Stock Car Crown Summer Series Sizzles on the Short Track

Belleville, Kansas (July 3, 2023) – The “Firecracker 50” for stock cars was the final feature of Monday
night’s three classes and provided plenty of fireworks for the huge crowd on hand. The Stock Car
Crown Summer Series, a Nebraska-based series, attracted 39 racers to battle on the ¼-mile oval including the top sixteen drivers in their point standings.

Four heat races and a redraw, for those who finished in the topthree spots in their heat races, placed 11 Time IMCA Stock Car National Champion Mike Nichols on the pole for the 50-lap grind. The Harlan, Iowa racer grabbed the lead at the outset and fended off challenges from Jamestown’s Austin Carter, Norfolk, Nebraska’s TeJay Mielke, and home towner Tyler Frye. Working high and low in the tight corners, Frye fought past those two cars as Nichols drove away from the field over the first sixteen circuits.

Nichols’ pace slowed as he caught the back of the pack. The low line was the preferred line and slower cars bottled up the leader. Running the top groove, Frye made up the gap over the next nine laps and made the pass for the lead at the halfway point with the crowd roaring its approval. But before a lap could be completed, a four-car pileup in Turn Three caught up Nichols and brought out a caution. This set the running order back to the last completed lap, Lap 24, with Nichol’s #63 reinstated to the top spot ahead of Frye, Carter, Mielke and Dusty Blake from Hebron, Nebraska.

Nichols had his hands full with Frye and Carter on the restart. Looking to pick up his second Stock Car Crown Series victory of the season, Jeff Ware was moving his way towards the front of the feature. 12th-starting Ware moved into the top four on Lap 27 and continued chasing down the leaders. Nichols adjusted his line and moved to the top groove in Turns 1-2 to hold off Frye’s charge.

With 15 laps to go, Frye tried to get past Nichols with a dive to the low side of Turn Two but came
up short and wound up side-by-side with Ware. Regaining his momentum, Frye’s #55 mounted
another high side run at the leader. This attempt went awry two laps later as Frye jumped the cushion
in Turn Three. Blake moved into the third spot as Nichols and Ware intensified their battle for the lead.

Over the final twelve laps, Nichols kept his nose out in front of the #83 of Ware to take home a
$3,000 payday. Behind them, Frye was able to regain the third spot. Beatrice’ Jordan Grabouski, a
transfer from a B-Feature, gained sixteen positions to finish fourth and fifth-place went to Troy
Burkhart of Hays, Kansas.

Burkhart and Benji Legg of Beatrice won the B-Feature events. Jason Rogers of Selden, Kansas,
Mielke, Manhattan’s Brandon Conkwright, and Jesse Vanlaningham of Beatrice started the evening
by claiming the four heat races.

“FIRECRACKER 50” – STOCK CAR CROWN SUMMER SERIES STOCK CARS

A Feature 1 (50 Laps):

1. 63-Nichols
2. 83-Ware
3. 55-Frye
4. 30-Grabouski
5. 25X-Tr. Burkhart
6. 64X-Blake
7. 37-Rogers
8. 94-Nelson
9. 77-Mielke
10. 24R-Richards
11. 19-Vanover
12. 37DDerry
13. 26J-Addison
14. 72V-Vanlaningham
15. 10A-Brauner
16. 63C-Carter
17. 24C-Conkwright
18. 17R-Rasmussen
19. 84-Legg
20. 76-Borgman
21. 22S-Stutzman
22. 38-S. Holloway
23. 77KWilliams
24. 250-Ta. Burkhart

B Feature 1 (12 Laps):

1. 25X-Tr. Burkhart
2. 24R-Richards
3. 250-Ta. Burkhart
4. 38-Sh. Holloway
5. 11W-Watts
6. 19X-R. Ayers
7. 21-Rempel
8. 6N-N. Bruegman
9. 64-J. Bruegman
10. 38X-B.Holloway
11. 2D-Dahl
12. 7-Fralin

B Feature 2 (12 Laps):

1. 84-Legg
2. 30-Grabouski
3. 26J-Addison
4. 77K-Williams
5. 55X-Drake
6. 34-Harder
7. 6-T. Ayers
8. 51-Reese
9. 6X-Down
10. 401KGranzella
11. 57-Cross

Heat 1 (9 Laps):

1. 37-Jason Rogers
2. 22S-Shane Stutzman
3. 55-TylerFrye
4. 17R-Dana Rasmussen
5. 25X-Troy Burkhart
6. 21-Eric Rempel
7. 64-John Bruegman
8. 38X-Brian Holloway
9. 7-Matt Fralin
10. 2D-Cody Dahl

Heat 2 (9 Laps):

1. 77-Tejay Mielke
2. 63-Mike Nichols
3. 10A-AustinBrauner
4. 19-Kyle Vanover
5. 84-Benji Legg
6. 26J-Justin Addison
7. 55X-Tim Drake
8. 51-Dillon Reese
9. 401K-Karter Granzella;
10. 57-Eric Cross

Heat 3 (9 Laps):

1. 24C-Brandon Conkwright
2. 63C-Austin Carter
3. 83-Jeff Ware
4. 94-Dan Nelson
5. 24R-Dillon Richards
6. 11W-Tim Watts
7. 38-Shaylon Holloway
8. 250-Tathan Burkhart
9. 19X-Ryan Ayers
10. 6N-Nick Bruegman

Heat 4 (9 Laps):

1. 72V-Jesse Vanlaningham
2. 37D-Brad Derry
3. 64X-Dusty Blake
4. 76-Lance Borgman
5. 6-Trace Ayers
6. 77KJed Williams
7. 30-Jordan Grabouski
8. 6X-Jeremy Down
9. 34-Max Harder