Craig Daily Press / Speedway season heading into home stretch

Drivers in the Street Stock class line up before their first heat Saturday at Hayden Speedway. Drivers have two races left to earn points toward driver-of-the-year and rookie-of-the-year season-ending awards. Enlarge photo — Photo by Hans Hallgren

By John Vandelinder

August 19, 2008

Speedway results

Western Colorado Racing Association

Hayden Speedway URSS Sprint Car Nationals

Aug. 16 race results:

Sport stock

Heat 1

1. Matthew Montague

2. Travis Goodwin

3. Mickey O’Connor

Main event

1. Matthew Montague

2. Travis Goodwin

3. Mickey O’Connor

Street stock

Heat 1

1. Rainer Beran

2. Clint Bellflower

3. Rhonda Wisecup

Main event

1. Clint Bellflower

2. Rainer Beran

3. Jared Arnold

Super street

Heat 1 1. Troy Kurth

2. Scott Heizer 3. Loren Herring

Main event

1. Troy Kurth

2. Loren Herring

3. Doug Wagoner

Limited late model

Heat 1

1. Donny Merrill

2. Floyd Guiterrez

3. Rocky Wisecup

Main event

1. Donny Merrill

2. Ernie Guiterrez

3. Charlie Hall

Modifieds

Heat 1

1. Chance Harms

2. Nick Craig

3. Matt Harms

Heat 2

1. Phil Goodwin

2. Gregg Kolbaba

3. Jimmy Rossi

Main event

1. Chance Harms

2. Nick Craig

3. Matt Harms

Sprint cars

Heat 1

1. Tim Perkins

2. Sidney Blandford

3. Jeremy Lueck

Heat 2

1. Pat Bourke

2. Billy Bingham

3. Garret Park

Main event

1. Pat Bourke

2. Sidney Blandford

3. Tim Perkins

Point standings (through Aug. 16) — car number in parenthesis

Sport stock overall

1. Travis Goodwin (7) 217

2. Mickey O’Conor (97) 215

3. Izzy Hitz (77) 168

4. Marion Varner (25) 164

5. Matthew Montague (7M) 114

6. Travis Goodwin (13) 91

7. Bailey Anderson (7X) 81

8. Steven Bethka (2) 52

9. Ed Hatch (2) 23

Sport stock rookies

1. Travis Goodwin 217

2. Izzy Hitz 168

3. Marion Varner 164

4. Matthew Montague 114

Street stock overall

1. Jim Frazier (73) 233

2. Rainer Beran (54) 229

3. Dan Stahl (51) 197

4. Heath Chamberlain (22) 195

5. Jared Arnold (17) 183

6. Rhonda Wisecup (66) 136

7. Trent Durham (6) 75

8. Jaceson VanGrandt (88) 67

9. Dustin Ager (37) 41

10. John Musser (20) 16

Street stock rookies

1. Jared Arnold 183

2. Rhonda Wisecup 136

Super street overall

1. Troy Kurth (K3) 210

2. Scott Heizer (40) 207

3. Loren Herring (33) 150

4. Tony Morgan (66) 132

5. David VanWinkle (4A) 100

6. Bill Hampton (12H) 73

7. Troy Goodson (25) 72

8. Jim Frazier (n/a) 33

9. Doug Wagoner (17) 29

10. John Madsen (69) 25

Super street rookies

1. Scott Heizer 207

2. Loren Herring 150

Limited late model overall

1. Ernie Guiterrez (56) 243

2. Rocky Wisecup (11) 223

3. Richard Wisecup (24) 131

4. Zach Schaffner (44) 97

5. Donny Merrill (33) 95

6. Charlie Hall (12H) 29

Limited late model rookies

1. Donny Merrill 95

Modifieds overall

1. Chance Harms (45) 202

2. Nick Craig (23) 185

3. Matt Harms (94) 180

4. Phil Goodwin (29) 177

5. Jimmy Rossi (16) 76

6. Josh Anderson (67) 75

7. HD Craig (8) 28

8. Mike Christianson (42) 23

9. Gregg Kolbaba (n/a) 23

Modifieds rookies

1. Jimmy Rossi 76

With two races left in the dirt track racing series at Hayden Speedway — Aug. 30 and Sept. 6 — points are at a premium.

The driver-of-the-year and rookie-of-the-year awards will be handed out at the conclusion of the year-end race Sept. 6.

Many drivers are in the hunt to collect the season-ending hardware, making Saturday’s results that much more important.

Travis Goodwin’s second-place finish Saturday gives him a comfortable 49-point lead against Izzy Hitz in the Sport Stock rookie standings.

However, the race for the DOTY title in Sport Stock is much closer.

Goodwin finished three points ahead of Mickey O’Conor on Saturday, leapfrogging O’Conor into first, with a slim two-point lead.

Jim Frazier’s absence from this weekend’s races may cost him in the Street Stock standings.

Rainer Beran, currently in second place in the DOTY standings, picked up 34 points Saturday, cutting Frazier’s lead to four points.

Jared Arnold’s 29 points earned Saturday in Street Stock, gives him a 47-point lead against Rhonda Wisecup in the race for the Street Stock ROY honors.

Troy Kurth continues to make some noise in the Super Street class, winning both his heats Saturday, vaulting past rookie Scott Heizer into the DOTY standings. Kurth’s two victories earned him 36 points, enough for a three- point lead. Heizer could be a lock for the Super Street ROY award. Heizer has a 57-point cushion against Loren Herring.

Donnie Merrill swept the Limited Late Model races Saturday, but the race for the DOTY in that division is primarily between leader Ernie Gutierrez and current second-place holder Rocky Wisecup. Gutierrez is leading Wisecup by 20 points. Merrill need not worry, though. His points will pay off. He is alone in the limited Late Model ROY standings, with 95 points.

The Modified division is the tightest contested race of all.

Twenty-five points separate Chance Harms, Nick Craig, Matt Harms and Phil Goodwin in the DOTY standings. Chance Harms leads with 202 points, but Craig (185), Matt Harms (180) and Goodwin (177) are within striking distance. Jim Rossi, the lone rookie in the division, has earned 76 points.

Two events remain.

Gentleman and ladies, start your engines.

John Vandelinder can be reached at 875-1793 or jvandelinder@craigdailypress.com