Berck Breaks in Belleville NCRA Late Model Victory

Belleville, KS - July 4, 2008 - Belleville, Kansas - Despite nursing a souring motor with a little over one lap remaining, Kyle Berck of Marquette, Nebraska held off John Anderson and Kelly Boen to become the fifth different winner in as many races as the O'Reilly/NCRA late model division presented by ICM/Ethanol hit the Belleville Highbanks in Belleville, Kansas Friday night. 

By virtue of the redraw from the top eight in heat race passing points, Berck started on the pole for the twenty lap feature and got the jump on fellow front row starter Mike Wiarda to take the lead as the green flag fell. Anderson and seventh starting Boen gave chase as Berck quickly opened up a fifteen car length advantage by lap two. But behind him gave a preview for the fans on things to come as the battle for the runner up position began as Boen tried a couple of slidejobs in the turns to take over the position, only see Anderson out race him down the straight-aways.

The race was slowed on lap four when John Kuchar went for a spin exiting turn two to bring out the caution.

It was all nonstop from there as Berck again jumped out front to a sizable advantage as Anderson and Boen once again battled for second with defending series champion Boen diving underneath Anderson in turns one and two, only to see the driver of the Shop Quik Convenience Stores regain the position.

By lap five, lapped traffic became a focal point of the race as the leaders would dice their way in and out of the lapped cars the rest of the way. With Berck and his Dorothy Lynch Homestyle Dressing sponsored car in heavy lapped traffic on lap fourteen, Anderson and Boen closed to within six car lengths, but the 2002 series champion would thread his way through the traffic and again open a comfortable advantage with three laps to go.

With a little over one lap remaining, Bercks engine began to sputter but despite the mechanical gremlins he would hold on to win his seventeenth career NCRA victory.  

"Take that Kelly Boen!" exclaimed a jubilant Berck after jumping off the roof of his brand new Masterbuilt Chassis. "I could feel the motor start to blow about a lap and a half from the end and I thought 'Oh no, they're going to get by me.' But we held on. We had a great car the whole night."

Anderson and his Jay Dickens powered Masterbuilt chassis held on for the runner up position as three-time and defending series champion Boen, who had dominated previous Highbanks events settled for third. Delbert "The Ice Man" Smith finished a strong fourth while Wiarda rounded out the top five.

Earl Kinderknecht, Jimmy Seagraves and Wiarda topped heat race action for the thirty late models on hand while series rookie of the year contender Shawn Harker took "B" feature honors.

Allen Masters NCRA Modifieds at Belleville

Belleville, KS - July 4, 2008 - Belleville, Kansas - Former three-time series champion John Allen of Chanute, Kansas wired the field to become the fourth different winner in four events thus far this season as he won the fifteen lap O'Reilly/NCRA modified presented by ICM/Ethanol feature event Friday night at the Belleville Highbanks Speedway in Belleville, Kansas.

Allen started on the pole with outside front row starter Marc Hurd, Brian Casey, Brian Powers and Greg Stephens all giving chase as Allen and his Hughes chassis quickly built a ten car length lead atop the big half mile oval. The races only caution waved on lap six when series rookie Jordan Whitehead slowed to a stop on the front stretch.

Once racing action resumed, Hurd kept pace with the leader and dove down low in turns three and four to briefly pull even with the leader, but Allen and his Buzzard Racing Engines would quickly pull away and would go on unchallenged the rest of the distance. The battle for positions three through sixth caught the crowds attention as Casey, Powers, Cody Gearhart and Jimmie Hobbs were separated by just five car lengths of each other the rest of the distance.

But in the end it was all Allen as he collected his first series victory on the 2008 race season, the twelfth of his career.   

Hurd would finish ten car lengths behind Allen to finish second while Stephens outdueled Powers and Casey for the third position.

Hobbs, Hurd and Allen all picked up the eight lap heat races for the twenty-two car field.

