Bennett, Cook, Poor, Burdette take first wins of season at Pepsi Scotland County Speedway

MEMPHIS, Mo. -- Four new winners graced the Pepsi Scotland County Speedway victory lane on Scotland County Lanes/Memphis Democrat Night. Mike Bennett (Bentz GM Country USRA Modifieds), Jason Cook (USRA Stock Cars), Jerry Poor (Advance Trading USRA B-Modifieds) and Dave Burdette (Hornets) took home their first wins of 2006, while Nathan Wood (USRA Hobby Stocks) and Jeff Soper (Outlaw Hobbies) were repeat winners.

The first feature of the evening was the 15-lap USRA Stock Cars, with Mark Holt and Ryan Cook drawing the front row for the event. Ryan took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1, with Jason Cook and Matt Greiner following close behind in second and third. R. Cook would hold the top spot until lap 4, when Greiner went to his outside to take over the top spot. Greiner was able to hold the lead through lap 11, as Jason Cook slipped under him to take over top spot. The 2005 track champion, then pulled away on the final four laps to pick up his first win of 2006 at Memphis. Greiner would finish in second, Troy Alexander was third, Holt held on for fourth, with Steve Steinkuhler coming from tenth to round out the top five. Jason Cook also won the heat race.

Jason VanZomeren and Robby Sands led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 12-lap USRA Hobby Stock feature, but it was third place starter Steve Allen taking the lead on lap one. Allen would hold the lead for one lap, as Mike Shelton slipped by to take over the top spot. But Shelton couldn't hold the lead for more then a lap, as Nathan Wood got under him on lap 3 to take over the top spot. Wood and Shelton would put on another hotly contested battle for the top spot. But Wood would hold off a last lap challenge from Shelton to claim his seventh win in a row at the three USRA tacks he competes at. Sands held on for third, VanZomeren came home in fourth, with Bill Gibson coming home in fifth. Heat race winner was Shelton.

Up next was the 15-lap Advance Trading USRA B-Modifieds, with Brandon Savage and Jeremy Baker making up the front row for the event. On the drop of the green flag, fifth place starter Jim Gillenwater shot to the front to grab the lead on lap 1. While Gillenwater paced the field, Jerry Poor, who started ninth, and Joe Hooper, who started fourteenth, were working there way towards the front. Gillenwater would hold the top spot through lap 7, when Poor slipped by for the lead. Poor then pulled away from the field to claim his first win of 2006 at the speedway. Gillenwater held on for second, with Hooper coming home in third, Michael Browning was fourth, with Jeff Waterman rounding out the top five. Savage and Gillenwater each picked up a heat race win.

The 15-lap Outlaw Hobby feature provided the fans with three and four wide racing once again. Michael St. Clair and Adam Birck drew the front row for the feature, with St. Clair grabbing the top spot on the drop of the green flag. St. Clair would hold the lead through lap 3, when Jeff Soper slipped under him to take over the top spot. Soper would then have to hold off several challenges from Beau Taylor and Rodger Dresden, who started tenth, on the final 12 laps. But Soper was able to defend off all challenges to claim his second win of the season at Memphis. Taylor came home in second, Dresden was third, Bob Lynch came from eleventh to finish in fourth, with the hard charger of the evening going to Brian Clark, as he came from twenty-first to round out the top five. Heat race winners were Taylor, Brad Weber and Dresden.

Cody Martin and Brent Hartley led the field to the green in the 8-lap Hornet feature, but third place starter Dave Burdette would grab the lead on lap 1. Burdette would pull away from the field and led all 8 laps to pick up his first win of 2006 at Memphis. Hartley was second, Andrew Hustead was third, J.D. Murphy was fourth, with Martin holding on for fifth. Burdette also won the heat race.

The final feature of the evening was the 20-lap Bentz GM Country USRA Modifieds, with Bob Dale and Ryan Meyer drawing the front row for the event. On the drop of the green flag, fourth place starter Mike Bennett would jump out into the lead. Mike would pull away from the field, as Mark Burgtorf, who started ninth, Michael Long, who started seventh, and Tony Fraise, who started tenth, were all working their way up to make a challenge for the lead. Bennett had built up a good lead, when a caution came out with two laps to go to erase his lead. This would set up a green-white-checkered battle for the win, with Burgtorf, Long and Fraise now glued to Bennett's back bumper. On the restart, Bennett once again grabbed the lead and then held on for the final two laps to claim his first win of the season at Memphis. Burgtorf came home in second, Long was third, Fraise was fourth, with Meyer holding on for fifth. Heat race winners were Fraise and Bennett.

