Sikeston driver picks up first win out west

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A Sikeston racer competing in the NASCAR Winston West Series led a list of local competitors with big holiday weekends.

Sammy Potashnick, 27, led the final 43 laps of the Bank One 250 at Rocky Mountain Raceways near Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, wrapping up his first win on the tour.

It was his 42nd race with the series since his debut in 1997. He finished as high as second place last season.

Potashnick, who lives in Bakersfield, Calif., has two events left on the circuit starting Oct. 13 at Las Vegas. The tour ends in Irwindale, Calif., Nov. 10.

Other racers had productive weekends closer to home.

Brent Glastetter, formerly of Oran, Mo., and now in Mooresville, N.C., returned to the area Monday and finished 10th in the Federated Auto Parts 100 on the 1-mile dirt track at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds. Other notables: Winston Cup star Tony Stewart was second; Ken Schrader fourth; and former sprint racer Jim Eubanks of Dexter, Mo., in 14th.

Joey Mack of Benton, Mo., finished seventh to highlight a busy weekend on the Mid America Racing Series schedule. Mack was seventh at Monett (Mo.) Speedway on Sunday, the third stop in a four-day weekend for the dirt late model series.

Chad Jones of Senath, Mo., who spent a couple of seasons racing stock cars and sprints at local tracks, returned to the Pennsylvania-based All Star sprint series Saturday. He finished 11th Sunday at Hartford, Ohio, and 17th Monday at Attica, Ohio.

Sikeston's Jerrod Hull, who remains 10th in the All Star tour's season standings, skipped that group's weekend schedule and picked up a $2,000 win Friday at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway. Indiana's Paul May, who made his mark locally with a pair of early season wins at Benton's Auto Tire and Parts Racepark, was fifth. Tim Montgomery of Fredericktown won the second leg of the two-day Illinois-Missouri Shootout when it went to St. Francois Co. Raceway near Farmington, Mo.

What's ahead

The I-55 Nationals for dirt late models is on for Sept. 15 at I-55 Raceway near Pevely, Mo. The event pays $10,000 to the winner. Call (636) 479-3219 for information.

The annual Cowpatty Classic is expected to draw top names to the Poinsett Co. Raceway near Harrisburg, Ark. That two-day late model event that begins today is worth $6,000 to the winner. Call (870) 578-2224 for information.

Paducah (Ky.) Raceway features a $5,000-to-win late model event a week from today. Call (270) 898-7469 for information.

Jamie Hall is editor of graphics and design at the Southeast Missourian. Reach him at (800) 879-1210, extension 174, or at jhall@semissourian.com