Three First Time Winners Highlight Night at Culbertson Speedway
By Darin Racek

CULBERTSON, NE (May 4) - Despite the morning sky May 4 over Culbertson Speedway being wet, the evening sky was dry and pleasant come race time in the evening. There had to be something else in the air, though, as three drivers earned their first ever wins, and one winning his first at the track. David Murray, Jr. of Oberlin, Kan. was the only winner of the night who had been there before in his class, but John Huffman of McCook got his first Culbertson win, and Cody DeWester of Benkelman, Mike Brenning of Culbertson, and Ron “Dink” Murphy, Jr. of North Platte all earned career wins number one.

The Mini-Truck heat race had a rare visitor at the front of the pack at the finish line, Delbert Ridenour of Culbertson. While he may have been the early favorite to win his first ever A Feature, Royal Fisher of Oberlin, Kan. got the early jump and commanded the first half of the race. He, too, had visions of his first ever Feature victory, but Dink Murphy was in a truck that had won at the track on April 1st with another driver, and it knew how to get to the front. On lap seven, Murphy let Fisher know he was there, zoomed by for the lead, and drove away to the victory, his inaugural win. Fisher held onto second place, ahead of Justin Day of Lebanon, Ridenour, and Jake Sahm of McCook.

Mike Brenning let the other drivers in the Classic Modified class know he was going to be tough to beat early in the night, pacing the heat race. The A Feature was not so easy. Max Pollmann of Trenton followed Brenning for much of the race, trying unsuccessfully to use the high line to get by. He got a chance to go low with a couple of laps to go, but the two made side-by-side contact coming out of corner two, resulting in a flat right front tire for the Trenton driver. Brenning had no damage and kept his car in the groove en route to his first ever A Feature victory. Loren Pollmann of Trenton held off the world for second place, finishing just ahead of Duke Ebert and Karl Wickizer of Culbertson and Donny Sailors of McCook.

Cody DeWester made it three-for-three in first time ever wins with his A Feature victory in the IMCA Hobby Stock class. In the early going, Benkelman drives Leland Stute and heat winner Austin Davis drove side-by-side in a battle for second, right behind DeWester. A caution realigned them in single file. When the green flag waved again, that battle continued, which help give Cody some breathing room to hit his marks and finish the race in first. Stute held off Davis for second place. Michael Brunswig made it a Benkelman sweep of the top four spots. Aaron Koch of Cambridge came back from trouble early on to finish in fifth place.

The IMCA Stock Car A Feature Brandon Anderson of McCook leading the way early on, and had he been able to stay there, he could have made it four brand new winners. He and rookie John Huffman were putting on a good battle up front. On the seventh lap, Anderson changed a line coming out of corner four and ended up going into corner one different than before. It allowed heat race winner Huffman to get on by and take the win. While it was not his first A Feature win, it was his first IMCA Stock Car feature win, and his first win at Culbertson Speedway. Anderson did hold on for the second spot, one of his best ever finishes. Lloyd Meeske of Champion took home third place, ahead of Ritchie Wickizer of Culbertson and Stewart Holmes of North Platte.

David Murray, Jr. broke the newbie streak in the IMCA Modified A Feature. The four time National Champion and former track champion broke to the lead at the start of the race, running away and hiding from the field. Robby Haines of Benkelman was the closest at the finish line, only after swapping the spot twice with eventual third place finisher John Fabrizius of Colby, Kan. Jay Schilling of McCook was right with them when he crossed the finish line in fourth place. Brandon Hagan of Culbertson took home fifth place. Murray was also the heat winner.

The next race in Southwest Nebraska will be over at McCook Speedway on May 18. Culbertson Speedway will be back in action on Friday, May 25. The gates open at 6 PM, and the races will start at 8 PM, CDT.

May 4 results
IMCA Modifieds
Heat
97M-David Murray, Jr.
9R-Robby Haines
42-John Fabrizius

A Feature
97M-David Murray, Jr.
9R-Robby Haines
42-John Fabrizius
07S-Jay Schilling
21H-Brandon Hagan
17B-Clayton Baney
36-Caleb Peters (DNF)
23-Royce Clapp (DNF)

IMCA Stock Cars
Heat
3-John Huffman
05-Brandon Anderson
32-Lloyd Meeske

A Feature
3-John Huffman
05-Brandon Anderson
32-Lloyd Meeske
25W-Ritchie Wickizer
18-Stewart Holmes
24-Bob Chalupa

IMCA Hobby Stocks
Heat
22-Austin Davis
20-Cody DeWester
3L-Leland Stute

A Feature
20-Cody DeWester
3L-Leland Stute
22-Austin Davis
32M-Michael Brunswig
70KO-Aaron Koch
8C-Corey Cruzan
85-Bryan Smotherman
59-David Werner

Classic Modifieds
Heat
29B-Mike Brenning
P82-Max Pollmann
K2-Karl Wickizer

A Feature
29B-Mike Brenning
P83-Loren Pollmann
56E-Duke Ebert
K2-Karl Wickizer
1S-Donny Sailors
P82-Max Pollmann (DNF)

Mini-Trucks
Heat
69-Delbert Ridenour
14F-Royal Fisher
28-Ron Murphy, Jr.

A Feature
28-Ron Murphy, Jr.
14F-Royal Fisher
73-Justin Day
69-Delbert Ridenour
86-Jake Sahm
12J-Robin Runge