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Crockett scores third NSCS win at the Grove

Andrew Kunas, NSCS Publicist

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. – The other drivers in the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series, most especially Mitch Olson, are wondering what it will take to stop the No. 7N.

Roger Crockett led all 30 laps of Sunday's event at Cottage Grove Speedway for his third win in six NSCS events this season. To go with those three victories are two runner-ups and another top-five finish that helped give Crockett a 64-point lead over Olson going into the evening.

While Crockett led the entire race and won for the second time in three nights, Olson battled his way to his second runner-up finish in three nights but again lost ground in the point standings to Crockett, who has further established himself as the man to beat in the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series.

"It was really important for us. Things have been really hard on Roger (Henderson), coming up after all that's happened," Crockett said about his car owner, whose father Roger Henderson Sr. passed away last week. "It was great for us, winning two out of three, having fun and getting our minds off things."

Crockett, out of Medford, took the lead on the initial start that saw pole-sitter Travis Rutz, who was looking for a clean sweep of the evening, spin out in turns three and four after Crockett passed him on the back stretch. From there, Crockett never looked back in the Henderson Motorsports, Bailey Bros.-powered No. 7N Eagle.

Tacoma's Olson started the event in the fifth position, but moved up to third for the complete restart after Rutz spun out. Olson moved into second on that start and held it until 17-year-old Evan Funk of La Conner, Wash. moved by on lap 10 restart. Olson fell to fourth when he was passed by Placerville, Calif. visitor Jimmy Trulli moved into third.

On lap 17, Funk suddenly slipped up and allowed both Trulli and Olson to move by. Funk, the top Rookie of the Year candidate going into Sunday's event, later brought out the caution as he had problems with a torsion tube. Funk, who entered the evening sixth in the NSCS point standings, would be credited with a 16^th place finish.

On the ensuing restart, Olson made a move for second as he passed Trulli on the outside as they exited turn four of the ¼-mile clay oval. For a time Olson was as fast as Crockett, but was unable to gain ground. Olson's fourth top-five finish came aboard the Mike Olson No. 98m Rocket with a Shark motor.

"It's getting harder to be happy for Roger," Olson admitted as he was being interviewed on the track following the race. Olson has one win from earlier this season and also finished fourth Saturday at Southern Oregon Speedway to go with his two runner-up finishes on the three-race Memorial weekend swing. However, the man Olson is chasing for the points lead finished in front of him all three nights. Olson's finish was also his second runner-up finish at Cottage Grove in his last two visits.

"We've finished second twice here and the other time we flipped eight times or so down the front stretch," Olson said. "I think this place owes us one."

Trulli later yielded the third position to Monroe, Wash.'s Robbie Vaughn, who scored his third top-four finish in the last four races in the Jeff Jansma-owned No. 4r Becker. Trulli, driving his own No. 33t JB with an S&S motor, finished fourth, followed by Washington's Steve Vague, a regular at the Grays Harbor Raceway, in his own No. 08 Rocket.

After his first lap spin, Brit. Col.'s Rutz came back through the field and was running as high as fifth before being passed by Vague on the last lap. Rutz finished sixth in the Rutz Racing No. 8r Triple X machine with a Richmond engine.

Central Point, Ore.'s Billy Nutter ran a consistent race, finishing seventh in his No. 3N Zeitler with his own motor under the hood. Sultan, Wash.'s Derek Ingalls finished eighth in the No. 91 Rocket with six-time and defending Grays Harbor champion Jay Cole of Shelton, Wash. following him in his own No. 0J Maxim. Medford's Todd Zeitler, driving his own No. 2z, rounded out the top ten.

Cameron Park, Calif. visitor Marc Mackay, who finished third in Saturday's race at Southern Oregon Speedway, finished 13^th after transferring out of the B-Main. Bit by bad luck was 16-year-old Danielle Huson of Sedro-Woolley, Wash. as she suddenly spun out in turns one and two when she was running sixth on lap 10. Huson, who made her fourth NSCS main event in five tries, earlier moved into the fifth position on lap five before being passed by Trulli. Huson would eventually finish 14^th.

Idaho visitor Randy Pierce won the 15-lap B-Main event and took Funk, Cole, and Mackay with him to the A-Main. Finishing in the top two, Pierce and Funk got their qualifying times back while Cole and Mackay had to start at the rear of the field. Funk started seventh behind the dash cars and Pierce started alongside him. Pierce finished 12^th aboard his own No. 12p Rocket with a Schwanke motor.

Rutz's victory in the dash came over Crockett, Ingalls, Jayme Barnes, Olson, and Trulli. The event, which featured the fastest six qualifiers who transferred out of their heat races, set the first six starting positions for the A-Main. Crockett was in the dash for the fifth time in six NSCS events.

