I-35 Speedway

by Jim Conaway

Dean Wray had a chance to double his pleasure here Saturday night at Missouri’s I-35 Speedway. The two-time track points champion zipped to a pair of feature triumphs in the IMCA modified ranks while improving his season record in main events to seven of eight on the three- eighths-mile dirt oval.

Kendall Rupard of Belton posted a pair of wins in the 750cc modified division and Clint Christy of Avondale topped the charger chauffeurs, while Jerry Scott of Osborn claimed the pickup truck headliner and Mike Ryun of Kansas City did the same with the street stock go.

Wray of Trenton, meanwhile, started his night on a bit of a stronger note than the previous week when he finished seventh in his heat race by running third this time. He finished behind hometown driver Jim Cameron and his brother, Donnie, of Jamesport. Lee Hibner of Chillicothe, Dan Eaton of St. Joseph and Randy Mitchell of Stewartsville won the other three heat races.

Greg Querry of Bethany and Jim Peeler of Milan claimed the two consolation feature events.

In the first main event, Wray finished in front of Buz Kaster of Kansas City, Kan., for the win.

For Kaster, it was his highest finish of the season. In the second main event, Wray beat out his brother, Donnie, to take top honors. The second feature was a make-up event after being postponed because of rain during the May 15 program.

“It just seems like luck has been on our side so far this season,” said Wray, who gained a win a week ago when hometown driver and on-the-track winner Mark Dotson was disqualified for refusing to sell his engine after an engine claim was made. “I just hope we can keep a good thing going because I know things can change quickly.”

In the 750cc modified division, Rupard’s pair of wins snapped his brother, Kevin’s, six-race win string. He finished ahead of his brother, Kevin, to win the first feature and Jason Ryun of Kansas City to claim the second. In the charger division, Christy found a way to rebound from a 10th- place heat race finish while finishing in font of divisional points leader Travis Cadawallader of St. Joseph to win the feature event.

Ryun, the street stock victor, improved from a second-place heat race to post his feature triumph.

Scott made a sweep of his pick-up truck opposition by claiming his heat race and the feature event. Racing, meanwhile, will resume again Saturday night with gates scheduled to open at 4:30. Hot laps will start at 6:30 and the green flag will unfurl for the first event at 7:30.

Saturday’s REsults

IMCA Modifieds

Heat 1: 1. Lee Hibner, Chillicothe, 2. Chuck Reese, Brookfield, 3. Gene Claxton, Kansas City, 4. Greg Querry, Bethany, 5. Dave Conover, Gallatin.

Heat 2: 1. Jim Cameron, Cameron, 2. Donnie Wray, Jamesport, 3. Dean Wray,

Heat 3:1. Dan Eaton, St. Joseph, 2. Jimmy Adair, Lee’s Summit, 3. Buz Kaster, Kansas City, 4. Jim Peeler, Milan, 5. Gene Stigall,

Heat 4. 1. Randy Mitchell, Stewartsville, 2. Stafford Summers, Lathrop, 3. Chad Huston, Jamesport, 4. Shane Lawson, Lawson, 5. Robbie Kincaide, Trenton.

First “B” feature: 1. Querry, 2. Eddie Schwope Jr., St. Joseph, 3. Cliff Hedges Jr., Kansas City, Kan., 4. Conover, 5. Barry Duncan, Excelsior Springs, 6. Jerry Temple, Kidder, 7. Jim Nolker, Richmond, 8. N. Smith, 9. J. Asher, 10. Allen Whitt, Gallatin.

Second “B” feature: 1. Peeler, 2. Stigall, 3. Kincaide, 4. Todd Wilson, Spickard, 5. Lawson, 6. Johnnie McGinnis, Hardin, 7. Jerry White, Smithville, 8. Scott Mahoney, Liberty, 9. Truman Asher, St. Joseph.

