Lechota, Moore, Taylor take Bike Night features at Owosso Speedway

Nick Lechota of Flushing came from ninth on the grid to win the Dort Financial Credit Union Street Stocks feature at Owosso Speedway on Marie Smith Kids Bike Night, according to results posted on the track's event page for the Aug. 15 program on the 3/8-mile asphalt oval at 7204 W. M-21 in Ovid.

It was a night of long runs forward. Randy Moore of Ashley won the Applebee's Oil and Propane Sport Compact A feature from eighth, and Aaron Taylor of Jackson won the Valley Freightliner Modified A feature from sixth. Between them, the three divisions drew 86 entries — 39 sport compacts, 26 modifieds and 21 street stocks — enough that the sport compacts and modifieds each needed a B feature to set the field.

The track's own description of the event says Owosso Speedway has "grown famous" for the bike giveaway, with thousands of bikes handed out over a 20-year span. The front gate opened at 4 p.m. and racing started at 6.

County drivers were scattered through the results. In the sport compacts, Joshua Harmon of Owosso started on the pole of the A feature and finished seventh; Dustin Workman of Elsie ran 10th after winning his heat from seventh, and Connor Jones of Owosso was 12th. Lily Kelley of Elsie won the sport compact B feature from 12th starting spot, and Josh Shiver of Owosso came from 15th to finish second in the same race. Madison Orta of Ovid and Kaden Huss of Ovid also raced the class.

In the modifieds, Ron Hart of Owosso qualified sixth quickest at 15.149 seconds and finished seventh. Dale Spencer of Ovid was 12th, Kyle Smith of Owosso 13th and Alexander Donnert of Ovid 17th. Bill Luckhurst of Owosso won the modified B feature. Alton Berry of Albion, Ind., started the modified feature from the pole and was its only retirement.

The street stock feature turned on where cars started rather than how fast they were. Gabe Carr of Scotts set quick time at 15.840 seconds but lined up 21st and finished eighth. Bobby Stremme of South Bend, Ind., was second from eighth, and Tom Stone of Linden third from 10th. Johnny Hayden of Durand won the first heat from fifth and finished ninth in the feature. Ryan Cords of Bancroft was one of three street stocks that did not start the main event.

The results page does not list feature lap counts, purse or attendance, and the track has not posted how many bikes were given away on the night.

What happens next

Owosso Speedway's championship stretch is underway. The Current reported that Championship Night 1 runs Saturday, Aug. 29, with gates at 4 p.m. and racing at 6, deciding titles in Late Model Sportsman, Pure Stocks, Trucks and the wedge/dwarf class. The three divisions that raced on Bike Night — street stocks, sport compacts and modifieds — settle their points championships on Championship Night 2 on Sept. 12, with pits open at 11 a.m. and racing at 6 p.m. The track has still not posted division points standings going into either night.