Huge Cross State Showdown Sets up Championship Weekend Cody Morris I-44 Riverside Speedway Official Release Wednesday, September 24th, 2014 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma **Championship Weekend Preview** Following a huge fall blockbuster event this past Saturday in which the POWRi West Midgets featured an OKC season high 19 entries with the fastest micro sprints in the region forming for nearly 120 cars across five classes, for the first time in speedway history I-44 Riverside will showcase a two day championship weekend to conclude the 2014 Champions Cup. Just as the winged A Class division highlights each Riverside run, it features the tightest points battle as both Brandon Boggs and Derrick McBride enter the finale tied for the featured division lead. Mike Matherly has blasted through the point standings late to make it a true three way race for the Cup as he trails Boggs and McBride by a mere 10 points. Hometown favorite Teri Burk enters the weekend run 4th in points with 2012 A Class champ Jim Woods another 25 points behind Burk. McBride took a giant step toward the Non Wing Champions Cup this past weekend. While only topping Non Wing rookie and reigning Turf Tire champ Tony Penick by 1 position, he now leads Penick by 190 points with just the two weekend showdowns between himself and his first championship, Boggs is a further 10 points behind Penick, trailing the leader by 200 markers. Anadarko’s Ryan Padgett sits 4th in Non Wing points, eyeing his 2nd consecutive top five point finish in stock 600 action. Yukon, Oklahoma rookie Dillon Laden comes in 100 points Padgett in 5th. Bethany’s Matt Moore has been a madman in the Restricted ranks this season, putting his Vapor Hut #9m in victory lane for the 11th time this season this past Saturday. Moore leads Choctaw’s Restricted rookie Nathan Rainey by 300 points entering the weekend. Short of calamity, Moore should carry the first Restricted Champions Cup. Reigning champ Tanner Conn comes in 3rd in points and within 90 of Rainey, with Moore’s Kaylee Cole and Anadarko’s Ryan Anderson firmly entrenched in 4th and 5th, respectively. El Reno’s Jeremy Penick frowned at his 395th runner up finish in Turf Tire action this past weekend, but smiles at the largest point lead in any of the five weekly Champions Cup classes as he leads OKC’s Junior Vickman by 305 markers entering Championship Weekend. Snyder’s Joshua Bigger enters the weekend double third in TT points, sandwiched between the racing Vickman’s. Bigger trails Junior by 95 points while sitting 415 to the good of Willie Vickman. Brian Penick has his sights set on a top 5 season finish and leads fellow TT rookie Dusty Devine by 55 points for that right. Lawton’s Dylan Pendergrass took his first career win on opening night of the season, followed by 6 more over the season at Riverside and a Junior Sprint Nationals title this summer in Missouri. Pendergrass hopes to finish the season off with his first championship and first for Legacy Race Cars in the Sooner State. He paces Calera’s Ryder Laplante by 180 points entering this weekend’s double. Laplante scored the first wins of his career for the Snap On Tools #88R in Rounds 6 and 9 of the Champions Cup. Chickasha’s Brant Woods earned the first win of his racing career in the final race of June and currently holds third in Junior points, 135 markers behind Laplante. Moore gasser Kayden Cole clings to 4th in Junior points with Bryce Barnett looking to fend off Jack Hall for the top 5 point finish. So 20 rounds of the 2014 Champions Cup are in the books, with the final pair on tap this weekend in what looks to be one of the most beautiful weekends to race of the whole year. Highs in the low 80’s, race time low’s in the upper 60’s - that’s perfect racing weather. Purse increases are in play in all five classes and for both nights’ this weekend. Saturday’s Champions Cup finale marks the 2nd annual Jimmy King Classic, our tribute to the man who owned and championed the speedway for our first 13 years before his untimely passing early last year. The Inaugural run was won by Mother Nature last year, as was half the season in the summer. So we look forward to crowning five winning racers and five Cup Champs this Saturday night in the 2nd edition of the Jimmy King Classic. Gates open at 4pm both nights with drivers meeting at 6pm and launching into hot laps right after. The program starts at 7pm both nights. ------------------------------------------ The Missing Recap This past Saturday blew all in attendance away, a dizzying amount of high quality racing. A Class Del City, OK’s Jason Lair is as savvy a micro sprint veteran as can be found, with championships, accolades, and 4 figure scores all over the place. Lair bested Bixby’s Kevin Bayer for the $400 score. El Reno’s Blake Dewberry scored the final podium spot with Steven Shebester and Bryan Nebgen completing the top five finish. Non Wing Tulsa’s Chris Andrews made his first appearance to OKC’s 1/5th mile oval this past weekend and made it count, wiring all 20 laps for the $400 score ahead of El Reno’s Kyle Keeler. Steven Shebester scored the third place finish ahead of Jim Woods and an exceptionally Hard Charging Arlington, Texas racer Anton Hernandez (20th to 5th). Restricted Bethany’s Matt Moore has been nearly unstoppable in the Restricted class this season. Moore led wire to wire to take win #11 at Riverside this season ahead of Tanner Conn and Cole Roberts. Justin, Texas’ Noah Key placed fourth with Ragin’ Nathan Rainey completing the top five finish order. Junior Sprints Bridge Creek’s Chris Wells and Lawton’s Dylan Pendergrass staged a good old fashioned duel with Pendergrass earning a brief lead before nearly meeting both Wells and the wall. Wells battled back by to claim his 2nd victory since the start of August. For Pendergrass, it could be said he settled for a disappointing runner up finish, but that disappointment largely subsides as Dylan is on the doorstep of the Junior Sprint title. Brant Woods battled to third with Ryder Laplante and Emme Johnson completing the top five run. Interesting point - all four of the final top five finishers have each earned their first career wins at some point this season. Turf Tire Jeremy Morris led all 20 laps to nab his 5th win this season, making Team Morris 4 for their last 5 in Turf action (Jared earning one of those wins). Jeremy Penick aims for his 2nd Turf Title and first since 2012, and secured a runner up finish to that end. Shorty Burks, Junior Vickman, and Zach Van Zant completed the top five finish for CC Round 20. ------------------------------------------------------------ So we’re at the final stop of this amazing journey that the 2014 Champions Cup has been! We are tremendously grateful to all the teams that have supported us throughout the season and we hope you guys are in for this weekend. It means a great deal to prove what a Friday night show can do in this town and also that we can reschedule some of our rainouts if we need to. We began this campaign with 22 rounds to the Champions Cup, and we’re very proud to be racing the final two of a very full set and invite all of our great racers out to celebrate a great season and cap it off with a statement weekend of racing! Friday night - Champions Cup Round 21 Saturday Night - Champions Cup Grand Finale / 2nd Annual Jimmy King Classic 2nd annual twister nationals October 9-10-11
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 16:22:29 +0000
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