First time winners and flashing lights were headlining the second annual "Battle of the Badges" night at Double-X Speedway on Sunday. Law enforcement personnel from across the state converged on Double-X Speedway for friendly competition, but it was a first time winner that stole the show.
The very competitive street stock division saw third-generation driver Cole Henson hold off challenges of wily veterans to register his first ever feature victory. The youngster from Russellville put the field on notice that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with as he first racked up a convincing heat race victory. That put him alongside veteran Steve Beach to start the feature event.
Starting in row two were last week's feature winner Brandon Dunham and multi-time track champion John Clancy Jr. With this level of talent the feature was shaping up to be a good one.
When the green flag dropped Henson outran Beach into turn one but it was for naught as the yellow flag came out before a lap was in the books. On the restart, Henson again took the lead into turn one from his outside front row starting spot. While Henson was concentrating on hitting his marks, Beach, Dunham and Clancy were battling for the two, three and four positions.
Dunham would take the second spot on lap nine only to surrender it to Beach on the following lap. Henson would continue to lead until a lap-12 yellow collected Dunham and Clancy in turn four. On the restart, young Henson was able to hold off the hard charging Beach to claim his first feature win.
Beach would come home second, Dale Berry finished third after the first lap caution which sent him to the tail of the line up. Brandon Dunham recovered to take fourth and Jeff Offerman drove a steady race to finish fifth. John Clancy Jr. was sixth, James Keeran completed the running cars at the checker to take seventh.
In the winged sprint cars, Jonathan Cornell continued his mastery of the quarter mile by claiming the feature victory. The high groove was definitely to Cornell's liking as he rode the cushion to the win over a hard charging Cody Baker. Baker battled much of the race with Tyler Blank Evan Martin and Ricky Stangl.
At the checker following Cornell and Baker were Blank in third, Martin in fourth and Stangl completing the top five. Martin, Cornell and Baker claimed the heat race victories. These drivers are all tuning up for the Clyde Wood Memorial season-ending ASCS race on August 2.
The hobby stock class is becoming more competitive but Rudy Wirts must feel like the bridesmaid instead of the bride. For the second week in a row, Wirts had a lead 11 out of the 12 laps only to have a mechanical issue allow hard charging Gage Wineland to make a last corner pass to claim the feature event.
Following those two young shoes across the finish stripe were Kevin Prall in third, Mike Schrader in fourth and Chuck Coffey rounded out the top five. Wirts claimed the lone heat race victory for the class.
The guest class of the night was the second running of the "Battle of the Badges" at Double-X. Drivers came from across Missouri to participate in this fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
The group decided to make things more interesting by inverting their feature event which put the faster cars from the heat races to the rear of the feature lineup. This provided some excitement as the faster cars worked their way through the field. Eventual winner Fred Stotler, representing the St. Charles Couny Sheriffs Department started 14th and made a steady drive to the front taking the lead on lap six and carrying his momentum for the remainder of the 15-lap main event.
Last year's winner Jason Worthley came from 16th to finish second. Third went to Mike Nienhuis, fourth was Mike Dierkes and fifth went to Trampus Jackson.
The owners and staff of Double-X would like to thank all of the "Battle of the Badges" race teams and fans for coming out to support this event.
Only two weeks of racing remain for Double-X in 2015. Mark August 26 on your calendar as the ASCS Warrior region cars return for the 13th annual "Clyde Wood Memorial" race honoring long time flagman Clyde Wood. The Sprint Car Feature will pay $2,000 to the winner.
Double-X Speedway Results:
Street Stocks
Feature- 1. 31c, Cole Henson, Russellville; 2. 10, Steve Beach, Eldon; 3. 05, Dale Berry, Tuscumbia; 4. 14d, Brandon Dunham, California; 5, 8up, Jeff Offerman, California; 6. 8, Jomh Clancy Jr., California; 7. 52j, James Keeran, California; 8. 99, Kyle Jeffries, Versailles; 9. 7, Evan Hays, California.
Heat 1- 1. Beach; 2. Dunham; 3. Berry; 4. Keeran; 5. Jeffries.
Heat 2- 1. Henson; 2. Clancy Jr.; 3. Offerman; 4. Hays.
Sprint Cars
Feature- 1. 28, Jonathan Cornell, Sedalia; 2. 38, Cody Baker, Lone Jack; 3. 75, Tyler Blank, California; 4. 4, Evan Martin, California; 5. 24s, Ricky Stangl, Lee's Summit; 6. 0, Randy Martin, California; 7. 93, Taylor Walton, Warrensburg; 8. 34, Cory Nelson, Eugene; 9. 65, TJ Muths, Sedalia; 10. 77, Rusty Potter, Boonville; 11. 13, Clyde Knipp, California; 12. 49, Tyler Elliott, California; 13. 10, Will Register, Sedalia; 14. 24c, Lanny Carpenter, Clarksburg; 15. 49b, Ben Brown, Marshall; 16. 12c, Faron Crank, Sedalia; 17. XX, AJ Wirts, California; 18. 41, Scott Comstock, Prairie Home; 19. 48, Dean Hathman, Rocheport (DNS).
Heat 1- 1. E. Martin; 2. Blank; 3. Muths; 4. R. Martin; 5. Elliott; 6. Hathman; 7. Brown.
Heat 2- 1. Cornell; 2. Stangl; 3. Register; 4. Comstock; 5. Knipp; 6. Wirts.
Heat 3- 1. Baker; 2. Nelson; 3. Walton; 4. Potter; 5. Crank; 6. Carpenter.
Hobby Stocks
Feature- 1. 12g, Gage Wineland, Syracuse; 2. 2x, Rudy Wirts, California; 3. 14 Kevin Prall, Sedalia; 4. 11, Mike Schrader, Sedalia; 5. 171, Chuck Coffey, Windsor; 6. 15, Katie Goodson, Sedalia; 7. 54, Tanya Canada, Fulton; 8. 4A, Laura Atkinson, Eldon.
Heat- 1. Wirts; 2. Atkinson; 3. Goodson; 4. Prall; 5. Wineland; 6. Schrader; 7. Coffey; 8. Canada.
Battle of the Badges
Feature- 1. 18s, Fred Stotler St. Charles County Sheriffs Dept.; 2. 98, Jason Worthley, MO State Highway Patrol; 3. 95, Mike Nienhuis, Morgan County Sheriffs Dept.; 4. 3, Mike Dierkes, St. Louis County PD; 5. 401- Trampus Jackson, Stover PD; 6. 19, Waylon Coontz, Algoa Correctional Center; 7. 16, Jason Conn, Miller County Sheriffs Dept.; 8. 10-49, Mike Demkowicz, Fulton Reception & Diagnostic Center; 9. 501, Kyle McIntyre, Holts Summit PD; 10. 515, Nick Stobbart, Holts Summit PD; 11. 06, Buddie Pritchett, Morgan County Sheriffs Dept.; 12. 2, Zach Absolon, West County EMS & Fire; 13. 1, Dan Schroeder, St. Louis County PD; 14. 293, Mike Pierson, O'Fallon PD; 15. 53, Travis Yeager, Versailles PD.
Heat 1-1. Pritchett; 2. Pierson; 3. McIntyre; 4. Dierkes; 5. Jackson; 6. Yeager; 7. Nienhuis; 8. Conn.
Heat 2- 1. Worthley; 2. Stotler; 3. Demkowicz; 4. Schroeder; 5. Coontz; 6. Absolon; 7. Stobbart.