Maciejewski a true speed racer

By: Betty Glynn

La Salle, IL – Brandon Maciejewski didn’t fare so well in the Street Stock heat race pulling off the track and out of competition early. But the La Salle Speedway Fan Appreciation Night’s attendees got what they paid for and then some for the main event due in part to Maciejewski’s determination and perseverance.

Current point’s leader Roger Rickels and Mike McKinney earned the front row starting spots ahead of Jamie Balensiefen and Tim Provenzano for the feature grid. As the green flag dropped, it was clearly going to be one of the best races of the season for the speedsters. Rickels and McKinney started their racey battle for the point during Lap 5 with McKinney edging in front by a nose until caution collapsed the pace.

For three laps, McKinney worked hard at finding a groove to make the pass again but spun at the turn four tire relinquishing his top running spot. For the restart, it was Rickels, then fifth place starter Mike Hughes, Balensiefen, Steve Lewis, Kevin Snowberger, Wayne Hoffman and the hard charging Maciejewski. Maciejewski had already moved up from nineteenth into the seventh place running position.

On the twelfth circuit, Maciejewski forced a three wide battle for fourth until a yellow brought them back to a single file restart. The pack being nose to tail proved to be an opportunity for him as he quickly moved into third.

Rickels and Hughes were running side by side lap after lap with Rickels continuing to hold the point. A Lap 18 caution stopped their battle after Balensiefen left the track with smoke trailing.

One lap later, as Rickels and Hughes were door to door, Maciejewski took his power to the low side for a trio dance down the back stretch. After a little contact, it was Maciejewski running like Speed Racer taking control. Hughes maintained his run up high on the track but Maciejewski took over and pulled away for the final laps.

Hughes earned his impressive runner up finish ahead of Rickels. McKinney stayed heavy on the gas to finish with a strong fourth place after his restart at the tail of the eighth lap. Lewis crossed in fifth over Jake Miller, Aaron Near, Provenzano, Hoffman, Keith Lucas, and John Hogue.

Maciejewski was fast qualifier. Rickels and McKinney each won their heat races.

Twenty three UMP Late Models signed in for action with the points battle tight between Lil’ John Provenzano and his son Mike. Coming into the evening, Lil John held the lead by twenty points but after the strong performance by his son there might be a mere six points separating the pair. Four race nights are remaining for the chase with crowns on the line in nearly all the divisions.

For the Late Models, Mike Provenzano got the ball rolling with a qualifying time of 13.165 to earn the pole of the fast heat. The pole was a great place for him to start as he quickly jumped to the lead. He scored the win over an impressive run by Keith Piano. Rich Bell beat Mike Glynn at the line for third.

Pole sitter, John Piccatto, hit head first into the concrete barrier of turn three ending his run up front of the second heat contest. Jon Small went on to outpower his brother Jeff to win the heat. Jimmy Partipilo claimed third over Scott Schoener. Travis Mahoney took advantage of his front row inside start to claim the final heat race. Finishing behind the young gun was Ed Williams Sr., Aaron Schmidt and Todd Alexander.

Mike Provenzano rolled into the pole for the feature grid with Piano on the outside. Bell and Glynn were in row two ahead of Bill Weistart Jr. and Jason Jaggers. Mike Provenzano shot out quick with Bell falling in behind him. Bell quickly chose a high line to run with Mike down lower.

Mike wasted little time pulling away from the pack. Bell was holding on to a steady second place while Lil’ John and Piano were battling for third. By Lap 10, Mike was running the lowest line of the turns to pull away from the field. He looked unstoppable until a caution during Lap 22 positioned the pack directly behind him.

After the flagman signaled the green, Bell shot off to the outside rim and stole the lead. Mike Provenzano took second while his father Lil’ John managed to work his way into a third place finish after starting seventh. Jason Jaggers was third in front of Piano, Weistart, Glynn, Jon Small, Jeff Small, Mahoney, Aaron Schmidt, Ed Williams Sr., and Jim Partipilo.

The UMP Modified division boasted a stacked field with over 26 drivers showing up ready for action. Eric Bruce traveled the fastest lap and won the first heat race over Dale Lueth, Phil Line and Ray Bollinger. Nathan Balensiefen won heat two in front of Derrick Doerr, Tim Loomis, and Geno Hewitt. Former track champion Vince Cooper took home the checkers of the final heat race ahead of Jamie Lomax, Don Cole and Zack Odewalt.

Bruce and Lueth started the main on the front row and put on a great showing running the highside like a roller coaster ride. The two raced as far up the track as their right side tires would allow. Bruce held the point until Bollinger powered hard on the bottom of the track to steal the lead during the ninth lap out.

Bollinger, a former regular at La Salle, made a valiant return to the winners circle. Bruce took second in front of Balensiefen, Cooper, Lueth, Tom Duncan, Lomax, Steven Brooks, Phil Line, Travis Kohler, Charlie Harmon, Kevin Thompson and Tom Knippenberg.

Nineteen UMP 4 Cylinder Hornet cars were in attendance. JR Brown one of the division dominators held the point with Phil Burdette running in second. There have been many races where Burdette was runner up to Brown but it wasn’t happening again. Burdette powered up heavy on the gas to capture the victory stopping Brown’s winning streak.

Brown was runner up over Jerry Legner, DJ Kilanowski, Buddy Boyd, Gabe Schrader, Andrew Schwarko, Rick Zifko, Mark Sutton, and Bryce Garnhart.

Legner and Mudro won the heat races.

