Dodge City Raceway Park

DCRP Smackdown
by Ami K. Claussen, Track Press

Saturday night's races at Dodge City Raceway Park were reminiscent of television's wrestling craze, with the frame slamming, paint swapping, sheet metal trashing, tire blasting mania continuing through all the featured classes.

First up were the Hornets, always a good class to watch for frame-on-frame contact. Russell Tipton (#39, Dodge City) set the pace, but Dwayne Bowman (#47, Syracuse) was up to challenge high and got by into turn two. Roderick Baker (#07, Dodge City) stole by on the low side, and snagged second. Baker then grabbed the lead as Bowman suffered visible troubles on the back straight-away. Baker held for the win. Heat two kicked off with Stephen Dent (#40, Larned) in the lead. Robbie Perkins (#55, Dodge City) shot by on the high side as Steve Johnson (#85, Cimarron) sat snug in third. Perkins continued to widen his lead all the way to the checkered.

Zach Crotts (#10, Dodge City) got the jump on the field, and the Super Hornet heats were underway. Tommy Wessell (#21, Dodge City) blew by on the low side, and was unbeatable to the win. On the move at the drop of the green flag, Alex Wessell (#7, Dodge City) was up through the middle to take the lead as Brian Shirley (#18, Dodge City) grabbed the second spot from the low side. Shirley set to work on Wessell, David Guinn (#61, Dodge City) solid in the number three spot. Wessel grabbed the win.

Rolling out next were the Modifieds, in two heats. Scott Brown (#38, Great Bend) shot ahead as the pack balled up off turn one. Cody Gearhart (#1M, Turpin, OK) worked into the second spot, but with Danny Keller (#98, Dodge City) glued to his bumper. Keller got by Gearhart, and nosed past Brown on the white flag lap for the win. Chadd Brown (#B21, Great Bend) was the early leader of heat two, as David Brock (#0, Great Bend) came up through the middle for second. Brad Keller (#98K, Dodge City) spun off turn two, and out came the caution. Brown led on the restart, while Brock eyed the low groove and the lead. Brock got by off turn two, and John Scwab (#5, Liberal) followed suit and snagged the second seat. Brock skated high off turn four, and Schwab was there to grab the lead and the win.

The Pure Stocks took over the oval, Chad Kelley (#57, Dodge City) with the charge to turn one. Mitch Bergkamp (#17M, Meade) and Robin Bailey (#82, Dodge City) tried valiantly to chase Kelley down from second and third, but Kelley held for the win.

Brandon Nau (#22, Spearville) got the jump on the Street Stock pack, while Justin Weil (#97, Dodge City) challenged William Joyce (#J14, Sublette) for spot number two. Weil got by off turn four, but Joyce was unwilling to go down without a fight. Ahead of the battle, Nau cruised across the line for the win. Bob Bailey (#84, Dodge City) grabbed the lead at the drop of the green for heat two, Chris Schultz (#18, Dodge City) looking to the low side. Tom Rosedahl (#29R, Lacrosse) worked up to third, but slid high off turn one and nearly smacked the wall. Bailey led on the restart while Schultz, trying to get by in the high groove, narrowly avoided the wall as the two traded paint on the back stretch. Successful, Schultz pulled off the win.

After a short intermission, the Hornets set the stage for the feature action to come. Tipton was once more quick on the draw for the early lead, but couldn't shake Perkins, who stole by through lapped traffic. Jordan Herrera (Youth #44, Dodge City) got loose going into turn two, and mowed a rather wide swath of outer-field grass in his attempt to regain control. The race progressed into an all-out free-for-all, a definite challenge to determine exactly who was leading. First to the checkered was Perkins for the Hornets, and T.K. Burdett, (#14, Dodge City), for the Youths.

The professionals of inner-track mayhem, the Super Hornets buzzed to life as Allen Burdett (#13, Dodge City) led the charge. Crotts took the middle by storm, and took hold of the second spot. Out of nowhere, Alex Wessell grabbed the lead as Jim Dwyre (#74, Ingalls) and Jim Butcher (#30, Dodge City) got hooked on each other coming off turn one. The yellow caution became a red halt as safety crews worked to pry apart the bumpers of the two cars. Alex Wessel led on the restart, Crotts, and brother Tommy Wessell, on his bumper. Quickly clear of Crotts, Tommy dished out some brotherly love to Alex's rear bumper in a challenge for the lead. Alex held him off for the win.

