By Jordan Kuehne

LOVES PARK, Ill. (Saturday, September 12, 2009) – On a night that champions were crowned at the Rockford Speedway, it was only fitting that the man who fell just short so many times captured his second consecutive title by finishing in the bridesmaid’s position. Jerry Gille held on tight Saturday night, holding off a hungry “Driver X”, Jon Reynolds Jr., as well as the seven-time track champion Ricky Bilderback to successfully defend his Stanley Steemer NASCAR Late Models crown and firmly entrench himself in the Rockford Speedway history books. Gille witnessed a powerful Reynolds Jr. drive to victory in the race, as he finished second to clinch the championship by 19 points over Bilderback and 25 markers over “Driver X”. In an even tighter points battle that came down to the last lap, Doug Bennett finally broke through on the high-banked quarter mile, edging out Fred Nason by a scant two points to claim his first career championship in the Bargain Hunter Sportsman. With Bennett riding around on six cylinders and mired in fifth, Nason had to win the feature to win the title but came up just short, finishing third. George Sparkman clinched his fourth Budweiser American Short Trackers title in the last eight years as his brother, BJ Sparkman, won the feature. Another family affair stole the Mtn Dew RoadRunners show, as Bobby Frisch claimed the championship while his brother, Charlie Frisch, collected the feature victory.

Jerry Gille, Ricky Bilderback and Jon Reynolds Jr. all had a chance at the title when the 30-lap Stanley Steemer NASCAR Late Models feature event got underway tonight. Gille entered the race just 15 points ahead of seven-time track champion Bilderback while “Driver X”, Reynolds Jr, sat 26 markers back.

Tim Sargent jumped out front in the early stages of the feature while Gille, Bilderback and Reynolds Jr. all rapidly maneuvered their way through the 16-car field.
The first caution of the race came out six laps in for a spin in turn two by Tim Slater.

On the restart, Bilderback moved up to third as Reynolds Jr. got past Gille for fourth. “Driver X” was on a mission, powering by Bilderback and Mark Hartline to claim second as he turned his sights toward Sargent. Bilderback lost traction in turn two and Gille made the most of his opportunity, slipping by Ricky to move into third.

Sargent’s lead was evaporating quickly when the caution flew for debris in turn two with 17 laps remaining. A bunched up field swiftly led to another yellow flag after Wayne Freimund got turned around and slid up the track into turn one creating a chain reaction pile up that gathered up six cars. All drivers managed to escape with little more than cosmetic damage to their machines.

On the restart, a hungry Reynolds Jr. began setting up a pass on Sargent for the lead, taking numerous looks on the inside lane before finally making his move down the frontstretch with nine laps remaining. Sargent lost his motor at the same time Reynolds dived low and the two touched sending Sargent spinning into the grass. Reynolds Jr. took the top spot on the restart as Sargent’s night was over early.

Bilderback moved past Gille for second when the green waved, only to see Jerry drive right back into second on the backstretch. Reynolds Jr. held off Gille for his division-leading sixth feature victory of the year but Jerry won the race that mattered, collecting his second consecutive title.

Gille fended off Bilderback, winning the championship by 19 points as Reynolds Jr. finished the season third in points, 25 markers back.

“It’s so tight here and so close all year long,” stated a happy Jerry Gille in victory lane. “I have to thank Ricky and Jon Jr. for their racing all year long. It’s always a battle and at midseason, I wouldn’t have thought we’d be here with another championship. We fought and we battled to gain that ground up and here we are, with another (title). It’s a great feeling and I couldn’t have done it without the great support of my whole team and everyone else out here that supports this track. I love this place and it’s something else to win two in a row.”

Bilderback finished the race third as Freimund rallied back for a fourth place finish. Jake Gille rounded out the top five.

Mikie Breiner held on for the rookie of the year title while Reynolds Jr. brought home a small consolation prize claiming the Dash championship.

Doug Bennett and Fred Nason entered the Bargain Hunter Sportsman 25-lap headliner just six points apart in the season point standings and it came down to the very end. Nason started fourth while Bennett began the race in fifth, one spot behind.

Ron Morris made his move to the front early, driving to the top spot while Nason made a quick pass for third, moving past Matt Berger on the bottom of the track. Berger swiftly battled back by Nason on the inside, taking second from Brock Behnke at the halfway mark. Nason followed Berger into third while Bennett maintained fifth.

Berger managed to use the bottom groove one more time, using the inside line to pass Morris for the lead with seven laps remaining as Nason slowly tracked them down. Berger had enough power to hold on for his second feature victory of the season while Nason’s bid at a championship simply ran out of time.

