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Hoffman Wins Second ASALMS Northern Division Feature In A Row
And third career George Appleton Memorial at the Grundy County Speedway
By ASA Late Model Series
Morris, Illinois (05/29/2006): The ASA Late Model Series Northern Division
Presented by GM Performance Parts has completed race number three on the 2006 calendar;
The 8th annual George Appleton Memorial 125 Presented by Rod Baker Ford and
100/7 RXQ.
The cars and stars of the ASALMS Northern Division took the 1/3 mile
semi-banked paved oval of the Grundy County (IL) Speedway by storm on Memorial
Day Monday! Located west of the “Windy City” of Chicago, in Morris,
Illinois, the ASALMS Northern Division put on an excellent show in what many
observers agreed, was one of the entertaining events of the young season.
The 8th annual George Appleton Memorial 125 Presented by Rod Baker Ford and
100.7 RXQ was on tap for Memorial Day Monday afternoon as 28 teams checked
into speedway in helping to celebrate Memorial Day on a very hot and humid day
with temperatures in the mid to upper 90s.
As hot as the weather was, even Mother Nature took in the action as an hour
and a half rain delay after qualifying didn’t damper the spirits of the
vocal crowd on hand who witnessed one of their own come through with the
win.
Two-Time Appleton Memorial Winner, Eddie Hoffman can add a third Appleton
trophy to his mantle as the Wheaton, Illinois veteran took the lead from Jack
Smith on lap 99 of the 125-lap extra distance affair and from there, withstood
late charges from both Jack Smith and current ASALMS Northern Division Points
Leader, 16-year-old Jesse Smith to pick up his second ASALMS North Feature win
in a row!
Rookie Anthony Danta and veteran, Peter Cozzolino led a star studded 28-car
field to the green flag to begin the century and a quarter feature. Danta beat
out the craft Indianapolis, Indiana veteran to the first corner to take the
early lead while the rest of the field jockeyed for position behind him.
Danta, the 2005 Limited Late Models Track Champion at near-by Illiana (IN)
Motor Speedway, set an early torrid pace while outside second row starter,
Jack Smith, the winner of the inaugural ASALMS North event back on May 6th at
the I-70 (MO) Speedway, began applying pressure to the Orland Park, Illinois
rookie.
After two of the 10 total cautions, waved on laps 14 and again on 17, Smith
again worked Danta high and low in an attempt to get around the Prairie State
Rookie. Finally on lap 29, Smith made the pass for the lead and in turn
brought new track record holder, Kelly Bires with him. Bires, who started 10th
charged through the field and followed Smith by Danta and took over the second
spot.
Smith and Bires then proceeded to put on a battle for the ages as the two
stout pilots diced all over the 1/3 mile semi-banked paved oval with several
collisions between the two. Then Eddie Hoffman joined the battle and the trio
then continued the battles started by Smith and Bires.
After over 30 laps of dicing back and fourth between the three, Hoffman
finally got around Bires and set his sights on Smith. As the partisan crowd,
who had been on their feet since Hoffman got into the third spot, cheered on
the hometown favorite, Hoffman looked high and looked low, trying to figure
out a way around Smith.
Finally on lap 99 Hoffman made the pass to the inside of Smith and took over
the top spot to the roar of the hometown fans. The seventh caution flew a lap
later when local favorite, Mike Heiss and Cozzolino got together in turns 1-2
which eliminated Heiss.
Three more late race cautions, including one for an ailing Bires, slowed
things down, but on each restart, Hoffman would pull away from Smith and
16-year-old Jesse Smith, who quietly worked his way up to the third spot after
Bires dropped out.
Hoffman wasn’t to be denied as the Wheaton, Illinois veteran, a multi-time
track champion at Grundy County and a two-time winner of the Appleton
Memorial, added a third Appleton title to his stellar racing career as he held
off one final late charge from both Smith’s (No Relation) to take home his
second consecutive ASALMS Northern Division feature!
Jack Smith edged Jesse Smith for second while Dave Gentile Jr., in his first
ever start in ASALMS competition, finished a strong fourth and won the
Appleton Rack and Pinion Award for the highest finishing rookie of the race!
Danta came home fifth for the second race in a row while Jason Setser,
Defending Track Champion Bill Knippenberg Jr., Jeff Bozell, Joe Einhaus Jr.,
and Josh Nelms rounded out the Top 10.
Earlier in the afternoon, Bires shattered the ASALMS track record at the
Morris, Illinois speed plant and won his second Fast Qualifier Award in a row
for the ASALMS Northern Division.
