11/1/09
Troy Regier Wins the Battle and the War
by Gerald Laurie
Troy Regier not only won the Saturday’s fifty lap Supermodified feature at the LVMS Bullring, he
took the 2009 Supermodified Racing Association Championship by merely starting the feature.
This was the eighth time Troy has won the West Coast Championship in recent years. Although
many were expecting Troy to announce his retirement from full time competition in Victory Lane,
no announcement was forthcoming and he refused to get specific when asked in the pits after
the races.
There were 12 Supermodifieds in the pits with five additional competitors stuck on the East side
of the Rockies by a huge Blizzard. One Colorado competitor called and said they had made
twenty miles in four and a half hours and they all just packed it in and went home. Maybe next
year.
The first event for the SMRA Supermodifieds was qualifying. Jeff Russell set fast time at 12.803
seconds on the 3/8 mile banking. Troy Regier was next fastest at 12.820 followed by Bryan Warf
at 12.853, Jim Birges at 13.042, and A.J. Russell at 13.096.
The first eight lap heat lined up with Rick Cameron on the pole followed by A.J. Russell, Bryan
Warf, Jeff Russell, and George Greenway. Justin Mack scratched from the line up with a blown
head gasket suffered during qualifying. A.J. took the lead from the outside with Jeff following him
through. Cameron held third over Warf and Greenway. The battle for the lead and the battle for
third included heavy dicing as the followers tried to become leaders. Warf finally snookered
Cameron on lap five and went off in pursuit of the leaders. Meanwhile, Jeff Russell was trying
both high and low to get around A.J. However, at the eight lap checkers, A.J. held sway over Jeff,
Warf, and Cameron. Greenway had headed to the pits after three laps.
The second heat line-up featured Willie Northamer, Tim Skoglund, Kirk Wartman, Jim Birges, Troy
Regier, and Ray Stebbins. Skoglund and Birges blew around the top of turn one and then Birges
dove low to lead lap one over Regier, Skoglund, Wartman and Northamer. Birges was very strong
at the front and Regier was tight on his tail. Skoglund and Wartman were battling for third in tight
formation as well. Stebbins headed for the pits on lap two. Birges and Regier ran lap after lap in
the 12.6 to 12.8 second range, but Birges continued to lead to the end. At the Checkers, it was
Birges over Regier, Skoglund, Wartman and Northamer.
The remaining eleven SMRA cars lined up for the fifty lap feature with Willie Northamer and Time
Skoglund on the front row. Rick Cameron, Kirk Wartman, A.J. Russell and Jim Birges occupied
the second and third rows. Bryan Warf, Troy Regier, Jeff Russell, George Greenway, and Ray
Stebbins rounded out the field. Skoglund, Wartman, and Birges all scooted around Northamer on
lap one with A. Russell in fifth. Lap two saw Birges slip into second place with Cameron to fifth as
Northamer slid rearward. Birges passed Skoglund for the lead on lap three and headed for hills.
Regier displaced Cameron from the top five on lap four. Skoglund, in his first Supermodified start
was racing for all he was worth in second, but a whole herd of veterans were nipping at his heels
as Birges headed for a different zip code out front. Bryan Warf and Jeff Russell were all over
Cameron in sixth trying to work their way to the front. On lap six, A.J. used the lapped car of
Stebbins as a pick to take third from Wartman. Regier relegated Wartman to fifth on the eighth
circuit. while Warf had finally passed Cameron.
Birges lapped Greenway on the ninth round. Lap ten saw Regier take third from Russell and Warf
take fifth from Wartman. After ten laps the order was Birges over Skoglund, Regier, A. Russell and
Warf. Second through fifth were in a real fur-ball while Birges had it set on cruise control. Jeff
Russell was all over Cameron just behind the lead pack. Northamer lost the lead lap on the leader’
s lap eleven. Regier was going high and low trying to get by Skoglund who was rapidly catching
the lapped car of Greenway. Tim was holding the preferred line and Regier was hunting all over
for traction to get by. Cameron moved up a position at Wartman’s expense on lap twelve. Warf
took over third from A.J. on lap thirteen. Regier finally displaced Skoglund on lap fourteen and set
out after Birges from nearly a half lap back on lap fourteen. Jeff Russell took seventh from
Wartman on lap fifteen. Regier ran a lap at 12.437 (Track Record is 12.596) as he rushed to knock
down Birges’s lead. Warf passed Skoglund for third on lap nineteen. After twenty laps, the order
was Birges over Regier, Warf, Skoglund, A. Russell, J. Russell, Cameron and Wartman. All of the
above were on the lead lap.
