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.