MCOOL JUNCTION, Neb. (May 25, 2007) - Garry Lee Maier took the lead from Derek Drown on the back straight of the first lap and led all 20 laps to the checker Friday at Junction Motor Speedway. It was Maier’s first win of the season in the O’Reilly NCRA Sprint Car Series, presented by ICM/Ethanol.

Ryan Anderson led the field to the green with Maier to his outside. At the start, Derek Drown dropped low from the outside second row and roared by to the inside of Anderson with Maier on the outside. Drown held the lead through the first two turns but Maier powered by down the back on the outside.

 “I didn’t think he’d stick his nose up there and then there he goes,” Drown said. “He’s tough up top.”

 “He came around on the bottom so I went around the top,” Maier said. “When I got going the momentum carried me by.”

 Maier, the defending two-time series champion, opened a comfortable lead and was not challenged the rest of the way.

“Once I got going my car felt pretty good and I felt pretty good around the top so I just stayed up there,” he said.

 Drown held second until Brian Brown moved up to challenge him. Brown moved around into second on lap 10. He slowly gained on Maier but there weren’t enough laps to prevent Maier from capturing his 57th career victory with the series.

“This is a real fast place. We were going good, the car worked good and I could run around the top,” Maier said. “Not too many people were running up there so it worked to my advantage.”

 With a comfortable margin, Brown finished second ahead of Drown, who was third.

“If I had gotten a little bit better start I could have kept up with him from the beginning,” Brown said. “I guess you’re running pretty decent when you complain about running second.”

 Anderson, who started on the pole, slipped back to fourth in the early going. Gregg Bakker moved up to fifth on lap 7 and hounded Anderson. The pair put on quite a show for the fans until Bakker got by to take fourth on lap 13.

Anderson continued to slide backwards down the stretch as Natalie Sather also got around him into fifth just four laps from the end. Current season point leader Don Droud Jr. moved by Anderson on lap 18 for sixth.

Anderson finished seventh with Billy Alley eighth, J.D. Johnson ninth, and Toby Chapman in 10th.

Chuck Swenson, who entered the night in second 10 points behind Droud, got together with J.D. Johnson in their heat race. Swenson wasn’t able to satisfactorily repair his car for the B feature.

There were 37 drivers were on hand for the show, co-sanctioned with the ASCS Midwest Region.


O'Reilly Finish Line

 

Heat #1  1. (71R) Ryan Anderson; 2. (31RB) Derek Drown, Amarillo, Texas; 3. (94S) Natalie Sather, Fargo, N.D.; 4. (81) Jon Freeman, Salina, Kan.; 5. (82) Jason Danley, Lincoln, Neb.; 6. (2D) Stu Snyder, Waverly, Neb.; 7. (93) Bob Schaeffer; 8. (7) Roger Sundquist, Holdrege, Neb.; 9. (77) Don Stoutner, Brighton, Colo.; 10. (9J) Mark Schmidt, Lincoln, Neb.

 

Heat #2  1. (17) Marc Robe, Wichita, Kan.; 2. (1x) Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, Neb.; 3. (5) Rick Ideus, Silver City, Iowa; 4. (98) J.D. Johnson, Goddard, Kan.; 5. (1) Nick Haygood; 6. (77x) Allan Unruh, Valley Center, Kan.; 7. (7c) Chris Morgan, Topeka, Kan.; 8. (X) Chuck Swenson, Watertown, S.D.; 9. (17x) Gage Dorr, Murdock Neb.

 

Heat #3:  1. (21) Brian Brown, Grain Valley, Mo.; 2. (1m) Billy Alley, Lincoln, Neb.; 3. (14G) Gene Ackland; 4. (40) Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, S.D.; 5. (51) Mike Peters, Peck, Kan.; 6. (18) Tim Newman; 7. (19J) Jay Jordan; 8. (9m) Ricky Montgomery, Lakewood, Colo.; 9. (53) Jack Dover, Springfield, Neb.

 

Heat #4:  1. (11x) Garry Lee Maier, Cimarron, Kan.; 2. (11) Gregg Bakker, Sioux Falls, S.D.; 3. (43) A.J. Selenke, Wichita, Kan.; 4. (31) Mark Pace, Lincoln, Neb.; 5. (18R) Ryan Roberts, Avon, Neb.; 6. (4) Mike Chadd, Lincoln, Neb.; 7. (45x) C.J. Johnson, Quinter, Kan.; 8. (27) Patrick Bourke, Edwards, Colo.; 9. (84) Toby Chapman, Lincoln, Neb.

 

B-feature #1 (top four transfer):  1. (43) A.J. Selenke; 2. (51) Mike Peters; 3. (40) Clint Garner; 4. (4) Mike Chadd; 5. (53) C.J. Johnson; 6. (77x) Allan Unruh; 7. (93) Bob Schaeffer; 8. (77) Don Stoutner; 9. (7) Roger Sundquist; 10. (18R) Ryan Roberts; DNS: (X) Chuck Swenson; (9J) Mark Schmidt.

 

B-feature #2 (top four transfer):  1. (84) Toby Chapman; 2. (82) Jason Danley; 3. (2D) Stu Snyder; 4. (27) Patrick Bourke; 5. (81) Jon Freeman; 6. (9m) Ricky Montgomery; 7. (19J) Jay Jordan; 8. (31) Mark Pace; 9. (18) Tim Newman; 10. (17x) Gage Dorr; 11. (1) Nick Haygood; DNS: (7c) Chris Morgan.

 

A-feature (20 laps):  1. (11x) Garry Lee Maier; 2. (21) Brian Brown; 3. (31RB) Derek Drown; 4. (11) Gregg Bakker; 5. (94S) Natalie Sather; 6. (1x) Don Droud Jr.; 7. (71R) Ryan Anderson; 8. (1m) Billy Alley; 9. (98) J.D. Johnson; 10. (84) Toby Chapman. 11. (14G) Gene Ackland; 12. (51) Mike Peters; 13. (5) Rick Ideus; 14. (27) Patrick Bourke; 15. (43) A.J Selenke; 16. (2D) Stu Snyder; 17. (40) Clint Garner; 18. (17) Marc Robe; 19. (4) Mike Chadd; DNS: (82) Jason Danley.