Birges times were falling into the mid 13 second range while Troy was catching him at nearly a
second per lap. Regier passed for the lead on lap twenty two and A.J. Russell headed for the pits.
Regier lapped Wartman on the lap twenty three and was pulling out a substantial lead as Warf
was reeling in Birges. Warf took second on lap twenty six and Jeff Russell caught up with
Skoglund to enter a battle for fourth. Regier lapped Cameron on lap twenty eight just as the
yellow flew when Greenway coasted to a stop just past the start-finish line with copious amounts
of fluid draining from the number eight. Simultaneously, Northamer executed a half spin in turn
two. Birges exited the track under the yellow with overheating problems. Apparently there was
fluid in all four corners as well as draining off the front stretch. The red flag was thrown for a
lengthy clean up and the cars were staged on the backstretch to await the restart.
When the cars were restarted, Regier had the lead over Warf, Skoglund, Jeff Russell, and
Cameron. One or more laps down were Wartman and Northamer. Warf moved up on Regier and
ran nose to tail with the leader. Russell finally cleared the lapped traffic and started his stalk of
Skoglund for third on lap thirty one. There were two very interesting battles going on for the next
segment with Warf hounding Regier and Russell all over Skoglund who was running a nearly
perfect line to keep him at bay. At the forty lap juncture, Regier led over Warf, Skoglund, Russell
and Cameron, all on the lead lap. Jeff finally disposed of Skoglund on lap forty one and set out to
catch Regier and Warf. Regier lapped Cameron on lap forty two. The leaders were running laps
around 13 flat and Jeff Russell was running 12.8’s, but he was well behind. When the battle was
finally over, Regier took the victory (he has won every Supermodified feature event ever run at the
LasVegas Motor Speedway Bullring) over a hard charging Bryan Warf, a rapidly closing Jeff
Russell, a nearly ecstatic Time Skoglund, and Rick Cameron.
It was my intention when going to Las Vegas to cover both the SMRA Supers and the USAC
Midgets at the Bullring. However, I got drafted to call the race for SMRA when they came up short
for officials, so I wasn’t able to devote the time to adequately cover the USAC portion of the show.
I offer my apologies to Tommy Hunt and the rest of the USAC Officials and Competitors for not
covering their portion of the show.
From inside the head of the idiot who drove 800 miles and spent 12 hours at a race track inside of
a 25.5 hour timeframe, I am the Racing Widow’s Husband.
October 31, 2009
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring
Supermodified Racing Association
Qualifications: 1. 85 Jeff Russell, 12.803; 2. 98 Troy Regier, 12.820; 3. 91 Bryan Warf, 12.853; 4. 32
Jim Birges, 13.042; 5. 7 A.J. Russell, 13.096; 6.056 Kirk Wartman, 13.357; 7. 2 Rick Cameron,
13.413; 8. 89 Tim Skoglund, 13.726; 9. 8X George Greenway, 14.020; 10. 15 Willie Northammer,
14.368; 11. 34 Justin Mack, N/T; 12. 28 Ray Stebbins, N/T.
Heat 1: 1. A. Russell; 2. J. Russell; 3. Warf; 4. Cameron; 5.Greenway; 6. Mack, DNS
Heat 2: 1.Birges; 2. Regier; 3. Skoglund; 4. Wartman; 5. Northamer; 6. Stebbins.
Feature: 1. Regier; 2. Warf; 3. J. Russell; 4. Skoglund; 5. Cameron; 6. Wartman; 7. Northamer; 8.
Birges; 9. Greenway; 10 A. Russell; 11. Stebbins; 12. Mack, DNS.
