"Digger Helm Short Track National"

Article by Jamey Blunt  -    Photos by VFT

Eddie Mulder's W.C.V.D.T. Series
Round #5 Willow Springs Raceway
Walt James Stadium
10-18-2009

The Rod Lake Racing Dash for Cash started the day's final events, where the five fastest pro heat race winners battled for $2,000 for five laps. Sammy Halbert led into turn one followed by Joe Kopp, J.R. Schnaubel, Jared Mees, and Jimmy Wood. Exiting turn four Kopp got a drive and shot past Halbert to lead the first lap. Mees went to work on Schnaubel for three laps as Halbert took the lead upon entering turn one starting lap four, only to go wide mid-corner and have Kopp take it back. Halbert then threw it all away on the exit from turn two sending him to the ground hard down the back straight. Kopp with the pressure off cruised to the victory with Schnabel holding Mees off for second and Wood alone in fourth.

Tensions were high as the seventeen pros staged for the twenty lap Digger Helm Open Pro final. Joe Kopp read starter Fred Allen and nailed the start to lead into turn one. Sammy Halbert launched from the middle of the front row straight for Kopp and the two came together between turns one and two with Halbert taking Kopp out by the exit from turn two. Kopp was up quickly unhurt and waited patiently for the restart that never came. On the first trip down the back straight Jimmy Wood took over the lead followed by J.R. Schnaubel, Briar Bauman, Jared Mees, with Halbert back in the ninth position. Entering turn three for the second time Mees took third away from Bauman, while Jeff Carver rapidly moving forward was up to fifth with Halbert now into sixth. Exiting turn two for the third time Schnaubel used his H.D. horse power to go past Wood to lead. A lap later Carver displaced Bauman back to fifth only to have Halbert drop him to sixth on the entrance to turn three a lap later. Back at the front Schnaubel appeared to be getting away while Wood began to fade. Mees was up to second by lap eight with Carver getting past Wood  a lap later putting Wood back to fourth. On the entrance to turn three the next time around Halbert was also past Wood, (this putting Halbert in the lead for the $4,000 MAXXIS TIRES point fund money) and wasn't finished yet. Carver was Halbert's next victim was Carver as he took over third position. At the front Schnaubel had a two second gap and looked untouchable. At the half way point Brandan Bergen went down between turns three and four while Bauman re-gathered himself and found more speed. 
For three laps Carver, Halbert and Mees fought over second position until Halbert finally broke away. While Bauman closed fast on Carver and Mees, Halbert was closing on Schnaubel. With three laps remaining Bauman got both Mees and Carver for third, as Halbert waited until just after the white flag to make his move past a stunned Schnaubel to steal the victory.