La Salle Speedway Scoreboard Results 7/17/10

UMP Late Models 23 Cars

Qualifying: Mike Provenzano 13.165

Heat 1: Mike Provenzano, Keith Piano, Rich Bell, Mike Glynn

Heat 2: Jon Small, Jeff Small, Jimmy Partipilo, Scott Schoener

Heat 3: Travis Mahoney, Ed Williams Sr., Aaron Schmidt, Todd Alexander

Feature: Rich Bell, Mike Provenzano, Lil’ John Provenzano, Jason Jaggers, Keith Piano, Billy Weistart Jr., Mike Glynn, Jon Small, Jeff Small, Travis Mahoney, Aaron Schmidt, Ed Williams Sr., Jimmy Partipilo, Joe Fratt, Todd Alexander, Jim Hagedorn, Lake Knutti, Eric Rebholz, Ed Williams Jr., Scott Langer

UMP Moldifieds 26 Cars

Qualifying: Eric Bruce 14.739

Heat 1: Eric Bruce, Dlae Lueth, Phil Line, Ray Bollinger

Heat 2: Nathan Balensiefen, Derrick Doerr, Tim Loomis, Geno Hewitt

Heat 3: Vince Cooper, Jamie Lomax, Don Cole, Jack Odewalt

Feature: Ray Bollinger, Eric Bruce, Nathan Balensiefen, Vince Cooper, Dale Lueth, Tom Duncan, Jamie Lomax, Steven Brooks, Phil Line, Travis Kohler, Charlie Harmon, Kevin Thompson, Tom Knippenberg, Don Cole, Tim Loomis, Matt Gremminger, Geno Hewitt, AJ Dixon, Zack Odewalt, Derrick Doerr

UMP Street Stock Special 20 Cars

Qualifying: Brandon Maciejewski 15.732

Heat 1: Roger Rickels, Jamie Balensiefen, Mike Hughes, Kevin Snowberger

Heat 2: Mike McKinney, Tim Provenzano, Justin Hamm, Aaron Near

Feature: Brandon Maciejewski, Mike Hughes, Roger Rickels, Mike McKinney, Steve Lewis, Jake Miller, Aaron Near, Tim Provenzano, Wayne Hoffman, Keith Lucas, John Hogue, Randy Lucas, Kevin Snowberger, Nick Sell, Justin Hamm, Jamie Balensiefen, Ande Bivens, Scott Schoener, Matt Henrichs

UMP 4 Cylinder Hornets 19 Cars

Heat 1: Jerry Legner, Shannon Mudro, Cory Jo West, Mark Sutton

Heat 2: JR Brown, Phil Burdette, Rick Zifko, DJ Kilanowski

Feature: Phil Burdette, JR Brown, Jerry Legner, DJ Kilanowski, Buddy Boyd, Gabe Schrader, Andrew Schwarko, Rick Zifko, Mark Sutton, Bryce Garnhart, Asa Robart, Aaron Sutton, Dustin Forbes, Shannon Mudro, Cory Jo West, Butch Helfrich, Johsn Trahan, Josh Garnhart

Regular Racing Program returns to LaSalle Speedway this Saturday night.  Fans will be treated to a special $5.00 general admission price for adults, kids 11 and under are FREE!

Kasey Kahne picks La Salle from You Tube videos; Saldana is King of the bullring

By: Betty Glynn

La Salle, IL – Thursday was a night to remember at La Salle Speedway for Sprint Car enthusiasts and fans of Kasey Kahne. The mild mannered star of NASCAR was front and center for every minute of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series return to the Illinois Valley’s largest outdoor arena. Absent for just over six years, the fans came out in full force to show their undying support of the Greatest Show on Dirt.

Not only did fans get to rub elbows with the stars they were treated to a pyrotechnic show throughout the night along with some impressively fast speeds by the best Sprint Car talent in the country going nose to nose with a lot at stake.

To kick the evening off, Kahne took the microphone front and center in the grandstands to answer questions that members of the crowd had for him. One young fan stepped forward asking the star about a job.

“Does Kasey Kahne Racing have internships,” Breanna asked. Kahne’s response came out after a short pause while the crowd got a chuckle. “I don’t know, you will have to ask my sister she is in the trailer.”

It was apparent by most of his answers that family is a huge part of his racing endeavors. Throughout the night he mentioned his cousins, a brother and his sister all a part of his program who had a role either with one of his teams or working behind the scenes. A true ‘family affair’ for a racer who started out in dirt and tries to give back to his roots as much as he can. Kahne not only co-promoted the venue topper he is also the car owner for two of the WoO Sprint teams in attendance and fighting for the WoO points title.

Thirty eight year old racer Joey Saldana of Indiana drives the Budweiser #9, much like his boss Kahne, and ended his impressive run from a sixth place start into the victory circle. As the current WoO points leader, he had much to prove to this full house while his boss was watching intently.

“Hoping one of our cars can race well tonight,” Kahne told the crowd early.

Indeed not only did one race well, they both did and it just so happened to be against each other. Saldana took over the point during Lap 21 but not without a fight from team mate Paul McMahan who led the first 21 laps.

Twenty six racers from across the United States checked in for the big event. At least 15 states were represented with racers hailing from as far away as Texas, California, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.

Qualifying, heat races, the dash and the last chance showdown determined the field of twenty five. Pole sitter and fast time holder Jac Haudenschild was fast and furious but his wild ride down the back stretch during the twelfth lap proved too much as he tumbled in horrific fashion hitting the concrete barrier during his end over end crash. Sad considering he was not only fastest qualifier with a time of 10.712 but posted the fastest racing lap as well with a quick lap of 12.018.

Before the next lap could be scored, Sammy Swindell and Chad Kemenah made contact and again rides were flipping down the back stretch bringing out another red. Luckily all three drivers were able to exit their machines on their own. After the second vicious crash, teams were allowed to come out onto the track to make adjustments or refuel. It was a site not normally seen at the Speedway as crew members ran with their equipment to their respective drivers. After a restart of Lap 18, Saldana flew under McMahan but didn’t have enough power to over take him.

Following yet another restart, Saldana powered hard to pass him for the first and final time after a side by side battle that brought the huge crowd to their feet with a roar echoing loud. Prior to the main event, Saldana told the crowd he knew the racing would be good.

“Only been here a few times and never seen the track like this,” Saldana said. “It’s going to be pretty exciting.”

While the pair was battling at the helm, a hard charging Steve Kinser was making some noise as he worked up the pack from fifteenth into third. Kinser is the only La Salle two time WoO winner.  Donny Schatz started eighth and managed to move forward into the fourth place run.

