By Gary Jacob
Dodge City, KS -- Al Purkey from Coffeyville KS led all 25 laps from his pole starting position in his Larry Shaw Chassis to score a $2000 win as the $33,000 1st Annual Midwest Outlaw Late Model Shootout opened it's two night stay at Dodge City Raceway Park on Friday night. The event was sanctioned by MLRA, NCRA and WDRA and was the first major event held since the 3/8 mile track switched from a pavement surface to a clay track under the leadership of former Rocky Mountain National Speedway manager Mike Mathis. Nearly 40 cars checked in and Purkey was chased to his feature win by Missouri ace Terry Phillips in a GRT and Henderson CO invader Kelly Boen in a Rocket. Phillips won $1100, Boen $900 and fourth place was fourth $750 for Missori MLRA racer Jason Bodenhammer. Fellow MLRA point title contender Alan Vaughn ran fifth for a $650 payday.
The cars were split into four qualifying heats and the top 12 passing point performances advanced to the front of the 24 car A Main grid. Front row starter David Barker from Missouri beat fellow front row starter T J Kuykendall, also from Missouri in heat 1 while Colorado's Scott Lewis edged out Kansas star Gary Gorby for third. Phillips drew the pole for heat 2 and won with third starter Boen second ahead of sixth starting Vaughn and Kansas ace Ted Martin. Bodenhammer put his GRT in the winner's circle in heat 3 ahead of Colorado stars Ken Brack and Butch Clark. Fourth place finisher Rod Bencken from Kansas ranked in the top 12 passing performances, but scratched from the A Main and the 25 lapper started a car short. Purkey put on a show as he won heat 4 from seventh starting to earn the pole for the 25 lapper. Kansas racer Ryan McAninch ran second ahead of Colorado's John Kuchar and Dodge City's own Mike Martin. Two B Mains advanced the top six finishers from each into the back half of the A Main grid. Gorby won the first from the pole as Grand Junction CO long tow Dean Moore, a winner in Colorado the previous weekend, came from fifth to place second in his Rayburn. Kansas City's Brett LaFollette ran third ahead of Nebraska star Tommy Rowe and Missouri's David Turner. Colorado star Dave Garmann got the last transfer as Oklahoma's Eddie Tidwell and Colorado veteran Jim Clifton just missed the move forward. Oklahoma City's Randy Timms came from 4th to win the second B Main ahead of fifth starting TORA star Delbert Smith, Ted Martin, Grand Junction's Clark, Nebraska's Mike Wiarda and Utah long tow Mike McGinn. McGinn had won the WDRA season opener in Price Utah in late May. Just missing the move up in this B Main were Mike Martin and Colorado's Kevin Lueck.
By scoring the most passing points, Purkey and Bodenhammer had the front row assignment for the 25 lapper ahead of Barker, Phillips, Kuchar, McAninch, Boen, Vaughn, Kuykendall and LaFollette. Purkey was never headed as he charged to the feature win with Phillips second ahead of Boen, Bodenhammer, Vaughn, McAninch, 13th starter Moore, Barker, Kuykendall and 17th starting Rowe. Brack and Kuchar rounded out the top 12.
The Saturday night finale will go 50 laps and pay $4000 to win, $200 for second and $1250 for third.
Summary Heat 1-David Barker, T J Kuykendall, Scott Lewis, Gary Gorby, Joe Conway. Heat 2-Terry Phillips, Kelly Boen, Alan Vaughn, Ted Martin, Randy Timms. Heat 3-Jason Bodenhammer, Ken Brack, Butch Clark, Rod Bencken, Jim Clifton, Eddie Tidwell. Heat 4-Al Purkey, Ryan McAninch, John Kuchar, Mike Martin, David Turner. 1st B Main-Gorby, Dean Moore, Brett LaFollette, Tommy Rowe, David Turner, Dave Garmann, Tidwell, Clifton, Conway, Randy Reynolds. 2nd B Main-Timms, Delbert Smith, Martin, Clark, Mike Wiarda, Mike McGinn, Martin, Kevin Lueck, Rusty Miller, Chris Mayes. Main-Purkey, Phllips, Boen, Bodenhammer, Vaughn, McAninch, Moore, Barker, Kuykendall, Rowe, Brack, Kuchar, Wiarda, Martin, Scott Lewis, Garmann, McGinn, Gordy, Clark, Turner, LaFollette, Smith, Timms.