Scott Aumen wins Friday night Daffodil Cup race

Daffodil Cup A Main night one winner Scott Aumen

Daffodil Cup A Main night one 2nd place Andy Alberding

Daffodil Cup A Main night one 3rd place Sierra Jackson

by Scott C » Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:27 pm

Scott Aumen had this to say of his victory, “We worked all week on this thing. We put more hours in this week than we have in the the last year and it paid off...awesome !”

Quick qualifier #44s Scott Aumen started the forty lap A Main in eighth position as a result of an eight car invert. #91 Darren Yates sat on the pole with Championship contender #76 Andy Alberding on the outside. At the drop of the green Yates held his lead into turn one. Alberding challenged on the outside through one and two, both cars side by side down the backstretch. Thru turns three and four Yates finally established first place over Alberding. Championship contender #25j Sierra Jackson slipped around #42 Guy Barrett by lap three to take over third. Aumen had started his relentless move to the front taking over the sixth position by lap five. Alberding and Yates continued to tussle for first, Alberding constantly challenging over the first ten laps. The first of four yellows came out after ten laps were completed for #4 Greg Middendorf coasting to a stop off turn four. He had sheared his drive line losing power to the rear wheels. The restart uses a double file lineup, new this year for the NSRA, and allowing the leader to choose inside or outside for the restart. Leader Yates took the inside putting Alberding on the outside. Just after the restart #51 Jeff Bird spun in turn one bringing out the second caution of the night. Bird was pushed off to join the field at the back. Again lining up double file Yates chose on the inside, putting Alberding on the outside. After the green flew, five laps later the yellow would wave again for the third time. This time for the #42 Guy Barrett having a flat tire. Barrett’s crew quickly changed his right rear to send him out again. #V23 Darren Spiers also came to the pits believing he had a low tire as well. Spiers reported having a substantial push thinking he may have a low tire. He did not so Spiers joined Barrett at the back of the field for the restart. Aumen had worked his way into fourth by this third caution. Lining up again Yates still holding the lead the green again flew. Less than a lap later in turns three and four a red flag flew for a four car pile up. #2L Ron Larson, #51 Jeff Bird, #14 Matt Mansell, and #44c Todd Coleman were all collected when Larson spun on the inside. Bird very nearly went over getting up at a very high angle on two wheels. Larson ended up in the outside wall at the exit of turn four. Mansell found himself on the grass over the curbing on the inside of turn four. Coleman came to rest on the track with substantial damage to his main wing and relatively minor damage to his front suspension. All drivers exited their cars, all okay. Non of the cars would restart. After the carnage was cleared NSRA officials made the decision to have a single file restart. This time on the restart one more lap was completed before the caution flew for the fourth time. #15 Rob Scott spun in turn three. With sixteen laps completed the field again formed up single file for the restart with Scott at the back of the field. On the restart Yates continued to hold the lead, Alberding second, Hein third, Aumen fourth, Jackson fifth. Alberding continued to challenge Yates but could not make a pass for the lead. Hein moved up to fourth getting around Jackson. Alberding did finally get around Yates to assume the lead on lap 24. Just two laps later Hein and Yates collected each other coming off turn two while Hein was attempting to pass on the outside of Yates. #2v Randy Vincent couldn’t avoid the two cars, hitting the #91 of Yates doing substantial damage to the back of Yates’ car and heavily damaging the front end of his. This three car pileup caused the second red flag to come out as the cars were mostly blocking the backstretch and would require substantial cleanup. Yates and Vincent would not rejoin the field but Hein would. Hein didn’t get the brunt of the collision from Yates or the resulting impact of Vincent into Yates. Demonstrating why Hein is the 2008/09 Champion and currently leading the points the Hein crew quickly and carefully inspected the #98h car for damage, corrected what they could, determined the car was still drivable, then sent Hein back out to rejoin the field albeit at the back. With two red flags and four cautions Western Speedway elected to reduce the total laps to 30 from 40 due to time constraints. Forming up the field single file the green again flew with now four laps to the checkered flag. With Yates out and Hein at the back of the field Alberding held the lead with Aumen second. Jackson now found herself in third, with #42 Guy Barrett fourth and #33j Jeff Montgomery fifth. After the green flew Barrett and Jackson had a spirited battle for third all the way to the checkers, Jackson holding her third spot. Aumen made challenges for the lead with lap twenty-eight being the one in which he drove around the outside of Alberding to take the lead then the checkers with a one second lead over Alberding. Barrett worked his way back up to fourth after having a flat right rear and starting at the back of the field on lap fifteen. Montgomery would have to settle for fifth this night. Hein had started out back but found himself in ninth passing under the checkered flag getting around two lead lap cars in the four laps he had left, helping to preserve his fragile Championship points lead.

Heat 1 Had #7 Mark Fisher on the pole. Outside pole #15 Rob Scott was moved back to fourth by the end of the first lap with first #94 Merv Barcelo then #V23 Darren Spiers getting by. #42 Guy Barrett had started in seventh position quickly working his way forward. Championship points leader #98h Matt Hein had started sixth and was attempting to follow Barrett through to the front but could get no farther than fourth. By lap six Barrett had taken the lead away from Fisher keeping it to the finish. Barrett took the checkers followed by Fisher, Barcelo, Hein, Scott who had worked his way back around Spiers, with #25z Chris Schmelzle seventh.

