Published: October 17, 2008 12:24 am         

Speedway ready to crown champs

With only one point night remaining in the 2008 season at Enid Speedway Park, action promises to be fast and furious Saturday night as drivers scramble for championships and coveted top 10 positions.

Joe Adams has neatly wrapped up the crown in the premier modified division as he goes into the final night with a 231-point advantage over Dusty Robbins.

Adams is one of the most successful drivers in the history of Enid Speedway Park with more than 46 victories, racing in almost every division on the track from mini stocks to modifieds.

Though he has been in a position to take the crown numerous times, this is the first season that he has seriously set his sights on a championship.

“I want to win both the overall and first half championship,’’ said Adams. “I’m in a good position now and I just want to win as races as possible. I go out on the track and try to win every week.”

Adams has seven wins in his second year in modifieds, aboard his Dunsworth Machine-powered ride.

“Gene and Linda Richardson (the owners of his No. 6 car) bought me a brand new car this year and it has made a world of difference,’’ said Adams. “Enid is a kind of a local track for Kraft Race cars and they are really getting things figured out.’’

Adams drives a 2008 Kraft Race Car, sponsored by Platinum Motorsports and Platinum Tire Service.

Pond Creek’s Greg Deterding escapes the academic pressures at Oklahoma State University by racing in the limited modifieds.

Deterding started racing go-carts at 14. In 2006 he sold his equipment for the leap to stock car racing. He enjoys the camaraderie of the drivers.

“This is a neat class, you can race from here to North Dakota,’’ he said. “The guys in this division are competitive and drive real clean. I’ve made a lot of new friends out here.’’

He leads the division by 92 points over Ross McCartney. He has posted one win this season aboard his No. 85, which sports a Gould Racing chassis and his powered by a Dunsworth Machine motor.

Veteran driver Jerry “The Warrior” Derr has wrapped up the points chase in the street stock class with a whopping 263-point advantage over 13-time champion Bill Beebe. The chase in this class is for second with both Jon Herring Sr. and Ryan Bohnstedt only 25 points behind Beebe.

Derr began racing when he was six years old behind the wheel of a go-cart chasing checkered flags from Houston to Kansas City. Since then he has raced street stocks, pro stocks, TIDA late models and modifieds. Derr has been competing on the local oval for more than two decades.

Ronnie Ramer, of Omega, may be 60 years old, but he has demonstrated weekly at Enid Speedway Park he still has all the right stuff when it comes stock car racing.

Ramer has made his way to victory lane six times in factory stock this season, often competing against men less than a third his age. He goes into the final point night of the season with a 47-point advantage over David Fisher.

“I like racing with the young guys,” said Ramer. “My dad asked me when I was going to retire and I told him when I couldn’t compete with them anymore.”

With only one point show remaining in pure stocks Tommy Bohnstedt, of Hennessey, is sitting pretty with a 80-point lead over Tim Smart. Michael Meek is 18 points behind Smart for second.

While the point season is almost over, plenty of racing action remains. The 43rd annual Winter Nationals is scheduled for Oct. 24-26.