Rutz won the first heat race while Vague and Olson won the second and third heats, respectively. Six-time Cottage Grove Speedway champion Dale Smith, who came into the evening seventh in the NSCS standings, won the fourth heat race before having problems in the main event and finishing 18^th.

In qualifying, Crockett did not set fast time for just the second time this season in NSCS competition. Instead, it was Rutz who broke his own track record for 360 sprint cars, a 10.521-second lap in September 2005, with a blistering 10.429-second run around the fast ¼-mile clay oval.

The NSCS returns to action on Friday, June 29 when the series makes its second visit to Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. will welcome back the series the next night. Cottage Grove's next NSCS event is Tuesday, July 24 during Northwest Speed Week.

More information on the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series can be found online at www.racenscs.com.

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Northwest Sprint Challenge Series

Cottage Grove Speedway

Cottage Grove, OR

May 27, 2007

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

36 cars

Fast qualifier: 8r Travis Rutz, 10.429 seconds (New Track Record).

Heat 1 (10 laps): 1. 8r Travis Rutz, 2. 91 Derek Ingalls, 3. 68 Rob Held, 4. 2z Todd Zeitler, 5. 23a Seth Bergman, 6. 0J Jay Cole, 7. 65 Brendan Boyce, 8. 92 Seth Hespe, 9. 24 Braden Etchison. Top four finishers transfer to A-Main.

Heat 2 (10 laps): 1. 08 Steve Vague, 2. 4r Robbie Vaughn, 3. 7N Roger Crockett, 4. 5v Kyle Hirst, 5. KR14 Tyler Spath, 6. 12p Randy Pierce, 7. 17 Brandi Bounds, 8. 4c Charlie Cash, DNS – 51 John Farrell (crashed in pre-race warm-up). Top four finishers transfer to A-Main.

Heat 3 (10 laps): 1. 98m Mitch Olson, 2. 73 Danielle Huson, 3. 33t Jimmy Trulli, 4. 26f Shane Forte', 5. 9J J.J. Dishneau, 6. 56 Nathan Large, 7. 7o Travis Jacobson, 8. 18 Steve Kilcup, DNS – 10 Kyle Miller. Top four finishers transfer to A-Main.

Heat 4 (10 laps): 1. 75 Dale Smith, 2. 9 Jayme Barnes, 3. 7t Jeff Thompson, 4. 3N Billy Nutter, 5. 4z Dallas Zuniga, 6. 86 Marc Mackay, 7. 7D Josh DeWitt, 8. 8w Vern Wheeler, 9. 8e Evan Funk. Top four finishers transfer to A-Main.

Dash (6 laps): 1. 8r Travis Rutz, 2. 7N Roger Crockett, 3. 91 Derek Ingalls, 4. 9 Jayme Barnes, 5. 98m Mitch Olson, 6. 33t Jimmy Trulli. Finish set first six starting positions for A-Main.

B-Main (15 laps): 1. 12p Randy Pierce, 2. 8e Evan Funk, 3. 0J Jay Cole, 4. 86 Marc Mackay, 5. 4z Dallas Zuniga, 6. 8w Vern Wheeler, 7. 51 John Farrell, 8. 17 Brandi Bounds, 9. 18 Steve Kilcup, 10. 9J J.J. Dishneau, 11. 7D Josh DeWitt, 12. 4c Charlie Cash, 13. KR14 Tyler Spath, 14. 92 Seth Hespe, 15. 7o Travis Jacobson, 16. 24 Braden Etchison, 17. 23a Seth Bergman, 18. 65 Brendan Boyce, DNS – 56 Nathan Large (stopped during pre-race warm-up), 10 Kyle Miller.

A-Main (30 laps): 1. 7N Roger Crockett, 2. 98m Mitch Olson, 3. 4r Robbie Vaughn, 4. 33t Jimmy Trulli, 5. 08 Steve Vague, 6. 8r Travis Rutz, 7. 3N Billy Nutter, 8. 91 Derek Ingalls, 9. 0J Jay Cole, 10. 2z Todd Zeitler, 11. 68 Rod Held, 12. 12p Randy Pierce, 13. 86 Marc Mackay, 14. 73 Danielle Huson, 15. 26f Shane Forte', 16. 8e Evan Funk, 17. 5v Kyle Hirst, 18. 75 Dale Smith, 19. 7t Jeff Thompson, 20. 9 Jayme Barnes.

Lap leaders: 1-30: Roger Crockett

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NSCS: The Northwest Sprint Challenge Series

www.racenscs.com

7n team was hot this week-end taking 2 of the three races in Oregon

Brian 

"TURN AROUND; MATE !"

Congrats to the Rocket and the 7n team. Should be strong at the Dirt Cup.

www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com

Sure wish that 7n car was running down here in CA! Congrats on a hell of a weekend!