Bergman, Goetz, Lenz, Simpson and Izzi Have Dominant Wins.
By Jack Fordyce
Grays harbor Raceway
Elma, WA.
A pair of Snohomish drivers, Seth Bergman and Reece Goetz, Vancouver’s Scott Lenz, Hoquiam’s Zack Simpson and Olympia’s Brian Izzi all had dominating wins Saturday night at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma.
Bergman entered the winners circle for the fourth time in six attempts in the “360 Sprints” on the harbor when he took the checkered flag in the 25-lap feature race. His only losses of the season were to Enumclaw’s Henry VanDam on the second week of the season and last Saturday night when he developed engine problems while leading the season opener for the American Sprint Car Series Northwest Region.
Goetz finally completed the deal when he won his first race in the “Midgets” series. Twice already this season he has been leading the feature race when he developed mechanical problems and was out of the race. This time everything held together in the 20-lap feature race.
Lenz made the trip north of the Columbia River for the first time this season and came away with the win in the “Modifieds” 15-lap (rain shortened) main event. Lenz is no stranger to the Elma track. He finished third in the Northwest Modified Nationals last year.
Simpson resumed his usual spot, not only at the finish of the 20-lap main event, but back on top in the season’s point’s race in the “Hobby Stocks” series.
Izzi managed to avoid massive pile up of cars on the third lap which resembled something you would expect to see on I-5 rush hour traffic in Seattle, highlights on the evening news. The melee happened in front of the grandstands and involved half of the fourteen car field, with five of them out of the race for the night.
Sprints
Bergman had the pole at the start and quickly set a pace that couldn’t be matched by the rest of the field. Defending series champion, Glenn Borden Jr. of Raymond was in the second spot followed by VanDam, Tacoma’s Shawn Rice and seven time series champion, Jay Cole of Shelton. Both Rice and Cole got by Borden JR. on lap-13 and then proceeded to put on a show for the fans for second place. The two traded places no less than five times in the final 10-laps before the Shelton driver finally won that battle. Bergman took the checkered flag over a second in front of Cole, Rice held onto third, Borden fourth and VanDam fifth. Bergman’s win stretched his point’s lead to 52 over second place VanDam. Cole moved into the third spot with a single point lead over defending champion Borden Jr.
Midgets
Goetz grabbed the lead from pole sitter, Allison Journey, Springfield, OR. on the first lap and it was Katie bar the door from there to the finish. Journey yielded the second spot a lap later to another Snohomish driver, Dustin O’Brien on the second lap, followed by Hoquiam’s Ariel Biggs and yet another Snohomish driver, defending series champion Seth Hespe. The final five was set on the third lap when Hespe got by Biggs for fourth and from there to the finish the top five went unchanged. It was the first win in the series for the young Snohomish driver, who has driven the mini sprints at Deming in the past. Journey regained some of the points that she lost last week when she was involved in an accident in the feature race and closed the gap to just 3 points behind Hespe. O’Brien is 21-points behind the leader and Goetz has moved into the top five at the number four spot.
Modifieds
Lenz went from third to first in just a single lap as he passed pole sitter and defending series champion Josh Muller of Montesano and Jim Oien Jr. of McCleary, with Oien Jr. dropping all the way back to fifth, and Shelton drivers Scott Miller and Shane Rau filling in the gaps. Miller dropped out of the top five on lap-5 with a flat tire but managed to make a great comeback before the race was called after fifteen laps when the rains brought a halt to the race. Oien Jr. moved his way back into the second spot on lap-8 and Shelton’s Del Schnitzer and Miller both got by Muller on lap-14. The caution flag came out on lap-16 when Shane Rau spun out in turn-4 and the rains proceeded to get heavier. Race officials decided that was it for the night and threw the checkered flag. Oien Jr. finished second, for his best finish of the season, Miller third. Schnitzer fourth and Muller fifth.
Miller holds a 25 point lead on the defending champion in the point’s race while former champion Craig Moore of Seabeck is a distant 74 points back in third.
Hobby Stocks
After just a single week’s absence from the top of the point’s race, for the first time in three years, Simpson regained the lead with a wire to wire win. Simpson started on the outside of Tom Sweatman, Cosmopolis, the only driver that has been able to move the Hoquiam driver out of the top spot. Sweatman gave Simpson a run for his money in the first three laps before he left the track after a caution flag on lap-4. On the restart it was Simpson, fellow Hoquiam driver and teammate Jack Parshall, newcomer to the harbor, Wes Sayre of Portland, Eddie Blood of Olympia and Tom Hecker of Spanaway in the top five. Derek Junell, Key Center, edged Hecker out of the top five on lap-7. Simpson cruised to the win with almost a five second lead over Parshall. Sayre Blood and Junell rounded out the top five.
Simpson now holds a 19 point lead over Sweatman with Blood and Junell tied for third 21 points back of the leader.
Hornets
Izzi made his move at the start of the race when he came from the third row back to take the lead before the first lap was even completed, passing pole sitter Rich Gooding of Castle Rock, Rodney West, Parkland, Zach Floreek, Tenino and Jason Scheibel of Kelso on the way. Both Gooding and Floreek were involved in the red flag stopping pile up on lap-3 and were done for the evening.
