LOVELOCK, NV (Aug. 5) – Lovelock Speedway helps this small rural Nevada town celebrate its founding every year. The festival is called Frontier Days and this is the 100th anniversary of the town’s founding.
And this year the two-day show, known as the Frontier Days Races had its first visit by the Nevada Pro Stock Association. In addition there was a large field of IMCA Modified as that group, as well as the Pro Stocks were racing for $1,000 to win on Saturday.
Travis White celebrates after winning the Pro Stock A main.
When the 20-car Pro Stock field got the green Rocky Boice used an outside move to lead into the first turn. Back in the pack Robert Miller, driving B.J. Pearson’s “Nuclear Banana,” car along with Shawn Natenstedt starting making their way to the front.
Soon Natenstedt was in fourth place while Miller had to make up some time as slower traffic blocked him. Up front Jesse Gonzalez got the lead while Natenstedt made a short trip onto and off the infield.
Then Travis White used an inside move to take the least just before a caution came out after Tyler Jones’ car blew up on Lap-16.
Now the order was White, Natenstedt, Jesse Gonzalez and Miller.
On the restart Miller jumped into second then everyone slowed for a debris caution on the backstretch. On the next restart Miller used his outside position to sweep into the lead but soon White was giving chase.
Behind the lead duo Bill Person and Robert Mull were chasing Natenstedt but a caution soon slow things down. Mull had in Turn 3.
With only a few laps to go White got the jump but later Miller took back the lead only to stop on the backstretch and then exited the race with mechanical problems.
Then with two laps left one car tried to get to the pits only to high center on part of a sunken K-rail. So the race was stopped as it took several minutes to free the car.
When the green waved again the now six-car field took off and White stormed away to claim the victory and winner’s prize. Behind him Mull was forced into one of the tires that are used to set the course, while he was uninjured the same can’t be said for his car.
Up front White won the race followed by Natenstedt, Bill Pearson and David Paine.
“I kind of inherited it there but we were going to give him a good run for this money,” White said after the race. “Pretty happy, I can’t think Robert Miller enough he has put me where I am today and me being in the winner’s circule is a direct result of him and everybody that does help, my brother, my family, my dad and my nephew Cody.”
Then he thanked sponsors Silver State Freight Brokerage, R&J Landscaping, The Treasure Hut, Miller Entertainment and Battle Born Prefomance.
A delighted Travis White accepts the money and a T-shirt after winning the Pro Stock A main.
Earlier that evening the IMCA Modifieds also ran a race with the winner getting $1,000.
There were so many cars it took four heat races and a B main, won by Ty Gamble, to set the field for the A main.
The feature race was scheduled for 40-laps but the drivers were told that every caution and caution lap deducted from that total. During the A main there was so much chaos the field actually only ran 24-green flag laps.
Robert Miller wins the IMCA A main.
One thing that remained constant was Robert Miller being checkered flag. And for most of those laps Cory Sample would be giving chase as he tried to catch the fleeing leader.
Eight cautions for various reasons slowed the pace and really never let the lead duo really gap the field. But in the end Miller won followed by Sample, Joel Myer, Wade Taylor and Malen Gonzalez.
Robert Miller celebrates after winning Saturday’s IMCA A Main.
After a victory lap and saluting the fans Miller admitted he lost his brakes with five laps to go. Then he said, “I just don’t know how to thank my brother and R&J Landscaping for giving me this opportunity and Jimmy Reeves in Kansas or where ever he’s at now for building these BMS Extremes. And want to thank all my sponsors, my boss Sandy at Premier Auto Body, Martin Auto Colors and all you guys that came out here. What a great track, there might be some ruts out there but with the heat we’ve had these guys did an amazing job.”
Saturday’s 360 Sprint Car main started with a bang for Robert Cooney. Exiting Turn 3 the right axel on his car broke sending him flying through the air as his car did a flip while that right rear wheel went rolling across the infield.
The officials stopped the race as they rushed to his aid. While he was shaken up Cooney didn’t seem to have suffered any serious injury.
Once the wounded car was removed from the track the field formed up and took the green flag. Bob Cooney just ran away with the race and almost lapped everyone as he stormed away to claim the victory.
