From Kaleb Hart
Alger, WA — (June 20, 2015) — With the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour due in town for three nights of the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup next week, Jason Solwold has his team firing on all cylinders prior to the 44th running of the premier event on the Skagit Speedway Schedule. Solwold went wire to wire in the 410 sprint division on Saturday night, picking up his second win of the season at Skagit Speedway. Solwold was joined in victory lane by Jake Helsel and Garrett Thomas.
Solwold had little trouble scoring his second win of the year at Skagit Speedway in the 410 division. Jason used an outside pole position start to grab the lead coming out of turn two on lap one, and never looked back in piloting the Shaylen Raye Motorsports #18 to win. Brock Lemley, the defending Dirt Cup Champion, ran second with Eric Fisher finishing third. Kelsey Carpenter set quick time but fought rear end issues through his heat race and the main event. Heat wins went to Fisher and Travis Jacobson.
Jake Helsel made the right move at the right time to score his second win of the year in the Sportsman Sprint division. Race leader Lee Hornbeck did a masterful job making his car wide, defending his spot with vigor. Helsel looked high and low to find running room around Hornbeck, but it wasn’t until the 17th lap when Hornbeck approached a slower car in the low groove that Jake had a chance to strike. With Lee entering turn one low, Helsel went right up to the cushion in turn one and two and used the slower car like a basketball style pick to clear Hornbeck, securing the lead and eventual victory. Devin Barnes ended up second with Hornbeck taking a career best third. Lee also set quick time. Tyler Fox, Joe Lyon and Michael Hodel won the heats.
The Northwest Focus Midget Series made another appearance at Skagit Speedway, and when the chaos of their 16 car A Main finished, it was Garrett Thomas picking up the win for the second time on the season. Thomas watched Michael Millard drift high out of turn four at the conclusion of lap two, opening the inside lane up for Garrett. Thomas dove to the bottom of turn one and cleared Millard coming out of two to grab the lead. He spent the next 17 laps fending off the advances of Ryan Cully and Dougie James to pick up the victory. James would scoot by Cully late for second, with Ryan taking third. Heat winners were Cully and Tristin Thomas.
The evening finished with a stunt show from Crusher, featuring a Nissan Sentra blowing up and a four car high jump executed in a Dodge Grand Caravan,
Thursday night marks the beginning of the 44th annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup presented by Jack in the Box. The Lucas Oil National Tour will be in attendance for the first time at Skagit Speedway. Live PPV will be offered by www.racinboys.com, with tickets available as well. Visit SkagitSpeedway.com for more information.
Sportsman Sprints
Fast Time – Lee Hornbeck 12.789
Heat 1 – Tyler Fox, Steve Parker, Lee Hornbeck, Ben Gunderson, Brett McGhie, Bert Johnson, Victoria Cantu, Dan McGrew
Heat 2 – Michael Hodel, Roger Oudman, Devin Barnes, Lance Sargent, Greg Otis, Julian Fuentes, Geoff Needham
Heat 3 – Joe Lyon, Jake Helsel, James Bundy, Trevor Cook, Kyle Secord, Clayton Sibley, Bill Rude, Sean Johnson
Main – Jake Helsel, Barnes, Hornbeck, Hodel, Otis, Parker, Bundy, Rude, Cook, Fox, McGhie, Lyon, Secord, B Johnson, Fuentes, S Johnson, Gunderson, Oudman, Sargent
Lap Leaders – Hornbeck 1-16 Helsel 17-25
410 Sprints
Fast Time – Kelsey Carpenter 11.382
Heat 1 – Eric Fisher, Jason Solwold, Justin Youngquist, Steve Reeves, Kelsey Carpenter, Luke Didiuk
Heat 2 – Travis Jacobson, Daniel Anderson, Brock Lemley, Jared Peterson, Nate Vaughn, Bud Ashe
Main – Jason Solwold, Lemley, Fisher, Jacobson, Youngquist, Anderson, Didiuk, Reeves, Carpenter, Peterson, Vaughn, Parker
Lap Leaders – Solwold 1-25
Northwest Focus Midget Series
Heat 1 – Ryan Cully, Michael Millard, Al Goldie, Mike Vollbrecht, Derek Roberts, Doug Anderson, Ray Stebbins, Aly Pyles
Heat 2 – Tristin Thomas, Garrett Thomas, Thomas Walker, Dougie James, Nick Evans, Hannah Lindquist, Todd Hartman, Renee Angel
Main – Garrett Thomas, James, Cully, Evans, T Thomas, Millard, Goldie, Walker, Roberts, Lindquist, Hartman, Angel, Stebbins, Pyles, Vollbrecht, Anderson
Lap Leaders – Millard 1-2 G Thomas 3-20