A wet start to the weekend had officials worried the 4th Annual Mudslinger Shootout would live up to its name. The annual event presented by the I-5 QMC and sponsored by LINE-X affords the 1/4 midget drivers at The Grays Harbor Mini Raceway an opportunity to race for US Savings Bonds, trophies, and a custom embroidered leather jacket.
Saturday was scheduled for the practice and heat races, but on again, off again rain showers never gave the crew a good opportunity to prep the race surface, so in the afternoon a decision was made to call it a day and try again Sunday. This took the pressure off of the track crew and gave the drivers and families an opportunity to enjoy themselves at the race track without the pressure of competition. Fun was had by all even while the race cars were tucked away in the trailers - a reminder of what the family organization is truly about. Quote of the day: Zachary Gee - "Colton is my friend - he kicks my butt!" A reminder that even a 5 year old understands what our organization is really about.
When Sunday morning arrived, 51 drivers had signed in for the chance to earn part of the $2800.00 in US Savings Bonds, and try to get their name embroidered on one of the leather jackets given to the winner of each division.
Both Jr Novice and Jr Honda saw car counts big enough to warrant B-main events. In the Jr Novice B-main, Chance Brogan started on the pole and led every lap for the win. Nate Mueller and Andy Palmer battled it out for the second spot, while Layne Buchanan and Joey Palmer chased from fourth and fifth spots. In the end, Nate locked in second, Andy finished third, and Layne grabbed the final transfer position in fourth.
The Jr Honda B-main was action packed. Autumn Johnson won from the pole, but not before Ryan Mottner gave her a challenge. Alex Oster worked traffic patiently and by the final lap had himself in position to take second from Ryan. Ryan finished third, and McKenzie Journey locked up the final transfer spot in fourth.
The Jr Novice A-main saw Tanner Olson start from the pole via his two heat race wins, and lead every lap for a clean sweep of the day. The racing by the first year drivers was outstanding as they were two, and sometimes three wide for most of the race, making the scoring ladies earn their pay. With the crowd on their feet and 4 laps to go, the traffic got tight and a few cars tangled. Colton Johansson was running third and tried to miss the wreck but ran out of room, tagging the wall hard and ending his day. The race ended with Justin Sample in second, Chance Brogan all the way to third from the B-main, and Andy Palmer in fourth. Quote of the race: Justin Sample - "the thing I'm happiest about is that I
got to race with Chance." Again - another example of children teaching us.
In Sr Novice, Bobbi Ohlson won in just her second attempt. She drove smooth while Kyle Nations battled a small fever, but hung in there to finish second. Raina Magnuson was determined to finish in the money spot and worked her way to third from her fifth place starting position, and Christina Buchanan continues to improve, finishing fourth and making the long haul from Easton, WA worthwhile.
The Jr Honda A-main was set to be a great shootout. Several drivers had shown during the heat races that they were ready to challenge for the money. Autumn Johnson and Jeremiah Mueller showed their speed in the heat races, and gave the veterans a wake up call. In the end, Janell McPeake answered the call and led every lap for the win. Josiah Volz chased from second but fell just short, settling for second. Kaitlyn Journey finished a solid third, and Jeremiah Mueller rounded out the top four.
Sr Honda saw a great battle brewing as Angie Magnuson and Ariel Biggs set a torrid pace on the tiny clay oval. Ariel made a move for the lead, but ran out of room and was sent to the rear of the field with 1/2 of the race complete. On the restart Angie continued where she had left off and crossed the line first. Garret Johnson gave chase, but fell just short in second. Ariel showed her experience with a great run from the back to finish third, and Jessie Olson crossed the stripe fourth.
Lt 160 had the veterans showing why they can run up front. TJ Hartman led the field with Allison Journey giving him everything he could handle. Garret Johnson waited for both drivers to make a mistake, but it never came. TJ took the checkered flag first, Allison ran second, Garret was third, and Angie Magnuson quietly worked her way to fourth in a race that saw all nine drivers finish on the lead lap.
