Published: August 08, 2007 11:47 am            

Tschoerner holds back Stapp at Corpus Christi Speedway

Auto Racing

Corpus Christi — Cary Stapp of San Marcos is the only multiple A-Line Auto Parts Series champion at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, and he’s won three times and finished second once in the four races so far in 2007.

But he got beat again last weekend, finishing second to Taylor’s Terry Tschoerner in an invitation race on the tight quarter-mile oval of Corpus Christi Speedway.

Tschoerner, another fan favorite who has helped everyone at the track at one time or another, got his first win of the season in the Terry’s Body Shop/Sweeney’s Performance Oldsmobile Cutlass.

“We drew for starting positions, and I drew the pole,” Tschoerner said. “Then Greg Rohmer from San Antonio drew the outside front row starting position, with Cary and Keith Garrett on the second row. I was just hoping to stay there and lead two laps.”

Rohmer is a former Sportsman Class champion at San Antonio Speedway; Garrett, from New Braunfels, is the only other driver to beat Stapp this season.

“What are the odds on a blind draw putting three of the top Sportsman/Super Stock drivers in Central Texas all in the first two rows? But I couldn’t have had two better guys behind me,” Tschoerner added. “Both Cary and Keith will race clean, but most of the race every time I looked in the mirror all I could see was the ‘Stapp Racing’ sign across the top of Cary’s windshield.”

Tschoerner had to get past Rohmer at the start, which wasn’t easy and the two made slight contact battling for the lead with Tschoerner getting the edge, then trying to hold off Stapp and Garrett. At the halfway point, he was still in the lead, trying to be smooth and hit his marks into and out of the turns.

“With three to go, I was still in front. White flag, now nobody’s going to get by me if I have to make the car really wide on the last lap,” Tschoerner said. “I was still waiting for Cary to make a run, but he didn’t and I got the win.”

Stapp, one of the cleanest drivers on the track, was actually trying hard, making contact with Tschoerner two or three times, two of them light touches and the third a little harder. Coming from a driver who almost never touches another car, those little hits showed just how hard Stapp was trying to get by Tschoerner. Garrett finished third, with Rohmer fourth.

San Antonio businesswoman Shelma Walton purchased Corpus Christi Speedway, a popular quarter-mile asphalt “bullring” two miles west of IH-37 in Corpus Christi, a few weeks ago. Walton scheduled a tribute race honoring long time owners Don and Carol Yocum and invited cars and drivers from tracks not racing on Aug. 4 to come join in the festivities, attracting 75 cars and drivers and a full house.

Aaron Brungot, president of the Junior Racers of America (JRA) Kids Club and a teammate of Tschoerners on the TBS Racing Team, also got the early jump and led the combined Road Runner/Hobby Stock field with rookie Anthony Gordon and Jamie Evans fighting for second until they touched and Gordon spun.

Brungot would lead for the first 15 laps, until Gordon spun by himself into the infield and came back on the track in front of traffic. Jason Stanley used the lapped traffic (and a smoke screen from Jody Wayne Stuart’s spinout and burnout) to get by Brungot and edge away in the last few laps for the win with Brungot second and Evans in third.

Nearly all of these drivers will be racing at Thunderhill this Saturday and back in the points battle for two Thunderhill championships. Stapp leads the A-Line Auto Parts Super Stock Series with Tschoerner and Garrett in the top eight chasing him. Brungot leads another teammate, Terry’s brother Joey, by one slim point in the Thunderhill Thunder Stock Series.



Mitchell wrecks in Houston

Trey Mitchell of Wimberley went to Houston Motorsports Park hoping for a top five-finish in the Texas Pro Modified Series double points race and was running with the leaders when Jason Morman got loose and slid up the track. Houston’s Brad Hudak slipped past on the inside and Mitchell followed, but Morman came down and clipped Mitchell, sending him about six feet into the air before the rear of Mitchell’s car came down hard, breaking everything back of the cockpit.

Mitchell was unhurt and ultimately credited with tenth place, but the car can’t be repaired in time to run at Thunderhill this weekend. Instead, the team will take their ASA late model to South Alabama Speedway in Opp for the third race in the Viper Series, the Mojave 100.

“We took the ASA car to Houston and shook it down, even ran five or six laps in the race to make sure it was okay, then parked it to concentrate on the modified, so the car is good to go,” Mitchell said Monday. The Viper Series usually attracts 20 or more of the top late model drivers in the Southeast.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.