1st Heat - 1.Earl Kinderknecht; 2. Jerry Warner; 3. John Anderson; 4.Bill Koons; 5. Steve Foster; 6. Jason Freisen; 7. John Kuchar; 8. Todd Doty; 9. Ted Martin; 10. Wylan Petrie

2nd Heat - 1.Jimmy Segraves; 2. Kyle Berck; 3. Delbert Smith; 4. Kelly Dunn; 5. Dan Topliff; 6. Gary Gorby; 7. Camron Winter; 8. Justin Kinderknecht; 9. Ronnie Warman 10. Bryant Goldsmith

3rd Heat - 1.Mike Wiarda; 2. Kelly Boen; 3. Mike Collins; 4. Shawn Harker; 5. Dean Moore; 6. Jim Beaman; 7. Marty Doner; 8. Ben Schuller; 9. Jason Schobinger; 10. Ryan Rairden

B Feature - 1.Shawn Harker; 2. Dean Moore; 3. Kelly Dunn; 4. John Kuchar; 5. Gary Gorby; 6. Ronnie Warman; 7. Justin Kinderknecht; 8. Camron Winter; 9. Todd Doty; 10. Jason Freisen; 11. Jim Beaman; 12. Dan Topliff; 13. Jason Schobinger; 14. Steve Foster; 15. Wylan Petrie

A Feature - 1. Kyle Berck; 2. John Anderson; 3. Kelly Boen; 4. Delbert Smith; 5. Mike Wiarda; 6. Mike Collins; 7. Jimmy Segraves; 8. Dean Moore; 9. Earl Kinderknecht; 10. Bryant Goldsmith; 11. Jerry Warner; 12. Jason Friesen; 13. jim Beaman; 14. Kelly Dunn; 15. Dan Topliff; 16. Steve Foster; 17. Camron Winter; 18. Bill Koons; 19. Shawn Harker; 20. Gary Gorby; 21. Ronnie Warman; 22. Justin Kinderknecht; 23. John Kuchar; 24. Todd Doty

NCRA Modifieds
Belleville High Banks
Belleville, KS

Fri. July 4, 2008

1st Heat: 1. Jimmie Hobbs (Wichita, KS), 2. Brian Casey (Hutchinson, Ks), 3. Troy Gemmill (Ponca City, Ok), 4. Jarrod Johnston (Concordia, Ks), 5. Kurt Johnston (Concordia, Ks), 6. Jordan Whitehead (Andover, Ks), 7. Micaah Johnson (Courtland, Ks), 8. Brandon Blochlinger (Concordia, Ks),

2nd Heat: 1. Marc Hurd (Wichita, Ks), 2. Brian Powers (Wichita, Ks), 3. Greg Stephens (Wichita, Ks), 4. Cody Gearhart (Turpin, Ok), 5. Troy Davis (Salina, Ks), 6. Don Renfro (Wichita, Ks), 7. Brandon Morton (Broken Arrow, Ok),

3rd Heat: 1. John Allen (Chanute, Ks), 2. Brendon Gemmill (Ponca City, Ok), 3. Marlin Farr (Nickerson, Ks), 4. Joe Cleveland (Delphos, Ks), 5. Dan Daniels (Humboldt, Ks), 6. Brad Johnston (Haysville, Ks), 7. Dustin Huehl (Salina, Ks),

A Feature:: 1. John Allen (Chanute, Ks), 2. Marc Hurd (Wichita, Ks), 3. Greg Stephens (Wichita, Ks), 4. Brian Powers (Wichita, Ks), 5. Brian Casey (Hutchinson, Ks), 6. Cody Gearhart (Turpin, Ok), 7. Dustin Huehl (Salina, Ks), 8. Jimmie Hobbs (Wichita, KS), 9. Marlin Farr (Nickerson, Ks), 10. Brendon Gemmill (Ponca City, Ok), 11. Jarrod Johnston (Concordia, Ks), 12. Kurt Johnston (Concordia, Ks), 13. Dan Daniels (Humboldt, Ks), 14. Troy Davis (Salina, Ks), 15. Jordan Whitehead (Andover, Ks), 16. Joe Cleveland (Delphos, Ks), 17. Brandon Blochlinger (Concordia, Ks), 18. Micaah Johnson (Courtland, Ks), 19. Brandon Morton (Broken Arrow, Ok), 20. Brad Johnston (Haysville, Ks), 21. Troy Gemmill (Ponca City, Ok), 22. Don Renfro (Wichita, Ks)