Category: Racing Archives

Courtesy Photo

The first points champion from 81 Speedway is Cecil Dymond, your Junior
Hornet point’s champion. This is not Dymond’s first Championship win.
In his four years of racing he has won three championships. Dymond won
two in the youth hornet division and this year in junior hornet. Dymond
started racing when he was 12 years old and this was the first year
they started letting 12 year olds at 81 Speedway to race.
“Winning the points championship felt good up until the last race. I was friends with Amey Cohoon”, said Dymond.
Dymond
states that he and the Cohoon family would all park together and would
help each other out as much as possible. The young racer contributes
his winning season to consistency and running every race. Dymond won 16
or 17 A Features. The last race of the season Dymond was going to run
with the regular Hornets because he already knew he had the points
championship wrapped up. The young driver hopes to be in the street
stock division next year providing his car is done. Car builder Dymond
is his brother Mike Dymond. Dymond would like to say thank you to Darlo
Shoes, Special T’s, his parents Ron & Sherry Dymond and his brother
Mike Dymond.
“Also anybody else that has helped me on my car, which does not include Warren Hardy,” said Dymond.
We would like to say congratulations to Cecil Dymond and good luck in the up coming season.

By

Cathy Loffland

The Haysville Times 

Nic Baalman is our Rookie Modified points champion and Rookie of the
Year. Baalman started racing Cage Karts when he was 12 years old. He
raced these until 2004. Then he went to 600 cc micros, which are mini
sprints. He raced these for two years, and he is 21 years old now.
Baalman worked at Pro Motor Sports and got to know Bobby Bills and
Kenny Sweet Jr. So on the last Wednesday night practice Kenny Sweet Jr.
asked Baalman to drive his car and see how he liked it.
“It felt
really good, and I was hooked from the get go. Me and my parents went
to Bobby Bills and asked him to build me a modified car,” said Baalman.

Baalman states that he knew he would be competitive, but he just
didn’t know how competitive we would actually be. “It was great winning
the championship the first year out,” said Baalman.
After winning
the championship the young driver has to move up to the regular
modified and is looking forward to it. Baalman actually has run with
the regular modifieds during the Wix Filter weekend and in Heartland
Park Topeka and Mayetta and felt like he was really competitive then.
Baalman is a part-time student at Butler County Community College
studying Business Management and Marketing. He also sells manufactured
housing for A-1 Homes of Augusta which was one of his sponsors. Sorry,
girls, Baalman has a girlfriend named Amanda Shelton, who had never
been to a race before she met Baalman but she now likes going to the
races and is very supportive.
“When I was running cage karts I
always dreamed of running the big cars and I just want to tell those
that have those dreams to keep with them,” said Baalman.
Baalman
would like to say a special thank you to his parents Bev and Dennis
Baalman and his sister Mandy; they are all really supportive. Also a
thank you to A-1 Homes of Augusta, Pro Motor Sports, andBobby Bills of
Bills Built Race Cars. Baalman plans on staying in Dirt Track racing
for a while, and maybe someday a bigger form of racing. Congratulations
to Nic Baalman and good luck in the upcoming season.

By Cathy Loffland

Our driver of the week is Johnny Whitmore, which this is his 27th year in racing.
Whitmore started racing

because of a friend and he started out in the street stock division.
Whitmore has raced in Street Stock, Semi-late, late model, sportsman, and now modified.

Whitmore’s favorite division is the modified because they are more fun and you could run two or three nights a week.
The veteran driver wrecked his car and it was

totaled and was unable to race for about a month or so. August 19th was his first week back out since the accident.
“Racing is the only sport I have ever done and stuck

with it. I love the excitement of racing,” said Whitmore.
Whitmore is part of the race day ministries which actually helped him justify racing and being a Christian.

“I felt that I racing was not right because I was also a Christian. I actually didn’t race for a year and half because of engine problems felt that the god was keeping

from racing,” said Whitmore.
Whitmore attended a meeting in Bristol, Tennessee and became part of the race day ministries.
Whitmore helps with the opening

invocation and volunteers on the fire truck and ambulance.
The modified driver hopes the finish the season off in one piece and survives the year.
“I plan on

racing as long as the good lord will let me,” said Whitmore.

By Cathy Loffland

Steve King standing in front of his Ethanol Sprint Car. Photo by Earl Fry.

The racing community lost a fellow racer on August 10, 2006. Steve King of Jetmore, Kansas started his racing career in 1989.
King was racing in the Knoxville Nationals in his #88 Sprint Car in a preliminary race on August 9th in Knoxville, Iowa. Something broke on the frond of the car sending King into the turn 3 fence.
King was air lifted to a hospital in Des Moines and was on life support until late Thursday afternoon.
King was fourth generation farmer in Jetmore. His life consisted of farming and racing.
In his racing career he won the NCRA Sprint Car Championship in 2002 and 2003. In the top ten in NCRA points in 1995, 1996, and 1998-2005. In 2004 King was the Hutchinson Nationals Sprint Car Championship.
King had 17 career NCRA wins which are second on the all-time list.
King will be missed by the racing community. Please keep his family in your prayers.

