By Jordan Kuehne

LOVES PARK, Ill. (Saturday, May 15th, 2010) – Tim Sargent was the king of the high banks but Alex Papini was the talk of the town after a wild Stanley Steemer NASCAR Late Models feature event tonight at the Rockford Speedway. Sargent charged from a fourth place starting position to collect his first feature victory of 2010, holding off a late race effort from the venerable Jerry Gille to do so. However, it was Alex Papini’s Saturday night launch that stole the show and had the crowd abuzz. After Eddie May spun ahead of him, Papini’s way around was blocked leaving him one option: go over. And go over is just what he did when Papini used May’s machine as a launching pad to rocket into the turn two billboards, soaring through the night sky and wiping out a healthy section of billboards; Papini and May were both undoubtedly shaken, but unharmed in the spectacular mayhem. In the Bargain Hunter Sportsman 2010 debut, Matt Berger polished off a night of double duty, claiming the 25-lap main event just hours after shattering the track record. Dana Czach Jr. proved victorious in the Mtn Dew RoadRunners headliner while Ed Ensor and Tyler Brown also collected feature wins.

The Stanley Steemer NASCAR Late Models 30-lap headliner got off to a fast start as Tom Gille grabbed the top spot early. Tim Sargent rapidly worked his way past Ricky Bilderback into second, bringing two-time defending champion Jerry Gille with him into third.

Sargent wasted no time in targeting Tom Gille for the lead, pushing past the veteran driver on the inside to take away the top spot with ten circuits in the books. Tom Gille’s solid run came to an early end as his machine lost control entering turn one, smashing into the turn one wall and bringing out the first caution with 16 laps remaining.

Mayhem ensued on the restart as the 22 car field bunched up behind Eddie May’s spinning machine, creating a chain reaction pileup in turn one that sent a soaring Alex Papini into spectacular flight, launching off of May’s windshield and into the turn two billboards. Papini’s car temporarily turned into an airplane, wiping out over twenty feet of billboards in the process. Tanner Whitten, Mark Hartline, and Brandon Eash were also involved in the dust up as the red flag waved to clean up the extensive debris, stopping the race with 14 circuits completed. Whitten, Papini, and May walked away from the incident unharmed while Hartline and Eash remained in the race.

When the racing action resumed, Jon Reynolds Jr. and 2009 rookie of the year Mikie Breiner banged doors dueling for fourth as Jerry Gille began setting up a pass on Sargent for the lead. With Bilderback closing in behind him, Gille stuffed his machine on the inside of Sargent looking for his first victory of 2010.

Sargent had a different plan in mind, slamming the door shut on Gille on the final lap and fending off the late race charge to collect the win.

“It feels great to beat a driver like Jerry (Gille) and get this win,” a tired Sargent stated in victory lane. “I have to thank my sponsors and my crew for giving me a car capable of winning tonight. It was an awesome feeling getting past Tom Gille and seeing nobody else ahead of me.”

Bilderback held on to third while Breiner fought off Reynolds Jr. for fourth.

Butch Swinbank mashed the gas to snag the early lead in the Bargain Hunter Sportsman’s opening feature of 2010. The first yellow of the year wasn’t long in waiting as Justin Sellers, Matt Lundberg, and defending champion Doug Bennett all made contact entering turn one with two laps in the books.

On the ensuing restart, Ron Morris dirt tracked his way by Swinbank on the inside to snatch the lead, bringing new division track record holder Matt Berger with him into second. Berger immediately began pressuring Morris for the top spot, taking away the lead just two laps later.

Behind the leaders, the battle for third was heating up as the race hit the halfway point, with the wily Bennett taking multiple looks on the inside of Seller’s machine. Sellers slowly gained control, building up a cushion over the defending champ while a hungry Berger continued to push the pace out front.

With the race winding down, Morris made a last ditch effort for the win but came up half a car length short as Berger polished off a stellar evening with a feature victory.

Sellers edged out Bennett for third while young gun Austin Nason rounded out the top five in fifth.

Dana Czach Jr. zipped out front at the beginning of the 20-lap Mtn Dew RoadRunners main event. The caution flew with seven laps in the books after a helpless Lloyd Hawkins smashed into Charles Lumsdun’s spinning machine, ending both driver’s nights early.

