cottagegrovespeedway Archives

Whisler wins Wednesday bout at Cottage Grove

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (Aug. 21, 2024) – Eston Whisler, who was on the verge of victory at Cottage Grove Speedway earlier this month, was granted redemption in the fifth leg of the prestigious Midweek Mayhem Series. He earned his first win of the season in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds after making the pass for the lead around the midway point and holding on to the coveted top spot after a late-race restart. The main event was a showcase of intense competition. Kevin Williamson set a rapid pace in the early stages but the race was far from decided. The pack remained close due to two cautions, and the tension escalated when Whisler began his impressive run on the bottom after a restart with eight complete. Whisler made the appropriate pass for the lead on lap 12 and took off from there. His hard work would be washed away due to a caution on the 22nd circuit. When things got back to full speed, Whisler, [Read More]

Winebarger wows Cottage Grove crowd

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (Aug. 14, 2024) – Collen Winebarger brought a thrilling finish to the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event, to win on the last lap in the latest round of the Midweek Mayhem Series at Cottage Grove Speedway. The outside pole starter seized the initial race lead in the 25-lap finale but that reign was short-lived as reigning track champion Jake Mayden powered around him the next time around the 1/4-mile clay oval. When things slowed down due to a caution, things heated right back up on the restart as Winebarger was back into the trailblazing role and scored the leader on lap 12. The race stayed green for a couple more trips past the flag stand before the final yellow flag came out with six to go. This restart would set up an exciting finish. When the race resumed, Winebarger was under threat from Carter Patterson. The competition was intense, with Patterson making several attempts to overtake the leader. After several laps, Patterson finally got in an excellent rhythm [Read More]

Points, Kennerly collect Cottage Grove checkers

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (Aug. 10, 2024) – Checkers flew Saturday for Trevor Points and Michael Kennerly following their respective IMCA feature wins on Wallbanger Cup Night at Cottage Grove Speedway. Don Moore began the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod main event as the race leader. Shortly after securing the lead, Todd Shandy put him under fire, coming to challenge and make a pass underneath Moore to become the new leader on lap three. Shandy took off, but before he could get too far ahead, a caution came out with six complete. Dalton Bloom powered his way into second on the restart. He tried to reel in the leader but experienced a severe tire rub that flattened his right rear tire, resulting in another yellow on lap nine. Jordan Henry inherited the position. Henry was under a heavy barrage when the field returned to speed from Points. Points finally got into second on the 14th circuit, just before the final caution came out. On the restart, Points got around Shandy for the race [Read More]

Whisler wheels to Loggers’ Cup win

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (July 27, 2024) – Ian Whisler wheeled, and willed, himself to a dominating Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win during Cottage Grove Speedway’s Virgil Hanson Memorial Loggers’ Cup. Carter Patterson powered to the front on the opening lap. Behind him, Eston Whisler duked it out with Bricen James for second. James secured the runner-up position only to have his night end when mechanical problems ended his night early and brought out a caution. John Campos and Whisler inherited second and third, respectively. When the restart got the field back up to speed, Ian Whisler, the younger of the Whisler brothers, blitzed toward the front and captured the race lead by the completion of the third circuit. While he tried to establish a sizable gap, a fierce competition for second occurred with Patterson, Eston Whisler and Campos all going at it. Campos moved into second place on a restart. Ian Whisler again got out to a healthy lead but was slowed down with eight laps remaining due to the event’s [Read More]

Mayden, Points prevail in Midweek Mayhem at Cottage Grove

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (July 17, 2024) – Wednesday provided the second installment of the brand-new Midweek Mayhem series at Cottage Grove Speedway, with IMCA feature wins going to Jake Mayden and Trevor Points. When the green flag dropped for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, it was Paul Rea who led the pack. He soon found himself in a heated battle with Mayden, who was determined to challenge for the race lead. Rea got some breathing room, but before too long, Mayden worked the bottom of the racing surface brilliantly to beat Rea to the wire on lap four by a mere three hundredths of a second. Mayden pedaled hard to separate from the runner-up and the race for second erupted into a complete melee. Carter Patterson threaded the needle under Rea on the eighth circuit, but Rea was able to get back around him on the following lap. As Rea and Patterson battled, it brought Kevin Williamson into the fold to create a three-car contest for second 11 laps into the contest. [Read More]

