington’s J.J. Hickle in his Meyer Electric/Go Fast Stuff/Speedmart Inc. #3 XXX in fourth while fifth would go to the Cook Crane Corporation/Linder Powdercoating/Speedmart Inc./Rodgers Racing Engines #22 KPC of Garen Linder from Central Point.

Picking up the Jim’s Tire Factory quick time award was Henry Van Dam while four heat races were contested. Winners in the heats were Garen Linder, Colin Baker of Cottage Grove driving for car owner Hedge Carter and the Hedge Carter Continuous Gutter Service/Oregon West RV/Steelhouse Metal Roofing Supply/Huddle Automotive Repair #71 XXX, Cottage Grove’s Dale Smith in the Marvin Smith Auto Repair/Body Works Salon #41 Maxim for car owner Kim Smith, and Kyle Hirst. Picking up the win in the Trophy Dash was Henry Van Dam while the Napa Auto Parts of Klamath Falls/Lucas Oil Products/Lonnie’s Auto Body/Rodgers Racing Engines #5N Maxim of Seth Nunes from Medford was the consolation feature winner. A fan favorite contest was held with the winner being Dale Smith.

In the IMCA Modified feature Ricky Ashley from Thurston was the car to beat for much of the race in the BC Motorsports/Clark Printing Company/Todd’s Auto Body #41 Williamson. Ashley would lead for much of it until Cottage Grove’s Braedon Hand would pass him. Hand would lead the rest of the distance to earn his third win of the season and his second consecutive visit to victory lane in his D&D Automotive/Vintage Inn Family Restaurant/KNND 1400 AM/RDH Racing #5 Shaw by S.D.M.F. entry.

Ashley would be a respectable second followed by Tom Berry Jr. from Medford in the Berry’s Oak Grove Storage/B.R.E. Race Cars/Bilstein Shocks/Hilltop Excavation & Construction #11X B.R.E. in third. The Dog House Racing/Payroll Specialties Inc./Hoppes Construction/Schram Brothers Excavating #M1 Impressive of Jacksonville chauffeur Mark Wauge was fourth while fifth went to Troy McElroy of Shady Cove in the Left Coast Motorsports/BSB Manufacturing/Siskiyou Pump Service/Rocket Designs #57M Swartz.

Earning the Jim’s Tire Factory quick time award was Dave Duste Jr. from Central Point in his Dusty’s Transmissions/R.C. Machine Shop/Bee Sign/Quality Tire #73M Lightning. Heat race winners were Braedon Hand and Cottage Grove’s Curtis Towns in the X-Factor Race Cars/West End Performance/Valley Rose Construction/IBEW Local 280 #24 X-Factor while picking up the Trophy Dash win was Towns.

The Street Stock feature was a great race. Evan Britton of Cottage Grove was the car to beat for several laps. Britton would set the pace in his Dot’s Trophy Shop/Ollivant Timber Management/Howell Logging/Gilkison & Dad Inc. #85 Nova. Unfortunately he would get sideways on lap nine while leading.

That would give the top spot to two-time champion T.J. Langan of Fall Creek making a rare appearance and driving his father Tom’s D&L Truck Parts/Engine Research Development #74 Nova. Langan would lead for much of the remainder until Matt King would make a move for the lead. King would obtain the position and cross the stripe first in his Mid-Valley Metal Recycling/Warp Graphix/King Racing #7K Oldsmobile.

However once post-race inspections were concluded several entries were disqualified giving the win to the Swan & Sons Woodworking/Smart Solutions #17Z Camaro of Ethan Landers from Bend. Earning the Jim’s Tire Factory quick time award was Ethan Landers while earning the victory in heat race and Trophy Dash action was T.J. Langan.

In the Hornet feature Chris Pierce would lead early in his #28 Chevy Cavalier. But on lap three he would lose the lead to Taunton Swaim of Dexter. Swaim, driving for owner Randy Kuhl in the Bigg Dogg Recycling/DT Machine & Fabrication/Big B Tire/Rapid Delivery Services #17 Toyota Tacoma, would lead the rest of the distance of the caution free main event to earn his third win at CGS in 2014.