At the checkers, Saldana earned $10,000 for his A Main victory. The final finish order along with their starting spot and pay for the night are as follows: 1) 9-Joey Saldana[6] [$10,000] 2) 91-Paul McMahan[1] [$5,500] 3) 11-Steve Kinser[15] [$3,200] 4) 15-Donny Schatz[8] [$2,800] 5) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[3] [$2,500] 6) 83-Tim Kaeding[18] [$2,300] 7) 7S-Jason Sides[13] [$2,200] 8) 14-Jason Meyers[7] [$2,100] 9) 11K-Kraig Kinser[4] [$2,050] 10) 6-Danny Lasoski[9] [$2,000] 11) 1HRP-Daryn Pittman[12] [$1,500] 12) 17B-Bill Balog[22] [$1,200] 13) 10-Ricky Logan[11] [$1,100] 14) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[17] [$1,050] 15) 1M-Jim Moughan[24] [$1,000] 16) 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski[19] [$900] 17) 4X-Toni Lutar[21] [$800] 18) 2B-Ben Gregg[23] [$800] 19) 7-Craig Dollansky[5] [$800] 20) 1X-Randy Hannagan[10] [$800] 21) 1-Sammy Swindell[14] [$800] 22) 63-Chad Kemenah[16] [$800] 23) R19-Jac Haudenschild[2] [$800] 24) 22-Brian Ellenberger[20] [$800]

Jason Meyers finished eighth in the A Main but scored big with enough points to claim the Budweiser Crown championship. He also took home the first heat race victory over Saldana, Haudenschild, Wolfe, Sides and Kemenah.

Heat two victor was Schatz over Hannagan, Kraig Kinser, Swindell, Pittman and Hafertepe Jr. McMahan won the final heat in front of Lasoski, Dollansky, Kaeding, Steve Kinser and Brian Ellenberger.

During a pre-race one on one interview, I asked Kahne how he came to choose La Salle Speedway for his final leg of the Bud Showdown. He acknowledged he had never been to the track let alone raced on it but he had seen the action via the web which helped play a role in his decision.

“Well, it’s (Speedway) close to Chicago and I heard good things about it,” Kahne said. “I also watched the races posted on You Tube and really thought the racing was exciting it helped me decide to come here.”

When asked what he will do whenever he is no longer a NASCAR racer he answered without hesitation.

“I will probably race more,” Kahne told while laughing. “I really enjoy racing and I know I will race more.”

Another professional driver who still has a passion for dirt was not only in attendance but gave it his all in the UMP Modified class. Kenny Wallace aka the Herminator was more like a dominator winning both the heat and feature events in style. He was unstoppable in the feature event claiming victory over some stout competition.

Fourteen Modified’s competed with Jay Ledford winning the first heat race while Mike Spatola took second over Jeff Curl and Nathan Balensiefen. Wallace staked claim to the second win after a strong battle with Dale Lueth. Phil Line finished third in front of Ray Bollinger.

Wallace shot out of the blocks quick in their main event and was unstoppable carrying the field flag to flag from his outside front row start. Ledford took home second place with Curl, Bollinger, Lueth, Balensiefen, Line and Eric Bruce after him.

Like Kahne, Wallace has some deep roots and friends in dirt track racing and recognizes the importance of supporting the sport they started out in.

“Want to thank all you fans. We are here to help you guys,” Wallace told the crowd. “I could have been at my own track tonight in Macon but we came here to support Kasey, Tony (Stewart) and all you fans.”

Stewart owns the car driven by Steve Kinser who is also an icon in the sprint car world.

Saturday night the Speedway does not have any scheduled races but on July 17^th Fan Appreciation Night returns with a $5 adult admission.

Scoreboard Results

Qualifying

1) R19-Jac Haudenschild 10.712 2) 11K-Kraig Kinser 10.722 3) 91-Paul McMahan 10.775 4) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 10.783 5) 15-Donny Schatz 10.792 6) 7-Craig Dollansky 10.818 7) 14-Jason Meyers 10.877 8) 1X-Randy Hannagan 10.927 9) 10-Ricky Logan 10.954 10) 9-Joey Saldana 10.977 11) 1HRP-Daryn Pittman 10.980 12) 6-Danny Lasoski 10.984 13) 7S-Jason Sides 10.986 14) 1-Sammy Swindell 11.000 15) 11-Steve Kinser 11.007 16) 63-Chad Kemenah 11.010 17) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 11.028 18) 83-Tim Kaeding 11.031 19) 2B-Ben Gregg 11.042 20) 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski 11.203 21) 22-Brian Ellenberger 11.216 22) 1M-Jim Moughan 11.272 23) 4X-Toni Lutar 11.303 24) 84-Ben Wagoner 11.463 25) 4K-Kris Spritz 11.489 26) 17B-Bill Balog -.—

Heat 1 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 14-Jason Meyers[2] 2) 9-Joey Saldana[1] 3) R19-Jac Haudenschild[4] 4) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[3] 5) 7S-Jason Sides[5] 6) 63-Chad Kemenah[6] 7) 1M-Jim Moughan[8] 8) 2B-Ben Gregg[7] 9) 4K-Kris Spritz[9]

Heat 2 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 15-Donny Schatz[3] 2) 1X-Randy Hannagan[2] 3) 11K-Kraig Kinser[4] 4) 1-Sammy Swindell[5] 5) 1HRP-Daryn Pittman[1] 6) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[6] 7) 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski[7] 8) 4X-Toni Lutar[8] 9) 17B-Bill Balog[9]

Heat 3 (10 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 91-Paul McMahan[4] 2) 6-Danny Lasoski[1] 3) 7-Craig Dollansky[3] 4) 83-Tim Kaeding[6] 5) 11-Steve Kinser[5] 6) 22-Brian Ellenberger[7] 7) 84-Ben Wagoner[8] 8) 10-Ricky Logan[2]

Dash (8 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature)

1) 91-Paul McMahan[2] 2) R19-Jac Haudenschild[4] 3) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[1] 4) 11K-Kraig Kinser[3] 5) 7-Craig Dollansky[6] 6) 9-Joey Saldana[9] 7) 14-Jason Meyers[7] 8) 15-Donny Schatz[5] 9) 6-Danny Lasoski[10] 10) 1X-Randy Hannagan[8]

 B-main (10 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 10-Ricky Logan[1]  [] 2) 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski[3]  [] 3) 4X-Toni Lutar[5]  [] 4) 17B-Bill Balog[8]  [] 5) 2B-Ben Gregg[2]  [] 6) 1M-Jim Moughan[4]  [] 7) 4K-Kris Spritz[7]  [$200] 8) 84-Ben Wagoner[6]  [$180]

