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Stemler Holds of Marcoullier in Challange Series Race at Tri-City

7/25/2020: (Auburn, MI): The gates of the Tri-City Motor Speedway opened to another action packed show this past Friday night. The 3/8ths (0.375) mile high banked dirt oval hosted race #4 for the Allstar Performance Challenge Series presented by American Ethanol. This season long series of races hosted by Tri-City Motor Speedway and Merritt Speedway puts some of the best drivers in the high-powered UMP DIRTcar Late Model division going head to head for the best payouts in the state of Michigan, all leading to season championship paying $10000 to the champion. The late models raced for a $3000 to win main event. The show also featured a $600 to win special for the Auto Value Pro Stocks. The Land Automotive IMCA Modifieds, Suspension Maxx Street Stocks, XLT Engineering Four & Six Cylinders, and Allstar Performance Mini-Wedges were also on hand for the show.

The Allstar Performance Mini-Wedges began the night’s festivities with their heat races and feature events ran back to back. The “Restricted” (restrictor plate) division was up first. Jett Gohr score the feature win over Addy Wade and Carson Murphy. Then Cole Shanteau won the “Un-Restricted” (No restrictor plate) division. Brennan DeShano, Kyron DeShano, Morgan Bujarski, and Pierson DeShano rounded out the top five. The heat races were also won by Gohr (restricted) and Shanteau (un-restricted).

Loren Short and Teri Lynn Murphy led out the 20-lap main event for the Auto Value Pro Stocks. The green flag waved to begin the affair and it was 2018 track champion Kendall Morrison who would lead the opening circuit. Morrison would be challenged on lap 3 by a charging Nate Murphy who started sixth and was able to take the lead. Murphy would go on from there to pick up the win. This was the first win of the season for Murphy, the 31-year old from Coleman, Michigan in his American Sewer Cleaners #69. Morrison took second. Kyle Hunt, TJ Gilbert, and Marc Super rounded out the top five. Hunt and Nate Murphy won the heat races.

The Lane Automotive IMCA Modified hit the track next for their 25-lap feature event. Mike Stevenson and Dillion Gentry brought the field down to the green flag. Gentry jumped out front in the early going. On lap 3 15-year old Chase Burda would grab the lead but would be answered on the next lap by Craig Vance. Vance would lead until lap 10, when Chad Bennett would make the pass for the lead. Bennett seemed to have the race won, but 18-year old Michael Luberda would power his way passed Bennett with 2 laps remaining and would go on to pick up the win. The 18-year old from Au Gres, Michigan picked up his first win of the year in the Outdoor Adventures #1w. Bennett had to settle for second. 2019-track champion Matt Szecsodi, 2018-track champion Nate Jones, and Vance made up the rest of the top five. Vance and Jones were the heat race winners.

The XLT Engineering Bombers Stocks competed in a 15-lap main led by Nick Bullock and Troy Deuscher. Bullock took the lead after the opening circuit. There would be a lead change on lap 7 when Don Frohm completed the pass for the lead. Frohm held the lead until the display of the white flag when Ashley Vanauken powered her way past with the lead after working her way up from starting tenth. Frohm finished second. Brad Treichel, Derek Moe, and Bullock finished off the top five. Chris Wassmann, Paul Streeter, and Brian Kloha won the heats.

The $3000 to win main event for the Allstar Performance challenge series presented by American Ethanol hit the speedway for the 50-lap A-Main. Chad Finley and Cody Bauer brought the 22-car field down to the green flag. Bauer stormed off with the race advantage after lap 1. Bauer held the lead until lap 7 when Finely took the lead away. On lap 11 Dona Marcoullier would take the lead for himself which lasted until lap 25 when it was Travis Stemler turn to take the top position. Stemler commanded the lead until Marcoullier would work his way back to the lead with 4 laps to go, but Stemler would regain the lead on lap 48 and go on to get the big payday. This was the first win of the year for Stemler, the 29-year old driver from Ionia, Michigan behind the wheel of the Heinz Tree Service #4. Marcoullier finished second. 2015-track champion David Hilliker, 3-time UMP DIRTcar National Champion Rusty Schlenk, and 2019-track champion Derek Hilliker completed the top five. 3-time track champion Andrew Terrill won the last chance qualifier. David Hilliker, Schlenk, Bauer, and Marcoullier won the heats. David Mielke was the overall fast qualifier with a time of 12.815.

The final race of the night was the feature event for the Suspension Maxx Street Stocks which saw Benjamin Gonzalez and Loren Short on the front row. The event would belong to Loren Short who lead much of the affair. Jacob Flickinger finished just behind in second. Nick Putman, Jason Begeman, and Mike Vandecar finished the top five finishers. Pat Kisser, Begeman, and Flickinger won the heat races.

Tri-City Motor Speedway will return next Friday July 31st with a full race program. The UMP DIRTcar Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Street Stocks, Bomber Stocks, and Mini-Wedges will all be on hand. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for the latest updates.

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