By David Smith, Jr.
    

BELLEVILLE, Kan. (July 4, 2008) - Despite nursing a souring motor with a little over one lap remaining, Kyle Berck of Marquette, Nebraska held off John Anderson and Kelly Boen to become the fifth different winner in as many races as the O'Reilly NCRA late model division presented by ICM/Ethanol hit the Belleville Highbanks in Belleville, Kansas Friday night. 

 

By virtue of the redraw from the top eight in heat race passing points, Berck started on the pole for the twenty lap feature and got the jump on fellow front row starter Mike Wiarda to take the lead as the green flag fell. Anderson and seventh starting Boen gave chase as Berck quickly opened up a fifteen car length advantage by lap two. But behind him gave a preview for the fans on things to come as the battle for the runner up position began as Boen tried a couple of slidejobs in the turns to take over the position, only see Anderson out race him down the straight-aways.

 

The race was slowed on lap four when John Kuchar went for a spin exiting turn two to bring out the caution.

 

It was all nonstop from there as Berck again jumped out front to a sizable advantage as Anderson and Boen once again battled for second with defending series champion Boen diving underneath Anderson in turns one and two, only to see the driver of the Shop Quik Convenience Stores regain the position.

 

By lap five, lapped traffic became a focal point of the race as the leaders would dice their way in and out of the lapped cars the rest of the way. With Berck and his Dorothy Lynch Homestyle Dressing sponsored car in heavy lapped traffic on lap fourteen, Anderson and Boen closed to within six car lengths, but the 2002 series champion would thread his way through the traffic and again open a comfortable advantage with three laps to go.

 

With a little over one lap remaining, Bercks engine began to sputter but despite the mechanical gremlins he would hold on to win his seventeenth career NCRA victory.  

 

"Take that Kelly Boen!" exclaimed a jubilant Berck after jumping off the roof of his brand new Masterbuilt Chassis. "I could feel the motor start to blow about a lap and a half from the end and I thought 'Oh no, they're going to get by me.' But we held on. We had a great car the whole night."

 

Anderson and his Jay Dickens powered Masterbuilt chassis held on for the runner up position as three-time and defending series champion Boen, who had dominated previous Highbanks events settled for third. Delbert "The Ice Man" Smith finished a strong fourth while Wiarda rounded out the top five.

 

Earl Kinderknecht, Jimmy Seagraves and Wiarda topped heat race action for the thirty late models on hand while series rookie of the year contender Shawn Harker took "B" feature honors.