Donny Schatz Ready for Home State Races at River Cities Speedway and Nodak Speedway

MINOT, ND — June 14, 2018 —Even after 20-plus years on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series tour, Donny Schatz still circles all of the dates in his home state of North Dakota on his calendar each season. Again in 2018, the nine-time and defending series champion will lead the series into his home state on two separate occasions.

The first of those is this weekend as the Outlaws invade River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks on Friday, June 15 for the 1st Leg of the Gerdau Recycling Northern Tour. The series then heads to Schatz’s hometown of Minot on Sunday, June 17 for the Gerdau Recycling Magic City Showdown Presented by Schatz Crossroad and Fastlane Car Wash, which serves as the Grand Finale of Minot’s Ribfest.

“You always look forward to getting to race close to home,” said Schatz. “You get to sleep in your own bed. See all the local fans, friends and family. It’s the highlight of the year for me. I can’t wait. We are pretty lucky that we get to go home twice. We race there in June and August.”

When quizzed about all of his past success in his home state, Schatz defers credit to the Tony Stewart Racing team for whom he drives, led by crew chief Ricky Warner, along with Steve Swenson and Brad Mariscotti. Schatz has won at each and every track in North Dakota that the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series has raced at over the years.

“Being close to home helps a person’s confidence,” he noted. “I think a lot of it has to do with this race team. They unload every night with a solid race car. That place has been very good to us. Once you start winning at a place, you can start playing around and learning little things. We’ve learned a lot of little things over the years. Hopefully, we can make something work that we haven’t before and learn even more.”

Schatz leads all drivers at River Cities Speedway with nine wins in World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series competition. He was victorious at the track last August and has won six of the last eight races contested by the series at the high-banked three-tenths-mile. Schatz has finished in the top-ten in all previous 21 races for the Outlaws at River Cities Speedway.

“From a driver’s perspective, I think you look at a place where you have a track surface that has two or three grooves and you can pass cars and it’s one of those places that is like that,” explained Schatz. “You can run across the top and turn down and there is a bottom. It always gives a guy an opportunity to go where the car in front of you isn’t and be able to pass. There are very few places that have that much room to move around on the race track. I think that’s probably the biggest key, because there are so many grooves and you can move around on the race track.”

Schatz began attending races at Nodak Speedway as a child and his family’s business, Schatz Crossroads Truck Stop, has been a big supporter of the track over the years. The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series made their debut at the three-eighths-mile in 2006 and has raced at the track in 11 of the last 12 years.

“It’s huge for Minot to have a World of Outlaws race,” said Schatz. “The Nodak Race Club has been around for ages. It’s cool to see that history and heritage. That’s where I was born. For me, that’s where I first got to sit in the seats and watch sprint cars, modifieds and late models go around. That’s really where the love for racing started. It gives you goosebumps when you go back and get to see that. I still get those goosebumps today.”

Schatz has had his fair share of success at Nodak Speedway as well. He picked up his first win at the track with the Outlaws in 2012 and ripped off five straight wins, before finishing second at the track last year. Schatz has 11 top-ten finishes in the previous 12 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series races at Nodak Speedway, with nine of those being top-five finishes.

“That place has been tricky,” he noted. “When they put the new grandstand up, it changed the whole front stretch off turn four. We look forward to those tricky tracks because often times we can make something happen in ways other guys can’t. We’ve won on both configurations. It’s pretty neat to come off turn four and see that big grandstand and know there are a lot of people pulling for you. That gives you a little extra motivation to go fast.”

Despite all of his success at River Cities Speedway and Nodak Speedway, Schatz doesn’t see it as any added pressure. He and his race team approach each race night the same way and the bar has been set very high, as they have started the season off with 10 wins in the first 27 races. Schatz is the current series point leader as he chases his 10thchampionship.

“It’s not about pressure,” said Schatz. “We have fun out here, but at the end of the day, we have high expectations to win races. That’s what we are going to try to do. If that’s what pressure brings us, then that’s what we are looking forward to.”