Heat 2 produced the most exciting finish of the night. #33j Jeff Montgomery starting 6th and #51 Jeff Bird starting 3rd would have an exciting duel on laps six and seven. On the pole sat #84 Mary Venoit. On the start #4 Greg Middendorf and Bird split Venoit going inside and outside of him into turns one and two. Middendorf came out with the lead on the backstretch. A lap later Bird passed Middendorf on the outside in one to take the lead. Montgomery was working traffic moving up to third by lap four. Moving around Middendorf on lap five he set his sights on Bird for the lead. Lap six had Montgomery trying Bird on the outside in turns one and two. Bird held on to the lead thru lap six and into lap seven. Montgomery once again tried the outside in turns one and two but couldn’t get by though he held his outside line down the backstretch then in turns three and four tried again. This time Montgomery came off turn four even with Bird managing to out power Bird to finish taking the checkers by just 28 thousandths of a second ! Championship contender #25j Sierra Jackson was also part of this heat race starting fifth and finishing fifth.

Heat 3 had the quick qualifier and A Main winner starting fourth. #26 Cam McLean sat on the pole for the start but was quickly shuffled back to seventh place. On the start #2L Ron Larson took the lead from his outside front row position holding it to the finish. #14 Matt Mansell moved up from his sixth starting position over the course of eight laps to third but could not challenge 2nd place starter #44c Todd Coleman. #33s Scott Aumen started seventh but could only get around McLean and #76 Andy Alberding to finish fifth. Later in the evening he would fair far better ! Larson took the checkers with Coleman holding on to his 2nd place start, followed by Mansell, #2v Randy Vincent, Aumen, Alberding, and McLean.

The A Dash had the four quickest qualifiers with #14 Matt Mansell on the pole followed by #98h Matt Hein, #33j Jeff Montgomery, and #44s Scott Aumen. At the start Mansell established a firm lead holding it all the way to the finish. The only battle was for 3rd place with Aumen taking 3rd from Montgomery coming off turn four on lap two. No further changes at the checkers put Mansell first, Hein second, Aumen third, and Montgomery fourth. In a tradition long maintained by Mansell he selected a child from the grandstands to give his A Dash trophy to as well as having the child included in the Winners Circle photo. A wonderful gesture, Matt gains not only a fan but establishes a motorsports fan possibly for life !

A Dash trophy winner Matt Mansell

The B Dash had #4 Greg Middendorf on the pole, #2v Randy Venoit second, #V23 Darren Spiers third, and #51 Jeff Bird fourth. On the start Venoit attempted to take the lead going into one. A spirited side by side race down the backstretch yielded Venoit taking the lead thru turns three and four on lap one. By the completion of lap two Bird had gotten around Spiers and Middendorf to take over 2nd. Thats the way they would finish, Venoit taking the checkers, Bird 2nd, Middendorf 3rd, Spiers fourth.

B Dash trophy winner Randy Vincent

RACE RESULTS

21 cars

A-Main 8 car invert (40 laps (shortened to 30 laps as a result of two red flag conditions): 1. #44s Scott Aumen, 2. #76 Andy Alberding, 3. #25j Sierra Jackson, 4. #42 Guy Barrett, 5. #33j Jeff Montgomery, 6. #15 Rob Scott, 7. #25z Chris Schmelzle, 8. #94 Merv Barcelo, 9. #98h Matt Hein, 10. #V23 Darren Spiers, 11. #7 Mark Fisher, 12. #84 Marty Venoit, 13. #26 Cam McLean, 14. #91 Darren Yates, 15. #2 Randy Vincent, 16. #14 Matt Mansell, 17. #2L Ron Larson, 18. #44c Todd Coleman, 19. #51 Jeff Bird, 20. #4 Greg Middendorf.

Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. #42 Guy Barrett, 2. #7 Mark Fisher , 3. #94 Merv Barcelo, 4. #98h Matt Hein, 5. #15 Rob Scott, 6. #V23 Darren Spiers, 7. #25z Chris Schmelzle.

Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. #33j Jeff Montgomery, 2. #51 Jeff Bird, 3. #4 Greg Middendorf, 4. #91 Darren Yates, 5. #25j Sierra Jackson, 6. #84 Marty Venoit.

Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. #2L Ron Larson, 2. #44c Todd Coleman, 3. #14 Matt Mansell, 4. #2 Randy Vincent, 5. #44s Scott Aumen, 6. #76 Andy Alberding, 7. #26 Cam McLean.

B-Dash (4 laps): 1. #2 Randy Vincent, 2. #51 Jeff Bird, 3. #4 Greg Middendorf, 4. #V23 Darren Spiers.

A-Dash (4 laps): 1. #14 Matt Mansell, 2. #98h Matt Hein, 3. #44s Scott Aumen, 4. #33j Jeff Montgomery.

Qualifying: Quick time #44s Scott Aumen 13.770, #33j Jeff Montgomery 13.820, #98h Matt Hein 13.957, #14 Matt Mansell 14.040, #25j Sierra Jackson 14.092, #42 Guy Barrett 14.118, #76 Andy Alberding 14.191, #91 Darren Yates 14.250, #25z Chris Schmelzle 14.317, #44c Todd Coleman 14.327, #51 Jeff Bird 14.333, #V23 Darren Spiers 14.384, #2 Randy Vincent 14.412, #4 Greg Middendorf 14.496, #94 Merv Barcelo 14.498, #2L Ron Larson 14.542, #84 Marty Venoit 14.773, #15 Rob Scott 14.821, #26 Cam McLean 15.223, #71 Joe Dardingo 15.321, #7 Mark Fisher 15.829.