A-main (35 laps) – Starting Position [#]

1) 9-Joey Saldana[6] [$10,000] 2) 91-Paul McMahan[1] [$5,500] 3) 11-Steve Kinser[15] [$3,200] 4) 15-Donny Schatz[8] [$2,800] 5) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[3] [$2,500] 6) 83-Tim Kaeding[18] [$2,300] 7) 7S-Jason Sides[13] [$2,200] 8) 14-Jason Meyers[7] [$2,100] 9) 11K-Kraig Kinser[4] [$2,050] 10) 6-Danny Lasoski[9] [$2,000] 11) 1HRP-Daryn Pittman[12] [$1,500] 12) 17B-Bill Balog[22] [$1,200] 13) 10-Ricky Logan[11] [$1,100] 14) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[17] [$1,050] 15) 1M-Jim Moughan[24] [$1,000] 16) 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski[19] [$900] 17) 4X-Toni Lutar[21] [$800] 18) 2B-Ben Gregg[23] [$800] 19) 7-Craig Dollansky[5] [$800] 20) 1X-Randy Hannagan[10] [$800] 21) 1-Sammy Swindell[14] [$800] 22) 63-Chad Kemenah[16] [$800] 23) R19-Jac Haudenschild[2] [$800] 24) 22-Brian Ellenberger[20] [$800]

Lap Leaders: Paul McMahan 1-21, Joey Saldana 22-35

KSE Hard Charger Award: Steve Kinser

Penske Power Position Award: Toni Lutar

Chizmark-Larson Hard Luck Award: Brian Ellenberger

To order pictures from the event check out the track photographer @

http://dansimpsonphotos.com/

Father knows best; Lil’ John scores again

By: Betty Glynn

La Salle, IL – Two time La Salle Speedway track champion, John Provenzano, led all twenty five laps to claim the UMP Late Model feature victory over his son Mike. The younger Provenzano is the defending track champion but father still knows best.

  The forty year veteran took over the points lead from his son last Saturday night and just keeps staying a step ahead of him. From last weeks efforts he was fourteen points ahead and tallied another 6 point advantage.

 To start the night off right, Lil’ John traveled the fasted qualifying lap with a time of 13.518 over Mike’s 13.662.

 Next up, Lil’ John lined up for the division’s first heat on the inside of Mike and shot to a quick lead. He was unstoppable all the way to the line leaving Mike second in front of Keith Piano and Rich Bell. Ed Williams Jr. rallied to pull away from the pack in the second heat beating Aaron Schmidt, Tim Loomis and Lake Knutti.

 Lil’ John and Mike were again positioned side by side on the front row of the grid for the main event. Piano and Bell took their positions behind the pair. Fifteen of the seventeen cars who signed in were race ready for the green signal. Lil’ John shot to an early lead with Mike staying close on his bumper. The duo ran nose to tail in the same groove on the inside trek.

 During the first lap, Mike Glynn hit the brakes to avoid two cars searching for their racing lines and killed the engine in between turns three and four. It didn’t take Lil’ John long to put his power plant on the lowest line to set the pace again. Mike was running right on his tail leaving Piano and Bell to vie for the third place running position with Scott Schmitt and Bill Weistart Jr. battling for fifth.

 Contact between the nose of Mike’s ride and the tail of Lil’ John’s nearly sent his dad sideways. The pair continued to make a challenge for the bottom line when a lapped ride held his ground where they wanted to run. With two laps remaining, Lil’ John helped Lake Knutti out of the way and brought out a caution for the ten cars still competing.

 The showdown between father and son proved to be father claiming the win. Mike took home the second in front of Bell, Schmitt, Piano, Weistart, Jeff Small, Knutti and Schmidt.

 Nathan Balensiefen came out on top for every event in the UMP Modified division. First up, he qualified the fastest lap with a time of 14.925. He then took the checkers of the first heat solo, from the pole, ahead of Brad Stewart, Phil Line, and Travis Kohler. Vince Cooper flew to victory lane solo also from the pole over Charlie Harmon, Joe Adam and Jeramie Johnson. JD Lomax won the final heat leading flag to flag from the front row inside over Tim Loomis, Don Cole and Allen Line.

 Twenty Modifieds made the call for their feature race with Balensiefen as the polesitter next to Stewart. He took an early lead sailing through the circuits without any close competition. The real race was from second on back.

 Lap after lap, the front runners of Stewart, Dale Lueth, Lomax and Cooper diced it up changing their running order often as they battled three and four wide at times. Lueth and Travis Kohler were the brave challengers taking their power to the high line while everyone else stayed down the track. Their powerful run up top seemed to be paying dividends as they moved their way into the runner up positions. A very exciting race was happening way behind the leader until contact was made between Lueth and Kohler leaving Kohler stopped on the track.

 Balensiefen was brought back to the field leading Phil Line, Lueth and Lomax for the final restart. Lueth chose to run back at the top and nearly took second away from Line. Lomax finished fourth over Cooper, Stewart, Harmon, Joe Adam, Steve Brooks, and Derrick Doerr.

 Brandon Maciejewski continued his winning ways in the Street Stock division. He has proved he is a force to reckon with staking claim on the trophy might just be his new past time.

 Saturday night he started front row outside of another young racer, Mike McKinney. They raced side by side to start the events main feature. McKinney managed to race his way up to the door of Maciejewski several times until colliding with a lapped ride. The contact extinguished his chances at victory and sent him pitside for a new tire.

 Maciejewski took the win over Roger Rickels, Mike Hughes, Jake Miller, Jamie Balensiefen, Tim Provenzano, Randy Lucas, Steve Lewis, Aaron Near, McKinney, Nick Sell, Steve Schweimlein and Ande Bivens.

 McKinney took the first heat challenge ahead of Provenzano, Balensiefen, and Mike Hughes. Maciejewski scored heat two in front of Rickels, Sell, and Lucas.

 JR Brown has been making a name for himself in the 4 Cylinder Hornet class this season. He has managed to come out on top as the checkers fall for the third week in a row. He followed Phil Burdette for nearly the entire race until creating a side by side battle in the front.

