8th Annual Weidner Chevrolet Stock Car Festival Concludes

By Tom Hammond

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Race fans were treated to a little bit of everything during the final day of the 8th Annual Weidner Chevrolet Stock Car Festival at Anderson Speedway on Sunday, October 9. Tight racing, paint-trading and great finishes made for a wild afternoon of action the world’s fastest quarter-mile oval.

The afternoon started off with the Ed Martin Auto Group SuperTruck feature. Noblesville’s Joe Beaver took the lead on the 22nd of 40 laps and then cruised to a comfortable win. Jeff Ellis finished second with Steve Blair, Ric Pfeifer and Jake Owens rounding out the top-five finishers.

The USAC Ford Focus Midgets made their final appearance of 2005. Robbie Ray took top honors, winning his second consecutive feature at Anderson Speedway. At the finish, Tate Martz placed second with James Robertson, Casey Riggs and Stephanie Mockler completing the top five.

The Indy URL Stock Cars appeared in a 40-lap event, with Steve Blair scoring the win. Chasing Blair across the finish line included early race leader Jeff Ellis with Stuart Quakenbush in third spot. Tim Ewers and Chad Gaskill filled out the top five.

The Limited Late Models featured a tight battle at first before Scott Hinshaw pulled away for the victory. At the checkers, Mike Coates, Terry Cater, Tom Latham and Jeremy Stephens finished behind the race winner.

Rodney Smith returned to the Texas Roadhouse Winner’s Circle by winning the Legends feature. Former division champion Eric Black grabbed runner-up honors with John Robbins in third. T.J. Sneva and Billy Smith filled out the top five.

The Indy URL Pro Trucks saw Steve Blair pick up his second win of the afternoon. Blair took the lead coming out of the fourth turn on the first lap. He would never be challenged as the 40-lap feature unfolded. Stuart Quakenbush was second with Tom Miller in third spot. Joe Hill and Kerry Roseman rounded out the top five.

Rich Boyer continued his dominance by capturing the Open Stock feature. Boyer took the lead on the 21st lap with a pass of Ronnie Phipps. Boyer then poured it on, securing a half-lap advantage by the checkered flag. New Castle’s Danny Acrey II finished second with Rob Allman third. Phipps and Curtis Chapman completed the top-five.

Anderson’s Josh Tharp scored his first win in the Boss Hogg Catering & Jerky Figure 8 feature. Tharp took the lead when Noblesville’s Jeff Swinford spun entering the crossover on the 18th of 20 laps. Tharp was able to hold on despite five false starts for the final two circuits. Second was Ronnie Phipps with Ronnie Rose in third. Rob Allman was fourth with Curtis Chapman in fifth position.

2005 Chappy’s Rent to Own Front Wheel Drive Oval Points Champion Dustin Burge took the win in a wild 15-lap oval feature. There were three other lead changes before Burge took over five laps form the end. Second was Devin Mitchell with Travis Burge, Nick Warner and Scott Tungate completing the top five.

The Insight ThunderCar 20-lap Oval Feature wrapped up the afternoon. The race was slow to start after a spin on the second lap. Bret Marcum crossed the finish line in first position, but was disqualified following technical inspection. That awarded the win to Jeremy Baker. The remainder of the top five included Jason Thompson, Tim Brown, Colin Ratliff and Justin Meriwether.

Anderson Speedway returns to racing action on Sunday, October 16, with the 2005 season finale featuring the Street Stock Enduro 250, paying $5,000 to win. The Chappy’s Rent to Own Front Wheel Drives will also be showcased next weekend.

For additional information contact Anderson Speedway at (765) 642-0206.