Tickets for the 1st Leg of the Gerdau Recycling Northern Tour for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series events at River Cities Speedway on Friday, June 15 can be purchased online at slspromotions.ticketforce.com or by calling 815-344-2023. Tickets can also be purchased at the River Cities Speedway track office, area ticket outlets and at the track on race day.

By |2018-06-15T13:04:25-04:00June 15th, 2018|National, Sprint Cars, Upcoming Events|Comments Off on Donny Schatz Ready for Home State Races at River Cities Speedway and Nodak Speedway
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Donny Schatz Pockets $40,000 with AGCO Jackson Nationals Win

JACKSON, MN – June 9, 2018 – When big money is on the line, Donny Schatz and the Tony Stewart Racing No.15 team find an extra gear and that was the case on the final night of the AGCO Jackson Nationals at Jackson Motorplex. Schatz came from seventh and prevented a Jason Johnson sweep of the weekend, overtaking the Eunice, LA native on Lap 18 to capture the $40,000 prize. Johnson was resilient but settled for second with Brian Brown completing the podium.

After winning the first two nights of the AGCO Jackson Nationals, Jason Johnson won the Sears Craftsman Dash, earning the pole for the 40-lap Feature.

The Feature got off to a bumpy start with Ian Madsen bicycling in turn one and coming to a stop with rear end damage. Jason Johnson got the jump on the start and led the opening two laps before the lone Red Flag on the evening flew after Daryn Pittman received contact while running in the top five and slowed significantly into turn one leaving Cory Eliason nowhere to go, ending both of their evenings.

On the ensuing restart, Donny Schatz charged up to second only to be negated by a caution for Brad Sweet, who came to a stop backwards in turn two while running third. Sweet was able to make repairs and return to the rear of the field.

When action resumed, Johnson continued to lead as Schatz disposed of Brian Brown for second and set his eyes on Johnson.

Johnson continued to set a torrid pace on the cushion and reached lapped traffic by Lap 8. The majority of the slower cars were on the cushion, slowing Johnson’s pace and allowing the Nine-Time Series Champion to close in. Schatz began reeling in Johnson and made his move underneath for the lead on Lap 18. Once he took command, it was clear Schatz was the class of the field.

The final caution of the night flew on Lap 24, bunching the field together, putting Johnson on Schatz bumper. Schatz motored away on the restart and was proficient in traffic.

Johnson stayed with Schatz as the duo navigated traffic as rubber became more prominent on the racing surface. Johnson took a brief look underneath Schatz entering turn one with less than 5 laps to go and continued to close back in, crossing the line .637 seconds behind the Fargo, ND driver.

Schatz, who described himself as non-existent during the first two nights, came into the evening 11th in Jackson Nationals points and started the Feature from 7th.

This race team is what the difference is,” Schatz said in Victory Lane when prompted about the improvement throughout the weekend. “We changed up a lot of little things and I felt as good as I have all weekend during Hot Laps tonight and it showed then and now,” Schatz added.

This is awesome. The improvements here to the facility, grandstands and racing surface are amazing,” Schatz said after the race.

Jason Johnson finished second in the big one but established a new level of speed for his team during the AGCO Jackson Nationals. “When it comes to big races, Donny isn’t going to make any mistakes. Hats off to the track crew all weekend dealing with all the rain and thanks to everyone in the stands for sticking it out,” Johnson said.

Brian Brown completed the podium and echoed both Schatz and Johnson’s statements about the job Jackson Motorplex did this weekend. “This is an awesome event, they gave us a great track all weekend. We were pretty good,” Brown said before thanking the large Jackson crowd.

David Gravel finished fourth with Logan Schuchart completing the top five. Dominic Scelzi scored KSE Hard Charger honors coming from the Last Chance Showdown to finish 14th, although it was Brad Sweet putting on the passing clinic, charging back to seventh after going to the rear on Lap 2.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series continues its 40th Anniversary Season with a doubleheader in North Dakota starting Friday at River Cities Speedway and concluding Sunday at Nodak Speedway in Minot, ND. If you can’t make it to the track, be sure to watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.com!