Troy Regier Wins the Battle and the War
by Gerald Laurie
Troy Regier not only won the Saturday’s fifty lap Supermodified feature at the LVMS Bullring, he
took the 2009 Supermodified Racing Association Championship by merely starting the feature.
This was the eighth time Troy has won the West Coast Championship in recent years. Although
many were expecting Troy to announce his retirement from full time competition in Victory Lane,
no announcement was forthcoming and he refused to get specific when asked in the pits after
the races.
There were 12 Supermodifieds in the pits with five additional competitors stuck on the East side
of the Rockies by a huge Blizzard. One Colorado competitor called and said they had made
twenty miles in four and a half hours and they all just packed it in and went home. Maybe next
year.
The first event for the SMRA Supermodifieds was qualifying. Jeff Russell set fast time at 12.803
seconds on the 3/8 mile banking. Troy Regier was next fastest at 12.820 followed by Bryan Warf
at 12.853, Jim Birges at 13.042, and A.J. Russell at 13.096.
The first eight lap heat lined up with Rick Cameron on the pole followed by A.J. Russell, Bryan
Warf, Jeff Russell, and George Greenway. Justin Mack scratched from the line up with a blown
head gasket suffered during qualifying. A.J. took the lead from the outside with Jeff following him
through. Cameron held third over Warf and Greenway. The battle for the lead and the battle for
third included heavy dicing as the followers tried to become leaders. Warf finally snookered
Cameron on lap five and went off in pursuit of the leaders. Meanwhile, Jeff Russell was trying
both high and low to get around A.J. However, at the eight lap checkers, A.J. held sway over Jeff,
Warf, and Cameron. Greenway had headed to the pits after three laps.
The second heat line-up featured Willie Northamer, Tim Skoglund, Kirk Wartman, Jim Birges, Troy
Regier, and Ray Stebbins. Skoglund and Birges blew around the top of turn one and then Birges
dove low to lead lap one over Regier, Skoglund, Wartman and Northamer. Birges was very strong
at the front and Regier was tight on his tail. Skoglund and Wartman were battling for third in tight
formation as well. Stebbins headed for the pits on lap two. Birges and Regier ran lap after lap in
the 12.6 to 12.8 second range, but Birges continued to lead to the end. At the Checkers, it was
Birges over Regier, Skoglund, Wartman and Northamer.
The remaining eleven SMRA cars lined up for the fifty lap feature with Willie Northamer and Time
Skoglund on the front row. Rick Cameron, Kirk Wartman, A.J. Russell and Jim Birges occupied
the second and third rows. Bryan Warf, Troy Regier, Jeff Russell, George Greenway, and Ray
Stebbins rounded out the field. Skoglund, Wartman, and Birges all scooted around Northamer on
lap one with A. Russell in fifth. Lap two saw Birges slip into second place with Cameron to fifth as
Northamer slid rearward. Birges passed Skoglund for the lead on lap three and headed for hills.
Regier displaced Cameron from the top five on lap four. Skoglund, in his first Supermodified start
was racing for all he was worth in second, but a whole herd of veterans were nipping at his heels
as Birges headed for a different zip code out front. Bryan Warf and Jeff Russell were all over
Cameron in sixth trying to work their way to the front. On lap six, A.J. used the lapped car of
Stebbins as a pick to take third from Wartman. Regier relegated Wartman to fifth on the eighth
circuit. while Warf had finally passed Cameron.
Birges lapped Greenway on the ninth round. Lap ten saw Regier take third from Russell and Warf
take fifth from Wartman. After ten laps the order was Birges over Skoglund, Regier, A. Russell and
Warf. Second through fifth were in a real fur-ball while Birges had it set on cruise control. Jeff
Russell was all over Cameron just behind the lead pack. Northamer lost the lead lap on the leader’
s lap eleven. Regier was going high and low trying to get by Skoglund who was rapidly catching
the lapped car of Greenway. Tim was holding the preferred line and Regier was hunting all over
for traction to get by. Cameron moved up a position at Wartman’s expense on lap twelve. Warf
took over third from A.J. on lap thirteen. Regier finally displaced Skoglund on lap fourteen and set
out after Birges from nearly a half lap back on lap fourteen. Jeff Russell took seventh from
Wartman on lap fifteen. Regier ran a lap at 12.437 (Track Record is 12.596) as he rushed to knock
down Birges’s lead. Warf passed Skoglund for third on lap nineteen. After twenty laps, the order
was Birges over Regier, Warf, Skoglund, A. Russell, J. Russell, Cameron and Wartman. All of the
above were on the lead lap.