‘Zippity’ Czach tried to break away from the 26 car field on the restart to no avail, as Robert Roush closed up to his back bumper looking for the lead. Behind the leaders, Howie Ware crept past Jarrod Sutherland for third as Ricky Nielsen eyed fourth. Nielsen fell off the pace though, allowing Sutherland to drive away.

Dana Czach Jr. fended off Roush’s late charge on the final lap to collect the win. Roush and Ware were disqualified during post-race inspection, shaking up the top five.

Sutherland moved up to second as Jason Van Hise rallied for third. Jason Brockway and Brett McCoy rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth respectively.

Jamie Domski set the early pace in the CSR Super Cups Pro 25-lap duel. He wasn’t out front for long as Ed Ensor pushed past on the inside of Domski to take away the top spot.

Tim Phillips snagged second from Domski and immediately set his sights on the leader, slowly tracking down Ensor as the laps winded down. With the checkered flag in sight, Phillips dove down to the inside exiting turn four and gave a last gasp effort for the win, but came up a few feet short as Ed Ensor held on for the feature victory.

Jim Termanas rallied for third as Domski settled for fourth. Tony Velez found a fifth place finish, finishing off the top five.

Tyler Brown moved out front in the early stages of the CSR Super Cups Junior 20-lap headliner and quickly built a cushion over the field. Kodee Busekros blew past Jacob Van Wazer and Jordan Wendt to position himself in second with ten laps remaining while Brown continued to pace the pack. With the white flag in the air, Busekros slipped back into the clutches of Wendt as the two young guns duked it out for second.

Busekros edged out Wendt at the line for the bridesmaid’s position as Tyler Brown went wire-to-wire to collect the feature victory.

Van Wazer nudged past Erica Ensor to finagle his way into fourth.

The cloud of smoke above the legendary facility tonight was thanks in part to the Sam’s Drive-In RoadRunner Challenge which featured Smokey Burnouts. Six drivers burned rubber, competing against each other to see who could smoke up the pavement the most in a 30 second allotment. Jerry Edge torched his Goodyear’s, bringing the crowd to their feet during a burnout reminiscent of a Jimmie Johnson victory lap. Edge prevailed as the fan favorite over Jason Van Hise by the narrowest of margins, snagging the Challenge win.

‘Scary’ Gary Oscarson closed out the evening with a bang, flying through the cool night sky in spectacular fashion, barely clearing two cars before landing on and destroying shopping carts. The exciting grand finale was a fitting close on a wild Saturday night, as Oscarson’s flight rivaled Papini’s earlier carnage in the late model feature.

Exciting racing action returns to the high banks of the Rockford Speedway next Saturday night, as the blazing fast Illini Midgets make their way back to the quarter-mile oval looking to shatter track records and leave fans amazed. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series also returns with a full slate that includes the Stanley Steemer NASCAR Late Models, Budweiser American Short Trackers, Bargain Hunter Sportsman, Mtn Dew RoadRunners, and the Sam’s Drive-In RoadRunner Challenge featuring the “Do the Dew Challenge”. A carload of fans gets in for just $30 until 6:30 next weekend with gates scheduled to open at 5pm. Qualifying gets underway at 6pm with the green flag waving at 7:07pm.

For more information on the Rockford Speedway, including a full schedule of events for 2010, visit the track’s website at www.rockfordspeedway.com or call the Speedway Box Office at (815)633-1500.

May 15th Rockford Speedway Results

NASCAR All American Sportsmen

A-Main 01 -- 1. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 2. Ron Morris, Belvidere; 3. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream; 4. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 5. Austin Nason (r), Roscoe; 6. Rob Goodman, McHenry; 7. Warren (Butch) Swinbank, Rockford; 8. Bobby Yonke, Willowbrook; 9. Matt Lundberg, Rockford; 10. Joshua Grenlund, Delavan, Wis; 11. Scott Lawver, Roscoe.

Heat 01 -- 1. Scott Lawver, Roscoe; 2. Rob Goodman, McHenry; 3. Bobby Yonke, Willowbrook; 4. Warren (Butch)
Swinbank, Rockford; 5. Joshua Grenlund, Delavan, Wis; 6. Jerome Edge (r), Marengo.

Heat 02 -- 1. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 2. Ron Morris, Belvidere; 3. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 4. Matt Lundberg, Rockford; 5. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream; 6. Austin Nason (r), Roscoe.

