Racing News

 Seven More Winners and Two Repeat Winners Crowned On Sunday at Rockingham Speedway

Rockingham, NC. (Jan. 13, 2008) – Race weekend number two of the 2008 season is over at Rockingham Speedway and seven new winners from the INEX sanctioned Legend, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster divisions have been added to the track’s wall of winners on the rockinghammotorsportspark.com website. They will join the nine winners from last week, including two repeat winners, Christian Pahud and Thomas VanWingerden. Sixty-five drivers from all over the country were on hand for the event.

The Legend and Bandolero drivers raced on a six-tenths of a mile road course built mostly in the infield of the Superspeedway but had one section of the course that allowed the drivers onto the high-banks before turning back into the infield course.
The first feature race of the day, the Legend Car Young Lion division, included a great battle for the win between Dylan Presnell who came all the way from Tenn. and Ronnie Bassett Jr. Presnell jumped out to the early lead but was pressured the entire race by Bassett. Jordan Stillwell finished in the third position.

Kyle Weatherman led every lap of the Bandolero Bandit race for his first win at “The Rock.” It was not all easy for Weatherman as he was pressured throughout the race by second place finisher Matt Wallace and eventual fourth place finisher Justin Carroll.

Christian Pahud also led every lap of his feature race, the Legend Pro division and became the first repeat winner at the track since it reopened. In fact, the top four finishers were identical from the previous week with Thomas VanWingerden, Daniel Moskowitz and Kyle Beattie finishing second through fourth both weekends.

The best race of the day was the Bandolero Young Gun race. Ryan Glenski and Chad Finchum swapped the lead five times – at the start finish line. They also swapped the lead at least as many times throughout the six-turn road course. Finchum managed to get the lead and hold on to it when it counted, at the start finish line of the last lap. Tyler Lester was credited with second after Glenski did not go through post race inspection and was put to the end of the finishing order.

Legend veteran Jan Ingram jumped out to the early lead of the Master division race and never looked back as he cruised to his first win at “The Rock.” Bill Baldwin overcame an early mishap to climb back into the second position with Russ Thompson and Mark Vogt finishing third and fourth.

Last week’s Bandolero Outlaw winner, Bailey Daniels returned to try and make it two in a row. She pressured race winner Nathan Rodgers throughout the race but Rodgers did not crack under the pressure and held on for his place on the Rockingham “wall of winners.” Daniels finished second with Marcus Limehouse in Third.

Even though Steven Ross won the Legend Semi-Pro heat race, he did not start from the first position because of the points system used to determine the line-up and the fact that Matt Lundstrum managed to pass seven cars during the heat race. It would not faze Ross as he managed to grab the lead before the second corner and pulled away for his first win at the rock. Ross was a threat to win week one but a transmission problem forced him out of last week’s race before it was over but he would not face the same bad luck this weekend. Behind him Lundstrom and Gene Kirila battled for the second position with Kirila taking the honors.

The only lap Anthony Berube led during the Bandolero Beginner Bandit race was the one that mattered – the last one. Berube grabbed the lead on the final corner of the final lap after contact between two cars in front of him sent first and second place spinning. Brian Kolb, who had led every lap of the race so far lost control after contact from behind and still managed to bring his car across the line in third position. He would get credit for second place after officials moved Drew Whidby back to third because of the contact.

Although there was more distance between them this week as the Thunder Roadster drivers crossed the start finish line - that did not mean the race was not as good. Coming down the backstretch to take the white flag, Thomas Van Wingerden, Bryan Silas and Brandon Thompson were three wide battling for the lead. Van Wingerden managed to keep the lead after the three wide racing and repeat as winner of the Thunder Roadster race with Thompson beating Silas to the checkered.