For Immediate Release
August 23, 2008
Anthony, Nylaan, Davis, Speet take checkers
Benson fast, but not fast enough
A rainy afternoon didn’t dampen the mood at Berlin Raceway Saturday
night, as four racing divisions took the track for exciting racing
action. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points leader Johnny Benson made
a surprise appearance to race his Coors Light Late Model machine, but
couldn’t quite pull off the victory over Chris Anthony. Other winners
were Andrew Nylaan, Allen Davis and Mike Speet.
The Instant Cash Advance Sportsman feature was first up on the track,
racing in an extra-length 30-lap feature to celebrate Instant Cash
Advance Sportsman Night. Caution came out quickly for a second-lap
mishap that landed #6 Terry Bockheim off the backstretch. On the lap 2
restart, #33 Allen Davis made the pass for the lead around polesitter
#00 Dennis Mann. #38 Mo Davis followed and kept up with his son Allen.
Two laps later points leader #44 Brian Van Zalen clawed his way up to
third position. At the halfway point it was a three-car breakaway, but
on lap 16 the caution flag flew for debris in turn 4, erasing the
two-second lead that the three cars had built over the rest of the
field.
Bockheim made an impressive move up to fourth late in the race but was
shut down by the three-car train. They held their lead positions until
the final lap, when the pressure that Van Zalen had been applying to Mo
Davis finally paid off and he got by the #38 in the final turn to
finish second behind Allen Davis, who picked up his second win of the
season. Mo Davis finished third with a slick move to hold off Bockheim,
who finished fourth. Allen Davis's brother #88 Tony Davis rounded out
the top 5, making the top 5 a family affair, with three Davises
included.
In the Engine Pro Super Stock 30-lap feature, points leader #1 Brian
Wiersma spun on the first lap from his seventh starting position,
forcing a complete restart. #55 Dave Lake started on the pole and
jumped out to an early lead over #77 Andrew Nylaan and #10 Bob Spencer.
The three cars were beginning to break away from the rest of the field,
but their momentum was thwarted when #3 Travis Nylaan flew off the
backstretch on lap 10 to force a red-flag condition. Back under green,
Andrew Nylaan challenged Lake for the lead by jumping to the inside.
The two raced side by side for two laps, with Nylaan edging Lake out by
a nose at the line each lap, before a caution for a blown tire on the
#66 Nate Walton machine. The caution was a break for Nylaan, who
benefited from the single-file restart to claim sole position of the
lead. Caution was waved again on lap 20 as #05 Ray VanAllsburg hit the
turn 4 wall. Nylaan held the lead on the restart and cruised to his
first win of the season as Lake worked to hold off Spencer for second
position. #15 Mat McClarren and #18 Denny Anderson completed the top
5.
The Coors Light Late Model feature cars took the track next. Polesitter
#8 Dakota Carlson jumped to the lead on the start over #55 Chris
Anthony and #27 Billy Shotko. Benson started his #10 Late Model in 11th
position, but shot up through the field quickly and was consistently
the fastest car on the track. Carlson and Anthony jumped to a 2-second
lead over Shotko, who was three seconds ahead of a battle between
brothers #28 Scott Thomas and #82 Tom Thomas 15 laps in. #32 Ross
Meeuwsen and Benson raced just behind the Thomas brothers.
On lap 21 Benson shot to fifth around Meeuwsen and Scott Thomas, but he
had a lot of ground to make up to catch the leaders. Meanwhile Tom
Thomas had caught Shotko and battled for third. Thomas won the battle,
taking the position and then moving around Carlson into second shortly
thereafter. At the halfway point, Benson was the fastest car on the
track by a full two-tenths of a second. Benson rocketed to the inside
of Shotko and into fourth position on lap 31. Five laps later Benson
put away Carlson for third, but an inopportune caution reverted scoring
to the previous lap, placing him back in fourth. It didn't matter, as
Benson flew around Carlson for the third position on the restart and
set his sights on the leaders. But Anthony managed to hold off two-time
defending track champion Tom Thomas as well as Benson, who had caught
the leaders but didn't have enough left to get around either. It was
Anthony's second win of the season and of his seven-year career.
Meeuwsen finished fourth and Carlson finished fifth.
The Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder "A" feature was a wild one, with a
quick caution on lap 3 for a three-car pileup in turn 1 involving #2
Buck Spencer, #T11 Jim Rhodes and #354 Chris McKinley.. #00 Robin Maley
led early followed by #15 Mel Parsons, but Parsons took a wild ride
through the frontstretch grass and mud on lap 5, dropping him down
several positions. Meanwhile #76 Mike Speet took the lead on lap 7. #14
Jason DeVos was making an impressive run through the field, challenging
Maley for second on lap 10. DeVos shot between Maley on the high side
and the lapped #100 car of Jason Scheid to take second position, but
Speet had opened up a two and a half second lead and was unstoppable.
Speet took his second checkered flag of the season, followed by DeVos,
Hamm, #00 Mike Dutcher and Maley.
In the 4-Cylinder "B" feature, #07 Jason Emanouil led from start to
finish, followed by #81 Bob Hultz, #12 Darrell Holtzlander, #42 Joe
Norder and #174 Jackson Walker.
Racing action resumes next Saturday night, August 30, with the Auto
Value Super Sprints returning to Berlin to try to set another track
speed record, presented by AT&T. The Super Stock, Pro Stock and
Sportsman divisions will joint the sprint cars. It’s also $1 beer and
$1 hot dog night. Tickets are $15 for adults, half price for kids 6 to
12 and free for kids 5 and under. Pit passes for those 14 and over are
$25. Gates open at 12:15 and the first race begins at 7 p.m.
Lori Ashcroft
PR Manager
Berlin Raceway
616-726-7017
lashcroft@berlinraceway.com