TODD HENRICHS Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Sunday, May 28, 2006 7:00 pm
GREENWOOD — It’s been quite a week for Steve Kosiski.
Only days after being named one of the all-time greats in NASCAR weekly racing history, Kosiski proved he’s still one to contend with Sunday night at I-80 Speedway.
Kosiski took the lead from Kelly Boen on lap 2 and held off repeated challenges by the Colorado driver to take the 50-lap Alphabet Soup feature race.
“My car was feeling good and I wasn’t about to give it to them,” said Kosiski, who compared the win — worth $5,000 — to some of the biggest victories of his career.
A field of 79 late models turned out to race for points in the WDRL, NCRA and MLRA late-model series.
“That’s quite a field,” Kosiski said. “This one’s building as big as any of them.”
Boen, the pole sitter, and Kosiski shared the front row after finishing 1-2 in Sunday’s pole dash for the top qualifiers. Boen tagged the wall twice in the early going but never lost touch with Kosiski, who withstood four restarts in the first 18 laps and slower traffic in a 32-lap green-flag run to the finish.
Boen’s best challenge came on lap 20 as he briefly nosed into the lead off turn one. Kosiski, however, had the preferred high line and regained the advantage racing off turn two.
Kosiski’s margin of victory was nearly 0.7 seconds.
Boen finished second, surviving a white-flag lap tangle with third-place finisher Clint Smith. John Hampel and Denny Eckrich rounded out the top five.
Kansas import Grant Junghans won the feature race for modifieds while Bill Leighton Jr. won in the grand nationals division.
Top finishers in Sunday’s feature events:
Late models—1. Steve Kosiski; 2. Kelly Boen; 3. Clint Smith; 4. John Hampel; 5. Denny Eckrich.
Modifieds—1. Grant Junghans; 2. Dan Mueller; 3. Jesse Dennis; 4. J.C. Wyman; 5. Brian Foote.
Grand nationals—1. Bill Leighton Jr.; 2. Dave Doll; 3. Mike Wallace; 4. Ron Tex Jr.; 5. Dave Livingston.
Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7439 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.