ABBREVIATED RESULTS FROM JACKSON MOTORPLEX, JUNE 9, 2018 (evening)

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [7][$40,000]; 2. 41-Jason Johnson [1][$20,000]; 3. 21-Brian Brown [2][$12,000]; 4. 5-David Gravel [4][$9,000]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9][$8,000]; 6. 3-Tim Kaeding [6][$7,000]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [3][$6,500]; 8. 2-Shane Stewart [13][$6,000]; 9. 7S-Jason Sides [8][$5,500]; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [10][$5,000]; 11. 12-Lynton Jeffrey [11][$4,000]; 12. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier [17][$3,700]; 13. 11K-Kraig Kinser [20][$3,600]; 14. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [22][$3,500]; 15. 19-Brent Marks [23][$3,400]; 16. 2M-Kerry Madsen [12][$3,300]; 17. 55-Brooke Tatnell [15][$3,200]; 18. 83H-Justin Henderson [21][$3,100]; 19. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg [16][$3,000]; 20. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [14][$3,000]; 21. 2KS-Austin McCarl [24][$3,000]; 22. 9-Daryn Pittman [5][$3,000]; 23. 83-Cory Eliason [19][$3,000]; 24. 18-Ian Madsen [18][$3,000]; Lap Leaders: Jason Johnson 1-17, Donny Schatz 18-40; KSE Hard Charger Award: 41S-Dominic Scelzi[+8]

Qualifying: 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 697; 2. 49-Brad Sweet, 678; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman, 677; 4. 21-Brian Brown, 633; 5. 3-Tim Kaeding, 624; 6. 5-David Gravel, 620; 7. 12-Lynton Jeffrey, 616; 8. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 612; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 605; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen, 605; 11. 15-Donny Schatz, 603; 12. 7S-Jason Sides, 595; 13. 2-Shane Stewart, 584; 14. 18-Ian Madsen, 580; 15. 83-Cory Eliason, 578; 16. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 562; 17. 83H-Justin Henderson, 556; 18. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 538; 19. 41S-Dominic Scelzi, 529; 20. 97G-Hunter Schuerenberg, 528; 21. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier, 525; 22. 2KS-Austin McCarl, 524; 23. 24-Terry McCarl, 521; 24. 19-Brent Marks, 499; 25. O9-Matt Juhl, 490; 26. 64-Scotty Thiel, 461; 27. 55-Brooke Tatnell, 433; 28. W20-Greg Wilson, 426; 29. 7-Carson McCarl, 420; 30. 16-Travis Whitney, 420; 31. 7W-Tasker Phillips, 414; 32. 13-Clyde Knipp, 406; 33. 17B-Bill Balog, 394; 34. 14-Jody Rosenboom, 367; 35. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, 342; 36. 20-Brant O’Banion, 340; 37. 4X-Eric Schulz, 326; 38. O5-Colin Smith, 317; 39. 14K-Tori Knutson, 311; 40. 23W-Scott Winters, 222; 41. 19L-R.J. Johnson, 201; 42. 19P-Paige Polyak, 190

By |2018-06-15T12:58:10-04:00June 15th, 2018|National, Racing News, Sprint Cars|Comments Off on Donny Schatz Pockets $40,000 with AGCO Jackson Nationals Win
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Contact at Stateline Speedway Causes Controversy

BUSTI, NY – June 14, 2018 – Brandon Sheppard collected his fourth World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series win of the 2018 season at Stateline Speedway on Thursday evening. The New Berlin, IL driver hijacked the lead from Chris Madden on lap 35 after a restart. As the drivers headed into turn two, contact was made ultimately sending Madden in a 180-degree spin and to a complete stop. Madden, who had led every lap up until that point, was then sent to the tail of the field.