Between the IMCA and Pro Stock A mains there was a Hobby Stock race. This gave some drivers that competed in both A mains time to change cars.
Before the green waved David Ausano pitted to get a flat tire changed but made it back in time to take the green.
On the first attempt at a start Shayna Nieman jumped into the lead only to spin in Turn 3. On the second attempt two cars spun in Turn 2 so the field reformed and once again gook the green.
The third try was a charm as Cody Morris jumpd into the lead then Ray Davis took the point while Ausano was carving his way through the pack. AS the second lap began Ausano used an inside move to that the point while Morris slotted into second until Nieman took that position.
The top three ran in close formation until the checkered when Ausano took the win followed by Nieman and Ray Davis.
• On Friday all four divisions raced although there were very few Pro Stocks on hand and Robert Miller won that main event. The Sprint Car winner was Robert Cooney while Robert Miller seemed to have won the Hobby Stock main until the car failed the post race inspection so Ray Davis was declared the winner.
On this night the IMCA winner would earn $750 and it took four heats and a B main to set the field. When the dust and mud settled Joel Myers won the race.
Now the track is dark as the action switches to Rattlesnake Raceway next Saturday evening.
REPORTER’S NOTE: There is a photo gallery after the results.
For great photos of this event please check out www.melissasoutonalimb.smugmug.com.
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RESULTS:
Lovelock Speedway – Frontier Day Races
- Saturday, August 5
Hobby Stocks:
+ Heat: 1. David Ausano,2. Shaynea Nieman, 3. Ray Davis, 4. Alex Kniestedt, 5. Crystal Konty.
DNF: Jimmy Ray Huffmon, Cody Morris.
+ Main (20-Laps): 1. David Ausano, 2. Shayna Nieman,3. Jimmy Ray Huffmon, 4. Ray Davis, 5. Crystal Kontny, 6. Alex Kniestedt, 7. Cody Morris.
360 Sprint Cars:
+ Heat: 1. Bob Cooney, 2. Cameron Haney, 3. Robert Cooney, 4. Jeff Macedo, 5. Adam Ermolenko, 6. Bruce Ferrier, 7. Wade Lumsden.
+ Main (25-Laps): 1. Bob Cooney, 2. Jeff Macedo, 3. Wade Lumsden, 4. Adam Ermolenko, 5. Bruce Ferrier, 6. Cameron Haney.
DNF: Robert Cooney.
IMCA:
+ Heat #1: 1. Robert Miller, 2. Walter Ball, 3. Jacob Dewsbury, 4. Glen Plake, 5. Shaun LaRocque, 6. Eli Zucker, 7. Matt Murphy.
+ Heat #2: 1. Cory Sample, 2. Travis White, 3. Don Childs, 4. Vincent Evenson, 5. JD Jurad, 6. Anthony Messman, 7. Steve Anderson.
+ Heat #3: 1.Wade Taylor, 2. Shawn Natenstedt, 3. Joel Myers, 4. Lisa Taylor, 5. Johnsthan DeLavega, 6. Jeff Macedo, 7. Alec Childs.
+ Heat #4: 1. Chris Nieman, 2. Malen Gonzalez, 3. Fred White, 4. Ty Gamble, 5. Dillan Ogden, 6. Chris Judy.
+ B Main (11-Laps): 1. Ty Gamble, 2. Jeff Macedo, 3. Shaun LeRocque, 4. Eli Zucker, 5. JD Jurad, 6. Matt Murphy, 7. Lisa Taylor, 8. Anthony Messman, 9. Dillan Ogden, 10. Steve Anderson, 11. Glen Plake, 12. Vincent Evenson, 13. Johnathan DeLavega.
+ A Main* (24-Laps): 1. Robert Miller, 2. Cory Sample, 3. Joel Myers, 4. Wade Taylor, 5. Malen Gonzalez, 6. Chris Nieman, 7. Travis White, 8. Fred White, 9. Don Childs, 10. Eli Zucker, 11. Matt Murphy, 12. JD Jurad, 13. Ty Gamble, 14. Anthony Messman, 15. Shaun LaRocque, 16. Jacob Dewsbury, 17. Lisa Taylor, 18. Shawn Natenstedt, 19. Walter Ball, 20. Jeff Macedo.
