MORRIS, Ill. — Two-time track champion Ricky Baker won both 25-lap late model stock car features at Grundy County Speedway Friday night and took home the track’s Illinois State Championship title.
Baker, who won the speedway’s late model titles in 2013 and 2014, wheeled his Rod Baker Ford-sponsored No. 52 to the victories, giving the 37-year-old Plainfield, Ill., resident his first two wins of the season at the third-mile, paved oval.
Feature race No. 1 saw Baker defeat Jim Weber by .394 seconds at the checkered flag. Fast-qualifier D.J. Weltmeyer finished third, followed by Anthony Danta, Joe Vinachi and Matt Chester.
The second feature of the night again saw Baker, Weber and Weltmeyer finish one-two-three with Vinachi, Jake Gille and Dean Patterson rounding out the top six in the 15-car starting field.
Twin 25-lap feature races for sportsman division competitors were won by Kevin Murphy and Vince Cooper.
Murphy bested last week’s feature winner David Einhaus in the first 25 lapper with Jeff Wakeman, Rickey Mathis Jr. and Sean Matthuis rounding out the top five. In the second 25-lap feature, it was Cooper, Matthuis and Murphy, followed by fast-timer Marqus Hoover and Mathis. Murphy was the evening’s overall sportsman Illinois State Championship crown.
Father and son, Scott and Scotty Gardner were winners of 25-lap street stock features. It was Scott and Gardner finishing one-two in the first 25-lap headliner, followed by Randy Weese, James Dean and Chad Bayuk.
Wrapping up overall honors, Scotty Gardner grabbed the win in feature race No. 2, finishing ahead of Weese, Scott Gardner, Dean and Bayuk.
Four-cylinder division feature races were won Kristi Odom and Johnathan Stevens with Jacob Senerchia winning both Super Cup Series features.