“I mean, I obviously didn’t mean to do that to Chris,” explained Sheppard in Victory Lane. “He had a pretty good car there and we were racing pretty hard and he went to the middle there where he had been running before that restart and I really didn’t expect him to turn down that hard. I was carving around the bottom there and we just, I don’t know, we just can watch the video but I didn’t mean to do that. If he’s listening back there [in the pits] I just apologize for that.”

The New Berlin, IL driver started fifth in the 50-lap event and used the top side of the track to his advantage in gaining early momentum.

“I was trying to get as many cars as I could as early as I could because I knew that top [side of the track] was going to go away at some point,” said Sheppard. “I was probably going to run second there and me and Chris just got together there. I hate it for him. I definitely didn’t want to win it that way… [but] we’ll take the win. It’s definitely been a long time coming (May 3 at Lavonia Speedway). We’ve had a rough streak here and it’s nice to be back on the podium.”

Current Series Points leader, Madden finished 12th in the event. When asked to comment on what happened on the track he quietly smiled and shook his head. He had nothing more to say about the incident.

Sheppard’s victory and Madden’s misfortune has once again tightened the points race. Madden now sits just 16 points ahead of Mike Marlar, 46 points ahead of Sheppard and 76 points ahead of Shane Clanton. The Rocket 1 Racing machine was trailing by 70 points prior to the shootout at Stateline Speedway.

Finishing second in the feature was a local standout, Darrell Bossard of Titusville, PA.

“We’ve had some bad luck with this car this year but it’s been really fast,” said Bossard. “Racing with these guys is really a dream. You grow up and you dream of racing with Mike [Marlar], and Brandon [Sheppard], and Shane [Clanton] and all of those guys. I remember watching Rick [Eckert] as a kid and driving by Rick Eckert tonight is something I thought I’d never do.”

Mike Marlar rounded out the podium at Stateline Speedway.

“I was trying to stay out of trouble and do the best we can do here,” said Marlar. “There will be nights we’ll have some but luckily we’ve dodged it so far. It helped a little on the points lead but I hate to see them guys get together like that. It’s slick, it’s slow and everybody is fighting for their own little lane on that bottom. I think Chris maybe arched out but I don’t know. I couldn’t really tell what was going on.”

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series heads to Ransomville Speedway on Friday, June 16 for its last stop in the state of New York in 2018.

Abbreviated results from Stateline Speedway

Sears Craftsman Feature (50 Laps): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [5][$10,000]; 2. 22B-Darrell Bossard [4][$5,000]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar [7][$3,000]; 4. 7-Rick Eckert [1][$2,500]; 5. 9-Devin Moran [11][$2,000]; 6. 111-Max Blair [16][$1,700]; 7. 44h-Dave Hess [12][$1,400]; 8. O-Ryan Scott [13][$1,300]; 9. 12B-Andy Boozel [10][$1,200]; 10. 25-Shane Clanton [3][$1,100]; 11. 2-Dan Stone [14][$1,050]; 12. 44-Chris Madden [2][$1,000]; 13. 18c-Chase Junghans [6][$950]; 14. X3-Wyatt Scott [9][$900]; 15. 91-Tyler Erb [19][$850]; 16. B1-Brent Larson [23][$800]; 17. 54-David Breazeale [21][$770]; 18. 14m-Morgan Bagley [24][$750]; 19. 22-Chris Ferguson [8][$730]; 20. 9s-Breyton Santee [18][$700]; 21. 1x-Chub Frank [17][$700]; 22. 28L-John Lobb [15][$700]; 23. 76-Steve Kania [20][$700]; 24. 111m-Matt Lux [22][$700]

Hard Charger Award: 111-Max Blair[+10]