 Cathy Loffland

“I’ve been turning wrenches since before I could walk,” said Jay Purkey of the Thumper division at 81 Speedway.
Purkey is from a long line of race car drivers. He started racing about a year and half ago. This is Purkey’s first year in the Thumper division.
Purkey chose the Thumper division because it was one of the cheaper classes to start racing in.
Purkey races in Hutchinson on Friday nights and at 81 Speedway on Saturday nights. He is third in points at Hutchinson and sixth in points at 81 Speedway and he is sitting second in Rookie of the Year points at 81 Speedway.
Purkey would like to finish the season off by finishing in the top ten in points at 81 Speedway and in the top five in points at Hutchinson.
The number 35 Thumper is sponsored by Purkey Auto Salvage, Purkey’s Discount Racing Products and Fetish Lingerie.
The young driver would like to move up to either the Street Stock Division or Late Model Division, depending on what money will allow.
The Purkey family and Hall family have gone way back so when Bill Hall passed away Jay Purkey decided he would donate 10% of his winnings in memory of Bill Hall to the Shriners Temple on North Topeka.
Good luck Jay Purkey in the rest of this season.

Cathy Loffland

A young driver in the cruiser division had a run of bad luck at the beginning of this year. In April of this year Justin White

was not feeling very well and let somebody else drive his car. They came around a turn and crashed into the wall, and the car was totaled. In his six years of racing,

this was the first time that White let somebody else drive his car.
White was out of racing for about a month and half while he built a new car.
The young driver

is the gas man and his driver or brake man is Jimmy Buress.
White is in charge of watching the lights and flag man and also pays attention to the other drivers.
“The

gas man has to know how much gas your driver can handle,” said White.
White got started in racing because he helped a good friend Flipper Moss with his car and decided

to build one of his own.
“I like the cruiser division because it is good competition and everybody is pretty friendly,” said White.
The car is owned by White and he

keeps the car maintained and race-ready. The winnings are split by both the gas man and the brake man.
White’s sponsors are Winkler Tree Service, Brad Curtis Electric

and Dynamite Bail Bonds.
For this season White just wants to finish out the year and next year he wants to point’s race.
You can catch Justin White on Thursday

nights at 81 Speedway.

Cathy Loffland

Jason Yager. Photo Credit: Earl Fry

This week we are going to feature Jason Yager as our driver of the
week. Yager has been racing since he was eight years old. He started
out in motorcycles and is now racing Modified at 81 Speedway.
Yager has been in some type of racing for 29 years with maybe a couple of breaks in this time span.
In
1999 Yager started out racing in the Street Stock Division. In 2001
Yager won the Street Stock Championship. Has been Rookie of the Year of
Super Stock and runner up in 2002 in the Sportsman Division.
Yager enjoys the competition of racing.
“I
would always go and watch on the off weekends when I was not racing
motorcycles and thought the modified were the top dog, so I knew that
is something I wanted to race. I also believe it is a more challenging
class,” said Yager.
Yager is leading the Rookie of the Year points and has just moved up to the top ten in points.
The
week of July 29th Yager got his first top ten finish and thought that
was pretty great. This last week Yager got his finish in the top five
and said that was even better. Yager ran his first Davis Moore top ten
dash and finished fourth in it.
Yager is married to his wife Amanda and has two daughters Olivia and Madison.
Yager
would like to say thank you to all his sponsors like Special T’s,
Hughes, Trailer Town, The Smoke Shop, TNT Automotive and Watkins Auto
Salvage.
Good luck, Yager, in the rest of the season.

 

By CAthy Loffland

Shawn Langhover Jr. Photo Credit: Earl Fry

Shawn Langhover, Jr. is our driver of the week. He has been racing for three years now. He got started because of his dad.
At the beginning of the season, Langhover had a lot of problems with stuff breaking on the car almost every week.
In
May, Langhover bought a 2001 Belleville Car. Since then, he has
steadily been improving with finishing in the top ten and being able to
move up in points.
He also won his first B Feature this year after he bought the new car. This was the first win he has ever had.
Right now, Langhover is sitting 11th in points. He would like to finish the season off in the top five in points.
Langhover is a young driver and likes to help other drivers when they need the help.
“I believe that I have been doing better because I’m not breaking every week and the car drives real easy,” said Langhover.

 

By Cathy Loffland

Kenny Sweet Jr. is not a new driver, he has been racing for nine years. His father raced for 36 years.
Sweet started out in a stock car for one year. Then he went to modified and won Rookie of the Year first year out in 1998. He has been in modified for eight years.
“I love the thrill of driving and the fun family atmosphere you get at the track,” said Sweet.
Because of the gas prices Sweet has raced more at 81 Speedway this year than years past. He has made every race and is points racing this year and it shows. He is leading in points as of now and is in second in points in the Davis Moore Top 10 Dash.
This year Sweet has won three features.
“Things have fallen together for me, I have a good car, engine and a lot of great support from family and friends,” said Sweet.
Bobby Bills of Bills Built Race Cars is the car builder. Donny Foster owns the engine and Sweet gives him a share of the winnings.
Sponsors of the #87 car are Mill-Tel, Advance Com Communications, Race Wash, Don’s
Retail Liquor, Pro Motor Sports, Mid West Trucking & Equipment, and Don Hattan Chevrolet.
“I would like to say a special thanks to my wife Jacquline and two year old daughter Eliza,” said Sweet.
So if you want to catch Kenny Sweet Jr. you can at 81 Speedway. Good Luck this year Kenny.

By Cathy Loffland

A little update on Ryan McAninch; he was in first place on
racinforaliving.com. But he fell back down to second on last Saturday.
There are only maybe two weeks left to vote. So let’s help McAninch get
to Charlotte and vote every chance we can for him.
On Saturday night, he raced at 81 Speedway in his Modified and won the feature after he started in the second row.
He will be racing again at 81 Speedway this Saturday, July 28th in his late model.
Don’t
forget McAninch is representing Kansas in the racinforalivin so let’s
get out there and support him at least by going to racinforalivin.com
then to wildcard and vote for Ryan McAninch.

By Cathy Loffland