Drown Rebounds To Win Danny Gardner Memorial At Wayne County

By Mike Swanger

The stands were full on a beautiful night for racing presented by Ag-Pro and it was Kid’s night with the help from Quota International of Wooster with more than 75 bicycles and many more prizes and goodies given away thanks to many donators including Don Rutt Builders for supplying hot dogs for the kids. Before the races started, all drivers had their cars in the infield and the fans went over to get autographs and more from them plus the Kid’s bike races were run and the Gold Rush sponsored by Tye Twarog. Then it was time for racing at ‘Orrville’s Historic Oval.’

The main event for the evening was the McKenzie Concrete Super Stocks racing for the Danny Gardner Memorial as they would go 27 laps (Danny’s car number). Brandon Craver would take the pole position and set the pace for the first 4 circuits when Gary Hensel Jr. took over for one lap as one of nine cautions would wave and on the restart, John Wilson would pull into the top spot. Racing was tight with a lot of rubbing going on as many drivers would spin throughout the race to slow the action. On the green flag action, Wilson would lead and hold off charges from Hensel Jr., Doug Drown and Craver with Don Baney right behind them. During lap 19, both Don Rutt and Drown would slow with flat tires and go to the pits for new rubber as Craver would pull off and not return. Rutt and Drown would return in 11th and 12 place for the restart and immediately, Drown was on a mission. Wilson was able to open up about a six car length lead as Hensel Jr. and Baney battled for second with Drown roaring up to fourth on lap 22 and power past Baney two circuits later. On the next trip around the 3/8 mile oval, quickly overtook Hensel Jr. for second and caught up to Wilson. With the white flag waving, Wilson was in the middle groove with Drown on the highside in turn one and as they went into turn two, Drown and his Char’s Cars, Gionino’s Pizza and K & A Tree Service #21d, dove to the inside of Wilson and out race him down the back stretch to take the lead and Wilson would make one last try coming out of turn four but came up short. It would be the 7th win for Drown of Wooster and also the 7th second place finish for Wilson, but not all of them to Drown. By winning, Drown also picked up the Elgin Industries choice of American made push rods or stamped rocker arms as that was some of the Contingency Connection Racers Rewards program. Hensel Jr. would outlast Baney for third while Coty Conway gets his season best finish of fifth. Drown, Hensel Jr. and Baney posted the heat wins. Luke Sprouse collected the $100 Hard Charger Award from Cliff & Cortney Staley as he moved up 11 positions. After the race, the Gardner family awarded the top for finishers, trophies that Danny Gardner had won over the many years of racing he had done. The race was also co sponsored by McKenzie Concrete and Medina Mountain Motors.

Clay Riney and Broc Martin brought the Pine Tree Towing & Recovery sprint feature to the green flag and the two would make contact in turn two on the opening lap and both checked up for a split second and that allowed Wooster’s Dean Jacobs to slip past and take control of the feature. Riney and Martin would stay close together and go back and forth for second but that would allow Danny Mumaw to move in and take second on lap 10 after a restart for William Aumend. Jacobs and his B & B Drain Service, Harbach Electronics and McClure Motorsports #9 would pull away on this restart as Riney and Martin continued their close race still going back and forth. The races final caution flag came with four circuits to go and this time, Mumaw would stay up with Jacobs and with two laps to go, Mumaw used a big slider on Jacobs going into turn three but Dean Jacobs would cross back around coming out of turn four and keep the lead. Mumaw would banzai for the lead on both ends of the track on the last lap but could never stop Jacobs from regaining the lead coming out of the turns as Dean Jacobs would park his sprinter in the Summit Racing victory circle for the second week in a row and fourth time this season. Mumaw would end up in the runners up position as Riney took third in front of Martin. After rolling over in his heat race and starting 13th in the feature, Trey Jacobs filled out the top five as he passed Trevor Baker with four laps to go to gain that spot. Martin and Mumaw claimed the heat wins.

The Malcuit Tavern Super Late Model main would start with J R Gentry blasting into the lead from the outside front row with pole sitter Ryan Markham into the second spot. Doug Drown would move past Markham for second on lap 5 and then run in Gentry’s tire tracks as it was shaping up to be two battle for the win. But on lap 10 as the field was going by the flag stand, mechanical issues with Gentry’s machine would slow him down and for the second week in a row, he had to pull off while leading. Drown would inherit the lead and the Ely Road Reel Company, D J Directional Services and Wooster Glass #12 would pull away to grab his 6th checkered flag of the season in the Super Late Models. In the early stages of the feature, Charlie Duncan, Justin Chance and Jerry Aber had a tight race going on for third with Dave Hornikel in the mix. Hornikel would get by Aber for 5th on lap 11. As the black and white flag waved, Markham would end up second followed by Duncan, Chance and Hornikel, who was the Kar Connection Hard Charger of the race. Heat winners were Markham and Drown.

