Nov 8, 2009 09:30 AM EDT
Bill Werner Pockets $10k in his 10k in Epic Finish to Big One Enduro.
On a beautiful afternoon for November, a slick and smooth track helped to balance the playing field and provide for a great ending to the 2009 season.
The National Parts Peddler Big One Enduro was a race that was built up since last winter lived up to its billings as an all-out fight to the finish broke out coming off the final corner and back to the line to see who could take the $10,000 top prize.
Bill Werner, who designed his car to look like the advertised car that the speedway used to promote this event, won a drag race over Robert Rheinsburg, who was later disqualified, back to the checkered flag to pick up the biggest win of his career.
“I’m going to pay a lot off a lot of bills,” stated Werner in Victory Lane when asked what he would do with the money. “I also have to get all of the Werner’s back on the racetrack.”
Werner started in 81st place due to his requirement to draw. When the fuel stop came at lap 50, he was in fourth place and would restart in third after second place Alan Hotelling fell out before the race restarted.
The red flag waved three times in the first half of the race, but would not come out again until lap 93, setting up a wild race to the finish.
Werner had taken the lead on lap 87, only to lose it back to Rheinsburg, who travelled to Black Rock from Battle Creeck, MI. Two laps after the restart, Werner spun while trying to get by a parked car in turn three, losing a ton of ground to the No. 89. The next time around, Rheinsburg also spun when he reached the parked car, allowing the No. 10k to close back in.
On the final four laps, the two would battle closely and on lap 99, Rheinsburg came down to pinch Werner on turns one and two. Rheinsburg got back in front but washed up the track and Werner got underneath him as they set up an epic battle back to the line.
The two banged wheels as they raced down the front stretch, with Werner prevailing in a car he had run at Black Rock, Cayuga County and Paradise for the last two years.
“I didn’t even realize it was (Rheinsburg) for a few laps after I spun because I figured he was gone,” noted Werner upon reflection of the final laps. “Then I saw the number and got after it.”
As Werner and Rheinsburg pulled away for the lead, a good battle for what would end up being the second place battle. Gary Kinney held off Timmy Neff as they were the final cars on the lead lap. Ricky Thompson, Nate Peckham and Clayton Weaver all finished just one lap down, but Thompson would refuse tech and was thereby disqualified.
A total of 103 cars started the race with most of the field still running half way through the event. Polesitter Clayton Weaver jumped out front for the first two laps, but Ronnie Hill would get in the lead on lap three. The next lap, Hill would be involved in a major bottleneck on the backstretch, but would hang on to the lead.
On lap 26, Hill developed a flat right rear tire and would try to limp it to the lap 50 stoppage for refueling. After losing the lead, Hill tried hard to hang on the lead lap, which he was able to do until lap 48, when he pulled in the pits.
The next lap, George Brown, who had also taken the unofficial lead, popped a tire after contact with a lapped car and gave up the ghost with a lapped car.
In modified action, Ron Cartwright Jr. had never run his Big Block at Black Rock Speedway before, but he had little trouble adapting to the extra power and he consistently ran to the front and would be up top at the end of the 30-lap feature to pocket $2,000 in the only modified race of the year.
Cartwright, of Portageville, made the fifth pass for the lead stick on lap 19 when he moved by youngster Larry Wight in lapped traffic and held off the No. 99L throughout the final three restarts to score the victory in a true Big Block/ Small Block Shootout.
“It was good to be back (at Black Rock),” noted the pilot of the DJ Beardsley & Son Electric No. 2B. “It was a little different but the car was still pretty good.”
Cartwright drew the pole position for the 30-lap feature after winning his qualifying heat. He jumped out in front early on as the race had a little yellow fever until lap 9. On the lap three restart, Larry Wight was able to make a power move to steal the lead for just a lap.
Wight, of Phoenix, NY, would put his Gypsum Express No. 99L small block back in front on lap 10 and check out for nine laps until lapped traffic would do him in. Before Cartwright would get in front for good though, some contact would be made.
The leaders touched coming down the front stretch, as they fought hard in to the sun entering turn one. Cartwright would later apologize in Victory Lane.
As the top two stayed in front, Jim Gabriel Jr. would reel in those drivers in the final laps but would have to settle for third. Ray Bliss Jr. also won his qualifier and was fourth with Bob Henry Jr. to complete a Jr.-filled Top-Five.
Donnie Lawson has been dominant all year in the sportsman division at Black Rock, especially when the tire rule was open. But in his final race of the year, when he won his 13th feature at BRS, he had perhaps his most impressive run.
Lawson, of Woodhull, did not take the lead until the 25th circuit out of the 30-lap event, but when he did he checked out and left the field well in his dust. Because he was running a DIRTcar Legal GM Crate Engine on his No. 11, his win was worth $2,000.
Steve Gray paced the field early, but he developed a motor problem just after halfway and allowed Jim LaRock to creep by on the bottom. On a lap 22 caution though, Gray would pull in and on the restart Lawson had just enough momentum to rocket in to the lead.
“It was just a waiting game; hoping guys would go to the bottom,” mentioned Lawson in Victory Lane. “This is my favorite type of track, this hard and slick stuff.”
In a race that allowed open motors to compete, the crate-powered entries dominated the event, with only Jeff Crambo up front in an open entry. Crambo would wind up in second, but Lawson felt that more power was perhaps a hindrance on this late fall day.
“The way the track was, I think (the DIRT legal crate) actually helped, it was easier to get a hold of.”
A hard crash occurred half way through the event when Ben Brushaw went slamming in to the wall in turn four after running the cushion. He would be alright, as would all competitors on the afternoon.
Behind Lawson and Crambo were Luke Carlton, Jim LaRock and Ray Bliss Jr. to round out the top-five.