The Modified feature went from green to yellow in the blink of an eye, as the field balled up behind race leader Brown. DCRP's equivalent to NASCAR's "big one", nearly every car suffered damage of some sort. The surviving competitors restarted double-file, Schwab pulling ahead as turn two was successfully navigated on the second attempt. Brown settled into second, with Jim Bell (#22B, Hoisington) just behind. Brock spun between turns three and four, bringing out the caution for a second time. Schwab skated out of the groove off the restart, almost allowing Brown to grab the lead. Brock battled back to fifth while Bell left the race with major sheet metal damage and a downed back right tire. Schwab again set the pace off the restart, but tag-team efforts by Chadd and Scott Brown placed Chadd in the hot seat. Schwab shot back to the front while Brock, again with troubles on the north bank, spun off turn three and slammed into the turn four wall. Trying to avoid the slaughtered Brock, Scott Brown and Danny Keller spun on the front straight-away. The caution flag waved a third time as the pack regrouped behind leader Schwab. Despite further scuffles and shuffles, Schwab secured the win.

A select few Hornets came again as four of Dodge City's evangelists tested their mettle against the inner asphalt for the first time. Pedal on the floor as if Satan were in the back seat, all four drivers screeched around the track with eye-popping abandon. Oblivious of the yellow flag indicating caution, the pastors gleefully exorcised the cars with moxie and momentum. Rounding the track on the final lap, Valeca Myers (First Church of the Nazarene) lost the tire on her chariot and came to an abrupt halt on the grass off turn two. When questioned about the incident as a tow chain was secured to her bumper, she merely asked, "Are they going to give me another car?"

Not to be outdone, the Pure Stocks displayed a competitive spirit far outstripping their small number. Kelley and Bailey tied for the early lead, and remained side by side into turn one. Kelley pulled ahead, while Bergkamp went for second on the low side. Parker Leighty (#58, Cimarron), a lone Cruiser joining the Pure Stocks, worked his way forward to challenge Kelley for the lead. Three wide into turn four as all refused to give an inch, Kelley nosed ahead as Bergkamp and Leighty were shuffled back. Leighty tangled with Bailey, and Bailey spun off turn two. Kelley led on the restart, and remained in the lead to the finish line.

In typical Street Stock fashion, the action never slowed from green flag to checkered. Bailey led off the line as Nau charged up through the middle to grab second. Doug Bauer (#44, Lamar, CO) spun off turn two, effectively relocating the tractor tire barrier as he gathered up his ride and avoided a caution. Joyce lost it off turn three, and Dennis Watts (#51, Ashland) took the apron to avoid him. Caught up in the mess before the caution flew, Weil cut a back right tire. He was back in flash, and stayed on the lead lap when the field restarted behind Bailey. Bailey got squirrelly off turn four, and both Nau and Schultz moved in for the kill. Schultz proved the faster predator, and nosed ahead. Nau blew by Bailey, hot for Schultz's rear deck. Squabbling on the back stretch, Nau stole by on the low side and nearly spun Debbie Colpetzer (#29, Dodge City) while trying to hold of Schultz. Solid in the lead, Nau took the checkered.

As a final grace to the evening, four Hornets took the oval for the Faster Pastor race. Myers, equipped with another car, found herself displaying the patience of Job as DCRP staff attempted to push the car to life. The green flag dropped, and Jim Aimes (#07, Abundant Life Family Church) got the jump on the other three. Myers and Todd Guinn (#18, First United Methodist Church) swapped paint on the back straight-away, and Myers opted to let Guinn pass. Carl Nance (#1, Victory Life Fellowship) got by Aimes, and the lead changed hands. Guinn joined the fight for second, challenging on the high side. Nance held for the win, followed closely by Guinn and Aimes in second and third, respectively.

The action is just heating up at DCRP, with many more exciting events to come. If you haven't been trackside, you're missing out on a "smashing" good time! Race events, dates and times are available on the website at www.dodgecityraceway.com. What are you waiting for? Let's go racing!