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Beatrice Speedway, Beatrice, NE - May 27, 2006

A very windy, warm day greeted fans and racers at Beatrice Speedway on Memorial Day weekend. The races that unfolded were as hot as the weather.

With all the wind, it was anybody’s guess what the track conditions would be like. The track preparation crew also had to deal with the fact that Beatrice had about ľ of an inch of rain during the night. At 11 AM, there was still 6” of water on the bottom of the corners.

With a fairly easy week of race car preparation behind us, we felt like we were ready to go racing. We keep fine-tuning on the stock car, and Tyler is getting closer to running up front in the R & R Racing/Shew Towing/Blue Knights Monte Carlo IMCA Stock Car. We keep working on the chassis and, with Tyler’s driving experience a big plus, each week is better than the last.

The stock cars and limited modifieds were due to pack the track. Once it was rolled in, the factory stocks were on to hot lap. The track was still pretty greasy, so we really did not get a good chance to see what the car would do.

The line-ups were on the board and I was scheduled to start the R & R Racing/Shew Towing/Blue Knights Monte Carlo Factory Stock on the outside pole in the first heat. The 54m of Gary McGinty was to start on the pole and we would be chased by the 15s of Lyle Slama, the 03 of Aaron Roth, the 1w of Delmar Wells, the 54 of Mike Pracheil and the 88 of Jason Tenant.

Tyler was in the 2nd IMCA Stock Car heat, starting on the inside of the 2nd row. The 22 of Hugh Carmichael and the 3 of Josh Carpenter, both of who already won A Features in 2006, were also in the heat race.

In honor of those gone before us, the colors were presented by the Army National Guard. As the final notes of the National Anthem faded, it was time to line up for the heat races. The factory stocks were first up. We lined up in the staging area, then were waved onto the track. As we started to line up on the front chute, the red flag came out. The ambulance had been called away on an emergency, so we would have to wait until they came back. We shut down our engines, took off our helmets, and waited. Even with the wind blowing like it was, it was still hot sitting in the car and waiting.

The ambulance finally arrived back on scene, and we strapped on the helmets, put on the neck braces and gloves, and fired the engines once more. One time around the track and the lights were out on the back chute, meaning that we would be green coming out of 4. We’re picking up a bit of speed going into 3, and as we go by the cone on the bottom of 4, we’re on the gas and the green flag is waving. We’re racing!!

I’m wanting to beat the 54m into 1 so I can run my preferred line. I’m able to clear him as we go by the flagstand and take the lead into 1. I’m fully expecting the 03 and the 1w to be on my back bumper as we go down the back chute. Out of 2 and I can see the chute is getting dry already, but as I go into 3, it looks like there is some moisture there. The bottom looks to be the smoothest and that’s where I stay. Out of 4 to finish the first lap and we’re still in the lead. The scoreboard doesn’t show who’s behind me this time around.

Back into 1 and through 2 and I’m on the gas as hard as I dare, wanting to be as fast as I can while still being smooth and not making any mistakes. I know the rest of the pack has to be on my back bumper and I can’t take a chance of making any mistakes. As I complete the 2nd lap, I see the 03 is behind me, with the 1w and the 15s completing the top 4. The top 4 will make the invert. Those three cars are all ahead of me in points, with the 1w winning the last two A Features.

Two down, six to go. I glance at the gauges and everything looks fine. Another lap complete and the 1w is in 2nd place. I just keep running where I feel comfortable and if he’s going to pass me, he’ll have to go around. The 03 has dropped back to 3rd with the 15s still in 4th. I’m back into 1 and out of 2 and wish I knew how close everybody was. I know the 1w will race me clean, as well as everybody else behind me. I just have to keep being consistent. We’re halfway through the heat now, and I’m still in the lead.

I’m thinking it’s “Be Kind to Old Guys Night” and they’re going to just hang back and let me lead, then pass me on the last lap. As I come out of 4 to complete the 5th lap, the 88 of Jason Tenant has slowed ahead of me in the front chute and drops to the bottom of the track. I hope he gets off the track so there’s not a yellow. However, I’m out of 2 and we’re still green!

