Past champions win at Skagit

From Kaleb Hart

Alger, WA — (April 25, 2015) — Three past champions showed why they will be forces to be reckoned with in the 2015 race season at Skagit Speedway in round two of the Dwayne Lane’s Family of Auto Centers Racing Series. Former Sportsman and 360 Track Champion Kelsey Carpenter was victorious in the 410 division, multiple time Sportsman Champ Steve Parker was the winner in a thrilling Sportsman Sprint main.

Despite the slim field of competitors, the race for the 410 lead was thrilling. Carpenter led wire to wire, but both Skylar Gee and Tayler Malsam gave him everything he could handle over the final 15 frames of the 25 lap main. Carpenter can now claim victories in all three divisions of Sprint Cars at Skagit Speedway with the win. Malsam edged Gee late for second. Carpenter won the heat race and Malsam was quick time.

Using all of his veteran moxie and guile, Steve Parker raced to the win in the Sportsman Sprint division. Parker inherited the lead on lap seven when race leader Geoff Needham caught the inside berm in turn two and vaulted into the inside guard rail. Parker would build a small advantage that rapidly went away as he approached slower cars, as Devin Barnes was marching toward the front. Amongst heavy traffic, Barnes snuck by Parker for the lead up high off turn four on lap 11 to grab his only lead of the race. Parker, to his credit, did not panic, diving back to the inside of Devin in turn one, and using a slower car like a basketball style pick, retook the lead at lap 12. Barnes kept the pressure high on Parker as the race wound down, and a lap 24 caution would remove slower traffic from the equation and create a green-white-checkered finish. The initial try failed as Clayton Sibley lost power, so the field bunched again for another go. Parker got a good run on the next attempt, and the field completed lap 25 when caution flew again, this time for Brett McGhie. Steve and Devin led the field down one more time to green, and when the checkered flag flew on lap 27, it was Parker winning followed by Barnes and Bill Rude in third. Parker was the fast qualifier on the night. Tyler Fox, Paul Burdick and Ben Gunderson won the heats.

410 Sprints

Fast Time – Tayler Malsam 11.993

Heat – Kelsey Carpenter, Skylar Gee, Jason Solwold, Tayler Malsam, Nate Vaughn

Main – Kelsey Carpenter, Malsam, Gee, Solwold, Vaughn

Lap Leaders – Carpenter 1-25

Sportsman Sprints

Fast Time – Steve Parker 13.176

Heat 1 – Tyler Fox, Lance Sargent, Geoff Needham, Steve Parker, Roger Oudman, Victoria Cantu, Julian Fuentes

Heat 2 – Paul Burdick, Joe Lyon, Devin Barnes, James Bundy, Brett McGhie, Ashley Lewellen, Trevor Cook

Heat 3 – Ben Gunderson, Clayton Sibley, Bill Rude, Greg Otis, Lee Hornbeck, Dave Mead

Main – Steve Parker, Barnes, Rude, Fox, Sargent, Bundy, Gunderson, Cantu, Burdick, Lewellen, Hornbeck, Cook, McGhie, Sibley, Needham, Fuentes, Mead, Oudman, Lyon, Otis
Lap Leaders – Needham 1-6 Parker 7-10 Barnes 11 Parker 12-27