National Championship Racing Association

Droud Jr., Ochs Racing, Capture NCRA Sprint Win at First Steve King Memorial Race

By Randy Fisher

DODGE CITY, Kan. – The first annual Steve King Memorial Race went to a car owned by one of one of the series’ mainstays.
 
Ochs Racing out of nearby Liberal, Kan., provided the power plant and Don Droud Jr., of Lincoln, Neb, provided the shoe. The result was a feature win for Droud and Ochs in the O’Reilly NCRA Sprint Car Series, presented by ICM/Ethanol.
 
“The Ochs Brothers really had a nice car for me,” Droud said of his car owners. “We’re having a good time. I really enjoy racing for these guys.”
 
As for the win, Jim Ochs said it has been “a while” since they last visited victory circle.
 
Droud took the lead from the outside of row one, jumping ahead of pole sitter Stu Snyder, to take the early lead until a second-lap incident brought out a red flag.
 
Two-time defending series champion Garry Lee Maier, from nearby Cimarron, Kan, got caught up with Mike Chadd, who had spun in front of him in turn four. Maier tapped Chadd and rolled the car over on its side, wrecking the front end of his 11x sprinter.
 
Garry Lee was OK but his car was done, a twisted mess. Chadd, also a former series champion, continued but was never a factor in the race.
 
The top five on the restart was Droud on point, followed by Snyder, Mike Peters, J.D. Johnson, and Larry Neighbors. On the second lap, Droud began to put some distance between himself and Snyder as Johnson moved around Peters for third.
 
While Johnson got by Snyder for second on the third lap, Droud continued to move away from the field. Chuck Swenson, who won the season opener April 15, moved into fifth and began a climb to the front.
 
By lap six, Droud had moved out to a margin of almost a straightaway over Johnson, with Swenson getting around Snyder for third.
 
“Early in the race, the track was right around the top,” Droud said, “but it had been around the bottom during the heat races.”
 
Johnson began to close noticeably on Droud and pulled up behind him on lap nine to make it a two-car race. Swenson was still third, almost a straightaway behind and losing ground. In fourth was Peters with Snyder falling to fifth.
 
The leaders encountered lapped traffic two circuits later as Droud unsuccessfully tried to use that to shake Johnson, who was runner-up in the 2006 season.
 
On lap 13, Johnson came into turn three on the low side. He slipped too low entering four and rode up on the inside berm. When he popped back down on the track, he had lost a large amount of ground to the leader but stayed in front of Swenson to hold second. Peters and Snyder rounded out the top five.
 
Again in front by the length of a straightaway, Droud set the Ochs Racing machine on cruise control and motored around the track. Johnson tried to move up but it was slow going as the laps were quickly winding down on the 25-lap feature.
 
The running order remained the same – Droud, Johnson, Swenson, Peters, and Snyder – for the next seven laps when things began to happen. Swenson and Peters went side-by-side going into turn two of lap 21. Peters was able to pull away and take third away from Swenson. Snyder remained in fifth, still followed by Neighbors.
 
As they completed lap 22, Patrick Bourke kissed and slid alongside the turn one wall, bringing out a caution. On the restart it was Droud, Johnson, Swenson got by Peters for third, with Snyder in fifth.
 
Droud was helped by a back marker, Brian Herbert, who was inserted in the lineup between the leader and Johnson in second. That allowed Droud to get the good jump and quickly move away.
 
“That always helps,” he said. “I think it’s only fair that if the leader laps somebody then the second place ought to have to lap them, too.”
 
As they took the green for a restart of the 23rd circuit, Swenson pulled low and tried to get by Johnson for position. Unfortunately there was contact, Johnson slowed and pulled in to the back straight infield.
 
With extensive front end damage, Johnson was done for the night. As they lined up for the restart, Droud still held the point, followed by the back marker Herbert, with Swenson in the runner-up spot. Peters moved up to third, Snyder into fourth and Neighbors fifth.
 
On the second try to start lap 23, Droud put it away with another great restart. He was not challenged the final three laps as he collected his first-ever NCRA feature win.
 
“When I was coming up to lap some of these guys I was noticing I was having trouble getting by some of these guys,” he said. “I figured the rubber might come back down, like it was in the heat races. So I just took a chance, went down there and it stuck. That was all she wrote.”
 
Peters moved up to challenge Swenson for second but the Watertown, S.D., driver held on for the runner-up spot. Peters was third, followed by Neighbors and Snyder.
 
Rounding out the top 10 were Preston Peebles II, Derek Drown, Chadd, C.J. Johnson, and Paul Flynn. 
 