Qualifying Flight-A: 1. 44-Chris Madden, 17.517; 2. 25-Shane Clanton, 17.626; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 17.754; 4. 9-Devin Moran, 17.981; 5. X3-Wyatt Scott, 18.028; 6. 28L-John Lobb, 18.057; 7. O-Ryan Scott, 18.101; 8. 22-Chris Ferguson, 18.123; 9. 22g-Greg Oakes, 18.127; 10. 54-David Breazeale, 18.146; 11. 1x-Chub Frank, 18.155; 12. 91-Tyler Erb, 18.202; 13. B22-Bump Hedman, 18.203; 14. 2v-Chad Valone, 18.248; 15. 99B-Boom Briggs, 18.408; 16. 33-Chris Hackett, 18.41; 17. 19-Bob Dorman, 18.429; 18. 73-Devin Lewis, 18.865; 19. 1J-Jake Finnerty, 18.908; DNS. 44p-Joe Petyak, NT

Qualifying Flight-B: 1. 7-Rick Eckert, 17.689; 2. 22B-Darrell Bossard, 17.791; 3. 157-Mike Marlar, 17.826; 4. B1-Brent Larson, 17.883; 5. 2-Dan Stone, 17.916; 6. 44h-Dave Hess, 17.934; 7. 12B-Andy Boozel, 17.996; 8. 18c-Chase Junghans, 18.062; 9. 9s-Breyton Santee, 18.119; 10. 111-Max Blair, 18.123; 11. 76-Steve Kania, 18.141; 12. 38-Nathan Hill, 18.145; 13. 111m-Matt Lux, 18.17; 14. 10-Jared Miley, 18.228; 15. B1D-Brandon Groters, 18.271; 16. 30-Rick Tripodi, 18.348; 17. 14m-Morgan Bagley, 18.426; 18. 4s-Doug Eck, 18.56; 19. 28-Zack Carley, 18.826

By |2018-06-15T12:55:42-04:00June 15th, 2018|Late Models, Racing News|Comments Off on Contact at Stateline Speedway Causes Controversy
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$20,000 TO WIN 42ND ANNUAL USA 100 PRESENTED BY WHOYOURDRIVER.ORG SET FOR SATURDAY JUNE 16TH

JAMAICA, VA – Saturday June 16th one regional super late model driver’s career could change in the span of 60 laps with a career best win and a $20,000 payday for winning the 42nd annual USA 100 presented by WhosYourDriver.org at Virginia Motor Speedway. With both national tour’s scheduled to race in other areas of the country, the USA 100 is set to be one of the largest paydays for the East Coast’s regional super late model drivers. And with such a big payday on the line, some of the best dirt late model drivers in the region will be making the trip to the 1/2 mile speed plant located in Jamaica, VA. If you are a fan of dirt late model racing this will be the show to be at June 16th.

The event will be sanctioned by the Ultimate Super Late Model Series and will feature a 60 lap A-Main paying the winner a cool $20,000. The event will also feature a $3,000 to win FASTRAK Racing Series powered by Chevrolet Performance race for Pro Late Model competitors.

The Ultimate event will be a points race for the Ultimate Southeast Region along with a bonus race for the Ultimate Battle Of The Bluegrass, Ultimate Northeast, and Ultimate Mid-Ohio Valley Regions. A bonus race gives drivers the opportunity to replace a lower finish from their home region.

“If you are a fan of short track racing you do not want to miss this event; the best dirt late model racers on the East Coast will be vying for that huge $20,000 check in one of the biggest short track events in the State of Virginia,” commented track owner Bill Sawyer.

Admission price for adults is only $30, seniors (60+) $25; military (active/retired w/ proper I.D.) $20, students 11 – 17 years old $15 and children 10 and under admitted free. Pit passes will be $45 regardless of age and will get you a seat in the grandstands.

16″ coolers are welcomed but no glass is allowed. There is plenty of free lit parking and camping (no hookups) is allowed at no charge on a first come first served basis.

Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway is a 1/2 mile dirt oval track is located on U.S. Route 17, eight miles north of Saluda, VA and 25 miles south of Tappahannock, VA in Jamaica, VA. The speedway is just a short drive from Richmond, Fredericksburg, Southern Maryland and the Hampton Roads area. Visit the Speedway online at www.vamotorspeedway.com .