Going into 3 on the 7th lap, I get in a little higher than I wanted to and the car has a push in the middle of the corner. I’m able to wrestle it back where I want it and am thinking this is where I’m going to get passed at; however, I still come out in the lead. The white flag is waving and the scoreboard now shows that the 15s of Lyle Slama is the next car behind me. Into 1 for the last time and out of 2. I’m looking and listening for anybody around me, but it feels like I’m out there all by myself. I run a lot better line through 3 and out of 4 and the checkers are out. I’ve won my 2nd heat race in 3 weeks!! I glance at the gauges and everything still looks good. After the cool-down lap, I’m across the scales, then back to the trailer.

Tyler tells me the 2nd place car was over a half straightaway behind me. I guess that’s why I felt like I was out there by myself! Now, if I could do that for about 18 laps in the A Feature, I’d finally close the deal.

I'm on my way to another heat race win Photo by Nick Vrtiska

A quick check shows all the tires heated evenly. Everything else looks good. We’ll fill the fuel cell, then watch the track to see what we want to do for the A Feature. When the lineups come out later, I find that we’ll start on the outside pole, alongside the 6B of Travis Burger.

Factory Stock Heat Races

Heat #1:
1) #6 Ernie Reiss, Beatrice
2) #15s Lyle Slame, Beatrice
3) #03 Aaron Roth, Pleasant Dale
4) #1w Delmar Wells, Hallam
5) #54 Mike Pracheil, Dirchester
6) #54m Gary McGinty, Fairbury
7) #88 Jason Tenant, Beatrice

Heat #2:
1) #66 Jeff Watts, Wymore
2) #35 Mike Schwartz, Beatrice
3) #23 Carey Ames, Beatrice
4) #92 Dan Stohs, Hanover, KS
5) #3 Rodney Latta, Marysville, KS
6) #69 Tim Hessheimer, Dorchester
7) #7 Jeff Shew, Beatrice

Heat #3:
1) #6R Roy Armstrong, Beatrice
2) #5m Neal Mittan, Wymore
3) #9 Gary Laflin, Beatrice
4) #6B Travis Burger, Summerfield, KS
5) #22u Ashley Holle, Hanover, KS
6) #33d Dennis Sand, Hanover, KS
7) #m64 Matt Post, Beatrice

During the break, I talked to the driver of the 6B, Travis Burger. I told him if I could beat him into the corner, I’d be going to the bottom of the track. It was going to be pretty dry in the corners, so when I get back to the car, I do some adjusting on the tire pressures. Intermission is over and it’s time to get strapped into the car.

We’re waved onto the track behind the pace cars, which consist of a National Guard passenger car and a HumVee. I’m thinking this is one of the most unusual pace vehicles I’ve ever seen. I hope he doesn’t stop real fast, because his back bumper will do a lot of damage to my front end.

We’re out of 4 and the crowd is waving while we wave back. The pace vehicles pull off the track in turn 2 and we enter the back chute. The lights are out, so we should be green when we come out of 4. We try to stay as close to side by side as possible until the green waves. Out of 4 and we’re racing! I’m not able to clear the 6B and we’re into 1 side by side. As we go through 2, the 6B slides up toward me and I have to go higher. Out of 2 and several cars pass us on the bottom. There are cars on my inside and I can’t drop down for fear of crashing out. All I can do is be patient and hope I can have a good run back toward the front.

Everybody is still running side by side and bumper to bumper at the end of the first lap. There’s a bit of dust, but not like you would expect after a day with winds blowing up to 40 MPH and temps in the 90’s. On the 3rd lap, I’m able to get to the bottom of the track where I want to be. I’m outside the top 10 and I know that every spot I’m able to regain will not be easy.

With 12 to go there’s a yellow, and I’m able to catch my breath. As I count back from the top 5 on the scoreboard, it looks like I’m in about 12th place. The temperature and oil pressure gages look good, and a quick check of the tach shows that I’ve been turning 6,000 RPM.

