6/28/2024
Cottage Grove Speedway
Mayden, Shandy, Kennerly, And Applebee Earn First Wins Of 2024 In Midweek Madness At CGS
Mayden, Shandy, Kennerly, And Applebee Earn First Wins Of 2024 In Midweek Madness At CGS
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Jason Davenport Photography)
Cottage Grove, Oregon—Cottage Grove Speedway hosted its first of six Midweek Madness shows on Wednesday, June 27th, with four fiercely contested divisions on the card. They included the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds presented by Wheeless Trailer Sales Service and RV Repair, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Roadhouse Billiards and Brew, Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts presented by Kiefer, and the Street Stocks.
In the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event, presented by Wheeless Trailer Sales Service and RV Repair, fierce competition unfolded. Braedon Hand, racing for car owners Frank and Judy Brewer, and Curtis Towns battled for the top spot on the opening circuit. Towns grabbed the early race lead, but Jame Mayden would get into the mix.
The reigning track champion, Mayden, tried to slip underneath Towns on laps two and three, but Towns kept up his composure despite heavy assaults from the high side and the low line. As the race stayed green, some lapped traffic came into play on the eighth circuit.
The Springfield racer, Mayden, had his persistence pay dividends with a sweeping move on lap eleven to become the new race leader. Kevin Williamson would make a move around the outside of Towns to try and move into second, but the Coburg pilot, racing for car owners Paul and Maria Culp, would have to settle for third for the time being as Towns maintained the runner-up position.
As the race progressed without any interruptions, the field began to spread out. Mayden, with his exceptional driving skills, powered his way to a dominating win with a margin of victory of 6.826 seconds. This victory marks his first win of the season at Cottage Grove this year and in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region.
Williamson was able to perform an overtake for second on lap nineteen and would finish there. Towns was third, with Eugene veteran Paul Rea ending the evening in fourth. Cottage Grove's Brett Muth completed the balance of the Top 5 with his fifth-place run.
On the opening start of the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Roadhouse Billiards and Brew main event, Matt Brown jetted out in front of the rest of the pack out of turn four to control first place despite Corvallis' Jacob Shandy initially leading the field into the first set of corners. From Cottage Grove, Brown soared on the high side and constructed a decent lead within the first five circuits.
The first of three cautions came out on lap five, setting up a vital restart. Shandy ran down Brown after a couple of laps into the new run and managed to get to the front on the eighth trip past the flag stand.
Around lap ten, the race for third became interesting between Junction City youngster Mitchell Jamison and Jim Wulfenstein from Pahrump, Nevada. Jamison stayed ahead of the challenger and began to threaten Brown for second. Before Jamison could put a pass, Wulfenstein threaded the needle underneath him for third. But the race didn't cool down as Wulfenstein was overtaken the next time around.
The two drivers would fiercely go at it for third, which allowed Brown to create some distance. Wulfentstein would get back around Jamison with three to go just before the caution would come out. Unfortunately, the stoppage was for second-running Brown.
On the final restart, a three-car maelstrom for the runner-up spot erupted. Brown immediately tried to recover second, but Wulfenstein kept him in check, only for Jamison to get the position when the white flag waved.
Shandy cruised uncontested for his first win of the season. Jamison wound up second while Wulfenstein earned third. Brown came across the line in fourth, followed by Springfield's Brandon Norton in fifth.
For the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts presented by Kiefer, Melissa Bryant put the pedal to the metal on the opening start to seize first place on the opening lap. The Roseburg racer built a healthy lead in the early goings as a four-car race for third emerged. Marcola's Roger Bell did his best to stay ahead of Sutherlin's Burnie Bryant while fellow Sutherliner Michael Kennerly and hometown Lady Eagle racer Tiffany Towns were behind them.
With four circuits completed, Burnie Bryant moved into third. The race for second was entertaining; Springfield teenager Charles Trissell defended his position valiantly against Burnie, and before too long, it became a three-car tussle with Kennerly involved.
Kennerly got around Burnie Bryant with seven to go and finally got around Trissell on the sixteenth circuit. As the race remained stoppage-free, Kennerly quickly reeled in Melissa Bryant and seized the coveted position coming to the white flag.
Kennerly held on to win his first race of 2024 in exciting fashion after starting dead last. Melissa and Burnie Bryant would be the daughter-father combination, finishing second and third. Trissell wound up fourth, followed by Towns in fifth.
The Street Stock main event started with reigning track champion Graig Osborne showcasing his skill by taking control of the top-place position. As the Creswell chauffeur negotiated the bottom of the track, Cottage Grove's Jared Simmons demonstrated his driving prowess by trying to run the top line and swing around him. Osborne eventually kept him in check, but soon, a new threat emerged.
Adam Applebee, from Eugene, began to show some speed five laps into the race. He would get to the high part of the racetrack and seize the lead on the seventh circuit. Osborne quickly took it back, but a caution flag would be waved before it was considered a completed lap, giving the lead back to Applebee.
Applebee, showing his skill, was perfect on the restart, maintaining his lead. Meanwhile, Simmons and Osborne's battle for second was a display of their driving prowess. As Osborne took the outside groove, Simmons tried to get underneath him, but Osborne's skill kept him ahead and even allowed him to try to catch up to the leader.
Unfortunately, Osborne's pursuit got a bit too exciting, with six laps to go, causing him to get sideways. Simmons, not one to miss an opportunity, tried to make a move on Applebee on the final restart, making the race even more thrilling. But Applebee, with his consistent speed, managed to maintain his lead despite Simmons pulling alongside him a couple of times.
Applebee held on to win his first race of the season. Simmons was second, followed by Osborne, third. Shannon Collins, of Camas Valley, would be credited with fourth.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage
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