Black Rock Speedway Results: 11/7/2009-
National Parts Peddler, Swarthout Recycling Night
National Parts Peddler $10,000-to-Win Big One Enduro (100 Laps)- BILL WERNER, Gary Kinney, Timmy Neff, Nate Peckham, Clayton Weaver, Robert Rheinsburg (DQ), Ricky Thompson (DQ).
Lap Leaders- Weaver 1-2, Hill 3-29, Neff 30-44, Rheinsburg 45, Brown 46-47, Rheinsburg 48-86, Werner 87-89, Rheinsburg 90-99, Werner 100.
Swarthout Recycling $2,000-to-Win Big Block/Small Block Modified Feature (30 Laps)- RON CARTWRIGHT JR., Larry Wight, Jim Gabriel Jr., Ray Bliss Jr., Bob Henry Jr., Tom Sears Jr., Chad Phelps, Tom Collins, Tim Sebring, Frank Dunning, Randy Brokaw, John Lutes Jr., Steve Babicek,Tony Harris, Scott Brady, Quinn Sutherland, John Kuleszo, Brent Boyer, Brian Swarthout, Bryan Terwilliger, Serenity Sutherland Vollmer, Dale Welty, Boyd McTavish, Greg Monica, Danny West, Chris Ostrowsky, Mike Ward, Ray Dann.
Lap Leaders- Cartwright 1-2, Wight 3, Cartwright 4-9, Wight 10-18, Catwright 19-30.
Heat Winners- Cartwright, Gabriel, Bliss
Time Trial Results:
Number Name Time
1 2b Ron Cartwright Jr. 15.608
2 88 Bryan Terwilliger 15.828
3 29 Chris Ostrowsky 16.152
4 14 Brian Swarthout 16.180
5 B2 Bob Henry Jr. 16.200
6 27z Ray Bliss Jr. 16.213
7 19 Brent Boyer 16.405
8 77x Jim Gabriel Jr. 16.416
9 99L Larry Wight 16.454
10 S1 Steve Babicek 16.496
11 31 Frank Dunning 16.501
12 R7 Randy Brokaw 16.564
13 13 Greg Monica 16.565
14 45 Tim Sebring 16.646
15 00b Scott Brady 16.673
16 37s Boyd McTavish 16.710
17 9x Dale Welty 16.783
18 7c Tom Collins 16.809
19 21L John Lutes Jr. 16.955
20 38 Tom Sears 17.057
21 X Chad Phelps 17.149
22 45m Mike Ward 17.180
23 37v Serenity Sutherland 17.365
24 9cat Tony Harris 17.602
25 21x Ray Dann 17.656
26 57 Danny West 20.542
27 34 Quinn Sutherland DQ
28 19k John Kuluszeo N/T
$1,500-to-Win Sportsman Feature (30 Laps)- DONNIE LAWSON, Jeff Crambo, Luke Carlton, Jim LaRock, Ray Bliss Jr., Justin Wright, Brady Fultz, Mike Loney, Gary Hotelling, Gene Sharpsteen, Dave Marcucilli, Larry Hillis, Rob Pratt, Bob Johnson, Chris Silvers, Brett Buono, Fran Hilton, Steve Gray, Richie Hillis, Loren Lincoln, Chuck Winslow, Craig Gardner, Trevor Sutherland, Ben Bushaw, Gus Hurlburt, Jamie Batzel, Rob Humphreys, Mike O’Brien.
Lap Leader- Gray 1-15, LaRock 16-24, Lawson 25-30.
DNQ- Kenny Peoples Jr., Brian White, Daryl Hilkert, Tony Hooker, Rick Willsey, Scott Boudinout, Todd Henderson, John Venuto, Damon Walker, Josh Butler, Greg Crooker, Ross Vleck, Eric Williams, Brandon Butler.
Heat Winners- Bushaw, Crambo, Carlton, Gray.
Consolation Winners- Wright, Pratt.
Time Trial Results:
Number Name Time
1 18h Todd Henderson 16.509
2 77 Jeff Crambo 16.514
3 70 Brady Fultz 16.636
4 ff3 Jamie Batzel 16.637
5 56 Brian White 16.702
6 12 Ray Bliss 16.709
7 p38 Rob Pratt 16.713
8 29g Steve Gray 16.718
9 14s Craig Gardner 16.793
10 11 Donnie Lawson 16.799
11 34 Trevor Sutherland 16.898
12 31II Richie Hillis 16.902
13 2 Loren Lincoln 16.946
14 58L Jim LaRock 16.952
15 3 Fran Hilton 16.956
16 21 Bob Johnson 17.001
17 36 Ben Bushaw 17.047
18 32 Greg Crooker 17.085
19 99jr Mike O'Brien 17.121
20 24 Rick Willsey 17.161
21 m1 Dave Maruccilli 17.181
22 31 Larry Hillis 17.233
23 85H Rob Humphreys 17.247
24 4 Daryl Hilkert 17.333
25 24b Brett Buono 17.374
26 7G Gene Sharpsteen 17.376
27 21x Eric Williams 17.385
28 17d Mike Loney 17.395
29 44 Gary Hotelling 17.408
30 26H Luke Carlton 17.424
31 83 Ross Vleck 17.497
32 8 Gus Hurlburt 17.559
33 44v John Venuto 17.567
34 30 Damon Walker 17.582
35 7 Chris Silvers 17.602
36 13 Tony Hooker 17.603
37 2 Chuck Winslow 17.685
38 40 Josh Butler 17.758
39 16 Brandon Butler 17.859
40 39b Scott Budunoit 18.078
41 19w Justin Wright 28.740
42 15 Kenny Peoples Jr. DQ