 The leaders were running at full throttle when Brown made contact with the leader sending him into a near spin. Brown then stole the head of the pack status claiming the trophy. Burdette collected second over Jerry Legner, Andrew Schwarko, Aaron Sutton, Brandon Mallery, Marqus Hoover, Aaron Sutton, #11B, Cory Jo West, Rick Wagner, Josh Trahan, and DJ Kilanowski.

 Burdette beat Brown in their only heat. Wagner got third over Legner.

 This coming Thursday night, the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars will return to the Speedway after a six year hiatus. Nascar star Kasey Kahne will be co-promoting the Showdown of the Bud Crown venue topper. The Modifieds will also be running.

 The July 8^th event will kick off with Kahne meeting fans who purchased advance tickets, which are $29 for adults and $9 for children. Adult tickets increase to $35 on the day of the show. Tickets can be purchased by going to www.worldofoutlaws.com/tickets or by phone during regular business hours at 704-795-7223.

 The weekly racing program will return on July 17^th with the $5 Fan Appreciation Night.

 La Salle Speedway Scoreboard Results

 UMP Late Models – 17 Cars

 Qualifying: John Provenzano 13.518

 Heat #1: Lil’ John Provenzano, Mike Provenzano, Keith Piano, Rich Bell

 Heat #2: Ed Williams Jr., Aaron Schmidt, Tim Loomis, Lake Knutti

 Feature: Lil’ John Provenzano, Mike Provenzano, Rich Bell, Scott Schmitt, Keith Piano, Bill Weistart Jr., Jeff Small, Lake Knutti, Aaron Schmidt, Travis Mahoney, Mike Glynn, Matt Ramer, Randy Manos, John Piccatto, Ed Williams Jr.

Father knows best; Lil’ John scores again

By: Betty Glynn

La Salle, IL – Two time La Salle Speedway track champion, John Provenzano, led all twenty five laps to claim the UMP Late Model feature victory over his son Mike. The younger Provenzano is the defending track champion but father still knows best.

The forty year veteran took over the points lead from his son last Saturday night and just keeps staying a step ahead of him. From last weeks efforts he was fourteen points ahead and tallied another 6 point advantage.

To start the night off right, Lil’ John traveled the fasted qualifying lap with a time of 13.518 over Mike’s 13.662.

Next up, Lil’ John lined up for the division’s first heat on the inside of Mike and shot to a quick lead. He was unstoppable all the way to the line leaving Mike second in front of Keith Piano and Rich Bell. Ed Williams Jr. rallied to pull away from the pack in the second heat beating Aaron Schmidt, Tim Loomis and Lake Knutti.

Lil’ John and Mike were again positioned side by side on the front row of the grid for the main event. Piano and Bell took their positions behind the pair. Fifteen of the seventeen cars who signed in were race ready for the green signal. Lil’ John shot to an early lead with Mike staying close on his bumper. The duo ran nose to tail in the same groove on the inside trek.

During the first lap, Mike Glynn hit the brakes to avoid two cars searching for their racing lines and killed the engine in between turns three and four. It didn’t take Lil’ John long to put his power plant on the lowest line to set the pace again. Mike was running right on his tail leaving Piano and Bell to vie for the third place running position with Scott Schmitt and Bill Weistart Jr. battling for fifth.

Contact between the nose of Mike’s ride and the tail of Lil’ John’s nearly sent his dad sideways. The pair continued to make a challenge for the bottom line when a lapped ride held his ground where they wanted to run. With two laps remaining, Lil’ John helped Lake Knutti out of the way and brought out a caution for the ten cars still competing.

The showdown between father and son proved to be father claiming the win. Mike took home the second in front of Bell, Schmitt, Piano, Weistart, Jeff Small, Knutti and Schmidt.

Nathan Balensiefen came out on top for every event in the UMP Modified division. First up, he qualified the fastest lap with a time of 14.925. He then took the checkers of the first heat solo, from the pole, ahead of Brad Stewart, Phil Line, and Travis Kohler. Vince Cooper flew to victory lane solo also from the pole over Charlie Harmon, Joe Adam and Jeramie Johnson. JD Lomax won the final heat leading flag to flag from the front row inside over Tim Loomis, Don Cole and Allen Line.

Twenty Modifieds made the call for their feature race with Balensiefen as the polesitter next to Stewart. He took an early lead sailing through the circuits without any close competition. The real race was from second on back.

Lap after lap, the front runners of Stewart, Dale Lueth, Lomax and Cooper diced it up changing their running order often as they battled three and four wide at times. Lueth and Travis Kohler were the brave challengers taking their power to the high line while everyone else stayed down the track. Their powerful run up top seemed to be paying dividends as they moved their way into the runner up positions. A very exciting race was happening way behind the leader until contact was made between Lueth and Kohler leaving Kohler stopped on the track.

Balensiefen was brought back to the field leading Phil Line, Lueth and Lomax for the final restart. Lueth chose to run back at the top and nearly took second away from Line. Lomax finished fourth over Cooper, Stewart, Harmon, Joe Adam, Steve Brooks, and Derrick Doerr.

Brandon Maciejewski continued his winning ways in the Street Stock division. He has proved he is a force to reckon with staking claim on the trophy might just be his new past time.

Saturday night he started front row outside of another young racer, Mike McKinney. They raced side by side to start the events main feature. McKinney managed to race his way up to the door of Maciejewski several times until colliding with a lapped ride. The contact extinguished his chances at victory and sent him pitside for a new tire.

Maciejewski took the win over Roger Rickels, Mike Hughes, Jake Miller, Jamie Balensiefen, Tim Provenzano, Randy Lucas, Steve Lewis, Aaron Near, McKinney, Nick Sell, Steve Schweimlein and Ande Bivens.

McKinney took the first heat challenge ahead of Provenzano, Balensiefen, and Mike Hughes. Maciejewski scored heat two in front of Rickels, Sell, and Lucas.

JR Brown has been making a name for himself in the 4 Cylinder Hornet class this season. He has managed to come out on top as the checkers fall for the third week in a row. He followed Phil Burdette for nearly the entire race until creating a side by side battle in the front.

