Eagle: Fegley, Grabouski, Noonan and Boston win at Fan Appreciation Night II

by Greg Soukup

August 2nd, 2009 - The second Fan Appreciation Night of the season was
brought to "America's Home Track" Eagle Raceway Saturday night by the
Nebraska Lottery. A nearly cloudless sky and unseasonably cool temperatures
greeted a near capacity crowd, and set the stage for a heavy, very fast
track.

The only incident in the preliminary events occured as the Budweiser 360
Sprints were running their buzz laps prior to the second heat. As Terry
Holliman brought his #23 sprinter into turn 1 he hooked a rut with his right
rear tire, sending his racer bouncing and eventually flipping through turns
1 and 2. His car was damaged significantly enough that Terry's evening was
over before it really got started.

The Valentino's IMCA Hobby Stocks were the first one to compete in an A
Feature. Chad Fegley's 77F was first back to the flag stand on lap 1,
followed by the 23 of Mark McKinney, Justin Busboom's 62 and the 33 of Eric
Hanson. Hanson advanced to third on the 4th lap, and Busboom also was passed
on lap 6 by RJ Macku's 1R. The top four spots remained unchanged, with spots
2 through 4 being fought for tooth and nail for several laps. As the race
drew to a close Nick Beckman spun his #22 in turn four and the yellow flag
flew. On the restart lap defending track champion Kevin Anderson moved his
22K past Macku to grab fourth. Hanson took second from McKinney with just 2
laps left as Macku regained 4th. Fegley was unchallenged throughout the
contest, pulling away at times to a nearly straightaway lead at times.
Second through 4th positions were Hanson, McKinney and Macku.

"I had planned to bring my sprint car out tonight, but after Tadd's accident
last week I decided to wait until Larry Pinegar could drive it for me. That
gave me time to concentrate on my hobby stock. We've been changing things
every week to try and get the car feeling better for me, and it seems like
we finally did it. Now I need to be able to win from mid-pack" Fegley said.
He added "I need to thank Keith Dragoo and my wife and kids". Chad's
sponsors include Big Johnson Chassis, Red Robin, The Shop Inc. and Velocity
Indoor Karting.

The #73 of James Oaks led the first lap of the Monster Energy Drink IMCA
Modified A Main. The 19 of Scott Anderson, Dan Nelson's 94 and Mike
Densberger's 81 held the second through fourth positions. On lap 2 Anderson,
Nelson and Densberger all passed Oaks and the following lap Densberger spun
to the infield on the backstretch. That allowed the 8J of Joe Borer to move
into the top 4. On the restart attempt Oaks spun in turns 1 and 2, moving
the 5S of Bob Zoubek up to fourth. Nelson moved past Anderson as the green
flag flew again, and the next time around Zoubek snared third. On the fourth
lap Dustin Anderson lost the driveshaft from the 8A at the entrance to turn
three, bringing the yellow out again. On the restart lap Borer moved into
second and the 7 of Bob Ruisinger advanced first to fourth and then to
third. Points leader Jordan Grabouski moved into the top four during the
next circuit. Shortly after that, more debris was spotted in turn four,
slowing the cars under caution yet again. That moved Grabouski back to fifth
and Anderson back to fourth. Grabouski again got around Anderson on the
restart. Clint Hummer's 41 caused the next caution as he spun in turns 1 & 2
the following lap. The running order at that time was Nelson, Borer,
Ruisinger, Grabouski and the 95 of Dylan Smith. Grabouski moved up two spots
on the restart lap. Smith got past Ruisinger with 12 laps left, but was
moved back as Densberger spun again in turns 3 & 4. Grabouski snagged the
lead for good as the green lights were turned on again. Smith leap-frogged 2
spots to grab third the next lap. The yellow came out one last time on the
next circuit as a car spun to the infield on the front stretch. Doug
Deterding moved his #13 up to the fourth position on the restart lap, only
to lose the spot to the 96J of Johnny Saathoff with 6 to go. The race
finished under green as Grabouski was the winner with Nelson, Smith and
Saathoff behind him.

"It feels really good to win at one of the toughest places to compete that I
ever raced at. And it's great to do it on Fan Appreciation Night. It's so
cool to the the stands packed like they were tonight" Jordan stated. He
finished by saying "I want to say thanks to all the people who help me out.
We couldn't do it without them, especially my car owners Ben & Melissa
Novotny". Jordan's sponsors include Belleville Motorsports,Twin Rivers
Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge, Reedy Machine & Fab, Beatrice Motor Mart, Redline
Grafix, Sasse Farms, Vision Sports, Friend Freightways, Novotny
Construction, Booth Feed & Supply, Schmidt Machine, Side Trek Bar & Grill,
Filley Customer Powder Coating and FX Suspension.