Coming up next week at the Pepsi Scotland County Speedway will be MFA Elevator & Produce Company/MFA Plant Foods Night. The battle for the USRA Casey's General Stores Weekly Racing Series continues in the Bentz GM Country USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars, Advance Trading USRA B-Modifieds and USRA Hobby Stocks. Also in action will be the Outlaw Hobbies and Hornets.

Admission is $9 for adults, with kids (ages 6-12) $3 and children 5 & under admitted FREE. Pit passes are $20. Gates open 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6:15 and racing at 6:30. Call (660) 465-8948 for race day information.

The Pepsi Scotland County Speedway is located 1.0 mile west of Memphis on US 136 to SR 15, then east (at the Scotland County Fairgrounds)

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OFFICIAL RESULTS

USRA Casey's General Stores Weekly Racing Series

Scotland County Lanes/Memphis Democrat Night

Pepsi Scotland County Speedway, Memphis, Mo.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

BENTZ GM COUNTRY USRA MODIFIEDS

Heat 1: 1. 45-Tony Fraise, Donnellson, Iowa; 2. 69M-Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 3. 99x-Martin Bennett, Ankeny, Iowa; 4. 18-Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.; 5. 12-Bob Dale, Gorin; 6. 99-Ted Allen, Canton; 7. 20-Jared Durbin, Ft. Madison, Iowa; 8. 21G-Jeff Gerhardt, Niota, Ill.

Heat 2: 1. 32-Mike Bennett, Des Moines, Iowa; 2. 82M-Ryan Meyer, Liberty, Ill.; 3. 05-David Wietholder, Liberty, Ill.; 4. 21-Lynn Monroe, Memphis; 5. 2R-Jerry Reese Jr., Memphis; 6. 5s-David Snyder, Greentop; 7. 5-Tim Sands, Conesville, Iowa; 8. 92-Mark Antal, Lancaster.

Feature: 1. 32-Mike Bennett; 2. 69M-Burgtorf, 3. 18-Long; 4. 45-Fraise; 5. 82M-Meyer; 6. 20-Durbin; 7. 12-Dale; 8. 05-Wietholder; 9. 99x-Martin Bennett; 10. 21-Monroe; 11. 21G-Gerhardt; 12. 99-Allen; 13. 2R-Reese; 14. 5s-Snyder; 15. 5-Sands; 16. 92-Antal.

USRA STOCK CARS

Heat: 1. 27J-Jason Cook, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa; 2. 29-Matt Greiner, Washington, Iowa; 3. 95-Jeremy Hamlin, Memphis; 4. 7A-Troy Alexander, Memphis; 5. 11-Mark Holt, Memphis; 6. 27R-Ryan Cook, West Point, Iowa; 7. 6s-Jody Small, Rutledge; 8. 21-Jared Miller, Pulaski, Iowa; 9. 3k-Keil Morton, Kirksville; 10. 04-Steve Steinkuhler, Camp Point, Ill.; 11. 55H-Brandon Elenbaas, Memphis.

Feature: 1. 27J-J. Cook; 2. 29-Greiner; 3. 7A-Alexander; 4. 11-Holt; 5. 04-Steinkuhler; 6. 3k-Morton; 7. 6s-Small; 8. 55H-Elenbaas; 9. 21-Miller; 10. 95-Hamlin; 11. 27R-R. Cook.

ADVANCE TRADING USRA B-MODIFIEDS

Heat 1: 1. 7s-Brandon Savage; 2. 86-Jerry Poor, Novelty; 3. 7-Amos Zimmerman, Memphis; 4. 13-Michael Browning, Farmington, Iowa; 5. 38-Tom Bowen, LaBelle; 6. 73-Tony Morton, Kirksville; 7. 88s-Jerry Shoemaker, Kirksville; 8. 20-Larry Newman, Kirksville; 9. 8P-Arley Prough, Queen City.