It was a long night for Jordan James but ended on a good night as Loudonville driver had the Thompson Memorials, Brad’s Auto Body and Lochevale Farms #83 break in the heat race and that would put him in the last chance race where he started 8th but charged into the lead at the line at the end of the first lap and went on to win. That would put him starting 17th in the feature. Nova Martin would lead the way on the opening lap of the JOYRIDE Transport Mini Stock feature but would give way to Wyatt Zimmerman on the next lap. Brad and Doug Hensel would move into second and third as James was already up to fourth on lap three. On lap seven, Brad Hensel pulled off while running second and on the next lap, Zimmerman’s car slowed and also pulled off as Doug Hensel now took over the point with James in second. Using the high side of the speedway, James overtook Hensel with three laps to go and pull away for his first win of the year. Points leader Doug Hensel finished second as Martin, in his first race of the year at WCS, was third as Brent Boreman and Roger Rush rounded out the top five. Brad Hensel, Zimmerman, Tyler Wiles and Wes Staley scored the heat wins.

Next Saturday night, August 17, the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association will be back and it will be Season Championship for the Malcuit Tavern Super Late Models while the Pine Tree Towing & Recovery Sprints along with the McKenzie Concrete Super Stocks and the JOYRIDE Transport Mini Stocks will be chasing more O’Reilly Auto Parts ‘Race to the Championship’ points.

Gates will open at 4 pm and racing at 7 pm at Wayne County Speedway and for more info on the track, go to www.waynecountyspeedway.com

WAYNE COUNTY SPEEDWAY RESULTS

Saturday, August 10, 2019

McKENZIE CONCRETE SUPER STOCKS

Heat 1 Doug Drown, Brandon Craver, Justin Lorentz, Kevin Ake, Nick Humphrey, Jeff Lanham, Allen Radtka, T A Perrine

Heat 2 Gary Hensel Jr., Don Rutt, James Alleman, Norm Aronhalt, Seth Dickerson, Curt Zimmerman, Luke Sprouse, Daniel Sanchez dns

Heat 3 Don Baney, John Wilson, Bubba Smith, Coty Conway, Paul McVicker, Virgil, Masters, Ryan Leathers

DANNY GARDNER MEMORIAL Feature Doug Drown, John Wilson, Gary Hensel Jr., Don Baney, Coty Conway, Paul McVicker, Don Rutt, Kevin Ake, Luke Sprouse, Curt Zimmerman, T A Perrine, Allen Radtka, Brandon Craver, Bubba Smith, Jeff Lanham, Norm Aronhalt, Ryan Leathers, Justin Lorentz, Daniel Sanchez, James Alleman, Seth Dickerson, Nick Humphrey, Virgil Masters

PINE TREE TOWING & RECOVERY SPRINTS

Heat 1 Broc Martin, Dylan Kingan, Jess Stiger, Ray Miller, William Aumend, Shane Mixon, Trey Jacobs, Andrew Palker

Heat 2 Danny Mumaw, Dean Jacobs, Trevor Baker, Clay Riney, Tyler Dunn, Henry Malcuit, Troy Kingan dns

Feature Dean Jacobs, Danny Mumaw, Clay Riney, Broc Martin, Trey Jacobs, Trevor Baker, Jess Stiger, Henry Malcuit, Tyler Dunn, Dylan Kingan, Ray Miller, William Aumend, Shane Mixon, Andrew Palker, Troy Kingan dns

MALCUIT TAVERN SUPER LATE MODELS

Heat 1 Ryan Markham, Justin Chance, Matt Irey, Cody Endlich, Brad Malcuit, Brett Bee, Craig Hartong, Nick Cox, Sean Rush

Heat 2 Doug Drown, Charlie Duncan, J R Gentry, Jerry Aber, Dave Hornikel, Larry Bellman, Tom Denzinger, Jason Henderson, Wayne Maffett Jr.

Feature Doug Drown, Ryan Markham, Charlie Duncan, Dave Hornikel, Jerry Aber, Brad Malcuit, Cody Endlich, Brett Bee, Larry Bellman, Nick Cox, Craig Hartong, Sean Rush, Tom Denzinger, J R Gentry, Matt Irey, Jason Henderson, Wayne Maffett Jr. dns

JOYRIDE TRANSPORT MINI STOCKS

Heat 1 Brad Hensel, Doug Hensel, Wayne Newbury, Ryan Carder, Dusty Long, Jimmy Burns, Bryan Wilson, Kyle Noel dns

Heat 2 Wyatt Zimmerman, Nova Martin, Jolene Voshel, David Keagy, Darrel Taylor, Molly Rannigan, Brian Tomblin, Jeff Slykhuis

Heat 3 Tyler Wiles, Coree Boyd, Mark Sibila, Cory Staley, Greg Harris, Kenny Long, Kyle Petit

Heat 4 Wes Staley, Brent Boreman, Mitch Reichard, Roger Rush, Clayton Evans, Jordan James, Jason Shaw

‘B’ Main Jordan James, Brian Tomblin, Clayton Evans, Jimmy Burns, Dusty Long, Greg Harris, Darrell Taylor, Jeff Slykhuis, Kenny Long, Jason Shaw, Bryan Wilson, Molly Rannigan, Kyle Noel, Kyle Petit dns

Feature Jordan James, Doug Hensel, Nova Martin, Brent Boreman, Roger Rush, Mitch Reichard, Jolene Voshel, David Keagy, Mark Sibila, Jimmy Burns, Ryan Carder, Coree Boyd, Cory Staley, Wyatt Zimmerman, Wayne Newbury, Brad Hensel, Clayton Evans, Tyler Wiles, Wes Staley, Brian Tomblin