5/1/2019
Lebanon I-44 Speedway
Prime-Time Claims Wheel Simple 100 Victory
Last Saturday night, the drivers of Lebanon I-44 Speedway and the Ozark’s Asphalt Late Model Series put on spectacular races on the High Banks as usual. A couple of drivers picked up their first wins of the 2019 season while others picked up right where they left off just two short weeks ago.
Mason Mundy kicked off the night by picking up the heat race win in the Hornet division showing that he has what it takes to be a contender this season just as he was last season. In the feature, Dustin Atkinson carried the momentum from opening night right around the high side as he worked his way from the back of the pack in the Hornet division. Atkinson caught Jeff Albright Jr. right around the halfway point of the feature and worked on him for several laps on the outside until he was finally able to make the crossover move stick and went on to pick up his second feature win. Jeff Albright Jr. held onto second with his brother Chris Albright in third.
In the first Street Stock heat race, Ben Johnson showed the field what he was made of as he grabbed the heat race win over the always fast Steve Shaw. In the second heat race, the feature winner from opening night, Matt Pilant and, last year’s Street Stock Rookie of the Year, Trevor Icenhower continued the battle that they had just a few weeks before. Once again, Pilant came out on top with Icenhower in second. In the feature, Pilant started at the rear of the field after his feature win on opening night. Icenhower jumped out to the early lead while Pilant tried to navigate his way through the pack. Heat race winner, Ben Johnson, was having a great run and was holding Pilant at bay until Johnson’s car made a hard right turn out of turn number 4 and head on into the outside wall. Luckily Johnson climbed out under his own power, but the car was destroyed. We hope to see him back soon! Icenhower and Pilant were now set to duke it out for the remaining laps and Icenhower was able to hang on for the feature win with Pilant in second and Tony Johnson in third.
The ground-pounding Modifieds then took the track and put on a thriller of a race. Ricky Icenhower found his stride and swiftly made his way to the front of the field in the heat race. Brian Brown made his way back to the track last weekend after motor issues sidelined him on opening night and brought home the No. 2 Modified in P2 in the heat race behind Icenhower and in front of opening night feature winner, Richard Lewis. In the feature, Michael Jeurgenson jumped into the early lead and seemed to have an extremely fast hot rod. Brian Brown was breathing down his neck in second position while Richard Lewis was coming on strong and moved his way into the top 3. Just when the top 3 thought they were clear; the Iceman went to work. Icenhower made his way around Lewis and caught Brown until Brown broke a rear end gear which sent him to the pits. Icenhower had one car left to pass, the No. 0 of Michael Juergenson. Juergenson was up on the wheel and put up a great fight against the multi time Champion, but ultimately Icenhower made the pass and took his first feature win of 2019 with Juergenson in second and Richard Lewis in third.
The Big 10 Late Model Division has now grown into one of the largest and most competitive classes at the race track. In the first heat race, Justin Blake and last year’s Champion, Jimmy Fohn, put on a battle for the fans and at the line it was Justin Blake with Fohn in second. In the second heat race, JC Newell started on the pole and never looked back as he went on to pick up his first heat win of 2019 with Nick Cherry in second. Jimmy Fohn started on the pole in the feature and took control of the race. Opening night feature winner, Ken Dickinson, made his way from 11th place up into the top 3 to battle with the leaders of Jimmy Fohn and Justin Blake. After a great run to the finish, Jimmy Fohn took his first win of 2019 and Justin Blake came home second with Ken Dickinson in third.
Finally, the Ozarks Asphalt Late Model Series took to the track for the Wheel Simple 100. The Hurryin’ Hoosier, Cole Williams, once again paced the field in timed qualifying with Tim Swearengin second quick and the Nature’s Pantry 100 winner, Tony Jackson Jr. in third. After the invert, Brennon Willard led the field to the green and set a quick pace for the early stages of the race. Behind Willard there was hornets’ nest of drivers battling for position. De Soto Kansas native, Mandy Chick was having a solid run early on with Jimmy Vanzandt until they eventually were shuffled back a few spots, but both drivers showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Springfield Tennessee resident, Tanner Arms, made his first start on the High-Banks and looked very fast as well. The leader, Brennon Willard, lost power steering and began slipping back in the field as the car became a chore to drive. Cole Williams and Tony Jackson Jr. were battling hard on their way up through the pack and found themselves as the leaders a little bit before the halfway point. On the restart on lap 59, Jackson Jr. made the pass on Williams as the two drivers went to war. Paint was traded a couple of times between the two hot-shoes, but Jackson Jr. was able to hold on through the remaining laps and extend his lead enough to take the win. Prime Time is now two for two on the season at Lebanon I-44 Speedway. Cole Williams finished second and Terry Limberopolous came home third with a stellar night showing speed after running on 7-cylinders on opening night a few weeks ago. The front runners in this class are all very fast and put on a show from flag to flag for the fans. We hope to see you all next time as the battle for the inaugural Ozark’s Asphalt Late Model Series Championship continues.
The next race at Lebanon I-44 Speedway will be held on May 18th and will feature a Street Stock special as well as a power wheel race for the kids! The Ozark’s Asphalt Late Model Series will take the week off and will be back in action on June 1st for the Roper Classic! We hope to see all of you there, but until then check out our website, i44speedway.net, or our Facebook page to keep up with track news and updates!
By Dylan Bates
Article Credit: Dylan Bates
Submitted By: Lebanon Speedway