Time Trial -- 1. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 2. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream; 3. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 4. Austin Nason (r), Roscoe; 5. Matt Lundberg, Rockford; 6. Ron Morris, Belvidere; 7. Rob Goodman, McHenry; 8. Warren (Butch) Swinbank, Rockford; 9. Scott Lawver, Roscoe; 10. Joshua Grenlund, Delavan, Wis; 11. Jerome Edge (r), Marengo; 12. Bobby Yonke, Willowbrook.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Rob Goodman, McHenry; 2. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 3. Ron Morris, Belvidere; 4. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 5. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream; 6. Austin Nason (r), Roscoe.

NASCAR Late Models

A-Main 01 -- 1. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 2. Jerry Gille, Roscoe; 3. Ricky Bilderback, Rockton; 4. Mikie Breiner, Johnburg; 5. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 6. Jacob Gille, Winnebago; 7. Mike Lloyd, Davis; 8. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 9. Kyle Shear, Roscoe; 10. Mark Hartline, Gilberts; 11. Joe Rusciano, Crystal Lake; 12. David Cooter, Jr, Machesney Park; 13. Joe Darnell, Machesney Park; 14. Steve Erickson, Jr, Machesney Park; 15. Vern Fagerberg, Bloomingdale; 16. Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis; 17. Eddie May, Crystal Lake; 18. Tanner Whitten, Congerville; 19. Alex Papini, Machesney Park; 20. Brandon Eash, Rockford; 21. Tom Gille, Winnebago; 22. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis.

Heat 01 -- 1. Jacob Gille, Winnebago; 2. Brandon Eash, Rockford; 3. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis; 4. David Cooter, Jr, Machesney Park; 5. Joe Rusciano, Crystal Lake; 6. Joe Darnell, Machesney Park; 7. Vern Fagerberg, Bloomingdale; 8. Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis.

Heat 02 -- 1. Mikie Breiner, Johnburg; 2. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 3. Mike Lloyd, Davis; 4. Mark Hartline, Gilberts; 5. Steve Erickson, Jr, Machesney Park; 6. Tom Gille, Winnebago; 7. Alex Papini, Machesney Park.

Heat 03 -- 1. Eddie May, Crystal Lake; 2. Jerry Gille, Roscoe; 3. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 4. Ricky Bilderback, Rockton; 5. Tanner Whitten, Congerville; 6. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 7. Kyle Shear, Roscoe.

Time Trial -- 1. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 2. Tanner Whitten, Congerville; 3. Jerry Gille, Roscoe; 4. Eddie May, Crystal Lake; 5. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 6. Kyle Shear, Roscoe; 7. Ricky Bilderback, Rockton; 8. Mikie Breiner, Johnburg; 9. Tom Gille, Winnebago; 10. Alex Papini, Machesney Park; 11. Steve Erickson, Jr, Machesney Park; 12. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 13. Mike Lloyd, Davis; 14. Mark Hartline, Gilberts; 15. Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis; 16. Jacob Gille, Winnebago; 17. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis; 18. Brandon Eash, Rockford; 19. David Cooter, Jr, Machesney Park; 20. Joe Rusciano, Crystal Lake; 21. Joe Darnell, Machesney Park; 22. Vern Fagerberg, Bloomingdale.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 2. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 3. Jerry Gille, Roscoe; 4. Eddie May, Crystal Lake; 5. Kyle Shear, Roscoe; 6. Tanner Whitten, Congerville.

NASCAR Road Runners

A-Main 01 -- 1. Dana Czach, Wauconda; 2. Jarrod Sutherland, Machesney Park; 3. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 4. Jason Brockway, Machesney Park; 5. Brett McCoy, Belvidere; 6. Dennis Smith, Jr, South Beloit; 7. Joshua Lundy, Loves Park; 8. Gene Marocco, Machesney Park; 9. Jeff Allendorf, Belvidere; 10. Ricky Nielsen, Rockford; 11. Anthony Vito, Crystal Lake; 12. Billy McCoy, Belvidere; 13. Raymond Hardesty, McHenry; 14. Mike Leopold, Algonquin; 15. Michael (Mike) Wallis, Machesney Park; 16. Josh DiGiovanni, Loves Park; 17. Kenneth Brazee III, Rockford; 18. Brian Mayer, Machesney Park; 19. Jerry Edge, Marengo; 20. Lloyd Hawkins, Machesney Park; 21. Charles Lumsden, Rockford; 22. Adam Cartwright, Woodstock; 23. Curt Nighswonger, Rockford; 24. Kyle Watts, Machesney Park; 25. Robert Roush, Marengo; 26. Howie Ware, South Beloit.

