Name: Dan Hersey
Track: Cherry (MI) Speedway
Class: Super Street Stock
Dan Hersey started his racing career in 2000, racing in the Super StreetStock division at the 3/8-mile Cherry Speedway. In his first four yearsof racing, Dan had only moderate success and finished in the Top 15 ofthe 25-30 registered drivers in the class. The '04 season was adifferent story. Dan's persistence and determination paid off in a bigway. In that year, there were three feature wins, eight heat race wins,a B feature, and two wins in the four-car dash. While Dan does all ofthe driving, his good friend Shane Oliver is crewchief and pit crew allin one. Dan takes care of the mechanical work while Shane performs thefabricating, straightening, and chassis set-up to keep the Monte Carloout front and competitive. Dan's efforts are backed by Grand TraverseDiesel Service (where he is employed as a diesel mechanic), ShayIrrigation, Midwest Refrigeration, Union Street Station, and AdvancedCleaning Experts.
Name: Nate Bostrom
Track: Thunderbird (MI) Race Park
Class: Michigan Modifieds
Nate Bostrom notched his first feature win on August 7, 2004. He jumpedout front on the first lap and maintained the lead throughout the wholerace. Nate started out his racing at the age of 15 in a Bomber car. Byhis second year, Nate and his father built the Michigan Modified. The'04 season was his second year in the car. Nate is devoting his time tocollege in hopes of pursuing a career in high-performance fabricationand autobody.
Name: Garry Davis
Track: Motor Mile (VA) Speedway
Class: Pure Stock
(Note: At the time of the win, the track was known as New River Valley Speedway)
This isn't exactly a first win, but it's a first win in a while. GarryDavis started racing in the Street Stock division in the early '80s. Hisfirst race car was a Pontiac GTO that he built from scrap in hisbackyard. Over the next 10 years, he built three more Street Stocks andran at Calloway Speedway, where his best finish was a close Second. In1988, a new racetrack called Pulaski County Speedway opened, and Garrybuilt a '80 Camaro to race there. He managed many respectable Top-5finishes. The track changed names, became New River Valley Speedway, andeliminated the Street Stocks in 1990. The Street Stocks were replacedwith Pure Stocks, which suited Garry fine. He won five races that year.Shortly after that, he got out of racing because of the cost. In 2003,he decided to give it a try again. He bought a car that had won the PureStock championship two years before, secured a good sponsor, and pickedup his first win in more than 10 years.
Name: Ron Jenshak
Track: Norway (MI) Speedway
Class: Super Stock
Ron Jenshak won his first feature on June 4, 2004 in the Super Stockdivision of Norway Speedway. The first win came in the Auto Value/Bumperto Bumper Challenge, which is a big race for the division. Ron startedhis racing at the age of 40, running a Mustang in the Mini Stock class.He moved to the Super Stock class four years before his win and hasshown that he can consistently run with the best in the class. Ron haspicked up many dash wins and fast qualifying times. He has finished inthe top four in the points each season and has won trophies for MostImproved Driver, Competitive Spirit, and Sportsmanship. Ron won the '04Norway track championship at the end of the year. His whole family isinvolved in his racing with brother Mark serving as crewchief on the '85Buick Regal. His parents, his sister and her husband, and his childrenjoin in the effort.
Name: Bill Gerard
Track: Sycamore (IL) Speedway
Class: Spectator
Bill's dreams of driving came early. As a teenager, he would spend hisFriday nights in the pit area at Kankakee Speedway. Finally, in 1998, hegot his chance and it came in an exciting division. He contested theFigure 8 class and came way with a record of 9 Top-5 finishes in 30races. The next step in his career came with a move to the Spectatorclass, and the success followed. On June 11, 2004, Bill won theSpectator A main.