Guerriero tops Kinross late model field

Local product Nick Guerriero looks like no stranger to the late model division at Kinross Speedway despite his rookie status.

Through five weeks of the season, Guerriero (pictured) sits second in the point standings trailing only defending track champion Dave Vansloten.

On Friday night, Guerriero captured his first career late model feature win at Kinross bringing his season total to four race victories.

The following is a full text release of action from this past week provided courtesy of the Kinross Speedway's Gerry Liscumb Jr.:

************************************************************ Guerriero tops Late Model field with Feature win at Kinross

By Gerry Liscumb Jr.

Being the new kid on the block is not an easy task, but for Soo, ONTARIO's Nick Guerriero, his fellow competitors in the Late Model division at the Kinross Speedway have made the transition into stock car racing an easy one.

Just five weeks into the 2004 season and the rookie Late Model pilot finds himself sitting in 2nd in the division point standings behind the defending-champion, Dave Vansloten.

This past Friday night would see the month of July ushered in with a full 4-in-1 show at this racey 1/4 mile facility along with an Auto Value Factory Stock Special and a big kids night.

With warm and sunny conditions, the largest grandstand crowd of the season, and a whole bunch of kids in attendance, it had success written all over it.

Off-track, the youngsters in attendance were given a ½ hour session to go for stock car rides with their favourite driver with that followed up with the distribution of assorted firework bags courtesy of Mel's Fireworks in Brimley, MICHIGAN.

The generosity of this local business is much appreciated with this kind gesture for the youngsters occuring for the 2nd consecutive season ... THANK-YOU!

Then it was time to draw for the two bikes courtesy of the Kinross Speedway. Both bikes were won by kids from Sault Ste. Marie, MICHIGAN.

A new track record would be set in the Factory Stock division as Strong, MICHIGAN native Kevin Johnson (37) would pace the Speedway with a lap of 15.330 seconds.

Jerry Ball (8) won the four-car dash before Johnson would take home the 10-lap heat race.

Seven of the eight cars down pitside would roll out for their 25-lap feature event with Dave Devine (4) and Josh Ware (7) setting up your front row.

When the green flag flew, Ware would overtake the top spot and hold on to that position until lap 7 when Johnson would make the pass and into the lead from his final starting position.

The field would be bunched up following the races lone caution flag on lap 16, but time would run out as Johnson would cruise to his 3rd feature win of the season.

Pee Wee Fountain (50), Ball, Ware and Paul Fox (36) would round out your top 5.

Dave Vansloten (33) would set fast time in the Late Model division for the 5th consecutive week, this time coming in under the lights in 13.840 seconds.

Tim Aho (27) grabbed the early bragging-rights in the division taking home the four car dash only to back that up with a victory in the heat race.

Twenty laps of feature racing would showcase this division and following a photo-finish in the heat race earlier in the night it was sure to be a great race.

Tim Aho would overtake his father Dennis (75) on the start to be your leader on lap 1. It wasn't until lap 8 that Vansloten had made his way from the back of the pack and was breathing down the neck of your leader and challenging for the lead.

A caution on lap 12 would see your top 2 cars tag the rear after coming together in turn 4, resulting in Nick Guerriero (4) inheriting the lead.

Eight laps would seem like an eternity but Guerriero would be able to hold off the late challenge of both Aho and Vansloten who had both made their way up to 2nd and third respectively for his first-career feature win of the season and 4th checker flag of 2004.

The Pure Stock division would see it's lowest car-count of the season but that wouldn't affect the entertaining racing yet again.

Current-point leader Barry Glenn set fast time with a single-lap of 16.770 seconds. That was a mere 2-hundredths faster than the red #5 of Chuck Johnson.

Ray Golladay Jr. (20) would take home the four car dash while Larry Young Sr. (26) topped the field in the Australian Pursuit. Randy Miller (73) and Glenn would win their respective heat races.

Rick Orsborne (5Y) and Ray Golladay (22) would occupy row 1 when the took the green flag for their 25-lap main event.

After leading for two laps around the 1/4 mile, Golladay would succumb to the pressure of Larry Young Jr. (25) and the Soo, MICHIGAN native would be your new leader. That's a position Young Jr. would hold for the next 6 circuits of the Speedway before Glenn, who started 10th in the field would make the pass in his McDonald's sponsored car.

Young Jr. would hold onto the 2nd place position until lap 23 when Miller, who was put to the rear of the field back on lap 7, would make a hard charge and into that position.

The checker flag would fall with Glenn taking his 2nd consecutive Pure Stock feature win. Miller, Young Jr., Johnson, Golladay Jr., Bill Cryderman (61), Terry Johnson (11), Golladay, Gerald Cartright (7) and Orsborne capped off the top 10 positions.

Another stellar field of Four Cylinder cars would check into the pits on week 5, as 21 of these little beasts would take to the track for qualifying.

John Clawson (35) would set a new-track record and fast time with a lap of 17.890 seconds.

Clawson also won the four car dash while Will Odbert (23T) and Aaron Lemay (10) took home the Australian Pursuit wins. Lemay would find victory lane once again in heat race #1 while Clawson would take his 2nd win of the night in heat race #2.

Twenty cars would roll out for the final race of the night with #2 Scott Marshall and #50 Brian Greenski leading the big field.

Marshall would lead the pack in his newly acquired ride for the first 5 laps before turning that position over to Brandy Clawson (36) for the next 2 circuits. By lap 8, Chris Brady (17) had taken his 14th starting position to the front of the pack with Clawson and Eric Sherlund (79) right on his heels.

Your top three cars would swap positions throughtout then latter half of this race but not before Sherlund would take the top spot and take home a well-deserved feature win. That is Sherlund's first feature of 2004.

Clawson, Brady, Norman Kuczenski (34) and Tony Rankin (27) rounded out your top 5.

So with five nights of racing in the books the Speedway now looks ahead to their Mid-Season Championships scheduled for this coming Friday, July 9th.

A full show of Late Models, Factory Stocks, Pure Stocks and 4-Cylinders is on tap as well as a drawing for a whole pig courtesy of Fletcher Creek Farm and Pigs R Us.

Canadian money will once again be offered at par for admission to the main grandstand. Tickets are just $8 for Adults, $6 for Students and Seniors while Kids 12 & Under are admitted FREE.

Qualifying is at 6 p.m. with racing action to follow at 7:30 p.m.

For more information check us out online at www.kinrossspeedway.com.

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(Photo courtesy of Rod Aubertin of www.saultracers.com)