by Bill Poehler
Coors Light Dirt Late Model Crate Series
Sunset Speedway Park - Banks, OR.
Saturday August 9, 2008
Branden Lindberg was racing with a heavy heart and a heavy foot Saturday night.
Lindberg, still reeling after the death of friend and motocross racer Troy Boggs drove from the eighth starting position to win his second Coors Light Crate Engine Late Model main event of the season at Banks' Sunset Speedway.
The evening of racing started with Scio driver Steve Moore pacing the field with a time of 13.895 seconds around the 1/4-mile clay oval with Greg Walters in second at 13.927 and Scott Puncochar third fast at 14.037.
In the first heat race, Scott Winebarger, filling in for Jesse Freeman in the No. 5 car, led all five laps from the outside pole position to win the race.
In the second heat, leading and pole sitting Jeff Brookshire spun out of the lead on the second lap in turn three, sending the field scrambling to miss him and handing the lead to Lindberg with Eric Sayre close behind. Sayre set sail for Lindberg and caught him on the final lap to win the heat.
In the trophy dash, Scott Puncochar led all four laps from the outside pole position to win the race.
In the main event, the cars pulled onto the front stretch for driver's introductions, but Moore's car came to a halt in turn four and wouldn't restart. He later found out it was due to water in the fuel, but it prevented Moore from making the race.
The main event was a near repeat of the first heat race at the start as Winebarger took out with the lead from the outside pole until Jeff Biffle passed Winebarger for the lead on lap six. Biffle, however, spun out of the lead one lap later, and gave Winebarger the lead back.
Brookshire made his way through the pack and went around Winebarger for the lead on the 13th lap with Lindberg close behind. Kevin "Porkchop" Rodgers spun out of the top five on the 14th to set up Lindberg's winning move.
On the restart, Lindberg set up Brookshire on the restart and went by on the low side to take the lead for good on lap No. 16. Brookshire, however, never lost sight of the leader, and Winebarger continued his charge. On the 22nd lap, the three went three wide coming out of turn two for the lead with Lindberg low, Brookshire high and Winebarger charging up the middle. Lindberg held on to his lead entering turn three, but Winebarger got back up into second with the nifty move. Brookshire promptly went back past Winebarger for second and stayed there the rest of the race.
Lindberg picked up his third late model main event win with Brookshire recording his career-best finish of second place. Jimmy Schram came forward from the ninth starting position to place third with Sayre coming in fourth and Jerry Schram in fifth.
Greg Walters placed sixth with Winebarger in seventh, Biffle in eighth, Puncochar in ninth and Rodgers rounding out the top 10.
The Coors Light season continues Aug. 23 with the annual 67-lap T&G Thriller.

RACE SUMMARY:
Fast Time: Steve Moore - Scio, Oregon 13.895
Heat 1: 1) Winebarger 2) Rodgers 3) Jerry Schram 4) Biffle 5) Jeremy Schram
Heat 2: 1) Sayre 2) Lindberg 3) Walters 4) Puncochar 5) Jimmy Schram 6) Moore 7) Brookshire
Dash: 1) Scott Puncochar 2) Jimmy Schram 3) Walters 4) Moore
Main Event: 1) Branden Lindberg 2) Jeff Brookshire 3) Jimmy Schram 4) Eric Sayre 5) Jerry Schram 6) Greg Walters 7) Scott Winebarger 8) Jeff Biffle 9) Scott Puncochar 10) Kevin Rogers 11) Jerry Schram 12) Malcolm Lindberg 13) Steve Moore DNS.
Hard Charger Award: Branden Lindberg- Monroe, Washington