5/24/2021
Cottage Grove Speedway
James, Mayden, Whisler, Schmidt, And Martin Earn CGS Fan Appreciation Night Wins
James, Mayden, Whisler, Schmidt, And Martin Earn CGS Fan Appreciation Night Wins
By Stephanie Deatherge
(Photo Courtesy of JRP Racing Photos)
Cottage Grove, Oregon- Fan Appreciation Night made its glorious return to Cottage Grove Speedway on Saturday, May 22nd. It was the first time since 2019 that popular event had been to the historic ¼-mile clay oval and featured three Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing program classes. A total of five divisions were on the card, including the Todd’s Auto Body Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, Late Models, Royalty Core IMCA Northern Sport Mods, and IMCA Sport Compacts.
Bricen James took over the top spot on the opening start of the Todd’s Auto Body Sprints. The Albany racer, racing for car owner Brian Crockett, dominated the feature that witnessed just a single stoppage on lap seven. James went on to win his first Sprint Car race since suffering an injury in the Fall of 2017 at CGS. Bricen is the third different winner in four races, and it is the first of his career in the division.
David Marble, of Shady Cove, was second with third going to Pat Desbiens, from Sutherlin. Eureka, California teenager Anissa Curtice and Winston’s Tyrell Mead were fourth and fifth.
The IMCA Modifieds had an action-packed twenty-five-lap feature. Keno youngster Jeffrey Hudson stormed to the front at the drop of the initial green flag. Hudson, racing for car owner Dan Roemer, remained out in front for quite a bit of time until Jake Mayden overtook him on lap nineteen.
Jake Mayden, from Springfield, assumed the point when he navigated his way past Jeffrey Hudson for the lead. Mayden managed to fend off a hard-charging Bricen James, pulling double duty, to earn his second consecutive win in the IMCA Modifieds despite some hefty traffic. He is the first repeat winner in class and KMJ Performance Oregon State action.
Bricen James was the runner-up, while Cottage Grove’s Curtis Towns ended the night third. Matthew Drager, from Albany, came to the line in fourth, with fifth going to Chad Groves of Bend.
In Late Model competition, Scio’s Rob Campos set a rapid on the first lap. However, he would be passed by Joey Tanner on the second circuit of the thirty-lap main event. Tanner, of Portland and racing the Ray Mitchell-owned machine, was very quick but was not able to construct too large of lead due to four stoppages.
While in traffic, Jimmy Whisler made a bonsai move underneath Tanner to obtain first place on lap twenty-six. Whisler, from Otis, went on to win the race to make it four different winners in as many races in 2021.
Joey Tanner was a close second, followed by Toledo native Jordan Wright, in third. The rest of the top five consisted of Gresham’s Jason Johnson and Mike Peters, of Cottage Grove and racing for his brother Ed, in fourth and fifth.
Roseburg’s Jordan Henry was the initial leader in the twenty lap Royalty Core IMCA Northern Sport Mod main event. Henry stayed there for most of the first half of the race but eventually was overtaken after a restart. David Schmidt, also of Roseburg, was the one to perform the pass and secured the top place position on lap nine.
Schmidt wasn’t entirely out of the woods yet as he had to deal with three cautions. Despite the slowdowns, David was still the leader and went on to win his first race of 2021 at Cottage Grove Speedway and KMJ Performance Oregon State competition. However, it is his second win of the entire campaign as he scored a victory at Nevada’s Battle Mountain Raceway on Friday, May 14th.
Springfield racers Dustin Comer and Shawn Hand were second and third in the finishing order. Jordan Henry ended the race fourth over fifth, finishing Aaron Bloom, now residing in Winston. Corbett teenager Skyler Winebager won the consolation feature earlier in the program.
For the twenty-lap IMCA Sport Compact main event, Michael Kennerly got off to a fast start. The Oakland resident had to deal with several yellow flags, which took lapped traffic out of the mix for a while. However, Bradley Martin got by Kennerly shortly after a lap seven restart.
Martin, from Dexter, stayed in first place the rest of the distance to win his first career IMCA Sport Compact main event at Cottage Grove Speedway and in KMJ Performance Oregon State action. He is the third different victor in six races at “The Grove.”
Michael Kennerly hit the line second while Cottage Grove’s Kerry Cooper got third. Barry Cannon, also from Dexter, was fourth with fifth going to Tiffany Towns of Cottage Grove.
Cottage Grove Speedway returns to racing on Saturday, May 29th. Classes in action include the Northwest Focus Midget Series, Todd’s Auto Body Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, Late Models, and Royalty Core IMCA Northern Sport Mods. Sunday will have the return of the Midgets and Sprints and Street Stocks, IMCA Sport Compacts, and Senior Sprints in attendance. For more information, log on to the track website and Facebook page.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage
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