GREENWOOD, Neb. (Sept. 22, 2007)  - Midwest City, Oklahoma's - John Hampel, making only his second NCRA appearance this season, took advantage of John Anderson's motor gremlins to win his first career O'Reilly National Championship Racing Association late model presented by ICM/Ethanol feature Saturday night during the opening night of the Cornhusker Classic at I-80 Speedway/Nebraska Raceway Park in Greenwood. The race was co-sanctioned by the Topless Outlaw Racing Association (TORA).

 

   Current series points leader Kelly Boen and Anderson started on the front row for the caution free thirty-five lap event with Anderson jumping out front as the green flag fell. Anderson would pace the opening laps and open a comfortable eight lap lead by lap two as Chris Spieker, Boen, seventh starting Bryant Goldsmith and Hampel gave chase. On lap three, Boen made a move for the runner up position one lap later only to surrender the spot back to Spieker one lap later.

 

   By lap seven, Anderson, who came into the night second in series points, had opened a half-stretch lead over the rest of the field while behind him, Hampel began making his move towards the front as he had made his way past Goldsmith, Boen and Speiker into the second position.

 

   Lap fourteen saw the leaders begin to reach lapped traffic with Anderson now clinging to a ten car length advantage over Hampel. Goldsmith, Al Humphrey and Speiker battled each other in the top five. But just as it seemed that Anderson was under control on lap twenty-four, motor problems arose as his car began sputtering on the straightaways. Hampel began to close the distance and by lap twenty-eight began pressuring for the top spot but could not get around Anderson, who kept a solid pace down low on the 4/10th mile oval despite his motor problems.

 

   With three laps to go, Anderson's luck would come to an end as Hampel drove low entering turns one and two and would take the lead going down the backstretch. Hampel and his Predator Trailers sponsored car would go the rest of the distance unchallenged to claim his first career NCRA series victory.

 

   "We was beginning to wonder if we was ever going to get around him," said an elated Hampel in victory lane. "Lapped traffic slowed us down a little bit but it wasn't a real factor with him (Anderson) having problems. With about five laps to go I told myself 'I better get going' and we did. I would like to really thank my folks and Ernie, Rod, my boy James and everybody else. This is great!"

 

   For Anderson, holding on to the runner up position was not too much of a problem. "We broke a rocker arm or something in the motor, we just got to take it apart and see," said a disappointed Anderson. "Our Shop Quick Convenience stores sponsored car worked great and we had them covered, just couldn't get it done."

 

   Corning, Iowa's Goldsmith would finish a strong and impressive third while local track favorite Al Humphrey and Leon Zeitner rounding out the top five.

 

   The ten lap heat races for the forty-seven car field were won by Boen, Anderson, Humphrey, Goldsmith and Chris Spieker. The first, twelve lap "B" feature was won in convincing fashion by Mike Collins with Mike Wiarda and Al Zeitner taking the second and third "B" features respectively.