Looney adds one more to numbers, Neuman wins second season feature
By Dusty Luthy

LEBANON, MO. (July,22, 2006) - Brad Looney decided to put one more win in the book at Lebanon I-44 Speedway before the Tuesday night World of Outlaws show and also debuted new colors.

Looney, with white side panels, a green No. 14 and black top, won his ninth speedway victory for the season, pushing his season total wins over the 20 mark.

The Late Model feature started out on a somber note, as Late Model driver Darrell Mooneyham led the field of cars in two memorial laps. Mooneyham's crew chief, Eddie Carter, died this week at the age of 60. Carter had been a mainstay in Mooneyham's program, working with him side by side in the garage for 33 years.

Looney started the feature on the pole, followed by Matt Miller on his outside, Dave Ware, Mooneyham and Leroy Johnson.

Looney held the lead flag-to-flag but the race for the top five spots was heated. Ware jumped to second but was quickly challenged by Mooneyham, driving door-to-door in the first laps. After a little contact going into turn one, Mooneyham came out in front to take second where he finished the feature.

Jason Meadors, who started the feature sixth, was also running fourth by lap four. Dusty Johnston started the feature eighth and had driven his way up to challenge for fourth by lap five when he took the position.

As Looney and Mooneyham stretched their leads, Ware was left to drive the third spot and attempt to close the gap. Johnston also started putting on pressure, trying to drive the high groove to get around Ware, but both held their spots to the finish. Meadors brought in the fifth spot.

Although Looney finished first in his heat race, he said there was a lot of work to be done for the feature.

"The car wasn't very good in the heat race," Looney said, "and then we threw a bunch of different changes at it and we got a lot better in the feature."

The Modified feature saw Justin Neuman of Crocker grab his second speedway victory of the season. The points leader had said after his first victory, he hoped things would get easier.

"Yeah, since I got the first one behind me, the second one came a little easier," Neuman said. "Things aren't so nervous out there. It feels good to win another one."

Neuman started the feature fourth, following pole-starter Terry Beckham Jr., Dave Elson and Robert Hopkins. Mookie Cunningham started the feature fifth.

Beckham had the lead on the second lap, followed by Neuman when Steve Martin and Dave Elson pulled off and brought out a caution. That caution is just what Neuman was waiting for.

"I figured I'd just go to the bottom and just bide my time and try to run my race," Neuman said. "I am not much of a top man, I'd rather be on the bottom."

With car set up to run high, Beckham chose the top on the restart and Neuman took his car inside to take the lead and held it to the end of the feature.

"I had a good car," Beckham said, "but that caution hurt. I couldn't run the bottom. As a matter of fact, I got sideways and just about looped it."

Beckham isn't called "Topside Terry" for nothing: he said he hates running on the bottom of any track, so he sets his car up to run high and is generally unstoppable if that lane is in. But Saturday night, the fast lane was on the bottom.

"I didn't have the car set up for those conditions," he said. "You have to set up for the short run or the long run or the top or the bottom. You can set up just to run everywhere, but then your car isn't fast anywhere. It just wasn't set up on the bottom at all in fact, there's two or three things you can do to run on the bottom and I had every one of them off."

Robert Hopkins came in third, followed by Jack Jones in his first time out on the speedway. Corey Simpson finished fifth.

David Hendrix won a hard-pressed victory in the Factory Stock class. Although Hendrix started the feature on the pole, Lake Mooneyham and Jim Reaves cut him no slack.

With Hendrix in the lead, Mooneyham was able to get past Reaves to take second, but Reaves took the spot back four laps later where he finished for the night. Robbie Bryant, after starting the feature 10th , found his way to the leaders and made an outside pass on Mooneyham with one lap to go, taking third. Ben Solberg rounded out the top five.

Ben Newell took home another Super Stock win. After starting ninth, Jason Huey won the Bomber feature. Shawn Strong won in the Rookie class.

Up next: Tuesday night is the World of Outlaws show. Racing will begin at 7:30 and will boast the best Late Model drivers in America running for the $10,000 to-win prize. Factory Stocks will also be racing for a $750 to-win show.

Saturday night will be the Winged Outlaw Warriors' second appearance to the speedway. Late Models nor Modifieds will be racing that night.


