7/2/2024
Cottage Grove Speedway
Henderson Wins Froggy 44; Towns, Points, Simmons, And Luckman Also Winners At Cottage Grove
Henderson Wins Froggy 44; Towns, Points, Simmons, And Luckman Also Winners At Cottage Grove
(Photo Courtesy of Jason Davenport Photography)
Cottage Grove, Oregon—Saturday, June 29th, would be the biggest Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact presented by Kiefer race of 2024 at Cottage Grove Speedway for the Froggy 44, run in tribute to the late Melvin Walker. The feature paid $444.00 to the winner. Also featured on the card were the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds presented by Wheeless Trailer Sales Service and RV Repair, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Roadhouse Billiards & Brew, Street Stocks, and Late Models.
The Froggy 44 finale started with Kerry Cooper pouncing ahead of Sutherlin standout Burnie Bryant. The Cottage Grove driver, Cooper, got a big lead as the race for second intensified between Sutherlin's Michael Kennerly and Melissa Bryant of Roseburg, with Melissa eventually securing second from Kennerly.
As the race stayed green, Burnie Bryant got around his daughter on lap eight and tried to catch up with Cooper to challenge for the lead. Cottage Grove's Dusten Henderson started to knock on the door for third. However, things would have to slow down on the tenth circuit due to a caution.
On the restart, Kennerly bounced back to fourth and obtained third with a pass around Melissa Bryant. But as the laps continued to get clicked off, Henderson would rebound to third with thirty-two to go. While all this happened, Cooper and Burnie Bryant were a close first and second. After a multi-car pile-up in turn two, the yellow flag returned on the fourteenth circuit.
On the ensuing restart, Burnie Bryant again tried to thread the needle under Cooper for first. Mike Wichert, from Eugene, put forth a strong effort to challenge Henderson for third, but Henderson held on. Pretty soon, the front four runners got in line in a DRS train, similar to a Formula One race.
A couple of caution flags would wave that kept the field stacked up. Henderson put up a great run on the outside and got past Burnie Bryant and eventually Cooper to become the new race leader on lap twenty-four. Cooper retained second while Wichert moved up to third.
The field began to get strung out a little bit as the race stayed green, but it allowed Henderson to construct a commanding lead over the rest of the competitors. When the double-checkers waved, the sixth-starting Henderson would be the winner, earning his second win of the season.
Burnie Bryant made a late-race move to get back into second after Cooper spun, but Cooper was able to recover and finish in third. Cottage Grove Lady Eagle racer Tiffany Towns was fourth, while Springfield teenager Charles Trissell earned fifth.
The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, presented by Wheeless Trailers Sales Service and RV Repair main event, touched off with a couple of Cottage Grove natives battling for the race lead. Brett Muth showed the way early as Braedon Hand had to settle for second in the Frank and Judy Brewer-owned entry. Curtis Towns, also from Cottage Grove, made it up to second on lap three and tried to run down Muth before the caution flag waved.
On the restart, Hand would try to reclaim the second from Towns. They both would carry a lot of speed and try to catch up with the leader, Muth. That battle would come to a halt with another caution on lap eight.
When the green flag resumed racing, Towns worked the high side, got the momentum swinging in his favor, and looked to finally pass Muth before yet another yellow flag came out with twelve to go.
Lap number thirteen would see Towns snatch the lead at the line to become the new race leader after the restart. Two other benefactors of the restart would also be Cottage Grove's Tyler Smith and Kevin Williamson from Coburg, and racing for Paul and Maria Culp would move into third and fourth. Eventually, Williamson got past Smith for third while Towns checked out from the rest of the field.
Towns would hold on to win his second race of the season at Cottage Grove and in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region. Muth was a respectable second, while Williamson held off Hand for third. Paul Rea wrapped up the Top 5 finishing order with fifth place.
Cottage Grove's Matt Brown battled hard with Jake DeWalt from Washougal, Washington, on the opening lap of the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod main event presented by Roadhouse Billiards & Brew. DeWalt beat Brown to the line of lap one but got a little too high in the second corner, creating a three-wide contest for the lead with Brown and Aaron Bloom from Creswell. Bloom made the bottom of the track work and successfully performed the double overtake to become the new race leader on the second circuit.
A yellow would regroup the field tightly. Defending Oregon State champion Trevor Points was nimble on the restart, storming into second and eventually challenging for the race lead. The Salem chauffeur would be the new pace setter on lap five and began to take off from the field's main body.
Around the same time, Hunter Bloom, from Springfield, maneuvered around Roseburg's Jordan Henry and DeWalt for third. The cousins Bloom would fight it out with each other, with neither party having a clear-cut advantage. The conflict would have a temporary ceasefire due to a lap ten stoppage.
When things got back to full speed, Hunter Bloom moved up to second while Corvallis' Jacob Shandy cracked into the Top 5 before moving into third on the twelfth trip past the flag stand. Shandy was not content with settling for third and began to pressure Hunter Bloom for the runner-up spot, but they would be interrupted by a lap fifteen caution.
When the green flag was released, Shandy and Hunter Bloom got right back to work. Shandy continued to work the bottom of the track while Hunter Bloom negotiated the top shelf. Neither driver had a clear-cut edge as the laps wound down.
While all this occurred, Points was in an element of his own. He went on to dominate the feature to win his first race of 2024 at CGS after starting ninth. It is his second overall win of the current campaign.
Hunter Bloom held on to second while third went to Shandy. Henry was credited with fourth, while Landyn Philpott ended the night fifth.
The Late Model main event started off with Eugene veteran Chuck Christian taking off on the start. He maintained a healthy lead before feeling pressure on lap three from Willie Sutton from Bellefountain. Christian did his best to keep him back, but Sutton would get underneath him on the sixth circuit.
Before too long, Preston Luckman would rip the top and became the new trailblazer with nine laps complete. The Coos Bay racer had a very fast hot rod, but in the last ten laps, Jake Mayden began to reel him in the last ten laps.
A pair of cautions in the final third kept everyone close. In the Tim Morgan-owned entry, Mayden tried his best to get past Luckman, but Luckman was just a little quicker and withstood all challenges. It is his win at Cottage Grove this season.
Mayden was second, followed by Albany's Randy Barley. Sutton ended the race fourth, followed by Craig Hanson, also of Albany, in fifth.
For the Street Stocks, Graig Osborne of Creswell and hometown racer Jared Simmons battled it out in the opening laps. Osborne eventually secured the race lead and tried to pull away, but Simmons kept him honest.
Simmons eventually got around Osborne on lap eight and began to pull away from second place. Simmons dominated the rest of the distance to win his second victory of the season at CGS.
Tahlan Rogers from Albany rallied late to procure second, with Camas Valley's Shannon Collins earning third. Osborne wound up fourth, with Adam Applebee of Eugene hitting the line fifth.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage
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