From Eldon Butcher
Putnamville, IN — (July 3, 2015) — The Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series raced Friday night at the Lincoln Park Speedway to present Day One of the first annual Bill Gardner Sprintacular. The Sprintacular resulted in a spectacular 30 lap feature with fireworks greeting the starters, the top five an ever changing order, and the lead change an ongoing process.
Robert Ballou darted into the lead on lap one. Then pole sitter Dave Darland took the lead and held it for 17 laps. Robert Ballou was finding extra speed using a higher line around the 5/16s mile oval. Repeated efforts to move past Darland finally materialized on lap 19. But the race was certainly not over. Kevin Thomas Jr. had been on the move and had his sprint car in second position with just three laps to go. His charge from a fourteenth starting position fell short of a victory by just .6 of a second.
Robert Ballou had his first MSCS feature victory in 2015. The winner’s check was for $4,000. It was MSCS All Time Win Number 12 for Ballou which moved him up into a third place tie on that list with Daron Clayton. Ballou’s Maxim sprinter is sponsored by Blakesley Auto, Alby Wheel Repair, M.P.H.G. Promotions, and Lucas Oil. The California driver races out of Westfield, IN.
Dave Darland would finish in third followed by Jon Stanbrough, Shane Cottle, and Chad Boespflug. C.J. Leary, Jerry Coons Jr., Tyler Courtney, and Aaron Farney rounded out the top ten.
Brady Bacon picked up the Wilwood Tuff Brakes Award in finishing eleventh. Drivers making immense gains during the feature included Jon Stanbrough, Aaron Farney, and Kevin Thomas Jr. Thomas earned the Keizer Aluminum Hard Charger of the Race Award with a gain of 12 spots.
The feature was slowed three times by yellow flags and stopped once for red flag conditions. Carson Short brought out the first yellow with a spin on lap 5. The next yellow was for A.J. Hopkins and Hunter Schuerenberg in turn one. The red was displayed when Max McGhee and Mitch Wissmiller tangled in turn two and Wissmiller’s car turned over sustaining a lot of damage. The final yellow was for Donny Brackett who was then forced to retire from action with a flat tire.
Heat races were held using passing points to set the top 16 spots for the feature. The four winners were Dave Darland, Carson Short, Jerry Coons Jr., and Shane Cottle. Coons collected the most passing points. The B Main was won by Kyle Cummins over Kurt Gross. The field of 29 cars included five drivers who made their first appearance of the season at an MSCS sanctioned race. Of those Josh Spencer recorded the highest feature performance.
The Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series will be idle during the remainder of July. Carson Short now leads the MSCS points standings with Brady Short and Robert Ballou the closest rivals for the Championship. Action will get underway again August first when Tri-State Speedway will present the annual Hoosier Sprint Nationals paying $5,000 to win. This year the POWRi Midgets will also appear on the program with the sprints and open wheel modifieds to make the event a triple header for fans to enjoy.