By Jordan Kuehne

LOVES PARK, Ill. (Sunday, July 4th, 2010) – A night of tradition and fireworks found three newcomers to victory lane tonight at the Rockford Speedway, as Ricky Nielsen, Kyle Lapier, and Ron Morris all collected their first feature victories of 2010. Lapier held off a hard-charging Jason Bragg to find victory lane in the Budweiser American Short Trackers main event, and in the process, the young gun inherited the points lead from Nick Cina Jr, leading by two markers over the veteran. Ron Morris drove his way into the winner’s circle for the Bargain Hunter Sportsman with a late race pass to collect his first feature win in over a year. In the famed ‘Midnight Ride of Paul Revere’, ran in total darkness, Ricky Nielsen brokethrough to take over the lead in the points and the checkered flag on the track, making a late race move on Jason Brockway to find himself on top of everything.

The 20-lap Budweiser American Short Trackers headliner got off to a wild start as Jack Atchison found himself leading the 11 car field to green. Atchison wasn’t out front for long however, as the veteran spun out on the backstretch four laps into the race handing the lead to Kyle Lapier.

With ten laps in the books and ten circuits remaining, Lapier still paced the field as points leader Nick Cina Jr, craving the top spot, peeked on the inside of the leader. Cina Jr. couldn’t make the move work however as BJ Sparkman quickly closed on his bumper looking to duel for the bridesmaid’s position.

Just when it looked like Lapier had the race in the bag, Cina Jr’s engine expired in turn four with three laps remaining laying fluid down on the track and creating a chain reaction pileup. BJ Sparkman flew into Scott Hoeft and knocked down a billboard in turn four before coming to a rest against the outside retaining wall. Hoeft, Cina Jr, LaMarca and Sparkman all had their machines torn up and their nights ended prematurely as a three lap shootout was borne.

On the ensuing restart, Lapier pushed forward out of the clutches of Jason Bragg and held off the last gasp effort from Bragg on the white flag lap to collect his first feature victory of the season. Lapier took a two point edge over Cina Jr. in the points standings after everything was said and done.

“It felt like an eternity since I’ve been in victory lane,” stated an ecstatic Lapier in the winner’s circle. “It feels great to get this win and hold off Bragg for this. I’ve got to thank my crew, Rod Gilley, and it’s awesome that we got this done.”

Chris Jones notched a stellar third place effort while Tanner Atchison rallied from a spin to finish fourth. Dave Lee earned his first top five of the season with a fifth place finish.

Rob Goodman maneuvered to te lead in the early stages of the 20-lap Bargain Hunter Sportsman main event. Ron Morris quickly made tracks moving past Justin Sellers on the outside to collect second as defending champion Doug Bennett followed suit and to claim third.

As the halfway point came and went, Morris gained the inside line on Goodman and looked to make a winning move. The two went side-by-side for five laps as Bennett closed up behind in third. As Morris slowly inched ahead of Goodman, the caution flew for a solo trip through the spin cycle by young Austin Nason with four laps remaining.

With a shootout setup, Morris pushed forward as the action heated up behind him. Eyeing second, Bennett lost control with two laps remaining and made hard contact with Goodman exiting turn two. Bennett suffered a flat tire and was forced to exit to the pits while Goodman made a great save to keep his car on the straight and narrow and only drop back to fourth.

Morris was pleased the action was in his rearview mirror as he hit his marks over the final four laps and collect his first feature victory of 2010.

“I gotta thank Goodman for giving me that much space on the outside,” a breathless Morris stated in victory lane. “I needed all the room he could give me. We were just a tick better on the inside and it was all I needed to get out front and get that win. Zero to hero in a month, man it feels good.”

Matt Lundberg continued his solid 2010 campaign with a second place finish while points leader Matt Berger managed another nice finish with a third place effort. Goodman held on for fourth as young Austin Nason rounded out the top five in fifth.

Jason Brockway jumped out front in the early stages of the 20-lap Mtn Dew RoadRunners ‘Midnight Ride of Paul Revere’, ran in total darkness besides lights on the top of the hot rods to aid the drivers in their vision.