Chris Pierce was second while crossing the wire in third was Cottage Grove’s James Deatherage in his D&D Automotive/Furniture Options/BC Motorsports/Harris Machine & Design #7D Chevy Cavalier. Eric Cooper, also of Cottage Grove, was fourth in the Eastside Rollforming Specialties #32 Nissan 200SX while the Burnett Builders/Thela’s Custom Jewelry #7C Nissan 200SX of Westfir driver Josh Corley was fifth.

Earning the Jim’s Tire Factory quick time award was Chris Pierce. Heat races were won by James Deatherage and Veneta’s Joe Maricle in the Maricle Stainless #11 Honda Civic DX entry with the Marvin Smith Auto Repair/Body Works Salon/Bigg Dogg Recycling #41 Honda Prelude of Jim Simmons from Cottage Grove winning in the Trophy Dash.

Cottage Grove Speedway will be back in action next Saturday June 7th for Kid’s Night at the Races. All Children 12 and Under get into the races for FREE. Classes in action include the Northwest Extreme Sprints, Late Models, Northwest Extreme Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Dwarf Cars. Saturday the Pit Gates will open at 2:00 PM, Front Gates open at 4:00, and Racing starts at 6:45. Tickets are Adults $12.00 and Seniors/Military/Juniors (13-18) $10.00. For more information log on to www.cottagegrovespeedway.com.

Race Summary:
Saturday May 31st, 2014
Marvin Smith Memorial Grove Classic/Aesthetic Surgical Arts Ladies Night/Race #7
Cottage Grove Speedway
Cottage Grove, Oregon

Huddle Automotive Repair 360 Sprints
A Feature: 1. 33V-Henry VanDam; 2. 77-Kyle Hirst; 3. 7N-Jared Peterson; 4. 3-J.J. Hickle; 5. 22-Garen Linder; 6. 71-Colin Baker; 7. 9R-Reece Goetz; 8. 4J-Allison Journey; 9. 44W-Austen Wheatley; 10. 0J-Jay Cole; 11. 68-Rob Held; 12. 26F-Shane Forte; 13. 22R-Mike Romig; 14. 4-Jesse Thistle; 15. 7K-Kyle Mehner; 16. 41-Dale Smith; 17. 5N-Seth Nunes; 18. 75H-Danny Horner; 19. 12-Jared Ridge; 20. 16-Nick Tomlinson; 21. 2-Kyle Miller

B Feature: 1. 5N-Seth Nunes; 2. 26F-Shane Forte; 3. 4J-Allison Journey; 4. 7K-Kyle Mehner; 5. 75H-Danny Horner; 6. 21-Mike Griffith; 7. 28-Mark Herz; 8. 8J-Brady Janson; 9. 4E-Nathan Ellertson; 10. 5D-Patrick Dills; 11. 71JR-Colby Carter; 12. 89-Sterling Kane; 13. 18-Mike Carrothers; 14. 70-Raquel Ivie

IMCA Modifieds
A Feature: 1. 5-Braedon Hand; 2. 41-Ricky Ashley; 3. 11X-Tom Berry Jr.; 4. M1-Mark Wauge; 5. 57M-Troy McElroy; 6. 73M-Dave Duste Jr.; 7. 24-Curtis Towns; 8. 9-David Schmidt; 9. 33C-Craig Hanson; 10. W6-Kelly Williamson; 11. 77-Kreg Britton; 12. ZERO-Dustin Comer; 13. 44-Greg McDonald; 14. 11-Steven Sturdevant; 15. 10-Gus Cooper; 16. 5M-Jake Mayden

Street Stocks
A Feature: 1. 17Z-Ethan Landers; DNS 0-Mark Henderson; DNS 0 1/2-Dusten Henderson; DNS 47-Chuck Corey; 5. 7K-Matt King; 6. 74-T.J. Langan; 7. 73-Darin Crooks; 8. 00-Steve Begley; 9. 85-Evan Britton

Hornets
A Feature: 1. 17-Taunton Swaim; 2. 28-Chris Pierce; 3. 7D-James Deatherage; 4. 32-Eric Cooper; 5. 7-Josh Corley; 6. 30-K.C. Scott; 7. 89-Jim Simmons; 8. 11-Joe Maricle; 9. 23F-Marcel Forte; 10. 2-Driver #2; DNS 48-Mike Swaim

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