New Winners Find Victory Lane Friday Night at Birch Run Speedway

📸 Aubrey Diebert

BIRCH RUN, MI - It was a night of firsts at Birch Run Speedway with the Finish Line Seamless Gutters' Pure Stocks making their debut on the 4/10 mile and new winners entering the O’Reilly Auto Parts Victory Lane.

Fast time award winners for the night were:

Gary Koepke/Stock Compacts/18.358

Gregory Long III/Backroad Beaute’ Salon Sport Trucks/17.316

Lonnie Saumier Jr/Finish Line Seamless Gutters Pure Stocks (4/10 mile)/19.022 establishing new track record

Bob Farley/Limited Late Models/16.958

Heat Race winners were:

Larkyn Mcnalley/Backroad Beaute’ Salon Sport Trucks Heat one/1st ever heat race win!

Matt Wilcox/Backroad Beaute’ Salon Sport Trucks Heat two

Talen Diehl/Finish Line Seamless Gutters Pure Stocks Heat one/1st heat race win at Birch Run!

Lonnie Saumier Jr/Finish Line Seamless Gutters Pure Stocks Heat two

Mike Koepke/Stock Compacts/First heat race win at Birch Run!

Joey Brooks/Limited Late Models Heat one/1st heat race win at Birch Run!

Dalton Worthy/Limited Late Models Heat two

John Harris and Josh Shaw made up the front row of the Backroad Beaute’ Salon sport Truck feature. Mark Palmer, who started 4th, made his way to the inside of both drivers in turn 3 to take the lead. Greg Long Jr pulled into second after battling his way from his 8th starting spot. Two cautions slowed the event, and with each restart, Palmer was able to pull away. Matt Wilcox got to the second spot with 11 laps to go after getting by Long. Palmer’s lead began to shrink over the last three laps, and Wilcox got to the inside of the #85 and, in dramatic fashion, with the crowd roaring, made the pass off turn four to pick up his first feature win! Palmer held on for second ahead of Long Jr, Ricky Gillett, and Josh Shaw.

The drivers of the Finish Line Seamless Gutters Pure Stock class got to showcase their talents on the big four-tenths-of-a-mile D-shaped oval for the first time in a 20-lap feature event. Jim Harden and Shawn Edmonds paced the field to the green. Edmonds grabbed the lead from the outside pole while the field went three wide behind for positions four through seven. Bill Livesay challenged Edmonds for the lead four laps in when a six-car accident off turn four brought out the red flag and eliminated Talen Diehl, Jason Spencer, and Dan Gokee. Livesay resumed the lead on the restart before the caution flew for Lonnie Saumier Jr. Livesay maintained the lead until another caution flew with seven laps in. Livesay and Edmonds led the field to green and into turn one, but Jim Miller Jr split the middle of both drivers and took the lead entering turn three. Saumier, who had rejoined the field a half lap behind earlier, moved to second place with five laps remaining, got to the inside of Miller for the lead, and won the first of four events on the 4/10 mile for the class. Miller finished second with Shawn Edmonds, Livesay, and Kyle Callahan completing the top five.

Mike Koepke grabbed the lead from Elizabeth Kolb at the start of the Stock Compact feature. Zane Cruz took over second four laps in and started chasing down Mike Koepke, with Gary Koepke behind Cruz. A caution for contact between the top three sent both Koepkes and Cruz to the tail of the field. Elizabeth Kolb led the restart until the halfway mark, when Cruz took the top spot away. Cruz maintained his lead and went on to win ahead of Gary Koepke, Kolb, Russel Koepke, and Mike Koepke.

The Limited Late Model feature was led to green by Joey Brooks and CJ Harsen. Brooks took the lead with Harsen in tow. Dalton Worthy took over second on lap five and chased down Brooks. At the halfway mark of the 30-lap affair, Worthy got to the inside of Brooks in turn three. 10 laps to go, the top five were Worthy, Brooks, Harsen, Denny Anderson, and Joe Hodgeson Jr. A flurry of cautions, specifically within the last five laps, slowed the action, but when the checkered flag flew, it was Worthy in victory lane over Bob Farley, Harsen, Josh Hahn, and Anderson.

The action returns to Birch Run Speedway this Friday with the pit gates opening at 2 and the spectator gates opening at 5. Advanced tickets can be purchased at www.birchrunevents.com