Brockway handled the darkness well, building a cushion over second place Scott Lawver as Ricky Nielsen pushed his way up to third with five laps in the books. Nielsen managed to move past Lawver to claim second as he turned his sights towards the leader at the halfway mark.

With a scenic vista of fireworks as a backdrop, Nielsen set up the winning pass on Brockway with two laps remaining. Nielsen closed up to the driver-side door of Brockway and blew past him as the white flag waved. Taking the lead, Nielsen hit his marks over the final quarter-mile to claim the victory and the ‘Midnight Ride of Paul Revere’. With his stellar effort, Nielsen took away the points lead from Brett McCoy nudging ahead by 10 points a little over halfway through the season.

“I didn’t know what position I was battling for,” a happy Nielsen stated in the winner’s circle. “I just knew we were battling for a top five spot so I was throwing the car in a little harder in the turns. Maybe a little harder than I should have but hey, it worked and this is an awesome race to win. As long as we keep hitting our marks and recording solid finishes we can win this championship.”

Brockway held onto second as Lawver settled for third. Brett McCoy kept himself close in the points chase with a solid fourth place finish while Jeff Allendorf completed the top five in fifth.

With the rain rapidly approaching, Robert Roush led a seven car field to the green in the Sam’s Drive-In RoadRunner Challenge Flagpole Race. Racing two normal laps and then circling a tire with a flagpole in the center, the field was challenged by each other and Mother Nature. With a slick show of driving skill, Roush deftly navigated his way around the course eight times and collected the checkered flag and the victory. Raymond Hardesty made a daring maneuver to snatch second and collect the runner-up spot.

Racing returns to the high banks of the Rockford Speedway this Wednesday night for round three of Wild Wednesday on Rockford Industrial Welding Supply Car Load Night. A full slate of action is on tap including Mtn Dew RoadRunners Super Summer Series, Crap Scrapper Hornets, Winged Women on Wheels, National Figure 8 League, Spectacular Drags, INEX Legends, INEX Bandoleros, Allison Legends and the Yellowbook Hornet Challenge Forwards/Backwards Race. A carload of fans receives admission for just $20 until 7pm with the green flag set to wave at 7:07pm sharp. Gates open at 5pm with qualifying getting underway at 6:10pm.

For more information, including points standings and the remaining 2010 schedule, visit the track's website at www.rockfordspeedway.com or call the Speedway Box Office at (815)633-1500.

Rockford Speedway Week 9 Results

NASCAR All American Sportsmen

A-Main 01 -- 1. Ron Morris, Belvidere; 2. Matt Lundberg, Rockford; 3. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 4. Rob Goodman,
McHenry; 5. Austin Nason (r), Roscoe; 6. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream; 7. Scott Lawver, Roscoe; 8. Doug Bennett,
Brodhead, Wis; 9. Bobby Yonke, Willowbrook.

Heat 01 -- 1. Matt Lundberg, Rockford; 2. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream; 3. Rob Goodman, McHenry; 4. Scott Lawver, Roscoe.

Heat 02 -- 1. Ron Morris, Belvidere; 2. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 3. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 4. Austin Nason (r), Roscoe.

Time Trial -- 1. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 2. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 3. Austin Nason (r), Roscoe; 4. Ron Morris, Belvidere; 5. Scott Lawver, Roscoe; 6. Rob Goodman, McHenry; 7. Justin Sellers, Carol Stream; 8. Matt Lundberg, Rockford; 9. Bobby Yonke, Willowbrook.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Austin Nason (r), Roscoe; 2. Matt Berger, Loves Park; 3. Doug Bennett, Brodhead, Wis; 4. Rob Goodman, McHenry; 5. Ron Morris, Belvidere.