Nason came home third while Bennett managed to hold off rookie of the year, Rob Goodman, to come home fifth. Bennett collected his first career division championship, edging out Nason by just two points to take home the title.

“Fred and I have had a great run this year,” an ecstatic Bennett said as his family embraced him. “I can’t thank him enough for his racing but man it feels good to get that monkey off of my back and bring it home. I am so happy to finally win one here.”

Morris held on to second while Nason, Behnke and Bennett completed the top five.

Nason did edge out Bennett in the standings in the Dash points, collecting the title of Dash champion in 2009.

Kyle Lapier grabbed the top spot when the green flag waved for the Budweiser American Short Trackers 25-lap main event. 2009 Dash champion BJ Sparkman was on the prowl early, moving up to third and peeking on the inside of Nick Cina Jr. for the second position.

Sparkman and Cina Jr. battled for 15 laps before Cina Jr. got loose in turn four, allowing Sparkman to move past him and the leader, Kyle Lapier, to snatch the top spot. Alex Papini also took advantage of the high line’s misfortune, following Sparkman into second.

A late race caution with six laps remaining for an unassisted spin by the 2009 division champion, George Sparkman, bunched the field up once more.

On the ensuing restart, BJ Sparkman jumped out to a comfortable margin and held off Lapier’s late effort for the final win of the season, his third feature victory of the season.

His brother, George Sparkman, collected his fourth career championship in the Budweiser American Short Trackers, holding off BJ by 46 points to reign victorious and collect the crown. George has claimed four of the last eight division championships at the quarter-mile.

“It was a solid year overall,” stated a happy George Sparkman. “We were consistently up front and just battled for spots with BJ and everyone else all year. The car seemed to be fast every night and it feels pretty awesome to come out ahead.”

Papini, Rachel Sparkman and Nick Cina Jr. finished off the top five.

Scott Hoeft held off Lapier for the rookie of the year title.

A massive 36 car field took to the high banked quarter-mile for the Mtn Dew RoadRunners 20-lap feature. With the championship hanging in the balance, Bobby Frisch worked his way through the field and came home fourth cementing his first career championship by 57 points over Howie Ware.

It was a night to remember for the Frisch family as “Chargin” Charlie Frisch, Bobby’s brother, drove to the lead in the early portion of the race and held on late, collecting his second feature victory of the season. Both drivers celebrated in victory lane embracing and sharing a celebratory hug.

Brad Warthan came home second while Gene Marocco finished third. Frisch and Ricky Nielsen rounded out the top five.

Kyle Watts won the Sam’s Drive-In RoadRunner Challenge, topping a 10 driver field in the always exciting Creeper Race. It was Jason Van Hise who demonstrated continued consistency to collect the season championship for the RoadRunner Challenge, earning bragging rights and a giant trophy for his efforts.

Next Saturday night, action returns to the Rockford Speedway as Budweiser Night of Thrills comes to the historic quarter-mile. A full slate is on tap including a Monster Truck Showdown, a Limo Wedding Cake Jump, the return of Doug Rose and the amazing Green Mamba Jet Car, the Crap Scrappers Hornets championship, FREE Monster Truck Rides, Spectacular Drags, a Roll Over Contest, the Burning Steel Wall Crash, Gauntlet, Made in USA vs. Foreign Failure, Skid Cars, Popeye's Kids Mini Grand-Prix, a Dukes of Hazzard Jumping Contest plus the Horrific Head On Collision. The gates open at 5pm with the exciting evening getting underway at 7:07pm sharp.

For more information, including a complete schedule for the 44th annual National Short Track Championships and more, please call the Speedway Box Office at (815)633-1500 or visit the track website at www.rockfordspeedway.com.

NASCAR All American Sportsmen

A-Main 01 -- 1. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 2. Ron Morris, Belvidere; 3. Fred Nason, Roscoe; 4. Brock Behnke, South
Beloit; 5. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 6. Steve Vaughn, Loves Park; 7. Rob Goodman (r), McHenry; 8. Scott Lawver,
Roscoe; 9. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream; 10. Don Exline, Oak Lawn.

Heat 01 -- 1. Steve Vaughn, Loves Park; 2. Don Exline, Oak Lawn; 3. Rob Goodman (r), McHenry; 4. Scott Lawver,
Roscoe; 5. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream.

Heat 02 -- 1. Fred Nason, Roscoe; 2. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 3. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 4. Brock Behnke, South Beloit; 5. Ron Morris, Belvidere.