I line up on the inside of the 54 of Mike Pracheil, and behind the 23 of Carey Ames. The track is cleared and we’re green once again. I’m right behind the 6B of Travis Burger and am able to pull to his inside. If I can force him out of his groove, I can eventually make a pass on him. We race side by side for several laps, with him pulling slightly away coming out of the corners, and I catch him at the end of the chutes. I’m finally able to complete the pass with 8 to go. However, with 7 to go, there’s another yellow and the 6B will line up on my outside when we go green again.

In addition to battling with the 6B, the 54 of Mike Pracheil is also in my sights. I can catch him at the end of the chutes, and he does not look like his car is handling through the corners. I can get under him, but he will open several car lengths on me coming out of the corner. I’m able to clear the 6B again. In the meantime, the 23 of Carey Ames seems to be fading, as well as the 5m of Neal Mittan. The 03 of Aaron Roth drops out with a flat tire.

With three to go, there’s another yellow. Not sure what it’s for, as I don’t see anything on the track. I count back and see that we’re still in 10th place. Once we’re lined up and the green is waving, I go to the bottom to try to pick up another spot. I’m not able to make the pass on the 54, but pass the 23 out of 2 and down the back chute. The 5m is the next car now, and he looks like he’s going into the corners a bit high. I’m gaining on him as we go down the front chute. He’s in high again and as we come out of 2, I pass him on the bottom.

The white flag is showing and I'm thinking I'm in 8th place. I concentrate on making one more good lap and not making any mistakes. Out of 4 and the checkers are showing. The R & R Racing/Shw Towing/Blue Knights Monte Carlo Factory Stock takes home another 8th place finish.

After starting on the outside pole, I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to finish any better, but at the same time, I'm glad that I can drive the car onto the trailer. The water temp and oil pressure were good the entire race, so there are no complaints there. Once I’m on the trailer I check the tires and see they all warmed up evenly. Tyler and Jeff both tell me the car looked good on the track.

Factory Stock A Feature
1) 6r Roy Armstrong
2) 15s Lyle Slama
3) 1w Delmar Wells
4) 9 Gary Laflin
5) 54 Mike Pracheil
6) 66 Jeff Watts
7) 35 Mike Schwartz
8) 6 Ernie Reiss
9) 6b Travis Burger
10) 5m Neal Mittan
11. 22u Ashley Holle
12. m64 Matt Post
13. 3 Rodney Latta
14. 23 Cary Ames
15. 92 Dan Stohs
16. 88 Jayson Tennant
17. 33d Dennis Sand
18. 69 Tim Hessheimer
19. 03 Aaron Roth
20. 54m Gary McGinty
21. 7 Jeff Shew (DNS)

Factory Stock Points After 5-27-2006

1-220 Delmar Wells Hallam
1-220 Jeff Watts Wymore
3-219 Roy Armstrong Beatrice
4-217 Neal Mittan Wymore
5-208 Mike Schwartz Beatrice
6-202 Gary Laflin Beatrice
7-197 Lyle Slama Beatrice
8-190 Cary Ames Beatrice
9-188 Aaron Roth Pleasant Dale
10-185 Matt Post Beatrice
11-182 Ernie Reiss Beatrice
12-174 Travis Burger Summerfield KS
13-143 Gary McGinty Fairbury
14-116 David Mischnick Crete
15-110 Bob Latta Marysville KS
16-108 Derek Sand Hanover KS
17-102 Jason Tennant Beatrice
17-102 Greg Crannell Beatrice
19-98 Tim Hessheimer Dorchester
20-95 Mike Pracheil Dorchester
21-80 Matt Spanjer Fairbury
22-50 Jeff Shew Beatrice
23-30 Ashley Holle, Hanover, KS
24-26 Dan Stohs, Hanover, KS

Once the factory stock is loaded, we turn our attention to the stock car. A couple of last minute things and we’re ready to go. Before long, the announcement is made for the Stock Cars to line up in the staging area.

The track has cleared and the stock cars are being waved onto the track. Tyler gets lined up on the outside of the 2nd row. A pace lap, then the parade lap and the pace vehicles are off the track. One more time around and when they come out of 4, the green is waving. They’re into the first turn 3 wide, then out of 2 still three wide. Into 3 and out of 4 and the 29j of James Griffith takes the early lead. Tyler is caught up behind the 99 and 21 cars. Out of 2 on the second lap and other cars are breathing down his neck.

