Mike Kohn (Chantilly, Va.) and Curt Tomasevicz (Shelby, Nebraska) claimed the two-man Whelen National Championship title, while Grayson Fertig’s (Oxford, Conn.) team of Brian Spickler (Indiana, Penn.), Will Person (Taylorsville, Utah) and Theron Johnson (Washington, D.C.) received the Billy Fiske trophy for winning the four-man Whelen National Championships.  NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Boris Said made a repeat performance from the 2006 Chevrolet Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge by climbing the podium, but this time he claimed gold medals in the two races.

In the two-man Whelen U.S. Championships, Kohn and brakeman Tomasevicz received the Curtis Stevens trophy this morning after claiming the title over nine other competitors with a combined time of 1:55.39 (57.07, 58.32).  Kohn and Tomasevicz had the two fastest starts of the race, a 5.16 and 5.22. 

“Curt did a good job today. It was his first time pushing since the Olympics, and he’s a real classy guy, so it’s good to be with him,” Kohn said. “I had suspected the track would be frosty and really slow, but the track crew did a fantastic job and it was really, really fast.”

In second was Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) and brakeman Brock Kreitzburg (Akron, Ohio) with runs of 57.38 and 58.13 for a total of 1:55.51.  Holcomb’s Bo-Dyn sled was shipped to Cortina, Italy last week in preparation for the first World Cup race of the second half of the season, which proved to be an additional challenge for Holcomb.

“It was hard trying to adapt to being in a new sled that’s been modified, but I’m happy with my place. I can’t complain, because I tried my hardest, I did my best, but Mike came out on top, which is awesome,” Holcomb said. 

Placing in third was Europe Cup slider John Napier (Schenectady, N.Y.) and brakeman Jaime Moriarty (Winnetka, Ill.) with a combined time of 1:56.08 (57.34, 58.74).  Napier began the sport of bobsledding in the Bobsled Junior Program, and has since continued to climb in national rank.

Accomplished Hollywood stuntman and NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett (Bishop, Calif.) competed in his first bobsled National Championship race, placing seventh with brakeman Hoy Thurman (Warner Robins, Ga.) in 1:58.67 (58.93, 59.74).

With the eighth and seventh best starts of the competition, Barrett admitted that he lacked the size and strength to gain fast starts.

“Hoy pushed great.  But I also don’t have the same experience and haven’t learned the skills these guys know,” Barrett said. “My runs were pretty decent, but more importantly, I had a great time being out here supporting the U.S. team and being a part of the program.”

In the four-man competition, Fertig’s team improved on a third place first heat of 58.91 with a first place second heat of 59.10 to take a 0.12 second lead over a five team field.  With a combined time of 1:58.01, Fertig and crew will have their names engraved on the Billy Fiske trophy.  Billy Fiske, who the trophy was named after, was the youngest American at 16 to win an Olympic medal in the 1932 Winter Olympics, where Fiske drove his bobsled team to the top of the leader board.

“I had a great day practicing on Wednesday, which gave me a ton of confidence coming into this race against the more seasoned drivers who have marinated on World Cup races for a long time,” Grayson said.  “I’m proud of myself and of my team.  These guys really did a good job.  It feels great, and a little overwhelming.”

Second and third place was separated by only 0.01, with Stephan Bosch’s (Park City, Utah) team of Jesse Beckom (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Timothy O’Mara (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Jeremy White (Durango, Calif.) edging out team Kohn for the silver with a combined time of 1:58.13 (58.89, 59.24).  Kohn with teammates T.J. Burns (Blue Bell, Pa.), Alex Sprague (Indianapolis, Ind.), and Tomasevicz finished with a total of 1:58.14 (58.82, 59.32) to claim the bronze. 

In the first Chevrolet Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge, which took place from start 4 on the track, Said captured the gold with two-first place runs of 41.35 and 41.57 for a combined time of 1:22.92.  The ARMY National Guard provided brakemen for the race, with David Palmieri on the brakes for Said. 

“It really isn’t about the win.  It’s about trying to raise awareness and money for the U.S. bobsled athletes.  Winning is a bonus,” Said commented.  “The most fun I had this week was actually getting a chance to watch the U.S. men and women slide. T.V. doesn’t do the sport justice, because you don’t see the athleticism it takes to do it and the explosive energy, so it was really cool to see it in person.”

In second was NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Randy LaJoie with Steve Spence, finishing in 1:23.17 (41.53, 41.64).  After finishing, Lajoie’s jacket was weighed under suspicion of added weight.  After weighing in at sixteen pounds, Lajoie’s jacket was searched, and several large stones were confiscated.

“When I got on the scale this morning, they took away my advantage that I had that was my brakeman, and I went from ten pounds over to over thirty pounds lighter.  And they said, ‘Well, you’re just going to have to put some weight in your pocket’,” Lajoie said.  “I just happened to trip over Mother Nature, a good ol’ N.Y. rock.  So I loaded up, and my brakeman loaded up, and we went for a ride.”

Placing in third was nine-time NASCAR Champion, with seven Whelen Modified Tour Championships, Mike Stefanik and brakeman Matthew Cryer with a finish time of 1:23.77 (41.52, 42.25). 

In the second Chevrolet Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge Said again won gold with a combined time of 1:40. 65 (50.28, 50.37), and Stefanik repeated his bronze medal performance with a total of 1:41.73 (51.22, 50.51). 

This time it was NHRA Top Fuel driver Morgan Lucas and brakeman James Bills that claimed silver with a total of 1:41.28 (51.11, 50.17). 

“One of the biggest honors I’ve ever had in my life was to stand on the same stage with these guys and talk and hang out with all of the people involved in this, “said Lucas. “I think this is just awesome.  The people are just great and I can’t wait to come back.”

The week proved to be challenging, with several crashes in the now infamous corner 18 of the track.  U.S. ARMY Drill Sergeant David Girard was the brakeman in a crash yesterday from start 3 on the track with 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, Todd Bodine. 

“I’m a drill sergeant, and I’m a tough guy,” Girard said.  “But let me tell you, bobsledding is way over my head.  If you can do bobsledding, you can do anything.”

Two-Man:

1. Mike Kohn and Curt Tomasevicz  1:55.39  (57.07, 58.32); 2. Steve Holcomb and Brock Kreitzburg 1:55.51 (57.38, 58.13); 3. John Napier and Jamie Moriarty 1:56.08 (57.34, 58.74); 4. Stephan Bosch and Jessee Beckom 1:56.13 (57.76, 58.37); 5. Grayson Fertig and Brian Spickler 1:56.95 (57.90, 59.05); 6. Mat Anderson and Ben Fogel 1:58.60 (58.84, 59.76); 7. Stanton Barrett and Hoy Thurman 1:58.67 (58.93, 59.74); 8. John Bagley and Derek Kresser (1:00.20, DNS); 9. Ken Kesterman and Mike Hagadorn (1:02.27, DNS);

Four-Man:

1. Grayson Fertig, Brian Spickler, Will Person, and Theron Johnson 1:58.01 (58.91, 59.10);  2. Stephan Bosch, Jesse Beckom, Tim O’Mara, and Jeremy White 1:58.13 (58.89, 59.24);  3. Mike Kohn, TJ Burns, Alex Sprague, and Curt Tomasevicz  1:58.14 (58.82, 59.32); 4. John Napier, Ethan Albrecht-Carrie, Jamie Moriarty, and Hoy Thurman 1:59.20 (59.51, 59.69); 5. Mat Anderson, Ben Fogel, Troy McDonough and Jay Noller 2:01.28 (1:00.65, 1:00.63);