Cottage Grove wraps up 2024 Freedom Cup

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (July 6, 2024) – Cottage Grove Speedway was in action for the third and final night of the 2024 Freedom Cup mini-series on Saturday. Feature winners during the evening were Curtis Towns in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Jesse Williamson in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods. The Modified main got off to a thrilling start as Steven Sturdevant and Braedon Hand battled in the opening corner and Kevin Williamson made it a three-wide tussle for first place in turns three and four. Hand was first at the line on the opening lap while Towns made a blitzing move to grab second just before a lap two yellow. Towns pursed Hand after the restart with several challenges underneath the leader. As the frontrunners squared off, Paul Rea stayed close behind waiting for his own opportunity. The caution came out again with nine circuits completed. Hand had have issues shortly after the green flag returned, allowing Towns to take over the top spot and Jake Mayden made a [Read More]

Night two Freedom Cup wins to Muth, Sanders

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (July 5, 2024) – Night two of the Freedom Cup holiday special at Cottage Grove Speedway saw Brett Muth race to his first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win. The hometown hero, third in the opening night main event, led every lap of the non-stop feature and took the checkers ahead of Thursday winner Jake Mayden and Kevin Williamson. Muth started on the outside of the front row, kept Kevin Williamson and Bennett Bray of Roseburg in check when the green flag waved and promptly started to check out. Williamson, with a busted component on his right front, fought hard to maintain second but was soon challenged by Mayden, who in turn had his hands full with Aaron Sheelar. Mayden finally broke through on the 18th circuit with a double overtake. He had a lot of speed and began chomping into Muth’s advantage but ran out of time to run down the leader. Sheelar and Zane Miner chased Muth, Mayden and Williamson across the stripe. After racing from 11th to [Read More]

Freedom Cup openers go to Mayden, Sanders

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (July 4, 2024) – Cottage Grove Speedway celebrated Independence Day and the facility’s sixty-eighth birthday while Jake Mayden and Matt Sanders celebrated IMCA feature wins on the first of three nights of Freedom Cup action. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature began with a pair of CGS champions battling it out as Mayden and Braedon Hand tussled. Hand led the opening stanza but was overtaken by Mayden on the next trip around the track. Mayden started to check out by a healthy margin, and behind him was a firecracker of a run from Brett Muth, who quickly moved from sixth into third on the 11th circuit. Two laps later, Muth climbed into second while Paul Rea made a surge to secure third place. Things cooled down briefly for the lone stoppage of the main event with 18 laps complete. When the green flag waved again, the competition heated up for the second position between Rea and Muth. Rea eventually secured the runner-up spot and Curtis Towns made an excellent restart [Read More]

Henderson flies to finish at Froggy 44

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (June 29, 2024) – Cottage Grove Speedway paid tribute to the late Melvin Walker and Dusten Henderson went home with the $444 payday from Saturday’s Froggy 44 special for Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Henderson made his way to the front from sixth starting, taking the double checkers ahead of Burnie Bryant. The Froggy 44 finale started with Kerry Cooper building a big lead as Michael Kennerly and Melissa Bryant battled over second. As the race stayed green, Burnie Bryant got around daughter Melissa for second on lap eight and tried to catch up with Cooper while Henderson started to knock on the door for third. The caution waved on lap 10 and on the restart, Kennerly bounced back to fourth and obtained third with a pass around Melissa Bryant. Henderson rebounded to third with 32 laps to go. While all this happened, Cooper and Burnie Bryant were a close first and second. After a multi-car pile-up in turn two, the yellow flag returned on the 14th circuit. On the [Read More]

Mayden, Shandy, Kennerly are Midweek winners at Cottage Grove

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (June 26, 2024) – Cottage Grove Speedway hosted its first of six Midweek Madness shows with Wednesday night IMCA feature wins going to Jake Mayden, Jacob Shandy and Michael Kennerly In the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main, Braedon Hand and Curtis Towns battled for the top spot with Towns grabbing the early lead as Mayden got into the mix. Mayden tried unsuccessfully to slip underneath Towns on laps two and three. Lapped traffic came into play on the eighth circuit and Mayden saw his persistence pay dividends with a sweeping move to the front on lap 11. As the race progressed without any interruptions, the field began to spread out. Mayden drove to a dominating win, his first of the season, by a margin of 6.826 seconds. Kevin Williamson caught Towns for second on lap 19. Shandy led the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods into the first set of turns but Matt Brown was the leader when the opening circuit was scored. The first of three cautions came out [Read More]