The car looks pretty good running up a bit higher. The 98 of Todd Laflin is also coming up on the outside. Tyler runs side by side with him for a couple of laps before Laflin makes the pass on the inside going into 1. In the meantime, Tyler has passed the 99 of Darcy Dobrolovny and the 21 of Jay Holle, while the 29j is still leading.

There’s a battle going on between Tyler, the 31 of Eric Rempel, the 22 of Hugh Carmichael and the 76 of Lance Borgman. They are changing places every lap, sometimes several times a lap. Tyler has a slight edge, sometimes by only a foot. As the laps wind down, he’s still in 3rd place with all the cars behind trying to catch and pass him. At the white flag they’re 3 wide with Tyler still holding 3rd place. As they come out of 4 for the checkers, Eric Rempel drives off the bottom with Lance Borgman on the top. Tyler crosses the finish line about 2 feet ahead of Rempel to finish 3rd for the night.

The top 4 pull to the top of the track in turn 1 and stop, while waiting to see if there are any claims. That being done, they pull across the scales and back to the pit areas. Tyler is in and a quick check of the tires shows that everything was working well.

All in all it was a pretty good night for the R & R Racing/Shew Towing/Blue Knights Monte Carlo race cars. Both cars were able to be driven on the trailers and initial assessment would tell us all we’ll have this week is normal maintenance.

Saturday, June 3rd is kids’ bicycle races at intermission. Looks like a good forecast for the weekend. An added incentive is if the grandstand crowd is big enough this week, on Saturday, June 10th, the drivers will get in free. So, please, everybody, come out and enjoy the races!

Ernie, #6 Factory Stock
Beatrice, NE Speedway

Secretary, Blue Knights Nebraska I

Stock Car Heats:

Heat #1:
1) #31 Eric Rempel, Palmyra
2) #76 Lance Borgman, Beatrice
3) #29J James Griffith, Beatrice
4) #98 Todd Laflin, Beatrice
5) #21 Jay Holle, Hanover, KS
6) #73 Dallas Dobrolovny, Waterville, KS

Heat #2:
1) #6 Tyler Phelps, Beatrice
2) #22 Hugh Carmichael, Blue Springs
3) #99 Darcy Dobrolovny, Waterville, KS
4) #3 Josh Carpenter, Fairbury
5) #5 Jim Stolzenburg
6) #89 Sam Howard, Alexandria

Stock Car A Feature

1) 29j James Griffith
2) 98 Todd Laflin
3) 6 Tyler Phelps
4) 31 Eric Rempel
5) 76 Lance Borgman
6) 22 Hugh Carmichael
7) 99 Darcy Dobrovolny
8) 21 Jay Holle
9) 5 Jim Stolzenburg
10) 89 Samuel Howard

Stock Car Points After 5-27-2006
1-226 Lance Borgman Beatrice
2-224 Todd Laflin Beatrice
3-219 Josh Carpenter Fairbury
4-217 Hugh Carmichael Blue Springs
5-215 Eric Rempel Palmyra
6-202 James Griffith Beatrice
7-183 Dallas Dobrovolny Waterville KS
8-176 Tyler Phelps Beatrice
9-160 Darcy Dobrovolny Waterville KS
10-156 Mike Sherwood Beatrice
11-151 Samuel Howard Alexandria
12-100 David Murk Blue Rapids KS
13-120 Jay Holle Hanover KS
14-70 Dustin Schmidt Fairbury
15-65 Jason Kreft Carelton
16-38 Shane Stutzman Milford
17-33 Bryan LaRiviere Wichita KS
18-30 Eric Weyer Centralia KS
19-32 Jim Stolzenburg

Front Page
Gearing Up for 2006
Beatrice Spring Fling 2006
Opening Night 8 April 2006
Results from April 15, 2006
Results from April 22, 2006
Results from April 29, 2006
Results from May 6, 2006
Results from May 13, 2006
Results from May 20, 2006
Results from May 27, 2006

Email: blueknightne1@email.com