By Jordan Kuehne

LOVES PARK, IL (Friday, May 22, 2009) – On a night of thrills and spills, Steve Erickson Jr. made the most exciting move of them all, forcing his way to the front with five laps remaining in the Budweiser American Short Trackers feature event and holding on to win on Friday Night Fright at Rockford Speedway. Allen Bekielewski brought home the win in the Crap Scrappers Hornets main event as an enthusiastic and excited crowd watched on.

Loves Park native George Sparkman grabbed the lead when the green flag flew for the 25 lap Budweiser American Short Trackers main event. Sparkman quickly built up a 5 car length lead as Scott Hoeft and Matt Booker battled for second. The fight for second swiftly became a four-car affair after Steve Erickson Jr. and BJ Sparkman joined the fray with thirteen laps remaining.

The caution would fly with six laps to go after Billy McCoy got tangled up with Jason Bragg on the backstretch sending Bragg around in turn three. The second caution of the night flew in quick succession to the first after Sparkman suffered a flat tire on the restart forcing him to the pits. A chain reaction occurred after the field bunched up collecting Booker and ending his night early.

Hoeft inherited the lead on the restart with five laps remaining. Erickson Jr. quickly worked his way by Hoeft on the restart and brought BJ Sparkman into second with him. Erickson Jr. held off the 2008 champion in the American Short Trackers and collected his first feature win of 2009. Hoeft held on for third as Nick Cina Jr. edged out fast qualifier Zach Rodriguez to complete the top five.

Brad Henry led the Crap Scrappers Hornets’ 17 car field to green in their 15 lap feature event. Justin Pearson dove down low entering the Monza course with eight laps remaining to take the lead away from Henry. Pearson wouldn’t hold onto the lead for long though, losing it on the next lap to Allen Bekielewski. Bekielewski managed to avoid disaster and survived lapped traffic to take home the first Hornets feature win in 2009.

The American Thunder Jet Truck wowed the crowd with bookend fire shows that lit up the night sky. Not to be outdone, the TailGator Monster Truck created some fright when “Big Foot” Doug Noelke drove the behemoth over four cars on the backstretch before tearing up the infield grass with a series of donuts that induced a standing ovation from the ecstatic crowd.

In the exciting Spectacular Drags, Fred Nielson bested seven other cars piloting his 2000 Ford Focus to victory. James Stans managed to keep his car off the wall setting the track on fire and leaving his mark in winning the Skid Cars event.

Rockford’s Lorron Strahorn was victorious in the Smoky Burnouts contest leaving the crowd screaming after burning rubber on the frontstretch for over 30 seconds. Rich Schinderling Jr., who participated in several events throughout the evening, somehow defied death to win the Roll Over Contest after flipping his car over two and a half times.

The action returns tomorrow evening when the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series takes to the track for Military Night presented by Camping World at the Rockford Speedway. The Stanley Steemer NASCAR Late Models, Bargain Hunter Sportsman, Mtn Dew RoadRunners, and Allison Legacy cars will all be in action on the high-banked quarter mile and the Sam’s Drive-In RoadRunner Challenge will feature Double Flagpole Race. All active and retired military members with ID in hand will get in for free and fans will receive a free poster upon entry. The exciting racing action gets underway at 7:07pm with gates opening at 5pm and qualifying beginning at 6:05pm.

For more information, including a full 2009 racing schedule, please visit the track’s website at www.rockfordspeedway.com or call the Speedway Box Office at (815) 633-1500.

NASCAR American Short Trackers

A-Main 01 -- 1. Steve Erickson, Jr, Rockton; 2. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 3. Scott Hoeft (r), Watertown,
Wis; 4. Nick Cina, Jr, Roscoe; 5. Zach Rodriguez, Rockton; 6. Kyle Lapier (r), Belvidere; 7. Billy McCoy, Belvidere; 8.
Victor Young, Genoa; 9. Keith Pierce, Machesney Park; 10. David Russell (r), Rockford; 11. George Sparkman, Loves
Park; 12. Artt Higbee, Rockford; 13. Jack Atchison, Stillman Valley; 14. Dave Lee, Rockford; 15. Bobby Carter,
Machesney Park; 16. Jeffery Turnure II (r), Rockford; 17. Rachel Sparkman, Loves Park; 18. Matt Booker (r), Wonder
Lake; 19. Jason Bragg, Rockford; 20. Brett McCoy, Belvidere; 21. Laura Siarkiewicz (r), Algonquin.

