Sunset Speedway Park
Car owner wrecks Walters after Sunset victory
By Steve Reeck
DAA Northwest Extreme Series
Greg Walters (97) battled car owner Jimmy Schram (22) lap after lap before taking control on lap 31. (Steve Reeck)
BANKS, Ore. (July 23) — In a race that ended with fireworks Saturday between winning driver and car owner, hometown polesitter Greg Walters overtook Jimmy Schram on the 31st lap Saturday at Sunset Speedway Park en route to completing a weekend sweep on the DAA Northwest Extreme Series for Crate Late Models.
Schram, owner of the car that Walters also drove to the previous night's series victory at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., wasn't happy with his driver.
Schram, forced to pit with a flat left-rear tire four laps after losing the lead, crashed into the driver's side door of the winning car in turn four, pushing Walters sideways into the turn-four wall and heavily damaging the car.
Walters was able to limb the car back to victory lane in front of the sold-out crowd at the third-mile oval on a night when NASCAR driver Greg Biffle ran a 10-lap exhibition race.
Jason Wines of Lebanon, Ore., was second at the finish followed by fellow second-row starter Billy Workman Jr. of Canby, Ore. Jerry Schram and Tim Goodwin rounded out the top five. Jimmy Schram, who led the first 30 laps from outside the front row, was listed one lap down in 17th in the 18-car field.
Notes: Seventeen drivers were running at the finish, 15 on the lead. ... Britton Donahoo dropped out after 13 laps. ... Five cautions slowed the action. ... Joey Tanner spun into the infield after a lap-11 restart, losing several positions; the incident didn't draw a yellow. ... Mike Kelley's lap-25 spin in turn four drew a caution. ... Next up for the series is an Aug. 6 event at Sunset for the 67-lap Doug Walters Memorial.
DAA @ Sunset: (1) Greg Walters, (2) Jason Wines, (3) Billy Workman Jr., (4) Jerry Schram, (5) Tim Goodwin, (6) Steve Moore, (7) Jason Johnson, (8) Joey Tanner, (9) Collen Winebarger, (10) Scott Puncochar, (11) Bob Trout, (12) Jeff Biffle, (13) Doug Trout, (14) Mike Keely, (15) Kris Pickle, (16) Steve Suckow, (17) Jimmy Schram, (18) Britton Donahoo. Fast qualifier (among 18 cars): Jimmy Schram, 13.898 seconds. Dash winner: Walters. Heat race winners: Jerry Schram, Walters, Wines.