Hvy 160 had a hint of past history to it. David Peppel made the switch to dirt racing once again for this event, and it paid off. David captured his third Mudslinger title, and showed the local kids why he runs up front everywhere he goes. Allison Journey made a valiant effort to challenge, but had to settle for second. James Alexander finished in third, just ahead of Cassy Olson in fourth.
In Jr 1/2, the crowd was reminded early why the switch to the Briggs World Formula engine platform was good for the club and its members. In the open rules Mudslinger event, some of the drivers made the switch back to the old platform looking for more power. The decision bit them as TJ Hartman and Seth Hespe were unable to answer the call for the heat race due to problems. TJ made the engine swap back to his Hansen Racing built Briggs W/F, while Seth worked on his car, each hoping for better luck in the main event. In the end, TJ showed why the new engine is the future for the club, holding off the power of Seth Hespe's modified Honda powered mount for the win by a straightaway advantage. The win marked the 7th Mudslinger division title for TJ, but more important showed the crowd that sometimes, simple and less, can be better. Seth drove a fantastic race in second, while Allison Journey and Garret Johnson finished third and fourth respectfully.
Racing resumes June 24th with a Friday evening race. This will be the drivers first opportunity to try the track under the lights and let them experience the clay surface as the moist Grays Harbor air settles in when the sun goes down.
See you there, and as always, admission and great entertainment are free!
The I-5 QMC @ The Grays Harbor Mini Raceway......
Where the Legend Begins!
JR HONDA B MAIN:
1st - Autumn Johnson
2nd - Alex Oster
3rd - Ryan Mottner
4th - McKenzie Journey
5th - Kailey Schlenz
6th - Dylan Volz
JR NOVICE B MAIN:
1st - Chance Brogan
2nd - Nate Mueller
3rd - Andy Palmer
4th - Layne Buchanan
5th - Joey Palmer
JR NOVICE A MAIN:
1st - Tanner Olson - $200.00
2nd - Justin Sample - $100.00
3rd - Chance Brogan - $50.00
4th - Andy Palmer - $50.00
5th - Tucker Holcomb
6th - Nate Mueller
7th - Colton Johansson (DNF)
8th - Layne Buchanan (DQ)
SR NOVICE A MAIN:
1st - Bobbi Ohlson - $200.00
2nd - Kyle Nations - $100.00
3rd - Raina Magnuson - $50.00
4th - Christina Buchanan- $50.00
5th - Tyler Palmer
JR HONDA A MAIN:
1st - Janell McPeake - $200.00
2nd - Josiah Volz - $100.00
3rd - Kaitlyn Journey - $50.00
4th - Jeremiah Mueller - $50.00
5th - Autumn Johnson
6th - Ryan Mottner
7th - Alex Oster
8th - McKenzie Journey
SR HONDA A MAIN:
1st - Angie Magnuson - $200.00
2nd - Garret Johnson - $100.00
3rd - Ariel Biggs - $50.00
4th - Jessie Olson - $50.00
5th - Delaney Brogan
6th - Jason Reed
7th - McKen'a Brogan
LT 160 A MAIN:
1st - TJ Hartman - $200.00
2nd - Allison Journey - $100.00
3rd - Garret Johnson - $50.00
4th - Angie Magnuson - $50.00
5th - Tucker Sprague
6th - Hannah Shute
7th - Ariel Biggs
8th - Austin Hespe
9th - Nicki Hartman
HVY 160:
1st - David Peppel - $200.00
2nd - Allison Journey - $100.00
3rd - James Alexander - $50.00
4th - Cassy Olson - $50.00
5th - Serina McPeake
6th - Jessica Sprague
7th - Andrea Lytle (DNF)
JR 1/2:
1st - TJ Hartman - $200.00
2nd - Seth Hespe - $100.00
3rd - Allison Journey - $50.00
4th - Garret Johnson - $50.00