NASCAR American Short Trackers

A-Main 01 -- 1. Kyle Lapier, Belvidere; 2. Jason Bragg, Rockford; 3. Christopher Jones, Rockford; 4. Tanner Atchison, Byron; 5. Dave Lee, Rockford; 6. Jack Atchison, Stillman Valley; 7. Nick Cina, Jr, Belvidere; 8. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 9. Scott Hoeft, Watertown, Wis; 10. Joe LaMarca, Rockford; 11. Laura Siarkiewicz, Algonquin.

Heat 01 -- 1. Jack Atchison, Stillman Valley; 2. Kyle Lapier, Belvidere; 3. Christopher Jones, Rockford; 4. Dave Lee, Rockford; 5. Tanner Atchison, Byron.

Heat 02 -- 1. Scott Hoeft, Watertown, Wis; 2. Nick Cina, Jr, Belvidere; 3. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 4. Joe LaMarca, Rockford; 5. Jason Bragg, Rockford.

Time Trial -- 1. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 2. Joe LaMarca, Rockford; 3. Nick Cina, Jr, Belvidere; 4. Scott Hoeft, Watertown, Wis; 5. Jason Bragg, Rockford; 6. Kyle Lapier, Belvidere; 7. Tanner Atchison, Byron; 8. Jack Atchison, Stillman Valley; 9. Christopher Jones, Rockford; 10. Dave Lee, Rockford; 11. Laura Siarkiewicz, Algonquin.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Scott Hoeft, Watertown, Wis; 2. Joe LaMarca, Rockford; 3. Nick Cina, Jr, Belvidere; 4. Boyce (BJ) Sparkman, Machesney Park; 5. Jason Bragg, Rockford; 6. Kyle Lapier, Belvidere.

NASCAR Road Runners

A-Main 01 -- 1. Ricky Nielsen, Rockford; 2. Jason Brockway, Machesney Park; 3. Scott Lawver, Roscoe; 4. Brett McCoy, Belvidere; 5. Jeff Allendorf, Belvidere; 6. Howie Ware, South Beloit; 7. Adam Cartwright, Woodstock; 8. Dennis Smith, Jr, South Beloit; 9. Joshua Lundy, Loves Park; 10. Lloyd Hawkins, Machesney Park; 11. Jerry Edge, Marengo; 12. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 13. David Lignell, Rockford; 14. Brian Mayer, Machesney Park; 15. Raymond Hardesty, McHenry; 16. James Gregory, Winnebago; 17. Richard Nielsen, Byron; 18. Robert Roush, Marengo; 19. Kenneth Brazee III, Rockford.

Heat 01 -- 1. Adam Cartwright, Woodstock; 2. Scott Lawver, Roscoe; 3. David Lignell, Rockford; 4. James Gregory, Winnebago; 5. Jonathon Dean, Machesney Park; 6. Josh DiGiovanni, Loves Park; 7. Marvin Butler, Rockford.

Heat 02 -- 1. Richard Nielsen, Byron; 2. Brian Mayer, Machesney Park; 3. Jason Brockway, Machesney Park; 4. Jerry Edge, Marengo; 5. Joshua Lundy, Loves Park; 6. Lloyd Hawkins, Machesney Park; 7. Raymond Hardesty, McHenry; 8. Kenneth Brazee III, Rockford.

Heat 03 -- 1. Ricky Nielsen, Rockford; 2. Howie Ware, South Beloit; 3. Robert Roush, Marengo; 4. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 5. Dennis Smith, Jr, South Beloit; 6. Brett McCoy, Belvidere; 7. Jeff Allendorf, Belvidere.

Challenge 01 -- 1. Robert Roush, Marengo; 2. Raymond Hardesty, McHenry; 3. Scott Lawver, Roscoe; 4. Lloyd
Hawkins, Machesney Park; 5. Jerry Edge, Marengo; 6. Adam Cartwright, Woodstock; 7. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park.

Trophy Dash 01 -- 1. Howie Ware, South Beloit; 2. Ricky Nielsen, Rockford; 3. Robert Roush, Marengo; 4. Dennis
Smith, Jr, South Beloit; 5. Jason Van Hise, Loves Park; 6. Jeff Allendorf, Belvidere.