The leaders were running at full throttle when Brown made contact with the leader sending him into a near spin. Brown then stole the head of the pack status claiming the trophy. Burdette collected second over Jerry Legner, Andrew Schwarko, Aaron Sutton, Brandon Mallery, Marqus Hoover, Aaron Sutton, #11B, Cory Jo West, Rick Wagner, Josh Trahan, and DJ Kilanowski.

Burdette beat Brown in their only heat. Wagner got third over Legner.

This coming Thursday night, the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars will return to the Speedway after a six year hiatus. Nascar star Kasey Kahne will be co-promoting the Showdown of the Bud Crown venue topper. The Modifieds will also be running.

The July 8th event will kick off with Kahne meeting fans who purchased advance tickets, which are $29 for adults and $9 for children. Adult tickets increase to $35 on the day of the show. Tickets can be purchased by going to www.worldofoutlaws.com/tickets or by phone during regular business hours at 704-795-7223.

The weekly racing program will return on July 17th with the $5 Fan Appreciation Night.

La Salle Speedway Scoreboard Results

UMP Late Models – 17 Cars

Qualifying: John Provenzano 13.518

Heat #1: Lil’ John Provenzano, Mike Provenzano, Keith Piano, Rich Bell

Heat #2: Ed Williams Jr., Aaron Schmidt, Tim Loomis, Lake Knutti

Feature: Lil’ John Provenzano, Mike Provenzano, Rich Bell, Scott Schmitt, Keith Piano, Bill Weistart Jr., Jeff Small, Lake Knutti, Aaron Schmidt, Travis Mahoney, Mike Glynn, Matt Ramer, Randy Manos, John Piccatto, Ed Williams Jr.

UMP Modifieds – 20 Cars

Qualifying: Nathan Balensiefen 14.925

Heat #1: Nathan Balensiefen, Brad Stewart, Phil Line, Travis Kohler

Heat #2: Vince Cooper, Charlie Harmon, Joe Adam, Jeramie Johnson

Heat #3: JD Lomax, Tim Loomis, Don Cole, Allen Line

Feature: Nathan Balensiefen, Phil Line, Dale Lueth, JD Lomax, Vince Cooper, Brad Stewart, Charlie Harmon, Joe Adam, Steve Brooks, Derrick Doerr, Jeramie Johnson, Allen Line, Travis Kohler, Tim Loomis, Don Cole, Geno Hewitt, Matthew Gremminger, Scott Hauge, Ken Fischer, Daniel Carson

UMP Street Stocks – 19 Cars

Heat #1: Mike McKinney, Tim Provenzano, Jamie Balensiefen, Mike Hughes

Heat #2: Brandon Maciejewski, Roger Rickels, Nick Sell, Randy Lucas

Feature: Brandon Maciejewski, Roger Rickels, Mike Hughes, Jake Miller, Jamie Balensiefen, Tim Provenzano, Randy Lucas, Steve Lewis, Aaron Near, Mike McKinney, Nick Sell, Steve Schwemlein, Ande Bivens, Matt Hinrichs, Mike McQuilke, Matt Ramer, Alex Thomas, Chris Kilpatrick, John Houge

UMP Hornets – 11 Cars

Heat #1: Phil Burdette, JR Brown, Rick Wagner, Jerry Legner

Feature: JR Brown, Phil Burdette, Jerry Legner, Andrew Schwarko, Aaron Sutton, Brandon Mallery, Marqus Hoorer, Aaron Sutton, #11B, Cory Jo West, Rick Wagner, Josh Trahan, DJ Kilanowski

UMP Modifieds – 20 Cars

Qualifying: Nathan Balensiefen 14.925

Heat #1: Nathan Balensiefen, Brad Stewart, Phil Line, Travis Kohler

Heat #2: Vince Cooper, Charlie Harmon, Joe Adam, Jeramie Johnson

Heat #3: JD Lomax, Tim Loomis, Don Cole, Allen Line

Feature: Nathan Balensiefen, Phil Line, Dale Lueth, JD Lomax, Vince Cooper, Brad Stewart, Charlie Harmon, Joe Adam, Steve Brooks, Derrick Doerr, Jeramie Johnson, Allen Line, Travis Kohler, Tim Loomis, Don Cole, Geno Hewitt, Matthew Gremminger, Scott Hauge, Ken Fischer, Daniel Carson

UMP Street Stocks – 19 Cars

Heat #1: Mike McKinney, Tim Provenzano, Jamie Balensiefen, Mike Hughes

Heat #2: Brandon Maciejewski, Roger Rickels, Nick Sell, Randy Lucas

Feature: Brandon Maciejewski, Roger Rickels, Mike Hughes, Jake Miller, Jamie Balensiefen, Tim Provenzano, Randy Lucas, Steve Lewis, Aaron Near, Mike McKinney, Nick Sell, Steve Schwemlein, Ande Bivens, Matt Hinrichs, Mike McQuilke, Matt Ramer,  Alex Thomas, Chris Kilpatrick, John Houge

UMP Hornets – 11 Cars

Heat #1: Phil Burdette, JR Brown, Rick Wagner, Jerry Legner

Feature: JR Brown, Phil Burdette, Jerry Legner, Andrew Schwarko, Aaron Sutton, Brandon Mallery, Marqus Hoorer, Aaron Sutton, #11B, Cory Jo West, Rick Wagner, Josh Trahan, DJ Kilanowski

CONTACT

World Racing Group

Chris Dolack, VP Media/PR

NASCAR Star Kasey Kahne Crowning Bud Showdown Champion at LaSalle

World of Outlaws Sprint Cars return to LaSalle Speedway July 8 for first time since 2004

LaSALLE, Ill. — July 2, 2010 — When the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series invades LaSalle Speedway on Thursday, July 8, NASCAR superstar Kasey Kahne will be waiting. As co-promoter of Kasey’s King of LaSalle Presented By Budweiser and a huge dirt track racing supporter, he will lead the ceremonies in the Showdown for the Bud Crown finale at a bullring where the Outlaws are returning for the first time since 2004.

Kahne will be racing his NASCAR machine at Chicagoland Speedway later in the week, but given his roots in dirt track racing in the Pacific Northwest it’s only fitting he gears up for that event by promoting the World of Outlaws return to LaSalle, which includes a one-of-a-kind pyrotechnics display that will light the sky throughout the night.