When the race was restarted, Izzi was out in front of Jake Mills, Onalaska, Zach Dalrymple, Olympia, defending series champion Rory Clevenger also of Olympia and Rodney West of Parkland.
The rest of the race went caution free and Izzi took the checkered flag well in front of Clevenger, Mills dropped to third late in the race, Dalrymple fourth and West ended up in fifth.
Next Saturday night will feature the first appearance this year of the Northwest Wingless Sprint tour, “Hobby
Stocks” Washington Dwarf Cars and the “Hornets.
Gates open at 4:30 with racing around 6:30.
Top Finishers/Top Points
Whitney’s Auto Group “360 Sprints” A Main. 1. Seth Bergman, Snohomish. 2. Jay Cole, Shelton. 3. Shawn rice, Tacoma. 4. Glenn Borden Jr. Raymond. 5. Henry VanDam, Enumclaw. 6. JJ Dishneau, Maple Valley. 7. Mike Gable, Shelton. 8. Jeff Dunlap, Renton. 9. Rob Johnson, Raymond. Heat Race. 1. 1. Cole. 2. VanDam. 3. Bergman. 4. Borden Jr. 5. Rice. Fast Time: Bergman. 12.664 106.601 MPH. Top Points (Unofficial). Bergman 582. VanDam 530. Cole 496. Borden Jr. 495. Rice 468. J. Dunlap 412. Hickle 385.Olson 383. Dishneau 356. DeWitt 332.
Triple X Racing Ford Focus “Midgets” A Main. 1. Reece Goetz, Snohomish. 2. Dustin O’Brien, Snohomish. 3. Allison Journey, Springfield, OR. 4. Seth Hespe, Snohomish. 5. Ariel Biggs, Hoquiam. 6. Gaylon Stewart. Everett. 7. Garret Johnson, Poulsbo. 8. Jeremy Miller, Montesano. 9. Annika Johanson, Lacey. 10. Bailey Studer, Montesano. Heat 1. 1. Johnson. 2. Hespe. 3. Journey. 4. G. Stewart. 5. Kelly Douglas, Poulsbo. Heat 2. 1. Miller. 2. Goetz. 3. Biggs. 4. O’Brien. 5. Johanson. Fast Time: Journey. 16.492 81.858 MPH Top Points (Unofficial). Hespe 440. Journey 437. O’Brien 419. Goetz 402. Johnson 392. Biggs 389. Miller 380. Johanson 344. Studer 339. G. Stewart 304.
Ship Wreck Beads “Modifieds A Main. 1. Scott Lenz, Shady Grove, OR. 2. Jim Oien Jr. McCleary. 3. Scott Miller, Shelton. 4. Del Schnitzer, Shelton. 5. Josh Muller, Montesano. 6. Steve Signal, Olympia. 7. Craig Moore, Seabeck. 8. Shane Rau, Shelton. 9. Carl Larson, Castle Rock. 10. Randy Ward, Olympia. Heat 1. 1. Muller. 2. Rau. 3. Moore. 4. Mark Hill, Warren, OR. 5. Alan Muenchow, Shelton. Heat 2. 1. Oien Jr. 2. Dave Burns, Bremerton. 3. Signal. 4. Ward. 5. Matt Scherer, Aberdeen. Heat 3. 1. Lenz. 2. Miller. 3. Schnitzer. 4. Greg Greer, Rainer, OR. 5. Jon Swiglo, Curtis. Fast Time: Muller. 16. 803 80.343 MPH.
Cut Rate Auto Parts “Hobby Stocks A Main. 1. Zack Simpson, Hoquiam. 2. Jack Parshall, Hoquiam. 3. Wes Sayre, Portland. 4. Eddie Blood, Olympia. 5. Derek Junell, Key Center. 6. Tom Hecker, Spanaway. 7. Brian Izzi, Olympia. 8. Zach Fuller, Tacoma. 9. Koit Honea, Montesano. 10. Chuck Woodbury, Montesano. Heat 1. 1. Parshall. 2. Tom Sweatman, Cosmopolis. 3. Junell. 4. Sayre. 5. Jimmie Solorzano, Shelton. Heat 2. 1. Simpson. 2. Blood. 3. Honea. 4. Izzi. 5. Woodbury. Fast Time: Sweatman 18.329 73.654. Top Points (Unofficial). Simpson 444. Sweatman 425. Junell 413. Blood 413. Parshall 390. Hecker 368. Izzi 359. Honea 353. Woodbury 324. Biggs 300.
HiLine Homes “Hornets A Main. 1 Brian Izzi, Olympia. 2. Rory Clevenger, Olympia. 3. Jake Mills, Onalaska. 4. Zach Dalrymple, Olympia. 5. Rodney West, Parkland. Heat 1. Clevenger. 2. Cliff Gill Aberdeen. 3. Zach Floreek, Tenino. 4. Rich Gooding, Castle Rock. Heat 2. Izzi. 2. Jason Scheibel, Kelso. 3. West. 4. Andrew Zinke, Onalaska. 5. Jeremy Lueck, Fort Lewis.
