Jeep keeps winning in WDRA events!

(Grand Junction, CO) By Scott Moore
Olathe, Co. (July 26) The WDRA event at Thunder Mountain Speedway saw 14 Late Models in the pits for the evening, including series regulars Jeep Berry, Dean Moore, and Kim Horn- the latter 2 of whom were coming off runs in the World of Outlaws series.They were joined by WDRA season points challengers Jason Davis, Curt Daniels, Michael Wright, Andy and Kyle Hill, and Greg Kolbaba. Visiting racers from the Front Range were Rick Lieser, Jason Schobinger, Scott Cimfl, and Gary Dechant. Utah's Bob Cook rounded out the field.

Moderate temperatures and an overcast sky greeted the fans as they arrived at the track, and soon the stands were filled to capacity as the WDRA cars rolled out for the first of 2 heat races. The heats were clean and uneventful, with Jeep Berry in the 75b and Dean Moore's 14m winning by comfortable margins. This set the field for the highlight of the evening, the 30 lap Main Event. Announcer Chris Martinez chose a fan from the crowd to draw a card, resulting in a 2 row inverted start- placing Jason Davis on the pole, with Jeep Berry right behind. The front 2 on the outside were Kim Horn's #62 and Dean Moore.

At the green, Jeep Berry took his red and white #75b to the inside and led the field into turn one- an effort that went unrewarded, as the race was red flagged for a frightening accident on the backstretch involving #71 Andy Hill. In heavy traffic, Hill clipped the backstretch wall causing the total loss of brakes. He then struck and launched over the end of the wall at the emergency vehicle entrance, his car coming to rest atop the Armco and earth berm at the entrance to turn 3. Thankfully, Andy was shaken but uninjured, emergency crews got the scene cleaned up, and the field was reset for a new start. This time, Jason Davis held the lead into turn 1, followed closely by Berry- this would remain the order at the front for sever laps. Davis made expert use of the low line to keep Berry at bay, until the 1/3rd point when Jeep snuck by on the outside en route to a convincing win, lapping up to the 5th place car of Kim Horn by the checkers. After Rick Lieser and Dean Moore were forced to retire after slight contact between then caused flat tires, the 05 of Gary Dechant and 3 of Curt Daniels put on a spirited race for 3rd, with a dozen or more side by side laps bringing the fans to their feet. Dechant's tactic of running the high side finally paid off. With Daniels suffering from severe tire wear, the 05 pulled away over the final 10 laps to a third place finish. He was followed by Daniels, Wyoming's Kim Horn in 5th, and Rifle, Colorado's Michael Wright in 6th. Wright had a terrific charge in the #28, coming from the last row to 6th place after getting by Jason Schobinger in the 16b with 2 laps to go. All in all, the fans enjoyed a great race. They showed their appreciation in the pits afterward, lining up in dozens for autographs, hero cards, and driver merchandise. As Saturday turned into Sunday, the pits cleared and the teams of the WDRA headed home to prepare for the August 2nd race in Price, UT, where Jeep Berry will attempt to continue his string of 4 straight WDRA wins.