“My dad was involved in sprint car racing so we went to those races a lot and I grew up around it,” said Kahne, a native of Enumclaw, Wash., who fields two full-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series teams. “I started racing mini-sprints and then moved on to racing sprint cars. I’ve raced ever since. I try and give back to the World of Outlaws series whenever I can. Fortunately we were able to work out a deal for me to promote a few World of Outlaws events, with LaSalle being the final race in the four-race series.”

Although his schedule as one of NASCAR’s premier drivers is quite hectic, Kahne still makes time for his World of Outlaws teams, which includes the #9 Budweiser car driven by current series points leader Joey Saldana and the #91 Great Clips car driven by Paul McMahan.

“I spend as much time at Kasey Kahne Racing that I can,” he said. “If I’m not racing or at a sponsor function, I’m at the shop. We are based in Mooresville (N.C.) and it allows me more time to spend with the guys. Most of the team is close family so we all grew up together and now we all work together. Unfortunately, I’m not able to be at every race, but I trust the team to do what’s best and win races. Winning 20 races with Joey Saldana and the Bud car last year was pretty special.”

The action at LaSalle Speedway, which is centrally located in northern Illinois and southwest of Chicago, will no doubt be fast and furious. Danny Lasoski won the last World of Outlaws event at the racy high-banked oval in 2004. Other World of Outlaws winners include Tony Stewart Racing’s Steve Kinser (1999 and 1994), Stevie Smith (1998), Mark Kinser (1997), Sammy Swindell (1996) and Dave Blaney (1995).

“The Chicago area has always been a great market for NASCAR and I look forward to seeing the Outlaws at LaSalle,” Kahne said. “We had a great crowd at Sedalia and the fans really showed their support for the World of Outlaws series. I anticipate another good showing at La Salle to wrap up the race for Bud crown.”

Kahne will be focused on his role as promoter on Thursday at LaSalle. For those who have purchased tickets by July 5, he’ll be available for an exclusive Question-and-Answer session. He’ll also be involved in the opening ceremonies and ultimately as the special Showdown for the Bud Crown trophy is presented.

“I really enjoy being there and watching the guys race and supporting them,” Kahne said. “I enjoy racing in Outlaws races too, but this is a competitive series and a lot goes into racing these cars. It is tough to jump in and race once every couple of months. It will nice to be able to sit back and watch the guys do what they do.”

The Showdown championship battle tests drivers on three very different types of tracks. Rounds 1 and 2 were at high-banked Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., and Round 3 was at the big half-mile Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Mo.

Jason Meyers is leading the Showdown for the Bud Crown championship, followed by Paul McMahan (-36), Steve Kinser (-39), Donny Schatz (-76) and Danny Lasoski (-102). Joey Saldana won the opening round at Volunteer Speedway, with Meyers winning the second night at Volunteer and Jason Sides capturing the third leg at Missouri State Fair Speedway. Drivers earn points in the Showdown championship during time trials, heat races and the main event, so heading into LaSalle the fight for the crown is wide open. Following Kasey’s King of LaSalle on Thursday night, the top three in points will share a $15,000 bonus.

Thursday night’s event will kick off with Kahne meeting fans who purchased advance tickets, which are only $29 for adults and $9 for children. Adult tickets increase to $35 on the day of the show. Tickets can be purchased by going to http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/tickets or by phone during regular business hours at 704-795-7223.

General camping (no hookups) also is available at LaSalle Speedway on Wednesday and Thursday, making it the perfect destination for those early arrivers to the Chicagoland region for the weekend’s NASCAR event.

For more information on Kasey’s King of LaSalle, visit http://www.WorldofOutlaws.com. For information on LaSalle Speedway, go to http://www.lasallespeedway.com.

For more information on Kasey Kahne, visit http://www.kaseykahne.com and http://www.kaseykahneracing.com.

Chris Dolack

World Racing Group

cdolack@dirtcar.com

LaSalle Speedway will celebrate Indepenance day with a spectacular Fireworks show this Saturday Night.  A full racing program, plus fireworks just $10.00 for Adults, Kids 11 and under FREE! 

GET YOUR TICKETS!

 “Kasey’s King of LaSalle presented by Budweiser” 2010 National Championship Tour on Thursday, July 8.

Avoid the lines by picking up your General Admission tickets this Saturday at LaSalle Speedway!

Advance Reserved Seats – just $ 29 (increase to $ 35 day of show)

Children’s Reserved Seats (12 years old and younger) – only $ 9! Choose “Apply Discount” at checkout for special $ 9 pricing. All children’s tickets are marked and verified at gates.

http://dirtcar.ticketforce.com/ordertickets.asp?p=20&backurl=default.asp

Bell chimes loudly under full moon at La Salle Speedway

By: Betty Glynn

La Salle, IL – The superstitions about the moon’s affect has existed for centuries. Whenever a full moon is glowing in the night sky, the lunar effect is blamed for all that goes awry. Everyone knows it’s not safe to go out on a bright moonlit night (despite the good lighting) for fear of werewolves, or, even worse. Well that is how the story goes anyway.

The full moon illuminated the high banks of the La Salle Speedway Saturday night and left many wondering if that was cause to a crazy night at the races. With recent rains most of us have noticed the soil is saturated and the rain has no where left to go leaving massive puddles in areas we don’t normally see filled. Things are no different with the clay oval. As track preparers worked the surface the moisture was coming back up to the top creating a challenge for those who were trying to prep the speed arena. After a delayed start, it seemed as though things just were all out of whack in nearly every division.

Due to the delay, the Late Model and Modified qualifying had to be replaced with heat positions based on the draw system and the feature lineup determined straight up by the heat finishes.

Rich Bell started the first heat contest on the front row and wasted little time leaving the competition in the dust. Lil’ John Provenzano scored second ahead of Joe Fratt and Keith Piano. Wisconsin driver Bret Sievert also started on the front row outside and pulled away from the competition to win the second heat. Bill Rezutek took second in front of Bill Weistart Jr. and Mike Provenzano.

Bell’s victory earned him the coveted feature pole position next to Sievert. Behind the pair, was last week’s winner Lil’ John Provenzano and then Rezutek. Sievert shot to the lead early with Bell on his tail. It was a rocky start with several cautions slowing the action from the get go. During Lap 5, the corner between turns one and two played host to a six car pile up.

