Weaver Opens NALMS Illinois Speedweek with Tri-City Win!

By Steve Birmingham
 

August 11, 2004; Granite City, IL -In his first appearance at Tri-City Speedway in years, Kevin Weaver remembered the fast way around the tight quarter-mile dirt and captured the opening round of the Northern Allstars Late Model Series' Illinois Speedweek.

Even though it was DuPont Automotive Finshes presents "Ed Dixon Hall of Fame Recognition Night," in honor of the Washington, Missouri driver's August 14 induction into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, Weaver was not humbled and sped to a five-length lead at the checkers.

Starting from the outside front row, Weaver chased leader Brian Shirley while trying to hold off Randy Korte and Rodney Melvin. Korte wrested the lead from Shirley on lap five and held sway for the next 10 laps before Weaver finally took the lead. For the remaining 15 laps Weaver threaded through traffic with Korte shadowing every move. Following Weaver and Korte across the stripe were Shirley, Melvin, Eric Smith, Roger Long, Dixon, Rhon Moon, Duane Chamberlain and Michael Kloos.

Wes Steidinger set fast time with a 12.319 second-lap on the swift quarter-mile but suffered severe right front damage in a first heat tussle with Justin Anderson. Steidinger thrashed the car the rest of the night, eventually tagging the tail end of main event and becoming the first to drop out. Shirley, Korte and Weaver won the 10-lap qualifiers while Ken Rumble took the 12-lap Semi.

Rusty Griffaw won the UMP Modified main over Bobby Martintoni and Mike Harrison, his first career Tri-City victory. Griffaw, Ray Walsh and Martintoni won the qualifiers.