Kil-Kare Speedway
1166 Dayton-Xenia Road
Xenia, Ohio 45385
937 429-2961
www.kilkare.com
 
Braden and Stapleton Kil-Kare Grand Winners
 
 by Jerry Wahl


 
Xenia, OH (5/27) - Kil-Kare Speedway kicked off the Memorial Day holiday weekend with the running of extra distance features in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series late models, modifieds, sport stocks, compacts, and IKO Minicups.
 Taking home the one thousand dollar first place money in the late models was Travis Braden and Greg Stapleton in the modifieds. Rodney Kreusch claimed the $500 to win sport stock feature while Bo Hoelscher went home $250 richer as the compact winner. The IKO Minicup main went to Jacob McClay
  It was veteran Bobby Justus and rookie late model driver Brandon Oakley in the front row of the fifty lap late model feature with Justus out front, Sam Heckman and Dick Dunlevy battled for third with Dunlevy prevailing as the first yellow flew on lap two when Will Kelly spun on turn four.
  Justus stayed out front but back in the pack Don Mahaffey Jr. and fast timer Travis Braden were on the move and up front Dick Dunlevy passed Oakley for second but the action was slowed on lap eight. Russ Bobb and Terry Scherz tangled on turn four with Don Mahaffey Sr. eliminated when he suffered right front damage in the melee. Scherz was able to return to action but Bobb was not as fortunate and he was sidelined with frontend damage. Also Tony Brunke and Don Mahaffey Sr. were sent to the rear of the pack as they made visits to the pits during the red flag period as the track was cleaned.
  Again it was Justus the leader on the restart as Oakley triee the outside as Dunlevy moved up right behind the leaders as Braden went to the outside of Dunlevy and Oakley pulled slightly ahead on lap fourteen. Braden was on the move about to pass Oakley when Will Kelly spun on lap fifteen and now the young driver had the pressure on him. Braden was coming on strong, pulling alongside Oakley on the outside as ran door to door. Braden stole the front spot and started to pull away as again the yellow flew. Sneaking up through the pack was Don Mahaffey Jr. who had worked his way to fourth, coming from the tail.
  Braden continued to set sail as Mahaffey closed in on Justus trying to get the third position. Braden had a quarter lap lead with ten laps to go as Oakley ran second and Justus and Mahaffey were still battling as Justus spun bringing the yellow out and unfortunately Justus dropped to the rear.
  With five laps to go it was Braden, Oakley, Mahaffey, Heckman, and Shawn Stansell the top five as Justus spun on turn four. Braden was just four laps away from his first late model win at Kil-Kare when the green came back out and he held on to claim the $1,000 first place money in the Gary Estes owned Weiler Welding sponsored machine. Rounding out the top five Brandon Oakley, Don Mahaffey Jr., Sam Heckman, and Shawn Stansell.
   The late model fast car dash went to Dick Dunlevy Jr. with fast timer Travis Braden second with Ricky Bates third and Don Mahaffey fourth.
  The first heat of late models had Beavercreek's Russ Bobb on the pole along with Tony Brunke. Bobb took the lead as the field strung out with Brunke riding second with Terry Scherz third and Bobby Justus fourth. When the checker waved that turned out to be the finishing order.
  Heading the modified pack for their fifty lap one thousand dollar to win feature was Jerry Stapleton and Brad Williams with Williams taking the lead but it wasn't long before last years champion Greg Stapleton was soon out front. Lap thirteen was unlucky for fast timer Derek Weatherhead as he stopped on the backstretch with mechanical problems and was sidelined.
  Mike Carroll was in third behind Williams on the restart as Stapleton set the pace. Carroll went to the outside of Williams with Jerry Stapleton riding fourth and Ryan Fleming fifth. arroll made his pass good for second on lap seventeen as Fleming was trying to pass Jerry Stapleton with Bill Burba in the chase. Third place running Williams had a pack of four drivers breathing down his neck as Bill Burba spun on the frontstretch after contact with Jason Mahaffey with Mahaffey put on the tail.
  Greg Stapleton surged ahead  with Carroll still second and Williams third but Fleming was on the move, dropping Jerry Stapleton to fifth. With ten laps to go Greg Stapleton had nearly a helf lap lead over second place running Carroll. Fleming made an inside pass on Williams for third on lap forty one as one lap later Rob Garrett spun.
  Only eight laps remained when the green flew again and Fleming went after Mike Carroll as the young and older battled for second. Fleming didn't give up as he still tried the outside of Carroll as the white flag waved. At the checker it was Greg Stapleton in the Stapleton Machine & Tool machine the grand winner followed by Mike Carroll, Ryan Fleming, brad Williams, and Jerry Stapleton.
  Veteran Mike Carroll of Kettering and second year driver Ryan Fleming started in the front row of the modified dash and it was Carroll taking the win over fast timer Derek Weatherhead, Greg Stapleton and Weatherhead.
  It was Jeff Smith and Rob Dutra leading the first heat of modifieds to the green which saw Smith dart to the pits at the drop of the green as the caution flew putting  Rodney Kreusch and Rob Garrett in the front row as Dutra departed with a flat tire. Garrett took the lead as they went three wide on turn four and when they came out it was Jim Lewis Jr. out front with Kreusch second and Garrett third being challenged by Brad Williams. The caution flew on lap five when Bill Burba looped it on the frontstretch. Lewis claimed his first heat win of the year with Kreusch second followed by Williams and Garrett.
  It was forty laps to go in the $500 to win sport stock feature with Rodney Roush and Tyler Mahaffey in the front row as Roush took the lead with Mahaffey second as Rodney Kreusch rode third with Travis Digges riding along on the outside as the yellow flew when Ricky Young spun. Roush kept the front spot as Mahaffey closed the gap on him but the battle was behind him between Kreusch, Digges, and two time winner Mike South Jr. The second caution flew on lap thirteen for another spin by Ricky Young.
  Mahaffey tried the outside of Roush but Roush was able to shake Mahaffey however Mahaffey spun onthe frontstretch and departed with a flat tire. Kreusch and Digges were now after leader Roush as Kreusch tried the outside  groove and again Ricky Young spun bringing out the caution.n It was still Rodney Roush in control but the gang was coming on strong as four hungry drivers were chasing him. Digges and Kreusch ran side by side for second as did Richard Roush and Mike South for third.
  With two to go Roush was looking for his first feature win but it was not to be as Rodney Kreusch in the Potter Towing barely beat Rodney Roush who bobbled on turn four at the line with Rodney Foush second, Travis Digges third followed by Richard Roush and Mike South Jr.
  Bryan Lynch and Gary Williams led the compact thirty five lap feature field to the green with Williams out front with two time winner Bo Hoelscher moving into second and challengoing Williams on the outside for the lead. Hoelscher did so on lap five, pulling away from the second place Williams with Lynch riding third and Matt Stone advancing to fourth.
  Hoelscher was on cruise control as he had a half lap lead at the halfway marker. Lynch finally got around  Williams for second as last weeks winner James McElfresh claimed third dropping Williams back to fourth and then Matt Stone put Williams back to fifth.
  Hoelscher of Riverside claimed his third feature of the year as he earned the $250 first place money with McElfresh second followed by Lynch, Flynn, and Williams.
  Fast timer Jacob McClay and Cory Deuser started on the front row of the IKO Minicup feature as they raced hard out of turn four they made contact and spun making a restart necessary. Again the yellow flew when Amand Harrison and Deuser flew off the backstretch. Again the green flew with McClay taking the lead with Deuser not far behind. Harrison rode third with Jacob Bartellus fourth. A caution flew again when Bartellus spun on the backstretch on lap seven.
  It was bumper to bumper on the restart as McClay pulled away to a five car lead over Deuser. When the checker waved on the twenty lap feature it was McClay claiming his first feature of the year with Deuser second trailed by Harrison and Bartellus.
 