Heat 2: 1. 10-Jim Gillenwater, Keokuk, Iowa; 2. 4-Tony Dunker, Quincy, Ill.; 3. 28R-Robbie Reed, Mexico; 4. 71-Jeff Waterman, Quincy, Ill.; 5. 14-Jeremy Baker, Canton; 6. 44H-Gordon Hudson, Memphis; 7. 1-Joe Hooper, Mendon, Ill.; 8. 00-Jack Evans Jr., Keokuk, Iowa; 9. 27-Jesse Garrett, Batavia, Iowa.

Feature: 1. 86-Poor; 2. 10-Gillenwater; 3. 1-Hooper; 4. 13-Browning; 5. 71-Waterman; 6. 7s-Savage; 7. 20-Newman; 8. 38-Bowen; 9. 44H-Hudson; 10. 7-Zimmerman; 11. 73-Morton; 12. 27-Garrett; 13. 88s-Shoemaker; 14. 8P-Prough; 15. 14-Baker; 16. 4-Dunker; 17. 28R-Reed; 18. 00-Evans.

USRA HOBBY STOCKS

Heat: 1. 16-Mike Shelton, Ottumwa, Iowa; 2. 52-Nathan Wood, Sigourney, Iowa; 3. 38-Bill Gibson, Knoxville, Iowa; 4. 3s-Steve Allen, Oskaloosa, Iowa; 5. 3z-Jason VanZomeren, Oskaloosa, Iowa; 6. 34F-Robby Sands, Centerville, Iowa; 7. 59-Scott Herber, Centerville, Iowa; 8. 8UP-Daniel Robbins, Greentop; 9. 27F-Rick Sands, Milan; 10. 8R-Clayton Robbins, Liberty.

Feature: 1. 52-Wood; 2. 16-Shelton; 3. 34F-Robby Sands; 4. 3z-VanZomeren; 5. 38-Gibson; 6. 27F-Rick Sands; 7. 59-Herber; 8. 8UP-D. Robbins; 9. 3s-Allen; 10. 8R-C. Robbins.

OUTLAW HOBBIES

Heat 1: 1. 2T-Beau Taylor, Canton; 2. 74-Neal Kohlmorgan, Warsaw, Ill.; 3. 25c-Ryan Crandall, Brashear; 4. 1M-Bobby McCartney, Kirksville; 5. 23-Jimmy Hooper, Wyaconda; 6. 47-Tim Pettibone, Moravia, Iowa; 7. 11B-Jeremy Buss, Quincy, Ill.

Heat 2: 1. 3B-Brad Weber, Donnellson, Iowa; 2. 43s-Jeff Soper, Kahoka; 3. 12-Adam Birck, Canton; 4. 89-Brian Howerton, Hurdland; 5. 34H-Dave Hudson, Memphis; 6. 12B-Jessie Buss, Quincy, Ill.; 7. 29H-Ricky Hutcherson, Keokuk, Iowa.

Heat 3: 1. 1-Rodger Dresden, Keokuk, Iowa; 2. 3-Michael St. Clair, Kahoka; 3. 4J-Bob Lynch, Ottumwa, Iowa; 4. 24J-Justin Hamelton, Hamilton, Ill.; 5. 20-Keith Reed, Fowler, Ill.; 6. 6s-Earl Six, Keokuk, Iowa; 7. 88-Brian Clark, Kahoka.

Feature: 1. 43s-Soper; 2. 2T-Taylor; 3. 1-Dresden; 4. 4J-Lynch; 5. 88-Clark; 6. 74-Kohlmorgan; 7. 34H-Hudson; 8. 12B-Jessie Buss; 9. 24J-Hamelton; 10. 89-Howerton; 11. 20-Reed; 12. 3-St. Clair; 13. 11B-Jeremy Buss; 14. 29H-Hutcherson; 15. 1M-McCartney; 16. 23-Hooper; 17. 12-Birck; 18. 3B-Weber; 19. 47-Pettibone; 20. 6s-Six; 21. 25c-Crandall.

HORNETS

Heat: 1. 23-Dave Burdette, Keokuk, Iowa; 2. 00-Brent Hartley, Niota, Ill.; 3. 20-Andrew Hustead, Rutledge; 4. 21x-Cody Martin, Queen City; 5. 77Q-J.D. Murphy, Cincinnati, Iowa; 6. 21-Bill Young, Drakesville, Iowa.

Feature: 1. 23-Burdette; 2. 00-Hartley; 3. 20-Hustead; 4. 77Q-Murphy; 5. 21x-Martin; 6. 21-Young.