Speedy Ronnie Hults Returns to the Winner's Circle

Saturday, 28 August 2010 20:59

It's been an exciting year for the Late Models. Week after week, someone different has been in the spotlight. Throughout the season, Bruce Yackey, Dan Savage, Chris Eggleston, Darren Robertson, Rick Smith and plenty of others have made their way to the front of the pack. Our points leader Ronnie Hults had started the year out strong and maintained a constant presence toward the front of the field. After missing the mark for the last few weeks, the driver of the #42 showed us again why they call him "Speedy" Ronnie Hults.

Speedy's Autos Late Models
#12 Bruce "the Moose" Yackey started on the outside of Darren Robertson in row 1. For 27 laps, Yackey had us convinced it would be his night, but at lap 28, #42 Ronnie Hults quit nipping at Yackey's heels and beelined for the lead. Immediately after at lap 29, #31 Rick Smith smashed into the wall of turn 4 bringing out a red flag. Yackey and Hults would have another go at the double file restart. Yackey made a move early on but Hults found the line back into the lead. Soon #27 Roger Avants had passed Yackey and was gaining on Hults! The remaining 3 laps left in the race didn't give Avants the time he needed to take on Ronnie. Hults took the win.

Snap-On Tools Pro Trucks
After the first few laps, #1 Happy Ferree had checked out from the rest of the field. By lap 18 Ferree was a straight away ahead of the pack. Only 2 points behind current leader #74 Cris Muhler, Ferree remains determined to advance to 1st in Pro Truck points. With Happy comfortably in the lead the battle for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th raged on between Cris Muhler, Chris Leaf, and the "Ice Man" Roger Avants.

Two Doors Down Figure 8s
The figure 8s hit the track for a 20 lap Main Event. Things got a little more hairy than usual because #7 Randy Grubb was parked in the X waiting for traffic to subside when #5 Jerome Hohn Jr dove around Grubb's inside to shoot through the X unabated. The maneuver proved to be a risky one for Hohn when he careened through the dirt and smashed head first into the tractor tire barrier… tearing it in half. After caution, the race continued in typical zany fashion. At lap 15 #24 Smokin' Joe Martinez was in the lead followed by #67 Keith Swenson. Suddenly, #23 Big Al Duran spun out in the X bringing out the yellow flag yet again. #69 Princess Tammy left the track briefly and returned to the cheers of 6000 screeching fans. Racing resumed and Swenson kept at Martinez like stink on a pig. Swenson didn't have enough for him and Martinez passed the checkered first.

Sheds-R-Us Super Stocks
Amazing action up front for the first 10 laps of the 30 lap Super Stock A Main. The top ten cars raced with such intensity that you could throw a blanket over them. #02 Cecil Smith, #17 Jeremy Barclay, #46 Richard Lothert, #39 Jack Nugent, #00 Dennis Edwards, #19 Scott Miller and others all fought hard but when the dust settled, Barclay was out front with Lothert close behind. A spin out in turn 2 brought on a yellow flag. While the field circled the oval in caution, officials penalized #46 Richard Lothert 2 positions for passing in the gutter.  6 laps after resuming green flag racing, Lothert had taken the lead. Soon after, #29 Keenan Riddell got sideways going into turn 4. Cars skidded out of the way to avoid Riddell but #75 Emilio Abeyta had no where to go and t-boned the #29 going almost full speed. The red flag flew and all drivers emerged from their vehicles unscathed. When the green flag waved again,  Lothert had the pole. Try as they might, Jeremy Barclay and Jack Nugent couldn't best Lothert. Rick Lothert crossed the finish line first and danced the Lothert Shuffle.

ERA Super Modified
Contact between #88 Kevin Day and #2 Rich Castor Jr hurt Day's momentum, causing him to drop back to the rear of the field halfway into the first lap of the 25 lap A Main. #02 Johnny Pickard started on the pole and ran away with the lead. #3 Harold Evans sped forward from his 6th place start past all his competitors but couldn't come close to Pickard. Johnny P took the win once again.