With a second and a win, the combination of Droud and Ochs Racing is off to a great start.

“The plan at the beginning of the year was for me to run the full season,” Droud said. “God willing and keep this thing together, that’s what we will do.”
 
Bourke won the B-feature as the first of four transfers to the A. Also moving up were Luke Cranston, Allan Unruh and Brian Herbert. Greg Schaefer finished fifth in the B, however, but took the tail end spot of the A when Gavin Punch wasn’t able to start.
 
Snyder, Punch, Peters and Peebles all took heat wins.
 
The first-ever Steve King Memorial Race raised more than $1,000 from drivers passing their helmets in the stands during intermission. That doesn't include brisk merchandise sales during the night.
 
O'Reilly Finish Line
  
Heat #1 (10 laps): 1. (2D) Stu Snyder, Waverly, Neb.; 2. (31RB) Derek Drown, Amarillo, Texas; 3. (1x) Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, Neb. 4. (43) A.J. Selenke, Wichita, Kan.; 5. (57) Allan Unruh, Valley Center, Kan.; 6. (6) Mark Walinder, Wheatridge, Colo.; 7. (5) Troy Douglas, Amarillo, Texas; DNF: (33) Chris Miller, Woodward, Okla.
 
Heat #2 (10 laps): 1. (81AU) Gavin Punch, Collinsville, Okla.; 2. (98) J.D. Johnson, Goddard, Kan.; 3. (X) Chuck Swenson, Watertown, S.D.; 4. (17) Marc Robe, Wichita, Kan.; 5. (20) Luke Cranston, Ness City, Kan.; 6. (97) Brian Herbert, Dodge City, Kan. 7. (16) Scott Cochran, Denver, 8. (44) James Riner, Wichita, Kan.
 
Heat #3 (10 laps): 1. (51) Mike Peters, Peck, Kan.; 2. (4) Mike Chadd, Lincoln, Neb.; 3. (11x) Garry Lee Maier, Cimarron, Kan.; 4. (45x) C.J. Johnson, Quinter, Kan.; 5. (27) Patrick Bourke, Edwards, Colo.; 6. (12x) Greg Schaeffer, Ft. Lupton, Colo.; 7. (81) Jon Freeman, Salina, Kan.; 8. (7) Roger Sundquist, Holdrege, Neb.; DNS: (9m) Ricky Montgomery, Denver.
 
Heat #4 (10 laps): 1. (29N) Larry Neighbors, Oklahoma City; 2. (11p) Preston Peebles II, Lubbock, Texas; 3. (92) Paul Flynn, Abilene, Kan.; 4. (71) Keith Rauch, Thornton, Colo.; 5. (10R) David Wheeler, Valley Center, Kan.; 6. (11) Chad Corken, Denver; 7. (31x) Josh Flood, Arvada, Colo.; DNF: (3) Julee Jamison, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
 
Farm Bureau dash (5 laps): 1. (2D) Stu Snyder; 2. (1x) Don Droud Jr.; 3. (98) J.D. Johnson; 4. (51) Mike Peters, 5. (29N) Larry Neighbors; DNS: (81AU)Gavin Punch.
 
B feature (top four transfer): 1. (27) Patrick Bourke; 2. (20) Luke Cranston; 3. (57) Allan Unruh; 4. (97) Brian Herbert; 5. (12x) Greg Schaeffer; 6. (16) Scott Cochran; 7. (10R) David Wheeler, 8. (81) Jon Freeman; 9. (6) Mark Walinder; 10. (11) Chad Corken; 11. (44) James Riner; 12. (5) Troy Douglas; 13. (33) Chris Miller; 14. (31x) Josh Flood; 15. (7) Roger Sundquist; DNS: (3) Julee Jamison.
 
A feature (25 laps): 1. (1x) Don Droud Jr.; 2. (X) Chuck Swenson; 3. (51) Mike Peters; 4. (29N) Larry Neighbors; 5. (2D) Stu Snyder; 6. (11p) Preston Peebles II; 7. (31RB) Derek Drown; 8. (4) Mike Chadd; 9. (45x) C.J. Johnson; 10. (92) Paul Flynn; 11. (27) Patrick Bourke; 12. (17) Marc Robe; 13. (20) Luke Cranston; 14. (57) Allan Unruh; 15. (12x) Greg Schaefer; 16. (71) Keith Rauch; 17. (97) Brian Herbert; DNF: (98) J.D. Johnson; (43) A.J. Selenke; (11x) Garry Lee Maier; DNS: (81AU) Gavin Punch.