GREWOHL GREAT AT SHASTA

Source: Robert Haugh
Date: 09/18/2008

Picking up where North Carolina’s Shane Hmiel left off earlier in the season, Bobby Grewohl triumphed over a stellar 21-car field at the “West Coast Midget Clash” on Saturday, September 13 at the 5th Annual Pop Porter Memorial at Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, CA.

Piloting the DMS Race Products #21 Beast/Esslinger, Grewohl rocketed ahead of the field from his pole position, leading every lap of the Bay Cities Racing Association/Washington Midget Racing Association co-sanctioned event at the gorgeous 3/8-mile Shasta Raceway, giving the DMS team their third BCRA win of the year.

Following Grewohl to the checkers was WMRA points leader and three-time 2008 WMRA victor Mark Atkinson aboard the Atkinson Racing #23 Beast/Esslinger and DMS teammate Viktor Sinzig manning the DMS Race Products #11d Beast/Esslinger, Midget Lite graduate “Nitro” Nick Chivello aboard the #27b Daniel Chivello Beast/Esslinger and thirteenth-starting “Young Lion” Nick Foster, Jr. aboard the #24 Jim Fowler Beast/Esslinger. After spinning on Lap 2 and falling to the rear of the field in 18th, Foster methodically worked his way through a myriad of cautions, catapulting back to fifth, taking the BCRA points lead in the process --- by one point over Scott Nail.

Grewohol’s victory is his second in as many Midget starts in 2008, having also won a USAC race at Altamont. Grewohl, a Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver is a multi time karting champion and 2003 Formula Ford Western States Champion.

As the green flag unfurled opening the 40-lap feature, Brea Lopez nearly streaked off the track in #25 Dan Press Beast/Esslinger, with the car going up on its side before stopping. Restarting at the back, Lopez worked her way up to as high as fourth before getting caught up in another incident on Lap 35.

The caution unfurled once again upon the Lap 1 restart when 15-year-old Mitch Hoffses spun the #5 Karl Hoffses Hawk/Gaerte.

After completing one lap, the cautions began unfurling once again on Lap 2 when Foster spun. Floyd Alvis and Scott Nail tangled upon the restart, with Nail exiting with chassis damage. Nail returned to the track in the Stu Donaldson #8x Stealth/Pontiac on lap 11, eventually finishing in twelfth place.

Kerstin Smutny spun the #9 Atkinson Racing Beast/Esslinger on Lap, followed five laps later by Chivello spinning on Lap 17.

After another ten laps of Grewohl dominating the race, Kyle Dickerson brought out the caution on Lap 28, spinning the #11k Harold Dickerson Beast/Esslinger.

Closing in on the final few laps, 15-year-old WMRA rookie Logan Forler and Lopez tangled on Lap 35 with Lopez dropping out due to the two-spin rule.

With the single-file restart, Grewohl’s distancing lead was shredded, allowing 2006 WMRA champion Spence Gatrell to run bumper-to-bumper with Grewohl through the finals laps. Attempting to dice for the win, Gatrell made slight contact with Grewohl through Turns 3 and 4, causing a flat aboard his #8 Steve Gatrell ProFab/Esslinger, causing Spence to exit the race prematurely.

Grewohl soared to the win over the final two laps over Atkinson, Sinzig, Chivello, Foster, Alvis, Mike Donaldson and Chad Nichols.

Topping the stellar 21-car field in qualifications, 2007 WMRA champion Evan Margeson blistered the 3/8-mile track, setting a new track record mark of 14.654. All four A-Dash qualifiers (Top 4 in qualifications) broke the old track record.

“Young Lion” Nick Foster, Jr. claimed the B-Dash aboard Jim Fowler’s #24 Beast/Gaerte over Tony Seidelman in the, 15-year-old WMRA rookie Logan Forler and Skeeter Flake.

Bobby Grewohl claimed the A-Dash over 2006 WMRA champ Spence Gatrell, 2007 WMRA champ Evan Margeson and Brea Lopez.

Chivello claimed Heat 1 in the Daniel Chivello #27b Beast/Esslinger over points leader Scott Nail, Mike Donaldson, Floyd Alvis and Kerstin Stautny.

15-year-old WMRA rookie Logan Forler claimed Heat 2 over “Young Lion” Nick Foster, Jr., Daniel Bedford, Tony Seidelman aboard Dave Hoene’s #24 Hawk/VW, Marco DeGeorge aboard Mark DeGeorge’s #78 Beast/Esslinger and Chad Nichols aboard his #17 Orange Rocker Beast/Esslinger.

Viktor Sinzig claimed Heat 3 in the DMS Race Products #11d Beast/Esslinger over Atkinson, Grewohl, Margeson and Hoffses.

Foster now holds the BCRA points lead over Nail by one point with Alvis a mere 35 points down from Nail in third.

Summary

Feature 40 laps (start position):

1. Bobby Grewohl (1), 2. Mark Atkinson (5), 3. Viktor Sinzig (7), 4. Nick Chivello (18), 5. Nick Foster, Jr. (13), 6. Floyd Alvis (16), 7. Mike Donaldson (15), 8. Chad Nichols (8), 9. Spence Gatrell (3), 10. Logan Forler (11), 11. Brea Lopez (2), 12. Scott Nail (17), 13. Evan Margeson (4), 14. Tony Seidelman (12), 15. Daniel Bedford (9), 16. Kerstin Smutny (14), 17. Mitch Hoffses (6), 18. Kyle Dickerson (21), 19. Marco DeGeorge-DNS, 20. Britton Bock-DNS, 21. Skeeter Flake-DNS

Lap Leaders: 1-30 Grewohl

Heat 1: 1. Daniel Chivello, 2. Scott Nail, 3. Mike Donaldson, 4. Floyd Alvis, 5. Kerstin Smutny, 6. Britton Bock, 7. Kyle Dickerson

Heat 2: 1. Logan Forler, 2. Nick Foster, Jr., 3. Daniel Bedford, 4. Tony Seidelman, 5. Marco DeGeorge, 6. Chad Nichols, 7. Skeeter Flake-DNS

Heat 3: Vicktor Sinzig, 2. Mark Atkinson, 3. Bobby Grewohl, 4. Evan Margeson, 5. Mitch Hoffses, 6. Brea Lopez, 7. Spence Gatrell

A-Dash: 1. Bobby Grewohl, 2. Spence Gatrell, 3. Evan Margeson, 4. Brea Lopez

B-Dash: 1. Nick Foster, Jr., 2. Tony Seidelman, 3. Logan Forler, 4. Skeeter Flake

Qualifications: 1. Evan Margeson, 50, 14.654 (NTR); 2. Spence Gatrell, 8w, 14.724; 3. Brea Lopez, 25, 14.794; 4. Bobby Grewohl, 21, 14.802; 5. Mark Atkinson, 23, 14.907; 6. Mitch Hoffses, 5, 14.967; 7. Viktor Sinzig, 11d, 14.975; 8. Chad Nichols, 17, 15.079; 9. Daniel Bedford, 03, 15.124’ 10. Marco DeGeorge, 78, 15.124; 11. Logan Forler, 22, 15.230; 12. Tony Seidelman, 24x, 15.289; 13. Skeeter Flake, 14, 15.313; 14. Nick Foster, Jr., 24, 15.375; 15. Kerstin Smutny, 9, 15.421; 16. Mike Donaldson, 8, 15.723; 17. Floyd Alvis, 18, 15.733; 18. Scott Nail, 8x, 15.790; 19. Nick Chivello, 27b, 15.851; 20. Britton Bock, 62, 15.275; 21. Kyle Dickerson, 11k, NT

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