Heat 01 -- 1. Rachel Sparkman, Loves Park; 2. Jeffery Turnure II (r), Rockford; 3. Bobby Carter, Machesney Park; 4.
David Russell (r), Rockford; 5. Jack Atchison, Stillman Valley; 6. Dave Lee, Rockford; 7. Laura Siarkiewicz (r),
Heat 02 -- 1. Billy McCoy, Belvidere; 2. Scott Hoeft (r), Watertown, Wis; 3. George Sparkman, Loves Park; 4. Kyle Lapier
(r), Belvidere; 5. Keith Pierce, Machesney Park; 6. Victor Young, Genoa; 7. Artt Higbee, Rockford.
Heat 03 -- 1. Nick Cina, Jr, Roscoe; 2. Steve Erickson, Jr, Rockton; 3. Jason Bragg, Rockford; 4. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman,
Machesney Park; 5. Zach Rodriguez, Rockton; 6. Matt Booker (r), Wonder Lake; 7. Brett McCoy, Belvidere.
Time Trial -- 1. Zach Rodriguez, Rockton; 2. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 3. Steve Erickson, Jr, Rockton; 4.
Brett McCoy, Belvidere; 5. Jason Bragg, Rockford; 6. Nick Cina, Jr, Roscoe; 7. Matt Booker (r), Wonder Lake; 8. Kyle
Lapier (r), Belvidere; 9. Victor Young, Genoa; 10. Scott Hoeft (r), Watertown, Wis; 11. George Sparkman, Loves Park;
12. Billy McCoy, Belvidere; 13. Keith Pierce, Machesney Park; 14. Artt Higbee, Rockford; 15. Bobby Carter, Machesney
Park; 16. Jack Atchison, Stillman Valley; 17. Rachel Sparkman, Loves Park; 18. David Russell (r), Rockford; 19. Jeffery
Turnure II (r), Rockford; 20. Dave Lee, Rockford; 21. Laura Siarkiewicz (r), Algonquin.
Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 2. Nick Cina, Jr, Roscoe; 3. Steve Erickson, Jr, Rockton;
4. Jason Bragg, Rockford; 5. Zach Rodriguez, Rockton.

Hornets

A-Main 01 -- 1. Alan Bekielewski, Roscoe; 2. Brad Henry, Rockford; 3. Brian Mayer, Machesney Park; 4. Solomon
Barker, South Beloit; 5. Jake Vicencio, Rockford; 6. Bryan Ellis, Loves Park; 7. Steve McBride, South Beloit; 8. Mark
Vicencio, Rockford; 9. Andy Hill, South Beloit; 10. Devon Dixon, Janesville, Wis; 11. Scott Schelling, Rockton; 12. Danny
Heavin, Rockford; 13. Erik Pearson, Beloit, Wis; 14. Ryan Ostenson, Beloit, Wis; 15. David Pautsch, Jr, Roscoe; 16.
Nick Lasher, Machesney Park; 17. Justin Pearson, Belvidere.
Heat 01 -- 1. Steve McBride, South Beloit; 2. Bryan Ellis, Loves Park; 3. Brian Mayer, Machesney Park; 4. Tim Dix,
Beloit, Wis; 5. Scott Schelling, Rockton; 6. Ryan Ostenson, Beloit, Wis; 7. Erik Pearson, Beloit, Wis; 8. Devon Dixon,
Janesville, Wis; 9. Mark Bielefeldt, Loves Park; 10. Jake Vicencio, Rockford.
Heat 02 -- 1. Alan Bekielewski, Roscoe; 2. Mark Vicencio, Rockford; 3. Nick Lasher, Machesney Park; 4. Justin
Pearson, Belvidere; 5. Brad Henry, Rockford; 6. Solomon Barker, South Beloit; 7. David Pautsch, Jr, Roscoe; 8. Danny
Heavin, Rockford; 9. Andy Hill, South Beloit; 10. Randy Reynolds, Rockford.
Challenge 01 -- 1. Mark Vicencio, Rockford; 2. Steve McBride, South Beloit; 3. Mark Bielefeldt, Loves Park; 4. Devon
Dixon, Janesville, Wis; 5. Erik Pearson, Beloit, Wis; 6. Tim Dix, Beloit, Wis; 7. David Pautsch, Jr, Roscoe; 8. Andy Hill,
South Beloit; 9. Ryan Ostenson, Beloit, Wis.