ULTIMATE Full Payout For Saturday, June 16th:

1) $20,000; 2) $10,000; 3) $5,000; 4) $3,000; 5) $2,000; 6) $1,750; 7) $1,500; 8) $1,250; 9) $1,100; 10) $1,000; 11) $900; 12) $875; 13) $850; 14) $825; 15) $800, 16) $775; 17) $750; 18) $725; 19) $700; 20) $675; 21) $650; 22) $625; 23) $600; 24) $575

FASTRAK Full Payout For Saturday, June 16th:

1) $3,000; 2) $1,500; 3) $900; 4) $650; 5) $600; 6) $500; 7) $450; 8) $425; 9) $400; 10) $365; 11) $340; 12) $325; 13) $300; 14-24) $275

June 17th is set for a rain date if needed for the event.

For more information on the ULTIMATE Super Late Model Series visit www.ultimatesupers.com or call (864) 871-1442. ULTIMATE Supers are also on Twitter at @ULTIMATESupers Instagram @ULTIMATE_Supers and on Facebook at Ultimate Super Late Model Series.

The ULTIMATE Super Late Model Series would like to recognize their series partners for the 2018 season which include: American Racer, Hoosier Race Tires, VP Race Fuels, VP Racing Lubricants, PPM Racing Products, Arizona Sport Shirts, DirtonDirt.com, Cruise With the Champions, Big A’s Custom Graphics, AR Bodies, Five Star Race Bodies, Schaeffer’s Racing Oil and Lubricants, RockAuto.com, Simpson, Davis Diesel Service, Rugged Radios, Textron Off Road, and Thomas Clarke Performance Web Design.

By |2018-06-15T12:50:48-04:00June 15th, 2018|Racing News, Upcoming Events|Comments Off on $20,000 TO WIN 42ND ANNUAL USA 100 PRESENTED BY WHOYOURDRIVER.ORG SET FOR SATURDAY JUNE 16TH
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BACON BURSTS TO VICTORY IN GRANDVIEW EASTERN STORM OPENER

Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania (June 13, 2018) Brady Bacon seems to have a flair for the dramatics every time he arrives at Grandview Speedway.

For the second-straight year, the two-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champ ran down the race leader on lap 38 of 40. Last year, C.J. Leary was the victim. This time, the target was Kevin Thomas, Jr., one of the hottest sprint car drivers in America at the moment. No small task to tackle by any means.

Akin to a buzzer beater at the end of a stick and ball sport, Bacon saved his most memorable shot for the end, staying loyal to his guns on the bottom of the one-third mile dirt oval to win Thursday night’s “Eastern Storm” opener for the second consecutive year.

Late-race heroics are always a joy to witness from the grandstand. And it’s certainly a joy to the one witnessing it through his own helmet visor as the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma native did – and he wouldn’t prefer it any other way.

“It actually makes it little more special,” Bacon said regarding the late-race pass for the lead. “It doesn’t sound that great if you start on the pole, lead every lap and win the race without any challenges. That’s an easy payday, but it gets your adrenaline pumping a little bit with the ups and downs. When you think you’re going to run second, but then you find something, get excited and make that finishing move that gets you to the lead and the win at the end. That gets your adrenaline pumping and makes it a little sweeter, especially when you beat someone as good as they are right now.”

As exciting as it was, perhaps it was more meaningful in the race that it came in. One year ago, Bacon’s Grandview victory was the first for the Dooling/Hayward Motorsports No. 63 team since the passing of Bryan Clauson. Yet, the race also carries the name of 2009 Grandview winner, Jesse Hockett. Someone who Bacon felt a kinship with as they raced sprint cars together from coast-to-coast.

“I was really close with Jesse,” Bacon remembers. “We had similar career paths. We ran a lot of non-wing, wing and 360 races together and became really good friends there when he had his accident. It’s definitely special to win anything with his name attached to it.”

