by Mike Weber
Six motorsport competitors won Columbia
County Racing Association division titles - including
St. Helens drivers Jeremy Martin and Celeste Hardesty
and three drivers notched their first wins in the Napa
Auto Parts Championships Saturday at River City Speedway.
Martin won the modified class title
and Hardesty won the women's championship. Gresham's
John Nusom and co-driver Eddie Farness of Sandy, won
the street stock title, Nusom's brother Curt won the
sportsman series and Vancouver's Joe Cherington won
the mini stock championship. "The Enforcer"
Terry Moss of St. Helens, won his first street stock
A main this year and he took third in the final point
standings. Larry Lemmons of Toledo, took the checkered
flag in the sportsman A main and Portland's Jackie Graham
won the women's race, which marked the first A main
wins for both drivers. Milwaukie's James Lutz captured
the mini stock A main.
Martin maneuvered up from seventh place,
he passed Warren's Dan Fox on lap 20 and remained up
front to capture the 50-lap modified A main event with
the STC Racing Parts open-wheel style race car owned
by Sam Jeffers of Scappoose. It was Martin's third CCRA
win and perhaps the most satisfying as he earned one
of the largest purses ($1,300) ever at the speedway.
Fox took second, followed by Vancouver's Don Jenner
and Martin's teammate Dan Smith of Scappoose, was fourth.
"I had a fantastic season and
it was really quite phenomenal considering that we won
three championships, but I couldn't have done it without
the help of our great pit crew of Mike Harrison, Robert
Smith, Dennis Blasier and Bobby Morley," said Martin,
who also won the Baxter Challenge Series and the modified
division title at Sunset Speedway in Banks. "Dan
had a good season too (third place in division) and
he's the best teammate I could ever have. Sam is undoubtedly
the best car-owner you could ask for.and I sure feel
very grateful to him for giving me an opportunity to
compete in the modified series. I've waited nine years
to win a championship and I finally got it now, so I'm
absolutely thrilled."
Hardesty had a chance to break the
division's all-time single season record (seven) for
wins in a season as she was fastest in qualifying on
the quarter-mile clay oval track at 15.33 seconds with
her Baxter Auto Parts sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Hardesty started sixth and moved up to second behind
Graham by lap 18. However, on the 19th circuit, Hardesty
was sidelined when her car had a broken driveline as
she was unable to continue. Graham, who started on the
pole position, led all the way to get the win in her
T & T Draggin' Wagons/Perfection Automotive Pontiac
Firebird and she finished second to Hardesty in the
standings.
"It's a great to win the championship,
I'm very excited and even though I couldn't get that
eighth win, I really feel overjoyed about the thrill
of capturing the women's division title," said
Hardesty, who had 10 top-five main event finishes.
John Nusom led the first 13 laps of
the street stock main until he exited to the pits with
a left rear flat tire on his Tom's Auto & Performance
Machine Camaro. Moss capitalized on Nusom's bad luck
and took over first place on lap 14 while staying ahead
until the conclusion of the 40-lap event, winning by
four car lengths over Curt Nusom. Portland's Jeff Lovell
was third, followed by Gresham's Brad Nusom and Greg
Hamilton of Portland. Vernonia's Rob Williams was sixth
and Morley of Scappoose, took seventh, while he also
finished fourth place in the standings in his first
year of racing.
Lemmons was up front the first 10 laps
of the sportsman main until Curt Nusom passed him on
lap 11. Nusom spun out in turn three though on lap 25,
as Lemmons regained the edge with his Les Schwab Tires
Monte Carlo and led the last 15 laps for the win.
Lemmons won by a straightaway length
over Portland's Leroy White and Aaron Prettyman of St.
Helens, notched his best ever finish in third. Vancouver's
John Fordyce was fourth, followed by Jereld Strawn of
Warren. Nusom was sixth in his Steven's Printing Monte
Carlo and he recorded a total of five main event wins
and seven top-five finishes in the Reser's Fine Foods
sportsman series. It marked the third CCRA title for
Nusom, who won street stock titles in 2001 and 2006,
when he edged younger brother John by just two points.
"It's been a very good season
and I never thought that I would enjoy as much success
as I've had," said Nusom, who also won the Rookie-of-the-Year
Award. "I certainly didn't expect to win the championship
in my first year in the series, but I'll take it and
I'm sure glad that John and I both won division titles
this year."
"It's definitely a thrill to win
the street stock title and it really was truly a team
effort with Eddie as co-driver and also with my sons
(Justin, Steven) and John's son Brad, who always helped
work on the cars," said John Nusom. "We had
high expectations at the beginning of the season, but
nothing is guaranteed in motorsports, because anything
can happen during a race."
The mini stock class had a dramatic
conclusion since it was the only division in which a
second place driver - Eric Lindquist of Milwaukie, was
still in contention for the title, as he trailed the
leader, Cherington, by just six points. Cherington started
up front and led the first nine laps with his Circle
H Enterprises Datsun until Milwaukie's Jame's Lutz passed
him on the 10th lap.
Midway through the 30-lap race, Lindquist
still had a chance while in fourth place with his Reliant
Elevator Pinto, just behind Deer Island's Justin McMullen,
Cherington and Lutz. Lutz remained in control to get
the win with his German Auto Salvage Volkswagen Rabbit
as he won by eight car lengths over Cherington, who
captured his fourth straight CCRA title and sixth in
eight years. It was another incredible season for Cherington,
46, who recorded eight top-five finishes, including
four A main wins and he's the first driver in the speedway's
21-history to capture four straight titles.
One final event remains at the speedway,
the "Run What Ya Brung" on Sept. 22 in addition
to a destruction derby.
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