Late Model
1 #42 RONALD HULTS, CENTENNIAL, 2 #27 ROGER AVANTS, LITTLETON, 3 #12 BRUCE YACKEY, GREELEY, 4 #74 DAN SAVAGE, AURORA, 5 #39 JACK NUGENT, LAFAYETTE, 6 #11 DARREN ROBERTSON, COMMERCE CITY, 7 #33 EMETT GRAZIER, WHEAT RIDGE, 8 #41 X MARK NEFF, EATON, 9 #66 DARREN BUCKLEN, GREELEY, 10 #91 CHRIS ATKINSON, CHEYENNE, WY, 11 #19 RYAN MCFADDEN, 12 #31 RICHARD SMITH, GERING, NE, 13 #8 LARRY HUNTER, ENGLEWOOD, 14 #68 RUDY VANDERWAL, 15 #2 ERIC MEISNER

Figure 8
1 #24 JOE MARTINEZ, CENTENNIAL, 2 #67 KEITH SWENSON, AURORA, 3 #4 JOE MATLOCK, AURORA, 4 #17 HARRY LIVERMORE JR, ENGLEWOOD, 5 #23 AL DURAN, LAKEWOOD, 6 #15 JEREME WALL, 7 #25 PHIL TAYLOR, DENVER, 8 #52 JARED WALL, COMMERCE CITY, 9 #28 VICTOR JOHNSEN, NORTHGLENN, 10 #7 RANDY GRUBB, DENVER, 11 #50 JUSTIN MCKEACHIE, 12 #8 X MATT WILLAMS, ARVADA, 13 #20 LANCE PROCTOR, 14 #03 LUKE ZIKE, MORRISON, 15 #69 TAMMY TOTOS, COMMERCE CITY, 16 #5 DENNIS SUMMERS, 17 #11 JOE GASTINEAU, THORNTON, 18 #05 JEROME HOHN JR, DENVER

Pro Trucks
1 #1 HAPPY FERREE, WINDSOR, 2 #74 CRISTOFER MUHLER, BRIGHTON, 3 #07 CHRIS LEAF, KERSEY, 4 #27 ROGER AVANTS, LITTLETON, 5 #34 RUDY VANDERWAL, LASALLE, 6 #5 TROY WITTHAR, EASTLAKE, 7 #0 BILLY HARKINS, LAKEWOOD, 8 #53 JEFF STEVENS, 9 #90 JOHN JOHNSON, 10 #18 ERIC MEISNER, LAKEWOOD, 11 #41 BEAR LYNCH, 12 #09 X JUSTIN SIMONSON, WHEAT RIDGE, 13 #36 X MATT BURTON, ENGLEWOOD

Super Stocks
1 #46 RICHARD LOTHERT, 2 #17 JEREMY BARCLAY, 3 #39 JOHN NUGENT, 4 #19 SCOTT MILLER, 5 #02 CECIL SMITH, 6 #8 RYAN MOSER, 7 #23 X HARRY LIVERMORE JR, 8 #36 MATTHEW BURTON, 9 #92 AJ GRASSO, 10 #13 JASON MORRIS, 11 #09 JOHN PATEE, 12 #0 X ANDREW MUES, 13 #84 BRYAN EUBANK, 14 #3 MICHAEL COX, 15 #05T TROY WITTHAR, 16 #50 DAVE FINLEY, 17 #72 X HANS BREWSTER, 18 #7 X ETHAN PENROD, 19 #30 CONNIE COX, 20 #31 DAVID HARRIS, 21 #21 JUSTIN PURVIS, 22 #90 X KYLE PATEE, 23 #00 DENNIS EDWARDS, 24 #79 SHANE COUNCILMAN, 25 #29 KEENAN RIDDELL, 26 #05 DAVE ROTHROCK, 27 #75 EMILIO ABEYTA, 28 #77 X KEVIN D KELLER

Supermodified
1 #02 JOHNNY PICKARD, 2 #3 HJ EVANS, 3 #2 RICH CASTOR J.R., 4 #40 HARRY STONE, 5 #26 BRIAN PACHECO, 6 #88 KEVIN DAY, 7 #54 MATT GILBERT, 8 #22 IRA CASTOR