Time Trial -- 1. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 2. Fred Nason, Roscoe; 3. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 4. Brock Behnke,
South Beloit; 5. Ron Morris, Belvidere; 6. Don Exline, Oak Lawn; 7. Rob Goodman (r), McHenry; 8. Steve Vaughn, Loves Park; 9. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream; 10. Scott Lawver, Roscoe.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 2. Brock Behnke, South Beloit; 3. Fred Nason, Roscoe; 4. Ron
Morris, Belvidere; 5. Don Exline, Oak Lawn; 6. Matt Berger, Loves Park.

NASCAR American Short Trackers

A-Main 01 -- 1. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 2. Kyle Lapier (r), Belvidere; 3. Alex Papini, Big Rapids, Mich.; 4. Rachel Sparkman, Loves Park; 5. Nick Cina, Jr, Roscoe; 6. Steve Erickson, Jr, Rockton; 7. Scott Hoeft (r), Watertown, Wis; 8. George Sparkman, Loves Park; 9. Tanner Atchison, Byron; 10. Keith Pierce, Machesney Park; 11. Victor Young, Genoa; 12. Artt Higbee, Rockford; 13. Matt Woelber (r), Belvidere; 14. Dave Lee, Rockford; 15. Jason Bragg, Rockford; 16. Laura Siarkiewicz (r), Algonquin; 17. Zach Rodriguez, Rockton; 18. Jack Atchison, Stillman Valley.

Heat 01 -- 1. Tanner Atchison, Byron; 2. Steve Erickson, Jr, Rockton; 3. Jack Atchison, Stillman Valley; 4. Keith Pierce, Machesney Park; 5. Victor Young, Genoa; 6. Matt Woelber (r), Belvidere; 7. Artt Higbee, Rockford; 8. Dave Lee, Rockford; 9. Laura Siarkiewicz (r), Algonquin.

Heat 02 -- 1. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 2. George Sparkman, Loves Park; 3. Nick Cina, Jr, Roscoe; 4.
Kyle Lapier (r), Belvidere; 5. Scott Hoeft (r), Watertown, Wis; 6. Alex Papini, Big Rapids, Mich.; 7. Jason Bragg, Rockford; 8. Zach Rodriguez, Rockton; 9. Rachel Sparkman, Loves Park.

Time Trial -- 1. George Sparkman, Loves Park; 2. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 3. Jason Bragg, Rockford;
4. Nick Cina, Jr, Roscoe; 5. Alex Papini, Big Rapids, Mich.; 6. Kyle Lapier (r), Belvidere; 7. Zach Rodriguez, Rockton; 8. Scott Hoeft (r), Watertown, Wis; 9. Rachel Sparkman, Loves Park; 10. Steve Erickson, Jr, Rockton; 11. Tanner Atchison, Byron; 12. Jack Atchison, Stillman Valley; 13. Keith Pierce, Machesney Park; 14. Matt Woelber (r), Belvidere; 15. Victor Young, Genoa; 16. Artt Higbee, Rockford; 17. Dave Lee, Rockford; 18. Laura Siarkiewicz (r), Algonquin.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Kyle Lapier (r), Belvidere; 2. Nick Cina, Jr, Roscoe; 3. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 4. George Sparkman, Loves Park; 5. Alex Papini, Big Rapids, Mich.; 6. Jason Bragg, Rockford.

NASCAR Late Models

A-Main 01 -- 1. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Machesney Park; 2. Jerry Gille, Roscoe; 3. Ricky Bilderback, Rockton; 4. Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis; 5. Jacob Gille, Winnebago; 6. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 7. Mark Hartline, Gilberts; 8. Mikie Breiner (r), Johnburg; 9. Tim Noble, Janesville, Wis; 10. John Beinlich (r), Prairie View; 11. Joe Darnell, Machesney Park; 12. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 13. Timothy Slater (r), Hampshire; 14. Robert Nelson, Solon Mills; 15. Tyler Peterson, Lake Geneva, Wis; 16. Brandon Eash (r), Rockford.

Heat 01 -- 1. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 2. Mikie Breiner (r), Johnburg; 3. Tim Noble, Janesville, Wis; 4. John Beinlich (r), Prairie View; 5. Timothy Slater (r), Hampshire; 6. Joe Darnell, Machesney Park; 7. Robert Nelson, Solon Mills; 8. Fred Nason, Roscoe.

Heat 02 -- 1. Jacob Gille, Winnebago; 2. Jerry Gille, Roscoe; 3. Tyler Peterson, Lake Geneva, Wis; 4. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Machesney Park; 5. Ricky Bilderback, Rockton; 6. Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis; 7. Mark Hartline, Gilberts; 8. Matt Berger, Loves Park.