Heat 01 -- 1. Dana Czach, Wauconda; 2. Jarrod Sutherland, Machesney Park; 3. Adam Cartwright, Woodstock; 4. Billy McCoy, Belvidere; 5. Josh DiGiovanni, Loves Park; 6. Robin Merigold, Monee; 7. Michael (Mike) Wallis, Machesney Park; 8. Curt Nighswonger, Rockford; 9. Kyle Watts, Machesney Park; 10. Charles Lumsden, Rockford.

Heat 02 -- 1. Ricky Nielsen, Rockford; 2. Joshua Lundy, Loves Park; 3. Jason Brockway, Machesney Park; 4. Brian
Mayer, Machesney Park; 5. Raymond Hardesty, McHenry; 6. Kenneth Brazee III, Rockford; 7. Jerry Edge, Marengo; 8.
Marvin Butler, Rockford; 9. Robert Roush, Marengo.

Heat 03 -- 1. Anthony Vito, Crystal Lake; 2. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 3. Brett McCoy, Belvidere; 4. Lloyd Hawkins, Machesney Park; 5. Dennis Smith, Jr, South Beloit; 6. Gene Marocco, Machesney Park; 7. Jeff Allendorf, Belvidere; 8. Mike Leopold, Algonquin; 9. Howie Ware, South Beloit.

Challenge 01 -- 1. Jerry Edge, Marengo; 2. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 3. Raymond Hardesty, McHenry; 4. Lloyd
Hawkins, Machesney Park; 5. Joshua Lundy, Loves Park; 6. Michael (Mike) Wallis, Machesney Park.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Dennis Smith, Jr, South Beloit; 2. Gene Marocco, Machesney Park; 3. Howie Ware, South Beloit; 4. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 5. Brett McCoy, Belvidere; 6. Jeff Allendorf, Belvidere.

Central States Super Cup

Juniors Feature -- 1. Tyler Brown, Carol Stream; 2. Kodee Busekros, Rockford; 3. Jordan Wendt, Stoughton, Wis; 4. Jacob VanWazer, Lombard; 5. Erica Ensor, Sheridan; 6. Elliott Pritchett, Sycamore; 7. Jarrett James, Valparaiso, Ind.; 8. Joshua James, Saukville, Wis; 9. Lexi Logan, Elburn.

Pro Feature -- 1. Ed Ensor, Sheridan; 2. Tim Phillips, Otsego, Mich.; 3. Jim Termanas, Lake in the Hills; 4. Jamie Domski, Pell Lake; 5. Tony Velez, Buffalo Grove; 6. Sam Morici, Island Lake; 7. Jeff Myers, Elgin; 8. Steve Naples, Bartlett; 9. Bill Morris, Streamwood; 10. Dakota Morris, Streamwood; 11. Derrick VanDreel, Stevens Point, Wis.

Heat 01 -- 1. Elliott Pritchett, Sycamore; 2. Jacob VanWazer, Lombard; 3. Jarrett James, Valparaiso, Ind.; 4. Jordan Wendt, Stoughton, Wis; 5. Tyler Brown, Carol Stream; 6. Kodee Busekros, Rockford; 7. Jarrod Pritchett, Sycamore; 8. Erica Ensor, Sheridan; 9. Lexi Logan, Elburn; 10. Joshua James, Saukville, Wis.

Heat 02 -- 1. Tim Phillips, Otsego, Mich.; 2. Sam Morici, Island Lake; 3. Jim Termanas, Lake in the Hills; 4. Steve Naples, Bartlett; 5. Tony Velez, Buffalo Grove; 6. Ed Ensor, Sheridan; 7. Derrick VanDreel, Stevens Point, Wis; 8. Dakota Morris, Streamwood; 9. Bill Morris, Streamwood; 10. Jeff Myers, Elgin; 11. Jamie Domski, Pell Lake; 12. Scott Swem, Grand Rapids, Mich.; 13. Steve Holderman, Lombard.