Bires’ time was a blistering 15.269 which equals out to 78.512 MPH for the
Mauston, Wisconsin freshman. The track record for the ASALMS was a 15.679 set
previously by current NASCAR Busch Series Rookie, Todd Kluever, in what is now
the ASALMS Challenge Division. In all 13 drivers broke Kluever’s old track
record!
In the modified 12-lap GM Performance Parts Shootout, which set rows 11-14 for
the Appleton, Memorial, Dowagiac, Michigan driver, Doug True picked up his
first career ASALMS victory over current GMPPSO Points Leader, Alison Quick.
Steve Vaughn, Rick Corso, and Bill Tomlinson complete the Top Five.
The ASALMS Southern Division returns to action after a well deserved Memorial
Day Holiday weekend off with its’ fifth event of 2006 at the Southern
National (NC) Raceway Park in Kenly, North Carolina for the running of the
Kenly 100 on Saturday June 3rd.
Then on the weekend of June 9-10, both the ASALMS Northern Division as well as
the crown jewel of the ASALMS, the televised Challenge Division will both be
in action beginning on Friday June 9th at the Lake Erie (PA) Speedway in Erie,
Pennsylvania for the ASALMS Northern Division and the Erie 100.
The following day, the televised ASALMS Challenge Division will embark on a
historic event with its’ fourth race of the 2006 season. The historic Oswego
(NY) Speedway in upstate Oswego, New York will host the Challenge Division on
Saturday June 10th in the running of the Fleet Pride 200. The “Steel
Palace” will host the first ever ASALMS event to be held in the Empire State
of New York.
Four days later a special Wednesday night extravaganza will see the Challenge
Division back in action at the famed Berlin (MI) Raceway. The famous Marne,
Michigan speed plant will host the televised ASALMS Challenge Division and
current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series star and part Berlin owner, Johnny
Benson Jr., on Wednesday June 14th for the running of the Safety Kleen 200.
Finally to complete a marathon chain of events that will see the entire ASALMS
conduct four events in just nine days, the ASALMS Southern Division returns to
action once again on Saturday June 17th at the Rockcastle (KY) Speedway in Mt.
Vernon, Kentucky for the Blue Grass 100.
For more information about the 2006 season with the ASALMS Challenge Division,
as well as the ASALMS Northern and Southern Divisions; You can also call the
ASALMS home offices during normal business hours Monday through Friday
(9am-5pm Eastern Standard Time) at: 1 (800) 385-2503.
You can also log onto any of the three websites for more information. For the
Challenge Division, go to: ASA Late
Model Series For the Northern Division, log in at: ASA
Late Model Series Northern Division and finally for the Southern Division
click on: ASA Late Model Series
Southern Division
8th annual George Appleton Memorial 125 UNOFFICIAL Results
Pos. Start Car #/Driver Laps Status
1. 9 8 Eddie Hoffman 125 Running
2. 4 28 Jack Smith 125 Running
3. 8 81 Jesse Smith 125 Running
4. 3 6 Dave Gentile Jr.-R 125 Running
5. 1 51 Anthony Danta-R 125 Running
6. 7 012 Jason Setser 125 Running
7. 11 101 Bill Knippenberg Jr. 125 Running
8. 14 83 Jeff Bozell 125 Running
9. 19 53 Joe Einhaus Jr.-R 125 Running
10. 12 0 Josh Nelms-R 125 Running
11. 5 04 Mike Osgar-R 125 Running
12. 2 11 Peter Cozzolino 125 Running
13. 18 197 Mike Marden 125 Running
14. 16 55 Nick Neville-R 125 Running
15. 28 95 Derek Neville-R 124 Running
16. 22 54 Alison Quick-R 124 Running
17. 15 30 Mark Hartline 124 Running
18. 21 93 Doug True 123 Running
19. 20 15 Kyle Hinrichs-R 121 Running
20. 27 71 Danny Ouderkirk-R 121 Running
21. 10 89 Kelly Bires-R 119 Wheel
22. 19 41 Jason Taghikhani-R 119 Accident
23. 25 3 Bill Tomlinson 118 Running
24. 13 12 Michael Annett-R 105 Mechanical
25. 6 00 Mike Heiss-R 99 Accident
26. 23 86 Steve Vaughn-R 95 Accident
27. 24 88 Rick Corso 71 Accident
28. 26 33 Wes Griffith Jr.-R 44 Handling
Lap Leaders: 51 Anthony Danta Pole-28, 28 Jack Smith 29-98, 8 Eddie Hoffman
99-125.
Cautions: 10.
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