By BZ ZELLER
With the future of the Douglas County Speedway in limbo, spectators,
staffers and drivers walked away Saturday night leaving behind a track full of
debris and waste.
Cleatus Roberts III and his brother Keith Roberts completed a season
sweep of the two wreckage events by capturing the Crash Classic Boat Race that
highlighted the schedule finale.
The Fair Board announced Wednesday that it had rejected proposals from
the two candidates who submitted bids to operate the race facility next year.
Fairgrounds manager Harold Phillips said he has been involved with five separate
promoter proposal sessions since 1995.
“The county has decided to go in a different direction,” Phillips said.
The Board convened with about 200 citizen participants from the racing
community. The citizens, which included racers from Coos Bay, Jefferson, and
Cottage Grove, were told by the Board that the facility would be rented out on
reserved date agreements, much like the Community, Floral and Douglas Hall
buildings are currently operated.
There were seven entries in this year’s annual event. Participants
dragged boats behind their vehicles and scored by points by dislodging
competitor boats, hitting loose boat s and driving over boat pieces. By the time
the checkered flag flew on Lap 35 of the scheduled 50 lap event, there was
nothing left on the asphalt that remotely resembled a water vessel.
The Roberts brothers won the Trailer Race earlier in the season. That
event, like the Boat Race, is designed to dislodge and create trailer carnage.
Clint Hatfield and co-driver Josh Lonie was awarded second place.
Michael Mitchell was the last entry to have his boat dislodged. The car builder
and driver team of Brad McMaster and Craig Senger, who had won the past five
Crash Classics, did not enter Saturday.
Earlier in the race program, Benjer Herbert, Amos Rhodes and Rob Mueller
all won their respective Main Events and subsequent points championships.
Herbert, a 16-year-old student at Oakland High, won the Super Stock
Division. Rhodes repeated as Street Stock champ and Mueller won his third
consecutive Mini Stock title.
Willie Thompson won the ASA Modified Main, but Dean Cast’s top five
finish was enough to clinch the season title. Steven Snawder and Rick Anderson
finished second and third. Anderson won the Dash and Thompson was the fast
qualifier (15.829 seconds). Snawder won the Heat. Tom Ford and Snawder were a
close second and third in the point standings.
Herbert and Rhodes won their Dashes. Larry Means was the top Super
qualifier (16.443) and Rhodes led the Street field (17.463). Orion Mosher won
the Super Heat. Rhodes also won the Street Stock Heat. Don Moore was second in
the season standings for the Supers and Jeff Solberg finished second in the
Street standings.
Joe Forsman was second in the Mini Stock Main followed by Dena James,
Dale Yarbrough and Steven McMahan respectively. Yarbrough won the first Heat,
Mueller won the Fast Heat and McMahan won the Dash. Forsman was the fast
qualifier (18.191).
McMahan, his father, Yarbrough, and his sister, James, ironically finished
in the top four behind Mueller in the season point standings.
Monte Cox Jr. topped a 19-car field of Hornets in its 25-Lap Main. Andy
Nelson, Dave Jobe, Daniel Butterfield and Bob Vancil were second through fifth.
Jennifer Taylor and David Beals each won Heats. Cox was the fast qualifier
(19.580).
Beals, unofficially, is the Hornet points champion with Butterfield, Don
Tigrett and Daniel Jobe placing second, third and fourth.
John Cornilsen, who participated in the Crash Classic, won the J-Car
championship.
*You can reach Douglas County Speedway writer/announcer BZ Zeller at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Photos by BZ Zeller:
-Clint Hatfield and co-driver Josh Lonie look to crash their
truck into the boat driven by Cleatus Roberts III and Keith Roberts in the Crash
Classic Boat Race Saturday night at the Douglas County Speedway. The Roberts won
the event.
-Cody Rasmussen (left, blue 24) loses control in Turn 2 and collides
into David Beals (green car along wall) during the Hornet Main Saturday night at
the Douglas County Speedway. Bob Vancil (3) tries to avoid the collison.
-Jennifer Taylor (99) leads Robby Vancil (41) and Jeff
Miller a Hornet Heat race Saturday night at the Douglas County Speedway. Taylor
went on to win the race, which was her first victory of the season.