 Kil-Kare Speedway Memorial Day Championships
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
 
Late Models
Fast time: Travis Braden 13.282
Dash: Dick Dunlevy Jr., Travis Braden, Ricky Bates, Don Mahaffey Jr.
Heat: Russ Bobb, Tony Brunke, Terry Scherz, Bobby Justus
Feature (50 laps) - Travis Braden, Brandon Oakley, Don Mahaffey Jr., Sam Heckman, Shawn Stansell, Terry Scherz, Bobby Justus, Ricky Bates, Dick Dunlevy, Will Kelly, Tony Brunke, Russ Bobb, Don Mahaffey Sr.
 
Modifieds
Fast time: Derek Weatherhead 13.671
Dash: Mike Carroll, Derek Weatherhead, Greg Stapleton, Ryan Fleming
Heat: Jim Lewis Jr., Rodney Kreusch, Brad Williams, Rob Garrett
Feature (50 laps) - Greg Stapleton, Mike Carroll, Ryan Fleming, Brad Williams, Jerry Stapleton, Jason Mahaffey, Rodney Kreusch, Rob Garrett, Jeff Smith, Bill Burba, Derek Weatherhead, Jim Lewis Jr., Rob Dutra
 
Sport Stocks
Fast time: Shawn Stansell 15.370
Feature (40 laps) - Rodney Kreusch, Rodney Roush, Travis Digges, Richard Roush, Mike South Jr., Josh Longstreth, Jesse Gade, Will Gregory, Robert Roush, Ricky Young, David Boyle, Tyler Mahaffey
 
Compacts
Fast time: Kevin flynn 15.794 (NTR)
Feature (35 laps) - Bo Hoelscher, James McElfresh, Bryan Lynch, Kevin Flynn, Gary Williams, Matt Stone, Dustin Smith, Paul Holley, Ryan Tamboro, Jordan Sage, Dewayne Snyder Jr., Ron Sagers, Davey Shaw
 
IKO Minicups
Fast time:  Jacob McClay 15.087
Feature - (20 laps) - Jacob McClay, Cory Deuser, Amanda Harrison, Jacob Bartellus