Record crowd at Ephrata Raceway Park
EPHRATA — Racing Saturday night at Ephrata Raceway Park saw a record crowd in the grandstands as the Rolling Thunder Big Rigs joined the Pepsi Cola Street Stocks, Super Stocks, Schaeffer’s Oil Mini Stocks and Ephrata Pioneer Muffler 2 Pure Stocks at the high-banked quarter mile paved oval.
Nine Semi Trucks took the track and awed the capacity crowd as they hauled their 10,000 to 12,500 pound Mack, Peterbilt, Kenworth and International Harvester brand race trucks around the tight confines. With horns blaring, lights flashing and mighty roars of the diesel performance engines the crowd grew more enthusiastic with every lap. Picking up Trophy Dash wins for the Rolling Thunder Big Rigs were Tammy Rodstrom and Mickey Iverson. Iverson gave his trophy to a kid in the grandstands. The Heat Race wins were captured by Steve Smith and Jeff Swanstrom.
Rodstrom held the lead for the first few laps before giving way to John Nelson. Nelson led the next five laps before hard charging Steve Smith in the red, white and blue All-American Big Rig No. 76 blew by for the lead.
Smith held the top spot the rest of the way and was chased to the checkered flag by Dustin Smith, Swanstrom, Iverson and Rodstrom rounding out the top five.
A familiar face in a new race car topped the heap in the Super Stock division. Bart Hector, Sr. debuted a new car and came home the winner in the 15-lap Super Stock Main Event. Hector won the Trophy Dash and Heat Race but missed a clean sweep of the evenings events as Brad Morrison was fast time at 15.682.
In the Pepsi Cola Street Stocks it was Quincy driver Mitch Kleyn who found himself in winners circle once again.
Most of the season has seen either Kleyn or point leader Skyler Leseman atop the leaderboard at the end of the night. In the Main Event Terry Osborn led the first five laps then it was all Kleyn. A late race yellow flag closed the gap between the leader Kleyn and second place Leseman but Kleyn had all he needed for the win.
Finishing second through fifth were Leseman, Mike Hill visiting from Yakima Speedway, Rick Bretches and James (JR) Stratfull. Fast time went to Kleyn, with Randy Pugh and Kleyn winning the dashes. Stratful won the heat race.
It’s not always the norm for the cars of the Ephrata Pioneer Muffler 2 Street Stocks to behave like the Big Cars but there was plenty of banging and crashing.
Dustin Kapalo borrowed Colton Fishers car and set fast time with a 17.286. Terry McGraw and Kapalo were the Trophy Dash winners. Jake McGraw and Brad Arneson won the Heat Races. The Main Event took five attempts to get started.
Two red flags and three yellow flags before one lap was completed took almost 14 minutes of their allotted 15 minute race time. After a brief talk with track officials, the cars ran a shortened 10 lap Main with Kapalo extending his point lead by winning, over Dallas White, Terry McGraw, Arneson and Josh Hector.
The Schaeffer Oil Mini Stock fast time went to JR Miner with a 16.828 time in lap. Trophy Dash wins were captured by Sean Meyers and Bart Hector, Jr. Meyers won the Heat Race. In the Main Event Eddie Razey led the first nine laps before giving away to Miner who kept the first place position the remaining 11 laps for the win. Razey and Hector, Jr. battled for second and third the rest of the way with Meyers sticking his nose in the fray as well.
Oval track racing takes the next weeked off but motocross will run under the lights.
On Aug. 28 the Monster Trucks El Matador and King Krunch will be at Ephrata Raceway Park and more details are available online at www.ephrataracewaypark.com.