RESULTS



Late Models

Heat 1

1. 17m Matt Miller
2. 55 Dave Ware
3. 28 Leroy Johnson
4. 16 DustyJohnston
5. 26 Burl Woods



Heat 2

1. 14 Brad Looney
2. 20 Darrell Mooneyham
3. 71 Jason Meadors
4. 60 Darrin Barton
5. 1 Christian Rayburn



Feature

1. 14 Brad Looney
2. 20 Darrell Mooneyham
3. 55 Dave Ware
4. 16 Dusty Johnston
5. 71 Jason Meadors
6. 60 Darrin Barton
7. 1 Christian Rayburn
8. 17m Matt Miller
9. 28 Leroy Johnson

DNS 26 Burl Woods



Modifieds

Heat 1

1. 44 Robert Hopkins
2. 71e Dave Elson
3. 23 Mook Cunningham
4. 47 Corey Simpson
5. 7jr Corky Waters
6. 9 Sam Petty



Heat 2

1. 118 Terry Beckham
2. 14n Justin Neuman
3. 21m Steve Martin
4. 98 Jeff Cutshaw
5. 87 Jack Jones
6. 78t Troy Young



Feature

1. 14n Justin Neuman
2. 118 Terry Beckham
3. 44 Robert Hopkins
4. 87 Jack Jones
5. 47 Corey Simpson
6. 7 Corky Waters
7. 9 Sam Petty
8. 23 Mook Cunningham
9. 78t Troy Young
10. 98 Jeff Cutshaw
11. 71e Dave Elson
12. 21m Steve Martin



Factory Stock

Heat 1

1. 37p Derrick Peterson
2. 25 Chad Smith
3. 18 Jim Reaves
4. 160 Bobby Maggard Jr.
5. 76 Lonnie Henderson
6. 8f Darrin Fox
7. 14p Bud Pursley
8. 37c Gary Chambers
9. 89 Justin Grindstaff



Heat 2

1. 54 David Hendrix
2. 5 Lake Mooneyham
3. 72 Ben Solberg
4. 06 Scott Symmonds
5. 45 Robbie Bryant
6. 83r Tim Riffle
7. 4 Dusty Rhoads
8. 83e James Ellis



Feature

1. 54 David Hendrix
2. 18 Jim Reaves
3. 45 Robbie Bryant
4. 72 Ben Solberg
5. 25 Chad Smith
6. 76 Lonnie Henderson
7. 83e James Ellis
8. 06 Scott Symmonds
9. 4 Dusty Rhoads
10. 83r Tim Riffle
11. 14p Bud Pursley
12. 160 Bobby Maggard Jr.
13. 89 Justin Grindstaff
14. 37p Derrick Peterson
15. 8f Darrin Fox
16. 37c Gary Chambers



Super Stock

Heat 1

1. t10 Rick Brown
2. 83 Ben Newell
3. 14 Tim Ballinger



Feature

1. 83 Ben Newell
2. t10 Rick Brown
3. 14 Tim Ballinger



Bomber

Heat 1

1. 23 Jason Huey
2. 42 Donnie Jackson
3. 63 Pat Lubbock
4. 70 John West
5. 5 Jacob Fry
6. 63d Justin Dame
7. 32 Joe Francis
8. 67 Kevin Morrison



Heat 2

1. t10 Tyler Brown
2. 44 Dennis Harmon
3. 7p Brandon Pister
4. 64 Shawn Winfrey
5. 21 Landen Johnson
6. 12 Gary Klossner
7. 8h Cody Harmon
8. 9c Darrin Crisler



Feature

1. 23 Jason Huey
2. t10 Tyler Brown
3. 21 Landen Johnson
4. 64 Shawn Winfrey
5. 42 Donnie Jackson
6. 7p Brandon Pister
7. 5 Jacob Fry
8. 63d Justin Dame
9. 70 John West
10. 67 Kevin Morrison
11. 44 Dennis Harmon
12. 8h Cody Harmon
13. 63 Pat Lubbock
14. 12 Gary Klossner
15. 32 Joe Francis



Rookies

Heat 1

1. 14s Shawn Strong
2. 6 J.C. Morton
3. 07 Tim Hall
4. 7L Josh Lewis
5. 7r Rich Reynolds
6. ss Brad Longley
7. 14b Tim Ballinger
8. 47 Lance Bahnmiller
9. t10 Brian Miller



Feature

1. 14s Shawn Strong
2. 6 J.C. Morton
3. 7r Rich Reynolds
4. ss Brad Longley
5. t10 Brian Miller
6. 07 Tim Hall
7. 14b Tim Ballinger
8. 47 Lance Bahnmiller
9. 7L Josh Lewis