Texas Speedzone - Rye Brothers make history with twin wins

Rye Brothers make history with twin wins - I-37 Raceway, 8/8/08

By J M Hallas

Pleasanton, Tx.,(August 8th, 2008) History was made Friday night at Pleasanton’s I-37 Raceway as two brothers captured feature win in two classes on the same night. Chris and Brian Rye, from Corpus Christi, scored the victories in the IMCA Southern Sportmods and IMCA Modifieds, respectively.

Chris took his first ever I-37 Raceway IMCA SSM checkers early in the evening grabbing the lead on lap 2 and never looking back. National points contender, Johnny Torres closed in after a couple cautions, but could never mount a serious challenge. Chris inched away in the final five laps to a comfortable margin and the win.

In the IMCA Modified main, Brian worked his way to battle with early leaders, Darin Leonard and Bruce Barber. Once in the lead more challenge lied ahead, a final charge by Greg Dinsmore in last two laps. Brian held steady on the bottom forcing Dinsmore to try high, where the traction was gone. Brian bagged his second I-37 trophy, ending Dinsmore’s hot streak at eight in a row.

The start of the 20-lap IMCA Southern Sportmod main saw Pat Lyon, Chris McLendon and Doug Livingston three wide for the lead at the drop of the green. Lyon eased out front while Chris Rye moved up to second. Rye snuck by Lyon on the bottom to get the top spot on lap 2, with Aaron Lunsford moving into third. Yellow waved for a tangle between Brian McDevit and Mark McGahey on the front stretch.

Once back to green, Lunsford pressured Lyon for second getting the spot on lap 3 as Rye inched away. Lap 7 had two separate spins by Livingston and Lunsford bring out the yellow. On the restart, Lunsford got too good of a jump bringing the caution quickly back out. When racing resumed, Rye and Johnny Torres pulled ahead of the field. At halfway the top five were Rye, J. Torres, Lyon, Livingston and McLendon.

McDevit brought a caution on lap 11 when he looped his newly bought ride in turn 2. Again Rye and J. Torres worked away from the pack while Lunsford worked his way back up getting by McLendon and Livingston for fourth. Livingston would spin again on lap 14 with McDevit sliding to halt short of T-boning him. Back to racing, Rye was creeping away from J. Torres while Lunsford and Lyon battled for third. Coming to the checkers it Rye driving the JR Viola Cleaners, SBG Racing, Mike Wansers Air Conditioning, Vato Chassis by Tim Clonch, snatching his inaugural win while Lunsford and Lyon fought it out. Lunsford got by Lyon, but got tagged by Lyon sending him around. Lyon would fail to stop on the front stretch and be disqualified.

“I just tried to bide my time on the first lap.” said C. Rye. “This is my first win here, third win ever in IMCA Sportmods. It was pretty dry slick out there so I was looking for an opening to get low. I found my opening, got the lead early and just tried to turn good laps from there. I want to thank Bobby and Susan Grobe for letting me drive their car and Al, Leonard and the rest of the guys that help at the shop”

“I was just trying to hit my marks, run smooth laps. I wasn’t worried about anyone coming. I knew if just ran good laps there wouldn’t be anyone trying to pass me with track having no top line.”

“I just told Brian to be patient in his feature. Try to roll turns 1-2 on the bottom. The bottom had a lot of grip coming off. If you did that and survived in turns 3-4 you’d be pretty good.”

IMCA Southern Sportmods
1. 4$ Chris Rye
2. 66 Johnny Torres
3. 888 Aaron Lunsford
4. 175 Brian McDevit
5. 11 Chris McLendon
6. 89 Doug Livingston
7. 88 Mark McGahey
8. 37 Bill Pittaway
94 Allen Torres---DNS(Clutch)
60 Pat Lyon---DQ(Did not stop originally 3rd)

IMCA SSM heat winners, 37 Bill Pittaway, 4$ Chris Rye

On the initial start of the 20-lap IMCA Modified main, Bill Pittaway got the lead going into turn 1, but Bruce Barber, Patrick Kelly and Mickey Helms tangled in between turns 1-2. On the second try, Barber outraced Pittaway out of turn 2 for the lead. Darin Leonard moved along side Barber and the two raced side by side around the tricky, dry slick 1/4 mile. Leonard got the bumper out front on lap 2, while Brian Rye, Pittaway and Greg Dinsmore were three wide for third.

Barber fought back to get the lead on lap 3, when Pittaway spun after contact with Dinsmore. Pittaway got his spot back, with Dinsmore sent to the tail. Once back to green, Leonard continued to put the heat on Barber snatching the lead back on lap 5 leaving Barber challenged now by Rye. Rye would ease by Barber on lap 7 for second. Kelly took a wild ride over turn 4 hill and tire barrier, but luckily landed on all fours, and was actually able to rejoin the field after the red.

When racing resumed, Dinsmore was charging his way back to the front getting by Pittaway on the restart, then Barber on lap 8. At the crossed flags it was Leonard, Rye, Dinsmore, Barber and Pittaway in the top five. Rye began to hunt inside Leonard for a way around, while Helms worked his way into the top five. Rye found his spot and took over the point on lap 12, with the top three running nose to tail.