1. Dean Wray, 2. Kaster, 3. Cameron, 4. Schwope, 5. Mitchell, 6. Stigall, 7. Hibner, 8. Huston, 9. Hedges, 10. Reese, 11. Kincaide, 12. Peeler, 13. Claxton,

Second “A” feature 1. Dean Wray, 2. Donnie Wray, 3. Schwope, 4. Kaster, 5. Peeler, 6. Reese, 7. J. Asher, 8. Hibner, 9. Querry, 10. McGinnis, 11. Huston, 12. Wilson, 13. Duncan, 14. Whitt, 15. Kincaide, 16. Dusty Smith, St. Joseph.

Chargers Heat 1: 1. David Powell, Kansas City, 2. Dave Bouzek, Trenton, 3. Travis Cadawallader, St. Joseph, 4. Ed Kline, Kearney, 5. Wayne Sutton, Hale. Heat 2: 1. Dale Hess, Cameron, 2. Jake Jackson, St. Joseph, 3. Jeremiah Asher, St. Joseph, 4. David Pierce, Kansas City. Feature: 1. Clint Christy, Avondale, T. Cadawallader, 3. Kline, 4. Steve Stormer, St. Joseph, 5. Jackson, 6. Bouzek, 7. Brady West, St. Joseph, 8. Angel Heisman, St. Joseph, 9. Asher, 10. Mike McCoy, Hamilton, 11. Dave Coates, Trenton, 12. Powell, 13. Hess, 14. Todd Herzberg, St. Joseph, 15. Sutton, 16. Pierce, 17. Scott Cadawallader, St. Joseph, 18. Cliff Bellamy, Hamilton, 19. Dennis O’Neal, St. Joseph.

Street Stocks Heat 1: 1. Andy Harper, Chillicothe, 2. Mike Ryun, Kansas City, 3. Kevin Burns, Kansas City, 4. Darrell Whitt, Hamilton, 5. Jerry Baldwin, Parkville. Heat 2: 1. Brad Chumbley, Trenton, 2. Randy Simmons, St. Joseph, 3. Dusty Beaty, Bethany, 4. Dennis Gann, Kansas City, 5. Roger Baker, Brookfield. Heat 3: 1. Truman Asher, St. Joseph, 2. James Silkwood, Chillicothe, 3. Jason Estes, Cameron, 4. Larry Dean Youtsey, Winston, 5. Jeff Elkins, Cameron. Heat 4: 1. Ryan Kampman, Bethany, 2. Larry Colston, Cameron, 3. Shannon Hirter, St. Joseph, 4. George Burnett, Ludlow, 5. Rodney Harkins, Cameron. First “B” feature: 1. Whitt, 2. Gann, 3. Baker. Second “B” feature 1. Youtsey, 2. Burnett, 3. Harkins. “A” feature: 1. Ryun, 2. T. Asher, 3. Youtsey, 4. Chumbley, 5. Burnett, 6. Beaty, 7. Gann, 8. Whitt, 9. Silkwood, 10. Kampman, 11. Baker, 12. Colston, 13. Burns, 14. Hirter, 15. Harper, 16. Simmons, 17. Harkins, 18. Estes.

750cc ModifiedsHeat:1. Kevin Rupard, Belton, 2. Jason Ryan, Kansas City, 3. Mike Taylor, Kansas City, 4. Rocky Rhoades, Independence, 5. Jason Lewis, Kansas City. First feature:1. Kendall Rupard, Belton, 2. Jason Ryan, 3. Dan Watters Jr., Kansas City, 4. Kevin Rupard, 5. Lewis, 6. Rhoades, 7. Taylor, 8. Jay Ryan, Kansas City. Second feature: 1. Kendall Rupard, 2. Kevin Rupard, 3. Lewis, 4. Buck Cameron, Kansas City, 5. Rhoades, 6. Taylor, 7. Watters, 8. James Jones, Kansas City.

Pickup Trucks:Heat: 1. Jerry Scott, Osborn, 2. Pat Ramsey, Cameron, 3. Derek Dolan, St. Feature: 1. Scott, 2. Dolan, 3. Junior Seager, Cameron, 4. Dean Eskridge, Hamilton, 5. Keith Carr, Polo, 6. Ramsey, 7. Brinkley, 8. Bequette.