Bacon started on the pole for the first of four 40-lap features on the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car calendar this season. Despite a track rework prior to the feature, the 2014 Eastern Storm champ wasn’t deterred from his plans set-up-wise on the Brady Bacon Racing/Imperial Wagyu Beef – Fatheadz Eyewear – Tel-Star/Triple X/Rider Chevy.

“We set it up pretty much the way we had it before the track prep because we knew it was going to go away,” Bacon recalls. “It actually lasted a lot longer than we thought. It definitely made for some good racing as it stayed faster and not quite so slow and slick at the end. Once it started cleaning off, we got to where we could move around the track a bit. Fortunately, I had a car good enough regardless of what it threw at us.”

However, the early-going was all Chad Boespflug as he pounced to the lead on the opening lap from the outside of the front row. Boespflug cut a rug in the middle lane to lead the first 12 circuits with Bacon staged a lane lower on the bottom rail a car length back.

By the 13th lap, the leaders were working to put a lap on the tail end of the field. As Boespflug drifted high to get around the lapped car of Carmen Perigo, Bacon stayed glued to the bottom, which paid off handsomely as he followed Perigo off turn four, then shot to the right-side pocket in front of Boespflug to grab a solid lead at the stripe.

Following a Justin Grant flip on the 16th lap, Thomas repeatedly wreaked havoc with Bacon’s lead up front, painting the outside wall with a pallet of brown dirt as he buzzed the outside of turn two on the 23rd lap, a move that very nearly paid off.

Thomas would apply layers of pressure on Bacon until lap 30 when he saw the door to the outside of Bacon swing wide open off turn two. Thomas took the welcome mat and slammed the door on Bacon, cutting down to the inside rail to steal Bacon’s line heading into the third turn.

The race appeared to be over. The race was in the refrigerator, the door was closed, the lights were out, the butter was getting hard, the eggs were cooling, and the Jell-O was jigglin’, to steal a line from Chick Hearn.

But, no! Thomas re-opened the door for Bacon with three laps remaining, drifting off the bottom to the middle of the track, allowing Bacon to scoot by on the bottom for the lead off turn four. Bacon dead-bolted the door and boarded it up with 2x4s on the final two circuits to secure his $6000 winner’s share ahead of Thomas, Chris Windom, KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Tyler Courtney and fast qualifier Jarett Andretti.

With the victory, Bacon moves into the top-25 on the all-time USAC National Sprint Car win list to equal Greg Weld and, ironically, Kevin Thomas, Jr.

“He was in a better position than me when he was behind me because he could move around and try some stuff,” Bacon explained. “I was stuck to the bottom unless someone proved me otherwise. (Thomas) got by me and he was actually pulling away a little bit. I moved around and found some stuff. We had our car set up pretty tight for the end of the race and once the track cleaned up and we got our tires hot, I moved up a little bit in three and four. When you’re running second, there’s nothing left to lose.”

Contingency award winners Thursday night at Grandview Speedway included Robert Ballou (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), C.J. Leary (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner & Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Tyler Courtney (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner & KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Chase Stockon (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner), Zach Daum (Roger & Barb Tapy 13th Fastest Qualifier) and Eric Jennings (Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer).

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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 14, 2018 – Grandview Speedway – Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania – “Jesse Hockett Classic” / “Eastern Storm”