The initial attempt at a start for the Auto Trans Matic IMCA Sport Compact
Feature was called off when point leader Joey Danley lost the right rear
tire from the #14. When the cars finally completed an official lap Melissa
Cronin's #5M held the point with Trevor Noonan's 66, Tyler Saathoff's 16T
and the 21T of Brandon Thornton. John Irvine's 97 took fourth from Thornton
on lap 3 as Noonan moved even with Cronin. The two battled back and forth
until with 8 to go Noonan lost a tire in turn 1, coming to a rest against
the wall in turn 2. The 45P of Jack Prall IV was collected in the incident
and also was forced to drop from the race. That made the running order
Cronin, Saathoff, Irvine and the 33 of Jeremy Noonan. Shortly after that
Satthoff and Irvine got together, bringing the caution flag out. That moved
Noonan into second, Thornton into third and Garrett Rech's 55 in fourth.
With just 4 laps left Noonan edged out Cronin, setting up one of the best
races of the year so far. The two of them were either door to door, or were
swapping first place by inches. As the checkered flag flew Noonan held the
lead with Cronin, Rech and Thornton in second through fourth.

"That was one of the biggest fights I've ever had" Noonan said. "I just kept
trying my hardest and finally got the win. I want to dedicate this win to
Grandma Deanna Ferguson" he stated. Jeremy finished the interview by saying
" I want to thank my parents, my pit crew and my girlfriend Keri". Jeremy's
sponsors include Ron Fox & Sons Service, Nebraska Machine & Tool, Tracy's
Collision Center, Longoria's MMA Academy and Suds & Scissors.

Nick Bryan's #6 led the final A Feature of the night, which was for the
Budweiser 360 sprints, followed by the 11E of Ian Eastman, Bobby Becker in
the 8B and the X29 of Roger Sluka. Two-time defending track champion and
current points leader Mike Boston had advanced from his starting position
near the back of the field on lap three to pass Sluka and then Becker to
move into third. The 99C of Nick Clifford flipped on the front stretch on
lap 5 and the red flag was displayed. Clifford was alright and his car was
pushed to the pits so that repairs could be attempted. Unfortunately the
damage was severe enough that he could not continue. When the green flag
flew Boston and Becker both advanced a position to snag 2nd and 3rd. Adam
Gullion brought his 96aKX to fourth the next time around as Boston took the
lead from Bryan. There were only 9 laps left when Becker also moved past
Bryan who spun three laps later, moving the 14 of Gene Acklund to fourth. As
the yellow flag was placed back in it's stand Dean Chadd spun the #33
completely around which resulted in a caution although he managed to keep
the engine fired and drive away. Mitchell Moore took the fourth position
from Gullion who had gone extremely high in turn four and Gullion dropped to
sixth. The final caution of the evening came out the next time around as
Jeff Lowery's steering failed on his #45. From there the race was run under
green as Boston won, Becker finished second, Moore placed third and Gene
Acklund was fourth.

Boston began his interview by stating "The car was good tonight. The problem
with a heavy, narrow track like this is that everyone's fast". He continued
with "We changed gears before the feature, and that was the difference for
us. I also got a couple of lucky breaks while I was moving up". His
concluding words were "I want to finally thank the Zoz family, who own my
motors". Mike's sponsors include Trackside Bar and Grill, E & K Drywall and
Eckley Racing Engines.

Next Saturday night will be Scout Night, presented by Speedway Motors. All
scouts will receive free front gate admission if they are wearing their
scouting uniform. The evening will feature kid's car rides during
intermission. The scouts will be able to camp out all night at the track,
but all children must be accompanied by an adult. It will also be Driver
Appreciation Night. Pit gates open at 4 and front gates open at 5:30.

Keep the 12th of September open as Eagle Raceway presents The Nebraska Cup
featuring the local 360 sprint drivers competing against the best in the
country for $5000 to win the ASCS A Feature and the Modified drivers vie for
$1000 to win their feature. The support class will be the Sport Compacts.
Front gate admission will be just $15 for this huge show.

8/1/09 Results

360 Sprint 8/1/2009

A Feature:1. MIKE BOSTON (Crete, NE), 2. Bobby Jr Becker (Denton, NE), 3.
Mitchell Moore (Edgerton, NE), 4. Gene Ackland (Lincoln, NE), 5. Doug
Lovegrove Racing Inc (Waverly, NE), 6. Josh Riggins (Lincoln, NE), 7. Adam
Gullion (Beatrice, NE), 8. John Klabunde (Fort Calhoun, NE), 9. Ryan Kitchen
(Weston, NE), 10. Ian Eastman (Omaha, NE), 11. Tige Jensen (Lincoln, NE),
12. Ken Klabunde (Omaha, NE), 13. Mikey Gablehouse (Lincoln, NE), 14. Roger
Sluka (Lincoln, NE), 15. Dean Chadd, 16. Jeff Lowery (Lincoln, NE), 17.
Nicholas Bryan (Lincoln, NE), 18. Zach Davis (Savannah, MO), 19. Nick
Clifford (Elkhorn, NE), 20. Mark Schmidt (Lincoln, NE), 21. Terry Holliman
(Hamburg, IA)