Time Trial -- 1. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Machesney Park; 2. Jerry Gille, Roscoe; 3. Ricky Bilderback, Rockton; 4. Jacob Gille, Winnebago; 5. Tyler Peterson, Lake Geneva, Wis; 6. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 7. Mark Hartline, Gilberts; 8. Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis; 9. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 10. John Beinlich (r), Prairie View; 11. Mikie Breiner (r), Johnburg; 12. Fred Nason, Roscoe; 13. Timothy Slater (r), Hampshire; 14. Robert Nelson, Solon Mills; 15. Joe Darnell, Machesney Park; 16. Tim Noble, Janesville, Wis; 17. Brandon Eash (r), Rockford.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Machesney Park; 2. Ricky Bilderback, Rockton; 3. Jacob Gille, Winnebago; 4. Jerry Gille, Roscoe.

NASCAR Road Runners

A-Main 01 -- 1. Charlie Frisch, Beloit, Wis; 2. Brad Warthan, Sparta, Wis; 3. Gene Marocco, Machesney Park; 4. Bobby Frisch, Beloit, Wis; 5. Ricky Nielsen, Rockford; 6. Eric Schoffen, Crystal Lake; 7. Howie Ware, South Beloit; 8. Robert Roush, Marengo; 9. Dana Czach, Wauconda; 10. Sonny Schoffen, Island Lake; 11. Joe LaMarca, Rockford; 12. Tom Schneider, Machesney Park; 13. Jason Brockway, Machesney Park; 14. Kris Nilson, Rockford; 15. Jeff Allendorf, Belvidere; 16. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 17. John Logan, Jr., Loves Park; 18. Brett McCoy, Belvidere; 19. Joshua Lundy, Loves Park; 20. Beau Lawson, Machesney Park; 21. Anthony (Andy) Bristol, Rockford; 22. Dave Lumsden, Jr., Rockford; 23. Raymond Hardesty, McHenry; 24. Kenneth Brazee III, Machesney Park; 25. Brian Mayer, Machesney Park; 26. Lennard Groleau, S. Beloit; 27. Jim Ehle, Belvidere; 28. Michael Neblock, Loves Park; 29. David Lignell, Rockford; 30. Arlyn Roush, Woodstock; 31. Lloyd Hawkins, Machesney Park; 32. Brian Smith, Rockford; 33. Linnea Lundy, Loves Park; 34. Anthony Vito, Crystal Lake; 35. Richard Nielsen, Byron; 36. Tammy Hawkins, Machesney Park.

Heat 01 -- 1. Tom Schneider, Machesney Park; 2. Brad Warthan, Sparta, Wis; 3. Brian Smith, Rockford; 4. Raymond Hardesty, McHenry; 5. Brett McCoy, Belvidere; 6. Kyle Watts, Machesney Park; 7. Anthony Vito, Crystal Lake; 8. Jim Ehle, Belvidere; 9. Tammy Hawkins, Machesney Park; 10. Michael Neblock, Loves Park.

Heat 02 -- 1. Jason Brockway, Machesney Park; 2. Lloyd Hawkins, Machesney Park; 3. Linnea Lundy, Loves Park; 4.
Lennard Groleau, S. Beloit; 5. Anthony (Andy) Bristol, Rockford; 6. Dave Lumsden, Jr., Rockford; 7. Brian Mayer,
Machesney Park; 8. Joshua Lundy, Loves Park; 9. Kenneth Brazee III, Machesney Park.

Heat 03 -- 1. Charlie Frisch, Beloit, Wis; 2. Beau Lawson, Machesney Park; 3. Eric Schoffen, Crystal Lake; 4. Jeff Allendorf, Belvidere; 5. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 6. John Logan, Jr., Loves Park; 7. Arlyn Roush, Woodstock; 8. Richard Nielsen, Byron; 9. David Lignell, Rockford.

Heat 04 -- 1. Gene Marocco, Machesney Park; 2. Dana Czach, Wauconda; 3. Ricky Nielsen, Rockford; 4. Kris Nilson, Rockford; 5. Howie Ware, South Beloit; 6. Joe LaMarca, Rockford; 7. Robert Roush, Marengo; 8. Sonny Schoffen, Island Lake; 9. Bobby Frisch, Beloit, Wis.

Challenge 01 -- 1. Kyle Watts, Machesney Park; 2. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 3. Arlyn Roush, Woodstock; 4. David
Pautsch, Jr, Roscoe; 5. Eric Schoffen, Crystal Lake; 6. Raymond Hardesty, McHenry; 7. Robert Roush, Marengo; 8.
Lloyd Hawkins, Machesney Park.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Jason Brockway, Machesney Park; 2. Bobby Frisch, Beloit, Wis; 3. Sonny Schoffen, Island Lake; 4. Joe LaMarca, Rockford; 5. Howie Ware, South Beloit; 6. Arlyn Roush, Woodstock.