Oregon driver wins Meridian Speedway’s Diamond Cup; Firebird hosts Oldies drags

OLDIES BUT GOODIES DRAGS WRAP UP TODAY Eliminations for the 36th annual event begin at noon Sunday at Firebird Raceway. On Saturday, Mike O’Connor of Bend, Ore., captured the pole in AA/Supercharged qualifying, driving his ’57 Chevy to a 6.83-second elapsed time at 207.66 mph. Scott White of Seaside, Ore., was second at 7.10-197.39 with his ’41 Willys coupe. Admission is $12 adults, $5 children ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and younger. Above: Lonnie Gilbertson of Milwaukie, Ore., near lane, competes against Eagle’s Rob Coddens in a battle of 1955 Chevy Gassers. Gary Himes Firebird Raceway

MERIDIAN

Matt Hein of Roseburg, Ore., clocked the fastest NSRA sprintcar qualifying time both nights and won the main event Saturday to claim the BOB FM Diamond Cup at Meridian Speedway.

After a pill draw for Saturday’s race, Hein ended up on the front row in the No. 2 spot for the 50-lap race featuring 18 cars.

He then drove his way to his third Diamond Cup title.

Meridian’s Bryan Warf, who won Friday’s main event, finished third in Saturday’s race and seven points behind Hein in the standings.

This story was originally published June 4, 2016 at 11:26 PM with the headline "Oregon driver wins Meridian Speedway’s Diamond Cup; Firebird hosts Oldies drags."

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