IMCA Hobby Stock 8/1/2009

A Feature:1. Chad Fegley (Eagle, NE), 2. Eric Hanson (Scribner, NE), 3. Mark
McKinney (Omaha, NE), 4. Randall Macku (Lincoln, NE), 5. Dan Noonan
(Lincoln, NE), 6. Justin Busboom (Lincoln, NE), 7. Don Jr Hall (Lincoln,
NE), 8. Josh Kennell (Bennet, NE), 9. Danny Lane, 10. Ben Becher (Lincoln,
NE), 11. Roy Armstrong (Beatirce, NE), 12. Keith Dragoo (Lincoln, NE), 13.
Mike Hansen (Weeping Water, NE), 14. Kevin Anderson (Lincoln, NE), 15. Kevin
Jochum (Roca, NE), 16. Rob Brown (Nebraska City, NE), 17. Derick Noonan
(Lincoln, NE), 18. Nick Beckman (Lincoln, NE), 19. Joe Schidler (Lincoln,
NE), 20. Joe Ryan (Lincoln, NE)

B Feature:1. Kevin Jochum (Roca, NE), 2. Ben Becher (Lincoln, NE), 3. Joe
Ryan (Lincoln, NE), 4. Rob Brown (Nebraska City, NE), 5. Derick Noonan
(Lincoln, NE), 6. Charlie Bartels (Lincoln, NE), 7. Don Kros (Weston, NE),
8. Chris LaChapelle (Omaha, NE), 9. Scott Santee (Omaha, NE), 10. Matt
Draeger (Dunbar, NE), 11. Jason Edwards (Lincoln, NE), 12. Orion Stransky
(Lincoln, NE)

IMCA Modified 8/1/2009

A Feature:1. Jordan Grabouski (Beatrice, NE), 2. Dan Nelson (Beatrice, NE),
3. Dylan Smith (Osceola, NE), 4. Johnny Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 5. Bob
Zoubek (Dorchester, NE), 6. Doug Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 7. Lance Borgman
(Beatrice, NE), 8. Matt Richards (Lincoln, NE), 9. Shane Hiatt (Rising City,
NE), 10. Joe Borer (Lincoln, ne), 11. Bob Ruisinger (Bennet, NE), 12. Jan
Korth (Lincoln, NE), 13. Clint Hummer (Western, NE), 14. James Oaks
(Lincoln, NE), 15. Scott Anderson (Omaha, NE), 16. ED RAINES (Lincoln, NE),
17. Mike Densberger (Malcolm, NE), 18. Tim Pickens (Omaha, NE), 19. Dustin
Andersen (Omaha, NE), 20. Justin Wulf (Arlington, NE)

B Feature:1. Tim Pickens (Omaha, NE), 2. Matt Richards (Lincoln, NE), 3. ED
RAINES (Lincoln, NE), 4. Clint Hummer (Western, NE), 5. Lance Borgman
(Beatrice, NE), 6. Brian Cudly (Lincoln, NE), 7. Lowell Holland (Omaha, NE),
8. Andrew Hille (Hickman, NE), 9. Stacey Wilhelm (Martell, NE), 10. George
Haney (Fremont, NE), 11. Roger Hadan (Waterloo, NE), 12. Ethan Christiansen
(Nebraska City, NE), 13. Rik Gropp (Lincoln, NE), 14. Patrick Donovan
(Sterling, NE), 15. Nathan Landauer (Lincoln, NE)

IMCA Sport Compact 8/1/2009

A Feature:1. Jeremy Noonan (Lincoln, NE), 2. Melissa Cronin (Lincoln, NE),
3. Garrett Rech (Davey, NE), 4. Brandon Thornton (Nebraska City, NE), 5.
Jessie Fuller (Beatrice, NE), 6. Scott Freeman (Fremont, NE), 7. Larry
Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 8. Tyler Saathoff (Lincoln, NE), 9. Mike Simpson
(Ashland, NE), 10. Chad Bassinger (Nebraska City, NE), 11. Elliott Halvorsen
(Eagle, NE), 12. Jeff Davis (Lincoln, NE), 13. Jack Prall III (Union, NE),
14. Bob Cigelman (Lincoln, NE), 15. Mary Lenz (Elmwood, NE), 16. John Irvine
(Omaha, NE), 17. Trevor Noonan (Lincoln, NE), 18. Jack Prall IV (Union, NE),
19. Brett Saathoff (Lincoln, NE), 20. Joey Danley (Lincoln, NE)

B Feature:1. Garrett Rech (Davey, NE), 2. Scott Freeman (Fremont, NE), 3.
Elliott Halvorsen (Eagle, NE), 4. Bob Cigelman (Lincoln, NE), 5. Mary Lenz
(Elmwood, NE), 6. John Sedlachek (Eagle, NE), 7. Scott Lee (Lincoln, NE), 8.
Amanda Rhiley (Bennington, NE), 9. JEREMY PECKHAM (Lincoln, NE), 10. Adam
Vrbka (Eagle, NE), 11. Ole Olsen (Carter Lake, IA), 12. Jeremy Sammons
(Nebraska City, NE), 13. CODY HARRINGTON (Eagle, NE), 14. KYLE GANNON
(Lincoln, NE), 15. Nick Focken (Douglas, NE), 16. Brian Haller (Lincoln, NE)