NCRA DIRTcar Series
I-80 Speedway
July 1, 2011
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Last Lap Pass Gets Utter NCRA Late Model Victory

by David Smith Jr
GREENWOOD, Nebraska (July 1) - In all forms of motorsports, lapped traffic generally plays a pivotal role in the outcome of an event. Such was the case on Friday night as Jason Utter took advantage of race long leader Chris Simpson’s problems with slower traffic to take the lead coming down the front stretch to win his first career National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Smiley’s Racing Products DIRTcar late model feature at I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park in Greenwood, Nebraska in a combined event with the DART Corn Belt Clash and Lucas Oil late model series. The victory was the first career for both of those series as well.

Utter, aboard the #31 Louisa Gold Farm/Cox Design, Metal Fabrication Laser Processing/P&L Fabrication sponsored Masterbuilt chassis started on the pole for the 30 lap feature but it was fifth starting Chris Simpson who would take the lead as the green flag fell.

Chris Simpson, aboard the familiar #32 Five Star Shop Services/Simpson Farms sponsored Longhorn chassis, set a torrid pace throughout the race around the 4/10ths mile oval and looked to be headed for his first career victory with the series with just a handful of laps to go. However, heavy lapped traffic would prove to be his undoing the final ten laps as Utter began to slowly close in on the leader.

With one lap to go, Utter would power his way closer to the front and entering turns three and four around the top side of the track, got a run coming out of turn four and would edge Chris Simpson by one car length for the $3000 victory. Chris Simpson would settle for second while older brother Chad Simpson finished a solid third. Travis Dickes would come home fourth while former two-time series champion Kyle Berck brought his familiar #14 Strobel Construction sponsored Swartz chassis from his eleventh starting position to a fifth place finish.

The ten lap heat races for the 48 car field were won by Chris Spieker, Al Purkey, John Anderson, Dickes and Utter. Al Humprhrey and Kurt Kile notched victories in the two, twelve lap “B” features.

1st Heat: 1. Chris Spieker 31 (Massena, IA), 2. Andrew McKay 71MK (Minneapolis, MN), 3. Chris Simpson 32S (Oxford, IA), 4. 22G Jill George (Cedar Falls, IA), 5. 51K Billy Koons Jr. (Omaha, NE), 6. 44ZO Alonzo Grosse (Council Bluffs, IA), 7. 14 XM Joe Walkenhorst (Lees Summit, MO), 8. 1W Mike Wiarda (Aurora, NE), 9. 1 Kevin Sather (Ankeny, IA), 10. 1RM Rob Moss (Iowa City, IA)

2nd Heat: 1. 33 Al Purkey (Coffeyville, KS), 2. 15K Jase Kaser (Lincoln, NE), 3. 9T Tim Isenberg (Marshfield, WI), 29K 4. Bill Koons (Omaha, NE), 5. 50E Denny Eckrich (Tiffin, IA), 6. 28X Justin Mitchell (Cedar Rapids, IA), 7. 20J Jake Meier (Tipton, IA), 8. 14M Dean Moore (Grand Junction, CO), 9. 6S Dylan Smith (Osceola, NE), 10. 24B Bill Leighton

3rd Heat: 1. 2 John Anderson (Omaha, NE), 2. 25S Chad Simpson (Mt Vernon, IA), 3. 14 Kyle Berck (Marquette, NE), 4. 77 Kurt Kile (Nichols, IA), 5. 22P Craig Preble (Yutan, NE), 6. 22P Robbie Andersen (Blair, NE), 7. 44TD Troy Daly (Omaha, NE), 8. 4D Shawn Lee (Spickard, MO), 9. 14W Dustin Walker (Belton, MO), 10. US Scott Daly (Elkhorn, NE)

4th Heat: 1. 21T Travis Dickes (Madison, NE), 2. 80 Scott Koskovich (Omaha, NE), 3. 24 Bryant Goldsmith (Corning, IA), 4. 15 Jason O'Brien (Atlantic, IA), 5. 6 Al Humphrey (Giltner, NE), 6. 58E Dave Eckrich (Cosgrove, IA), 7. 90 Steve Kempt (Shelton, NE), 8. 1J Jason Hobscheidt, 9. 2H John Hampel (Omaha, NE)

