Deagele And Freeman Share Wins At Montana Roundup

By Gary Jacob

Great Falls, MT -- Rock Degele from Glasgow MT raced from fourth starting to score a $1000 win in the dirt late model feature Friday night as Electric City Speedway opened it’s season closing, $18,000 Montana Roundup weekend. The feature was lined up off the heat finishes and Degele’s second put him 4th. He passed Rich Herman, series champion Josh Adams and Dave Freeman for the $1000 win with Adams ending up the $750 second ahead of Herman’s $400 third. The 12 cars returned on Saturday night and Great Falls’ own Freeman got a clean sweep with a win in his heat and the $1000 main event win. Freeman suffered a broken shock in the race and he barely fought off the challenge of 8th starting Jody Kropp as Kropp ran a $750 second ahead of Billings MT charger Kelly Hample who won $400. Freeman topped the weekend’s money list with $1200, Degele got into the back wall on Saturday and had $1175 for the weekend with both Adams and Kropp at $1000. These two events closed the season for the Montana Outlaw Late Model Tour and Helena’s Adams ended up with the series title, 55 points ahead of rookie Herman and 87 in front of Jim Zaremski. Degele climbed to fourth in the final standings ahead of Rory Minster as Mike McCord was absent and dropped back to sixth place. Kropp, Degele and Freeman all did double duty in the dirt modifieds. Kropp won both nights, getting $325 on Friday night and $700 on Saturday night. Degele was a $330 second on Saturday night and

Freeman won $200 for second on Friday night.

The 12 car turnout included Ron Brisbois from Hinton, Alberta Canada. On Friday night, Herman won heat 1 from 2nd with 4th starting Freeman second over sixth starter Kropp. Adams won heat 2 from the pole and 4th starter Degele ran second over 2nd starting Minster. The feature lineup was straight up off the heat finish, but Degele was on fire as he raced to the win from 4th over 2nd starter Adams and pole starter Herman. Minster ran fourth ahead of Hample, Belgrade’s Bob Scott, Kropp and Zaremski. On Saturday night, Freeman won heat 1 from the pole with sixth starting Ron Fuller second over fifth starter Hample. Degele drew outside front row and won heat 2 over pole starter Warren Drazich and fourth starter Minster. In the feature, Degele made contact with the back wall and broke a lower control arm to end his night. Freeman built a huge lead from the pole, but slowed with the broken shock and Kropp nearly caught him. Hample came from fifth to third and 7th starter Scott ran fourth over 9th starting Herman, Fuller, 10th starter Adams and Minster. Brisbois combined an 11th and a 10th for the two nights.

Summary

Friday Heat 1-Rich Herman, Dave Freeman, Jody Kropp, Jim Zaremski, Ron Fuller. Heat 2-Josh Adams, Rock Degele, Rory Minster, Kelly Hample, Bob Scott. Main-Degele, Adams, Herman, Minster, Hample, Scott, Kropp, Zaremski, Warren Drazich, Freeman, Ron Brisbois, Fuller.

Saturday Heat 1-Freeman, Fuller, Hample, Scott, Herman. Heat 2-Degele, Drazich, Minster, Kropp, Adams. Main-Freeman, Kropp, Hample, Scott, Herman, Fuller, Adams, Minster, Drazich, Brisbois, Zaremski, Degele.

Two Win Weekend For Purkey As He Captures Belleville

By Gary Jacob

Belleville, KS -- Finishing off a two win weekend that virtually wrapped up the NCRA dirt late model championship, Al Purkey from Coffeyville KS drove his Larry Shaw mount to a $2000 win Sunday night at the Bellville KS high banks. Purkey won his heat race from 2nd starting, but that only earned him a second row assignment for the feature as both third ranked Tommy Rowe from Doniphan NEB and second ranked Kelly Boen from Henderson CO earned more points in the passing point system. Boen took a quick lead in the feature at his favorite track and Purkey settled into third behind Rowe. Purkey got second from Rowe on lap 5 and had chased down Boen when the Colorado driver coasted into the infield on lap 7 with a broken valve. Purkey led the remainder of the 20 lapper with former IMCA Modified car builder Kevin Larkins from Giltner NEB making a solid drive to second ahead of Rowe, Ryan McInanich from Kansas and Grand Junction CO long tow Dean Moore. Purkey came out of the weekend with six NCRA wins on the year and a healthy 224 point lead on championship rival Boen. Rowe is another 109 points back in third as Missouri's Jason Bodenhamer and Kansas racer Gary Gorby are dueling for fourth in points. Bodenhamer is only 28 points up on Gorby but 298 behind Rowe. Moore has climbed to 8th in points behind Ted Martin and Oklahoma's Joe Conway. Purkey's other weekend win came Saturday night at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, NEB.

Nineteen cars checked in for the night's racing and Rowe earned the pole for the feature by capturing the first heat race from sixth starting. Larkins ran second ahead of TORA star Delbert Smith and McAninch. Purkey won heat 2 from second, but Boen came from last to finish 2nd to rank second on the passing point charts. Rowe and Boen thus held down the front row for the 20 lap feature with Purkey right behind. On the start, it was Boen and his Rocket charging out front with Rowe settling into second ahead of Purkey. Delbert Smith settled into fourth ahead of Larkins and McAninch. In turn 2 on lap 5, Purkey was able to take second from Rowe and he had caught leader Boen when a broken valve parked Boen in the infield on lap 7. On lap 9, Delbert Smith took second from Rowe and Larkins passed Rowe for third on lap 11. The only yellow flag came on lap 12. On the restart, Purkey continued to command the action and Delbert Smith got shuffled from 2nd back to fifth as Larkins, Rowe and McAninch all got by him. Purkey's sixth win ties the NCRA single season record held by Tom Laster and he has an Oct 24th date in Enid Oklahoma to attempt to break the mark. Larkins ran second with McAninch challenging Rowe for third as the laps ran down. McAninch settled for fourth ahead of Moore, Lyle Shepard, Delbert Smith, Gorby, Bodenhamer and Brett LaFollette.

Summary Heat 1-Tommy Rowe, Kevin Larkins, Delbert Smith, Ryan McAninch, Mike Wiarda. Heat 2-Al Purkey, Kelly Boen, Dean Moore, Gary Gorby, Ted Martin, Lyle Shepard. Main-Purkey, Larkins, Rowe, McAninch, Moore, Shepard, Delbert Smith, Gorby, Jason Bodenhamer, Brett LaFollette, Danny McFadden, Herb Nagy, Robert Garst, Chris Mayes, Martin, Joe Conway, Boen, Daniel Smith.