QUALIFYING: 1. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-13.978; 2. Tony DiMattia, 50, TDM-14.008; 3. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-14.048; 4. Kevin Thomas Jr., 69, Dynamics-14.184; 5. Chad Boespflug, 98, NineEight-14.377; 6. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-14.378; 7. Brady Bacon, 99, Bacon-14.388; 8. Thomas Meseraull, 20, Dyson-14.497; 9. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-14.497; 10. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-14.505; 11. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-14.509; 12. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall/Newman-14.541; 13. Zach Daum, 5D, Daum-14.582; 14. Timmy Buckwalter, 7, LNB-14.637; 15. Jerry Coons, Jr., 39, Hogue-14.730; 16. Dave Darland, 36D, Goodnight/Curb-Agajanian-14.761; 17. Joey Biasi, B1, Shaup-14.780; 18. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-14.818; 19. Kyle Moody, 13K, Kaylor-14.830; 20. Carmen Perigo, 21, Stehman-15.099; 21. Trevor Kobylarz, 14, RT-15.101; 22. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-15.145; 23. J.R. Berry, 74JR, Berry-15.156; 24. Ryan Godown, 3x, Wasitowski-15.157; 25. Kyle Lick, 8, Lick-15.284; 26. Robert Bell, 71, Bell-15.916; 27. Eric Jennings, 14E, Pinkurous-16.017.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer) 1. Ballou, 2. Thomas, 3. Darland, 4. Andretti, 5. Bacon, 6. Chapple, 7. Moody, 8. Daum. NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer) 1. Leary, 2. Meseraull, 3. T. Buckwalter, 4. Boespflug, 5. DiMattia, 6. Biasi, 7. Perigo, 8. Bell, 9. Berry. NT

CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer) 1. Courtney, 2. Westfall, 3. Windom, 4. Coons, 5. Grant, 6. Stockon, 7. Godown, 8. Kobylarz, 9. Jennings. 2:09.42

INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-7 transfer) 1. Stockon, 2. Chapple, 3. Perigo, 4. Daum, 5. Kobylarz, 6. Lick, 7. Biasi, 8. Jennings, 9. Moody, 10. Bell, 11. Godown. NT

FEATURE: (40 laps – starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brady Bacon (1), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (3), 3. Chris Windom (4), 4. Tyler Courtney (12), 5. Jarett Andretti (6), 6. Chad Boespflug (2), 7. Chase Stockon (7), 8. Robert Ballou (10), 9. Thomas Meseraull (8), 10. Justin Grant (9), 11. Dave Darland (16), 12. Matt Westfall (18), 13. C.J. Leary (11), 14. Isaac Chapple (21), 15. Tony DiMattia (5), 16. Zach Daum (13), 17. Timmy Buckwalter (14), 18. Jerry Coons, Jr. (15), 19. Joey Biasi (17), 20. Kyle Lick (22), 21. Trevor Kobylarz (20), 22. Carmen Perigo (19). NT

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**Daum flipped during the first heat. Grant flipped on lap 16 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-12 Boespflug, Laps 13-29 Bacon, Laps 30-37 Thomas, Laps 38-40 Bacon.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Tyler Courtney (12th to 4th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: C.J. Leary

ROGER & BARB TAPY 13TH FASTEST QUALIFIER: Zach Daum

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Eric Jennings

NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Thomas-861, 2-Courtney-829, 3-Windom-801, 4-Stockon-745, 5-Leary-723, 6-Bacon-722, 7-Ballou-710, 8-Darland-675, 9-Grant-663, 10-Boespflug-597.

NEW EASTERN STORM POINTS: 1-Thomas-77, 2-Bacon-74, 3-Windom-74, 4-Courtney-69, 5-Andretti-69, 6-Boespflug-62, 7-Stockon-57, 8-Ballou-57, 9-Meseraull-53, 10-Grant-47.

CAPITOL CUSTOM TRAILERS & COACHES EASTERN STORM PASS MASTER POINTS: 1-Courtney-8, 2-Chapple-7, 3-Westfall-6, 4-Darland-5, 5-Ballou-2, 6-Lick-2, 7-Thomas-1, 8-Windom-1, 9-Andretti-1.

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: June 15 – Williams Grove Speedway – Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania – “Eastern Storm”

—By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

By |2018-06-15T12:47:37-04:00June 15th, 2018|National, Racing News, USAC Racing|Comments Off on BACON BURSTS TO VICTORY IN GRANDVIEW EASTERN STORM OPENER
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