Birges times were falling into the mid 13 second range while Troy was catching him at nearly a
second per lap. Regier passed for the lead on lap twenty two and A.J. Russell headed for the pits.
Regier lapped Wartman on the lap twenty three and was pulling out a substantial lead as Warf
was reeling in Birges. Warf took second on lap twenty six and Jeff Russell caught up with
Skoglund to enter a battle for fourth. Regier lapped Cameron on lap twenty eight just as the
yellow flew when Greenway coasted to a stop just past the start-finish line with copious amounts
of fluid draining from the number eight. Simultaneously, Northamer executed a half spin in turn
two. Birges exited the track under the yellow with overheating problems. Apparently there was
fluid in all four corners as well as draining off the front stretch. The red flag was thrown for a
lengthy clean up and the cars were staged on the backstretch to await the restart.
When the cars were restarted, Regier had the lead over Warf, Skoglund, Jeff Russell, and
Cameron. One or more laps down were Wartman and Northamer. Warf moved up on Regier and
ran nose to tail with the leader. Russell finally cleared the lapped traffic and started his stalk of
Skoglund for third on lap thirty one. There were two very interesting battles going on for the next
segment with Warf hounding Regier and Russell all over Skoglund who was running a nearly
perfect line to keep him at bay. At the forty lap juncture, Regier led over Warf, Skoglund, Russell
and Cameron, all on the lead lap. Jeff finally disposed of Skoglund on lap forty one and set out to
catch Regier and Warf. Regier lapped Cameron on lap forty two. The leaders were running laps
around 13 flat and Jeff Russell was running 12.8’s, but he was well behind. When the battle was
finally over, Regier took the victory (he has won every Supermodified feature event ever run at the
LasVegas Motor Speedway Bullring) over a hard charging Bryan Warf, a rapidly closing Jeff
Russell, a nearly ecstatic Time Skoglund, and Rick Cameron.
It was my intention when going to Las Vegas to cover both the SMRA Supers and the USAC
Midgets at the Bullring. However, I got drafted to call the race for SMRA when they came up short
for officials, so I wasn’t able to devote the time to adequately cover the USAC portion of the show.
I offer my apologies to Tommy Hunt and the rest of the USAC Officials and Competitors for not
covering their portion of the show.
From inside the head of the idiot who drove 800 miles and spent 12 hours at a race track inside of
a 25.5 hour timeframe, I am the Racing Widow’s Husband.
October 31, 2009
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring
Supermodified Racing Association
Qualifications: 1. 85 Jeff Russell, 12.803; 2. 98 Troy Regier, 12.820; 3. 91 Bryan Warf, 12.853; 4. 32
Jim Birges, 13.042; 5. 7 A.J. Russell, 13.096; 6.056 Kirk Wartman, 13.357; 7. 2 Rick Cameron,
13.413; 8. 89 Tim Skoglund, 13.726; 9. 8X George Greenway, 14.020; 10. 15 Willie Northammer,
14.368; 11. 34 Justin Mack, N/T; 12. 28 Ray Stebbins, N/T.
Heat 1: 1. A. Russell; 2. J. Russell; 3. Warf; 4. Cameron; 5.Greenway; 6. Mack, DNS
Heat 2: 1.Birges; 2. Regier; 3. Skoglund; 4. Wartman; 5. Northamer; 6. Stebbins.
Feature: 1. Regier; 2. Warf; 3. J. Russell; 4. Skoglund; 5. Cameron; 6. Wartman; 7. Northamer; 8.
Birges; 9. Greenway; 10 A. Russell; 11. Stebbins; 12. Mack, DNS.