Rye edged out to a couple car length lead as Dinsmore pressured Leonard for second. Dinsmore finally got past Leonard and caught Rye with two laps to go. Dinsmore, whose win streak was in jeopardy, tried to dive in low, but Rye kept that door closed. On the final lap, Dinsmore tried the high side, but found nothing to get a bite on leaving Rye to go on to the victory in the SBG Racing, RPM, Viola Cleaners, Willie Cotton Race Engines, K-Mod Chassis,

“I just stayed on the bottom all night,” commented B. Rye. “That was the place to be. I never got off the bottom all night, even in the heat race. It was awesome for both of us to win on the same night. That’s as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned”

“I knew Greg(Dinsmore) would be coming. I was wondering where he was all race. Once I got out front I just slowed down to stay on the bottom. I looked for him once on the high side, but I wasn’t going to let him get under me. Darin(Leonard) was running good and I didn’t think I was going to get him. He slipped up off of turn 2 and that was all I needed.”

“I think Chris got that advice he gave me from watching me in the heat race. I let him have it. He told me that after he won his feature.”

“There was just one lane out there tonight,” replied runner-up Dinsmore who saw his winning streak end. “It was just honk, honk, beep, beep can I get past on the bottom. I didn’t mean to get into Bill(Pittaway) there. He got in a little loose and I tapped him with the right front tire. It was so light it didn’t even bend the wheel. That’s going to happen on a one lane, dry slick track sometimes.”

IMCA Modifieds
1. 20 Brian Rye
2. 8g Greg Dinsmore
3. 26 Darin Leonard
4. 29 Mickey Helms
5. 17b Bruce Barber
6. 37 Bill Pittaway
7. 66 Randy Yount
8. 84 Patrick Kelly
9. 85 Jeff Nix
Bob Leinweber---DNS Broke clutch

IMCA Modified heat winners, 37 Bill Pittaway, 26 Darin Leonard

Richard Bartosh grabbed the early lead in the 15-lap Super Stock feature while Howie Marcx and Moe VanKirk ran door to door for third. That duo caught Gary Hunter and just as Vankirk had made the pass for second, yellow waved for Allen Jenkins stopped on the track’s edge in turn 2.

As green waved again, Hunter looked inside Bartosh for the lead, but VanKirk blasted by three wide to take the top spot on lap 4. Hunter got past Bartosh for second, as Bartosh fell into the grasp of Marcx. Marcx worked his way by Bartosh for third then took second from Hunter on lap 7. By now VanKirk had build a good lead over his competitors. The field spread out in the final laps leaving VanKirk unchallenged on his way to yet another checkers.

Super Stocks
1. 58 Moe VanKirk
2. 13 Howie Marcx
3. 14 Gary Hunter
4. 7 Richard Bartosh
5. 22 Doug Lesturgeon
6. 97 Allen Jenkins

Super Stock heat winner, 58 Moe VanKirk

The 15-lap Street Stock feature saw A J Wernette take the point as green waved, while Wade Jones moved up to second. Craig Crawley worked his way to third and was looking a way past Jones for second. Wernette got sideways in turn 4, narrowly missing Jones who snuck by for the lead on lap 6.

Just as the field separated out, Wernette spun in turn 2 to bring out caution on lap 11. Coming to the restart, Crawley tried the high groove, but ended up spinning himself out of the spot. Once back to green, Jones pulled away from Donald Lewis going on to take the victory by a comfortable margin.

Street Stocks
1. 41 Wade Jones
2. 51 Donald Lewis
3. 08 Alton Fambro
4. 37 A J Wernette
5. 6 Craig Crawley
18 Shawn Moore---DNS(driveshaft)

Street Stock Heat winner, 37 A J Wernette

Coming out of turn 2 at the start of the 20-lap, 14-car Pure Stock feature, Shaunette Gillespie, Mark Pivarnik and William Cavender were three wide for the lead. Pivarnik came out with the lead, as Jo Jo Horne snuck up to second, with two and three racing in the pack. Justin Henley charged out of that pack getting sixth from his dad, Charlie, then fifth from Sonny Jones on lap 2. J. Henley then zipped three wide past Albert Mares and Cavender for third.

On lap 5 J. Henley got by J J Horne, but by now Pivarnik had built a half straightaway lead. In the pack, C. Henley and Jones battled side by side for several laps in the fight for fourth. Pivarnik hit slower traffic on lap 9, with J. Henley closing up on lap 10. On lap 11 it was three wide for the top spot as the lead duet went by a lapped car with J. Henley grabbing the point on lap 12. Another lapped car nearly took out Pivarnik on lap 12 as Wesley Works spun.

Once back to green, J. Henley increased his margin over Pivarnik while C. Henley battled with J J Horne for third. J J Horne would spin on lap 15 losing his top five spot and bringing out a yellow. On the restart, J. Henley again crept ahead, while Chico Cox, Janel Hilla and Jones swapped fourth. J. Henley, who has dominated the class, rolled on to take another checkers.

Pure Stocks
1. 96 Justin Henley
2. 55 Charlie Henley
3. 555 Sonny Jones
4. 15 William Cavender
5. 7xJanel Hilla
6. 9 Philip Haywood
7. 87 Shaunette Gillespie
8. 70 Wesley Works
9. 8 Chico Cox
10. 25 Jo Jo Horne
11. 3 Albert Mares
12. 98 William Saunders
13. 67 Joe Horne
14 Mark Pivarnik---DQ(Weight)

Pure Stock heat winners, 555 Sonny Jones, 96 Justin Henley, 7x Janel Hilla