At the restart, Bell was put in the lead and started to pull away from the competition evening taking the action three wide as he lapped rides in the rear of the field. Sievert and Lil’ John found themselves side by side with Sievert always able to keep his nose in second.

Bell won the twenty five lapper with Sievert continuing in a strong second ahead of Mike Provenzano who beat his father Lil’ John to the line for third. Mike Glynn charged his way into the fifth place finish from a fourteenth start on the grid. Keith Piano finished sixth ahead of Rezutek, Mark Larson, John Piccatto and Randy Manos.

Twenty four Modified drivers signed in but either the full moon was to blame or it was just a bad night for the class. The corner between turns one and two seemed cursed as lap after lap cars spun in the corner bringing the caution flag out more than green.

The scoreboard was inoperable due to being struck several times by the recent bad storms so counting the laps during the Modified feature was a challenge to say the least. It didn’t seem as though the field of twenty four could travel more than one lap under the fast pace they are capable of without a stopped ride somewhere on the high banks. That somewhere was almost always in the corner of turns one and two. The event turned into a marathon of sorts taking around thirty five minutes until track officials called the event before all scheduled laps could be scored. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem as though there were even ten laps in the books when they dropped the checkers.

Vince Cooper took the victory for the second week in a row in solo action. He was out front without contest leaving Phil Line in the runner up position with AJ May, Kevin Thompson, Tim Loomis, Dale Lueth, Steve Brooks, Dale Manson, Matt Gremminger, Derrick Doerr and Jeramie Johnson crossing the line after him.

Line won the first heat over Marty Thompson, Kevin Thompson and Tom Knippenberg. Cooper claimed the second heat without another ride close by beating Justin McCoy, Loomis and Brad Stewart. Justin Munson won the final heat race ahead of a hard fought battle between May and Lueth who were side by side at the line. May narrowly held the second spot followed by Lueth and Brooks.

Brandon Maciejewski dominated the Street Stock division claiming both their heat and feature races. His ability to avoid contact and sail thru lapped traffic enabled him to pull away from the competition in their feature event.

Like the Mods the corner of turns one and two was continuously hosting a stalled machine. Seventeen started but only eight were still rolling at the conclusion.

Rickels took home second from a third place start over Randy Lucas, Mike McKinney, Orin Naramora, Steve Schwemlein, Wayne Huffman and Ande Bivens.

Maciejewski beat Rickels to the line for the first heat with Kevin Snowberger taking third in front of Huffman. Jake Miller won the second preliminary race in front of Steve Lewis and Mike Hughes.

Twelve cars were on tap for the 4 Cylinder Hornets. The best feature racing of the night may have come from this class of drivers. With action on the track more than yellows it was a nice ending to a long night.

Phil Burdette took the pole with JR Brown on the outside. By the third lap, Burdette looked strong leading but fell off the pace and out of competition. Two laps later, a four wide battle for the point was underway between Jerry Legner, Brown, DJ Kilanowski and Rick Wagner. Legner won that battle but Brown was still knocking on his door.

With two laps to go, Brown stole the lead as the leaders raced hard with lapped traffic in front of them. Legner took second ahead of Wagner, Kilanowski, Rick Zifko, DenisPollak, Dustin Forbes and #13R.

Burdette beat Kilanowski to the line for the first heat win while Josh Trahan took third over Forbes. Brown claimed the second heat with Legner, Zifko and Wagner behind him.

The evenings feature winners also claimed their heat contests in every division.

Next Saturday night, the La Salle Speedway will host their annual spectacular fireworks display for the Fourth of July along with the regular racing program.

La Salle Speedway Scoreboard Results

UMP Late Models – 18 Cars

Heat #1: Rich Bell, John Provenzano, Joe Fratt, Keith Piano

Heat #2: Bret Sievert, Bill Rezutek, Bill Weistart Jr., Mike Provenzano

Feature: Rich Bell, Bret Sievert, Mike Provenzano, John Provenzano, Mike Glynn, Keith Piano, Bill Rezutek, Mark Larson, John Piccatto, Randy Manos, Bill Weistart Jr., Joe Fratt, Jon Small, Todd Alexander, Ed Williams Jr., Aaron Schmidt, Jeff Small, Travis Mahoney

UMP Modifieds – 24Cars

Heat #1: Phil Line, Marty Thompson, Kevin Thompson, Tom Knippenberg

Heat #2: Vince Cooper, Justin McCoy, Tim Loomis, Brad Stewart

Heat #3: Justin Munson, AJ May, Dale Lueth, Steve Brooks

Feature: Vince Cooper, Phil Line, AJ May, Kevin Thompson, Tim Loomis, Dale Lueth, Steve Brooks, Dale Manson, Matt Gremminger, Derrick Doerr, Jeramie Johnson, Mike Marden, Ken Fischer, Brad Stewart, Tom Knippenberg, Justin Manson, Scott Hauge, Geno Hewitt, Don Cole, Chadd Gray, Marty Thompson, AJ Dixon, Justin McCoy, Joe Adam

UMP Street Stocks – 19 Cars

Heat #1: Brandon Maciejewski, Roger Rickels, Kevin Snowberger, Wayne Huffman

Heat #2: Jake Miller, Mike McKinney, Steve Lewis, Mike Hughes

Feature: Brandon Maciejewski, Roger Rickels, Randy Lucas, Mike McKinney, Orin Naramoca, Steve Schwemlein, Wayne Huffman, Ande Bivens, Tim Provenzano, Duane Peterson, Mike Hughes, Nick Sell, Wesley Elkins, Steve Lewis, John Hogue, Kevin Snowberger, Jake Miller

UMP Hornets – 12 Cars

Heat #1: Phil Burdette, DJ Kilanowski, Josh Trahan, Dustin Forbes

Heat #2: JR Brown, Jerry Legner, Rick Zifko, Rick Wagner

Feature: JR Brown, Jerry Legner, Rick Wagner, DJ Kilanowski, Rick Zifko, Dennis Pollak, Dustin Forbes, 13R, Aaron Sutton, Josh Trahan, Asa Robart, Phil Burdette