5th Heat: 1.31 Jason Utter (Columbus Junction, IA), 2. 62 Leon Zeitner (LaVista, NE), 3. 40 Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, NE), 4. 53 Joe Kosiski (Omaha, NE), 5. 8 Mike Wallace (CarterLake, IA), 6. 33X Brian Kenkel (Elkhorn, NE), 7. 98X Jason Rauen (Farley, IA), 8. 3X Skip Frey (Ezy, IA), 9. 1X Bo Egge (Kearney, NE)

1st B Feature: 1. Al Humphrey (Giltner, NE), 2. Billy Koons Jr. (Omaha, NE), 3. Joe Kosiski (Omaha, NE), 4. Bill Koons (Omaha, NE), 5. Mike Wiarda (Aurora, NE), 6. Dylan Smith (Osceola, NE), 7. Craig Preble (Yutan, NE), 8. BILL LEIGHTON, 9. Alonzo Grosse (Council Bluffs, IA), 10. Joe Walkenhorst (Lees Summit, MO), 11. Troy Daly (Omaha, NE), 12. Dustin Walker (Belton, MO), 13. Shawn Lee (Spickard, MO), 14. Jason Rauen (Farley, IA), 15. Justin Mitchell (Cedar Rapids, IA)

2nd B Feature: 1. Kurt Kile (Nichols, IA), 2. Denny Eckrich (Tiffin, IA), 3. Dave Eckrich (Cosgrove, IA), 4. Steve Kempt (Shelton, NE), 5. Jake Meier (Tipton, IA), 6. Jason O'Brien (Atlantic, IA), 7. Skip Frey (Ezy, IA), 8. Kevin Sather (Ankeny, IA), 9. Brian Kenkel (Elkhorn, NE), 10. Jason Hobscheidt, 11. Dean Moore (Grand Junction, CO), 12. Scott Daly (Elkhorn, NE), 13. Bo Egge (Kearney, NE), 14. Mike Wallace (CarterLake, IA), 15. Robbie Andersen (Blair, NE), 16. Rob Moss (Iowa City, IA), 17. John Hampel (Omaha, NE)

A Feature: 1. Jason Utter (Columbus Junction, IA), 2. Chris Simpson (Oxford, IA), 3. Chad Simpson (Mt Vernon, IA), 4. Travis Dickes (Madison, NE), 5. Kyle Berck (Marquette, NE), 6. John Anderson (Omaha, NE), 7. Al Purkey (Coffeyville, KS), 8. Denny Eckrich (Tiffin, IA), 9. Bryant Goldsmith (Corning, IA), 10. Tim Isenberg (Marshfield, WI), 11. Jason Rauen (Farley, IA), 12. Andrew McKay (Minneapolis, MN), 13. Chris Spieker (Massena, IA), 14. Dave Eckrich (Cosgrove, IA), 15. Al Humphrey (Giltner, NE), 16. Joe Kosiski (Omaha, NE), 17. Leon Zeitner (LaVista, NE), 18. Mike Wiarda (Aurora, NE), 19. Jake Meier (Tipton, IA), 20. Steve Kempt (Shelton, NE), 21. Kurt Kile (Nichols, IA), 22. Dean Moore (Grand Junction, CO), 23. Jill George (Cedar Falls, IA), 24. Robbie Andersen (Blair, NE), 25. Jason O'Brien (Atlantic, IA), 26. Jase Kaser (Lincoln, NE), 27. Billy Koons Jr. (Omaha, NE), 28. Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, NE), 29. Bill Koons (Omaha, NE), 30. Scott Koskovich (Omaha, NE)

The next event for the NCRA of Park City, Kansas presented by Smiley’s Racing Products DIRTcar late model division will be tonight (Saturday) at Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa before wrapping up the Independence Day weekend Sunday night atop the Belleville High Banks in Belleville, Kansas.

For more information on the NCRA of Park City, Kansas presented by Smiley’s Racing Products DIRTcar and Great Plains DIRTcar late model series, contact the series office (316) 755-1781.

The series would like to thank the following for their partnership with the late model series for the 2011 race season:
Park City, Kansas, Smiley’s Racing Products, DIRTcar, Hoosier Racing Tires and Sunoco Race Fuels.