* – Green flag laps, cautions laps counted against the 40-laps the main would have run if there were no cautions.
Nevada Pro Stock Association:
+ Heat #1: 1. Robert Miller, 2. Travis White, 3. James Gonzalez, 4. Tyler Porter.
DNF: Shawn Natenstedt.
+ Heat #2: 1. Robert “Stick” Mull, 2. Jesse “The Rocket” Gonzalez, 3. Mike McMordie, 4. Connor Tatum.
DNF: Gordon Russell.
+ Heat #3: 1. David Paine, 2. Bill Pearson, 3. Tyler Jones, 4. Rocky Boice.
+ Main (30-Laps): 1. Travis White, 2. Shawn Natenstedt, 3. Billy Pearson, 4. David Paine, 5. Rocky Boice, 6. Robert “Stick” Mull, 7. Robert Miller, 8. James Gonzalez, 9. Connor Tatum, 10. Tyler Jones, 11. Mike McMordie, 12. Jesse “The Rocket” Gonzalez.
DNS: Gordon Russell, Tyler Porter.
• Friday, August 4:
360 Sprint Cars:
+ Heat: 1. Robert Cooney, 2. Bob Cooney, 3. Bruce Ferrier, 4. Wade Lumsden.
DNS: Jeff Macedo.
+ Main (25-Laps): 1. Bob Cooney, 2. Robert Cooney, 3. Bruce Ferrier, 4. Jeff Macedo, 5. Wade Lumsden.
Hobby Stocks:
+ Heat #1: 1. Robert Miller, 2. Shayna Nieman, 3. Kevin Wynia, 4. Ray Davis, 5. Crystal Kontny.
+ Heat #2: 1. Cody Morris, 2. Chris Christiano, 3. Bob Shank, 4. Tom Vokovich, 5. Alex Kniestedt.
DNF: Rich Innis.
+ Main (25-Laps): 1. Ray Davis, 2. Cody Morris, 3. Shayna Nieman, 4. Crystal Kontny, 5. Alex Kniestedt, 6. Kevin Wynia, 7. Tom Vokovich, 8. Chris Christiano, 9. Rich Innis.
DNS: Bob Shank.
DQ: Robert Miller – car failed post race tech.
IMCA:
+ Heat #1: 1.JD Jurad, 2. Alec Childs, 3. Vincent Evenson, 4. Lisa Taylor, 5. Shaun LaRocque, 6. Chris Judy, 7. Johnathan DeLavega.
+ Heat #2: 1. Joel Myers, 2. Don Childs, 3. Travis White, 4. Travis White, 5. Mark Skender, 6. Jeff Macedo.
+ Heat #3: 1.Chris Nieman, 2. Robert Miller, 3. Cory Sample, 4. Steve Anderson, 5. Anthony Messman, 6. Dillan Ogden.
+ Heat #4: 1. Walter Ball, 2. Glen Plake, 3. Matt Murphy, 4. Fred White, 5. Scott Foreman, 6. Brad Schmitt
+ B Main (10-Laps): 1. Mark Skender, 2. Shaun LaRocque, 3. Brad Schmitt, 4.Dillan Ogedn, 5. Anthony Messman, 6. Chris Judy, 7. Johnathan DeLavega.
DNS: Scott Foreman, Jeff Macedo.
+ A Main (40-Laps): 1. Joel Myers, 2. Travis White, 3. Cory Sample, 4. Don Childs, 5. Glen Plake, 6. Chris Nieman, 7. Robert Miller, 8. Shaun LaRocque, 9. Wade Taylor, 10. JD Jurad, 11. Dillan Ogden, 12. Mark Skender, 13. Steve Anderson, 14. Brad Schmitt, 15. Fred White, 16. Alec Childs, 17. Lisa Taylor, 18. Matt Murphy, 19. Vincent Evenson, 20. Walter Ball.
Nevada Pro Stock Association:
+ Heat:1. Robert Miller, 2. Robert Mull, 3. James Gonzalez, 4. Travis White.
+ Main (12-Laps): 1. Robert Miller, 2. James Gonzalez, 3. Travis White, 4. Robert Mull.
PHOTO GALLERY:
