Roseburg 6-10-06

Deaver wins Casey Diemert Memorial

Craig Deaver worked out the kinks of nagging brake problems to win his first ASA/NSRA race of the year.  I asked Craig what he had done to solve the problem and he told me, My dad and I went through the entire system and replace all the brakes, and that was all the difference for us tonight, I really feel the Deaver racing team is back to performing the way they should.  Deaver was a man on mission after suffering a poor showing in the first Roseburg race and what he felt was a below par showing in Tenino, where he was able to capture a third place finish.  The black and pink 15 car looked liked a car on rails as it circled the 3/8's mile oval in Roseburg Oregon. 

The green flag flew at Douglas County Speedway, Saturday the 10th of June and twenty open-wheeled sprints barreled down the front stretch and into turn one.  Tony Thomas jumped out to an early lead with Matt Hein in tow.  Jeff Bird entered the night second in points and started the race second row inside, he jumped out to third and held on until lap twenty when he noticed the temperature gage starting to raise over 240 degrees, putting the motor at serious risk.  Dan the Ford Man Fisher started his night, third row inside and was able to work his way into third and hold on for a podium finish.  Craig Deaver started the main in seventh and wasted no time racing to the front of the field, picking cars off one by one, after a late caution Deaver found himself right behind Thomas, Deaver pulled up to the inside of Thomas during the caution.  It was just to let him know I was there and that I was going to be coming for him.  Deaver said.  The man on the move without a doubt was Jeff Montgomery, who suffered some early motor problems and lost a radiator, he was force to run in the B main and transferred after finishing second.  He started seventh row outside and worked his way to the second position.  Montgomery has finished second at both Roseburg shows.  Starting to the inside of Montgomery was Andy Alberding, Alberding captured fast time with a 12.56, and received a $200.00 cash bonus, thanks to a generous contribution from John Carroll Construction, from Oakland, Oregon, for fast time of the night, he worked his way slowly towards the front, getting caught in traffic and had to work hard for every position, by the last ten laps Alberding had found a new gear and drove his way to fourth.  Tony Thomas fell back with a blistered tire, but fought to hold onto fifth, and Matt Hein finished right behind the car he started behind in sixth.

The misfortune continued for the two time defending champion Quick Rick Brown, who was only looking to compete in select shows throughout the year.  Brown used his limited car in the first Roseburg race and finished an impressive fifth place.  Then three weeks ago, while Brown was competing in a limited race in Roseburg his car caught fire, he suffered no serious injuries.  The beginning of the day was looking bright for the champion driver, when Eddie Isackson rolled last years championship car off the trailer, and put Brown back in the cockpit, his first time in the car since backing it into the wall at last years champion night in Wenatchee, Washington.  Brown fire the car for the first practice and pulled it off the track, giving the motor a chance to heat up.  During the second practice session, Brown was looking very impressive and just as fast as he was last year, when about ten laps into the practice disaster struck, Brown threw the car into turn one, and sent a rod right through the bottom of the oil pan, ending any chances of running last years car.  Brown quickly jumped on the phone and had the limited car brought down to the track.  Brown ran the Diemert entry again and finished in an impressive seventh place, and qualified five fast in it with a limited motor.

            Jim Utt trucking put up his lucky number give away of $100.00, and the lucky number was awarded to the car that finished 8th tonight and Justin Mack was the lucky 8th place finisher.  After dropping back from third Bird was able to stay in the top ten with an ninth place finish and keep the points race alive for him.  And rounding out the top ten tonight was Rob Held.

            The B dash was all Jeremy Sabin as his 5x car got a huge jump off the line and it was a game of cat and mouse the rest of the race.  Hein looked inside on laps three and four, but Sabin didn' give an inch.  For the Casey dash, Montgomery started on the pole and never gave a chance for anyone to catch him, he blew Craig Deaver, Alberding and Held off the line, and checked out.

In the first heat race, Brian Smith jumped out front early and ran away from the field, with Dale Petry in tow.  An early caution caused by Jeff Montgomery, when he broke the motor, put Petry and Sabin right behind Smith. Just two laps later Sabin broke, as Ralph Deaver snuck underneath him, giving him the last transfer spot.  In the second heat Larry Davies got a great jump off the outside and Matt Hein ducked right underneath Bernie Voytek to steal second place, Davies ran up front for two laps when he entered turn three a little too high and that opened the door for Hein to drive underneath.  Craig Deaver moved from his sixth starting position to third by the first lap, then ducked off the track on an early caution, caused by Brett Smith driving into Davies.  Davies car was fine, but Smith pulled off the track.  Deaver reentered the race before the green flag, and immediately went to work moving from third to second, and then giving Hein a run on the last lap, Hein held off the late charge to capture his first ASA/NSRA heat race victory.  The third heat, Tony Thomas jumped out front and held off the charges from Rob Held and Pat Bliss who transfered to the A main.  The final heat of the night was a fast one, with Jeff Bird shooting out to an early lead and holding Rick Brown off for two laps, Monte Zema finished third and held off the night' faster qualifier Andy Alberding for the final transfer spot, forcing Alberding to the B main.

Alberding started the B main on the poll and jump out to the early lead, never giving Montgomery, who started to the outside, a chance to lead.  It was ten laps of Alberding, and even with a restart just a couple laps into the race Montgomery was unable to apply any pressure at all.  Justin Mack was able to hold on for third and Jake Mann finished in fourth, Sabin finished fifth, Middendorf was sixth, Cam McLean was seventh and Joe Hancock held off Ray Douglas for the final transfer spot. 

Roseburg' second of three ASA/NSRA show' was another success for both Douglas County Speedway and ASA/NSRA.  Another huge turnout has shown promise for ASA/NSRA.  Roseburg's first show brought almost thirty cars to the Southern Oregon area, and once again ASA/NSRA had an impressive twenty-five car field for the Casey Diemert Memorial.  The sprints of ASA/NSRA will be heading back north to South Sound Speedway in two weeks on the 24th of June, last visit there Andy Alberding set a new all time track record, and Deaver stated to me in an interview, Someone is going to break the track record again, it may not be me but somebody will, I'm sure we'll see a time somewhere around the mid-elevens.  Join the ASA/NSRA sprints as we storm through South Sound.