By: Eric Huenefeld
MORRIS, IL - Winning your first ASA Late Model Series feature is quite the accomplishment. Winning you first ASA Late Model Series feature while driving the dominant car, always feels good. And winning your first ASA Late Model Series feature, while having the best car as well as out running a veteran at his home track, well that’s just icing on the cake.
Erie, Colorado driver Chris Eggleston was dominant Sunday night in Chicagoland, starting from the pole after the series mandatory invert put the eighth fastest qualifier in the front. Eggleston would storm away from the field and hold off challenges in the last 25 laps from Eddie Hoffman to take the 11th Annual George Appleton Memorial 125 at the Grundy County Speedway.
“…The first thing I wanna know is, how am I gonna get this trophy back to Colorado?,” a very excited and gracious Eggleston stated of the five-foot tall George Appleton Memorial Traveling Trophy.
In his ASALMS North rookie season in 2008, Eggleston finished 10th in series points and 5th in a very tough Rookie of the Year race. After racing with on his own last year, the 20 year old Eggleston received the opportunity of a lifetime this winter, signing on with 5K Motorsports out of West Bend, Wisconsin. The change for Eggleston has obviously netted him some rewards.
“I just wanna thank these guys at 5K Motorsports… its all them,” the winner said. ‘They definitely gave me a great piece today. I think we hit on something last weekend at Milwaukee I think we definitely found some speed. They gave me the car to drive, all I had to do was go in circles for 125 laps and here we are!’
Eggleston made it sound so simple, but as usual, it was much harder than a snap of the fingers to get to the checkered flag. Eight yellow flag periods marred the fast-paced racing action on the North Central Illinois bullring, with several hiccups coming in the races early stages. Eggleston would have to initially deal with outside pole sitter Griffin McGrath for a few laps on his bumper before he could pull out to a nice lead. As Eggleston pulled away, Hoffman, a four-time Appleton winner, worked over the young Iowan McGrath, and moved into second spot.
As the race moved towards lap 40, the race would go into a long stretch of green flag racing. The 48 lap run gave Eggleston a chance to show his muscle, as he would power his Chevrolet ahead of Hoffman by over a straightaway late in the run. A couple more yellow periods would tighten the field up and put Hoffman on Eggleston’s back bumper. Hoffman would pounce on each restart, but lose ground to Eggleston every time.
Eggleston knew his hands were full with Hoffman in the rearview.
“When I heard the spotter said ‘yea you got the 8 car behind you,’ I was like ‘Wait a minute! This is his home track and I’m from Colorado, what the heck am I doing here?!,’ the winner exclaimed. ‘I just tried to run my line, stay on the bottom and tried not to make a hole where he could under us and stayed smooth from there.
Hoffman said “I probably could of gotten under him and forced the issue a little bit, but I didn’t want to do it that way tonight. Chris was running me hard and he was fast all night, and I didn’t want to have it come down to that sort of thing tonight. We’ll take our second place.”
Behind Eggleston and Hoffman, Orland Park, Illinois driver Anthony Danta would crack the podium once again, garnering a third place run. Danta also took third at the Illiana Derby back in May at his home track, the Illiana Motor Speedway.
Eighteen year-old Jordan Sims, the only Canadian in the starting field, had his best ever run with the ASA Late Model Series Sunday night. Sims fought hard and raced his way through the field from ninth to fourth in the 125 lap main event. Silvis, Illinois driver Joey King rounded out the top 5 with solid run, just outrunning Rookie of the Year point leader Josh Nelms for the fifth spot.
Danta was the ‘Fastest Man in Town’ in ARP Bodies Time Trials held earlier in the evening, with a lap 15.223 around the 1/3 mile oval. It was the 22 year old’s second top timer award of the year with the ASA Late Model Series North Division.
Unofficial Results
11th Annual George Appleton Memorial ‘125’
Grundy County Speedway
5/24/09
Position Number Driver Laps Completed
1. #22 Chris Eggleston (125)
2. #8 Eddie Hoffman (125)
3. #51 Anthony Danta (125)
4. #99 Jordon Sims (125)
5. #29 Joey King (125)
6. #0 Josh Nelms (125)
7. #34 Troy Hintzche (125)
8. #90 Becca Kasten (125)
9. #89 Matt Byrne (125)
10. #6 Dave Gentile Jr. (125)
11. #48 Seth Moody (125)
12. #55 Mason Mitchell (124)
13. #64 Griffin McGrath (118)
14. #31 Brent Brevak (109)
15. #37 Jordan Dahlke (105)
16. #72 Andy Marchiniak (51)
17. #5 Brett Sontag (34)
18. #52 Ricky Baker (15)
19. #23 Chris Koslek (12)
20. #96 John Nutley (9)
21. #87 Jesse Saunders (9)
22. #58 Matt Minnifield (8)
23. #63 Brad Plunkett (0)
Leaders: Eggleston (pole-125)
Cautions: 8
The ASA Late Model Series is its own entity and not endorsed, sponsored or affiliated in any way with ASA Racing, American Speed Association or the ASA Member Track Program. The ASA Late Model Series is owned and operated by Ron and Sandy Varney
For more information on the ASA Late Model Series and teams, visit our websites at www.asalatemodels.com, www.asalatemodelsnorth.com or www.asalatemodelssouth.com
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