MOTORSPORTS
JOHN BOMBATCH
There must be something about the annual Ultimate 64 Shootout drag race that brings out the best in drivers from the Hamilton-Middletown area.
Hmmm. Maybe it’s the money.
Randy Helton has co-hosted the Shootout five times now and four of those five times, someone from the Middletown-Hamilton area has driven home with the $50,000 in first-place prize money.
This year, Franklin’s Brian Newport took home the prize. The veteran racer bested the 64-car field and then defeated NHRA national series veteran Luke Bogacki of Carterville, Ill., in the final.
According to Helton’s press release, Newport’s win at Edgewater Motor Sports Park was the biggest payday of his career.
Bogacki red-lighted in the final round, but don’t cry for him too much. After the three days of racing had ended, the Illinois hot shoe had earned himself $20,000 for his weekend of work.
Newport became the fourth local driver to win the event. Other drivers from the area to win the $50,000 are Franklin’s Steve Royalty, Hamilton’s Rob Kropfeld and West Chester’s John Cook Jr. The only driver from outside the area to win the event is Jason Lynch of Pleasantview, Tenn. He won the event last year.
Henderson history
This could be a good bar bet, maybe some day when she’s in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and everyone’s talking about her:
QUESTION: Who was the first woman to win a Trophy Dash event at Columbus Motor Speedway?
ANSWER: Sloan Henderson. Henderson recorded still more auto racing history on June 19 when she beat the fastest of the night's fast in the evening's Trophy Dash.
For the uninitiated, a Trophy Dash pits the four fastest qualifiers against each other in a short heat race.
A female driver had never won the race at CMS.
Whitney winner
Middletown dirt late model driver John Whitney took a heat-race win in a UMP-sanctioned American Late Model Series event at Williamsburg’s Moler Raceway Park. “Lil John” then finished as runner-up in the feature race.
According to track co-owner Kim Moler, Whitney and his father, also named John, each had driven for the Moler team in years past. Both had claimed season titles at the now-defunct Brown County Speedway.
Tri-State Shootout
Rain has spoiled the fun in April and May. But with any luck, the June edition of Tri-State Dragway’s Dragster Shootout will take place Sunday, June 27.
The dragster-only event features buy-backs, enabling first-round losers to pay a fee and continue racing.
Tri-State’s Bob Martin says the buy-back rule can lead to some testy confrontations at the start and finish lines. Should be fun!
A full program is set, plus the Dragster Shootout.
Gates open at 9:30 a.m., with qualifying runs beginning at 10 a.m. and the first rounds of eliminations starting at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and crews. Kids 11 and under get in free.
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Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2851 or jbombatch@coxohio.com.