Johnston Wins 9 and Claims Championship

Rob Nugent, Track Announcer

POCOLA, OK (September 12TH, 2015) –Mother Nature may have finally decided that it was time for summer to end as a packed house was greeted to temperatures in the lower 80’s at race time. Once again, Dan King and his track prep minions had a track that was ready to go at hot lap time and produced one of the best racing surfaces all season.

The night kicked off with the trophy presentations for the previous week’s A feature winners (from September 5TH, 2015) with interviews, by Michelle Walker, and photo taking on the pass through in front of the grandstands. There was also a special trophy presentation from Ray Raney to Bill Dillard. The trophy, that had survived a fire, was originally won by Bob Ballard in 1961 during a memorial race for Bill’s dad, “Big Bill” Dillard. This was followed with the invocation and the previous week’s winner’s parade lap presenting the nation’s colors during the National Anthem.

Heat racing action for the 89 cars on hand, including 30 late models from the MARS DIRTCar Series, presented by Andy’s Frozen Custard, and the Comp Cams Super Dirt Car Series, presented by Lucas Oil, got underway at 7:45 PM. A TSS Modified B feature, won by Kent Bright (74 – Sand Springs, OK) with Zane Hunter (3H – Alma, AR) and Brandon Hunter (1/4 – Alma, AR) in second and third respectively, was also held before intermission.

The “half-time” break gave everyone a chance to stretch their legs and get some of the concession food, including some of the soon-to-be world famous Menasco BBQ and an ice-cold Coca-Cola product to wash it all down with. Several race fans and kids were also the lucky recipients of track giveaways, including free T-Shirts and free tickets, during the intermission from Brian White.

The Pure Stock A Feature hit the track first and saw Andrew Bohanan (51 – Stigler, OK) take home back to back to back wins for his third Pure Stock win of 2015 while Chris Perkins (88 – Rudy, AR) came home in second ahead of JP Harris (00 – Bella Vista, AR). With only one point race left in the season for the Pure Stocks, Chris Perkins (88 – Rudy, AR) secured the 2015 track championship with his second place finish.

The late models ran two B Features next to advance the top two finishers from each race to their A Feature.

The TSS Modified A feature was up next with Brent Holman (17 - Rogers, AR) taking the win for the first time this season over John Sheets (8S – Nevada, MO) who finished in second and Randy Henson (10H – Alma, AR) in third.

The late models would take to the famous high banks next for their 35 lap, $2,500 to win, A Feature. After a big lap one crash that involved nine of the 24 starters, the race resumed with Jeremy Payne (186) picking up the win while two-time defending MARS champion, Tony Jackson, Jr. (56), crossed the line in second ahead of Jack Sullivan (18S) in third.

The Super Stock A Feature was on the track last and saw Neil Johnston (17 – Fort Smith, AR) lead the final 1/8 of a lap to pick up win number nine of the season over TJ Moore (14J – Fort Smith, AR) and Randy Moses, Sr. (75M- Muskogee, OK) in third. With only one point race left in the season for the Super Stocks, Neil Johnston (17 – Fort Smith, AR) secured the 2015 track championship with his first place finish.

Complete race results, including heats, are available by clicking on the Results link. Current point standings, for the classes that raced, are available, too, by clicking on the the Points link.

Tri-State Speedway will return to action again on September 19TH, 2015 with another night of racing in four classes plus the AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories Oil Capital Racing Series (OCRS) Sprint Cars. As the season gets closer to the end, the battle at the top of the point standings continues to get hotter with as little as 13 points separating first through third in the TSS Modified class with two point races left.

Pit gates will open at 4:00 PM with the grandstands opening at 5:00 PM. Hot laps will begin at 7 PM with pre-race ceremonies to follow and  green flag action at 7:30 PM. Information on admission pricing and our complete 2015 racing schedule can always be found by clicking on the Schedule link  Also, be sure to stay up to date with us via our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube which can be found by clicking the icons on the bottom of our website home page  or by adding a “/” plus “Facebook”, “Twitter”, “Google+” or “YouTube” at the end so it looks like www.Tri-StateSpeedway.com/Facebook, etc.

We will see YOU soon!