Berryman doubles up HOSS/Marathon with big Mansfield win

The Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Series was in action Friday night at the Mansfield Motorsports Speedway for the first night of the Open Wheel Extravaganza racing weekend. Doug Berryman of Fremont, Ohio, used it to prove the Rebman Truck Service yellow 1R car was back in top form by winning the 30 lap affair in convincing style. Berryman made it two in a row having taken the trophy home from Illiana (IN) Speedway just last week.

The HOSS teams had free reign over the pit area as the ISMA supermodifieds set up camp in the infield and on pit road for their two day stay. The pits were soon full of sprint cars as the Friday afternoon rolled along. The weather was a concern early as a shower passed over the speedway, but by hotlaps the track appeared in perfect shape. Temperatures in the middle 60’s at it best moments made many question the calendar. Many more questioned the track record of 13.560 (Don Townsend, 2003) and if this was the night for it to be broken. Hotlap stopwatches predicted its demise but the electric eye would have the final say this day.

When qualifying started almost every driver turned in personal best times at the speedway and everyone knew it would be a matter of time until a new track record would come. That moment arrived as Doug Berryman stopped the clocks at 13.428 seconds. The time was truly fast but with many cars to come its durability would be tested. Jimmy McCune (Durnwald 19) put together a great first lap and everyone looked to the PEPSI scoreboard on lap two. 13.340 seconds appeared and the crowd again rose to its feet in celebration. However, Joe Rebman still lurked in line qualify. The Buckeye Bandit has stamped his name in the fast qualifier position time after time in 2004, pausing only to note New Track Records along the way. When the black 77 appeared, the hometown throng pinned their hopes to the Mansfield native and his RTS machine. Rebman’s first lap returned a 13.4 second lap and the crowd was poised for a faster second circuit. Rebman’s second lap time flashed onto the board at 13.345 seconds! McCune’s track record lives by five thousandths of a second! Jimmy McCune won the Indy RV Center Fast Qualifier Award for the effort.

After qualifying and the supers practice the cars and drivers assembled on the front stretch for a race fan autograph session. The supers and sprints lined five wide across the speedway giving fans the chance to compare these cars up close and meet the drivers as well. The scheduled time was extended twice to accommodate the ever increasing sea of people.

The top five cars in each heat transferred through to the A main. The rest would be relegated to the B-main where the final five would be added to the A main field. The first heat race was won decisively by Hank Lower (MHE 37) ahead of fast qualifier Jimmy McCune and Jerry Caryer (75c). Brian Lay (45) and Chris Jagger (27) all transferred. The second heat went to Joe Rebman over Ron Koehler (10) and Greg Wheeler (Swanson 7). Jeff Bloom (26) and Dave Baumgartner (Rapp 14) rounded out the top five. The third heat was literally “V” for victory as Jimmy Taylor’s V numbered entry topped Doug Berryman, Sondi Eden (Batts 6), Don Townsend (RTS 7X), and rookie Dale Wood (46) made the transfer positions.

The B-main saw ten cars doing battle for eight laps with the top two receiving their A main starting positions based on their qualifying times. Third through fifth would go to the back of the field. At the green Michael Tarlton (9) jumped into the lead and went on to win ahead of Chris Hettinger (Blake 81). Hettinger, making his first laps in the winged sprint cars after developing his skills in the midgets, was thrilled to finish second as it returned him to the inside third row for the A main. Dustin Keegan (17X) and Mike McVetta (7M) also making their initial forays into HOSS racing, transferred ahead of HOSS latecomer Brad Armstrong (99). Armstrong, who hadn’t planned to attend, drifted into town after rain altered his preliminary plans. The black 99 bolted up new rubber and borrowed a wing from Ron Koehler’s team for the evening.

With the field ready to go after the ISMA 40 lap feature, twenty pavement kings with wings set sail into the crisp evening air for 30 laps of Friday night fury. The fans feverishly waved and saluted the field in its traditional four car wide pace lap. The cars returned to their assigned rows and moments later the cacophony of sprint car engines pierced the air. Dave Baumgartner sliced into the lead early. The only caution of the race flew a few laps into the run as Hank Lower’s machine slipped out of gear. Lower had started the race tenth and was making good progress before the turn of bad luck. On the restart Baumgartner again set off but Doug Berryman had the leader’s blue 14 in sight. Berryman made the pass at midrace and never looked back. Jimmy McCune closed to second from his eighth starting spot but no time to track down Berryman. At the checkers Baumgartner was third, Joe Rebman fourth and Brian Lay an impressive fifth. The top five drivers are all Ohio drivers, proving again that Buckeye sprint car talent is alive and well on the asphalt!! Greg Wheeler came home sixth ahead of Jeff Bloom, with Sondi Eden eighth, Michael Tarlton ninth and Hank Lower finished tenth.

Berryman gave credit to his dad for the winning strategy. “My dad told me when I got into this deal to act like it was a Sunday drive” referring to the straight line and conserving tires he employed this night. “It feels good to win in front of family and friends after racing across the country so much.” Berryman has always been a solid bet at Mansfield having HOSS, 305 and supermodified wins at the speedway.

The Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Series returns to action next Saturday at the high banked Anderson Speedway quarter mile. Chappy’s Rent-to-Own is the evening’s sponsor. Check out www.andersonspeedwaycom for track facts and www.hossracing.com for HOSS news and information.

Results 8-13-04-Mansfield Motorsports Speedway

Qualifying-NTR 19-Jimmy Mccune-13.340, 77-Joe Rebman, 1R-Doug Berryman, 81-Chris Hettinger, 14-Dave Baumgartner, 7X-Don Townsend, 45-Brian Lay, 26-Jeff Bloom, 6-Sondi Eden, 37-Hank Lower, 7-Greg Wheeler, 9-Michael Tarlton, 27-Chris Jagger, 10-Ron Koehler, V-Jimmy Taylor, 75C-Jerry Caryer, 7M-Mike McVetta, 46-Dale Wood, 17X-Dustin Keegan, 28-John Witter, 98-Jon Kettlewell, 17-Roger Anderson, 43-Sam Davis, 35-Ed Kenens, 11-Tom Paterson, 99-Brad Armstrong

Heat One-37-Lower, 19-McCune, 75C-Caryer, 45-Lay, 27-Jagger, 81-Hettinger, 28-Witter, 17X-Keegan

Heat Two-77-Rebman, 10-Koehler, 7-Wheeler, 26-Bloom, 14-Baumgartner, 7M-McVetta, 98-Kettlewell, 11-Paterson, 17-Anderson

Heat Three-V-Taylor, 1R-Berryman, 6-Eden, 7X-Townsend, 46-Wood, 9-Tarlton, 99-Armstrong, 43-Davis, 35-Kenens

B-Main-9-Tarlton, 81-Hettinger, 17X-Keegan, 7M-McVetta, 99-Armstrong, 43-Davis, 35-Kenens, 17-Anderson, 11-Paterson, 98-Kettlewell, 28-Witter

Feature-1R-Berryman, 19-McCune, 14-Baumgartner, 77-Rebman, 45-Lay, 7-Wheeler, 26-Bloom, 6-Eden, 9-Tarlton, 37-Lower, 10-Koehler, 99-Armstrong, 75C-Caryer, 81-Hettinger, 7X-Townsend, 46-Wood, 27-Jagger, V-Taylor, 7M-McVetta, 17X-Keegan