From Kaleb Hart
ALGER, Wa. (April 22, 2017) — Despite Mother Nature’s best attempts, Skagit Speedway’s 2017 season opened with a bang on Saturday night as Cobble Hill, BC teen Robbie Price collected his first win of the year in the Budweiser 360 sprints.Outlaw Energy Drink sponsored the season opening action and joining Price in victory lane were Lawrence O’Conner, Kelsey Carpenter and Clint Meins.
After setting quick time on the night, Price rolled a six invert, setting him outside row three for the initial start. The main lineup changed before the green flag ever fell though, as initial outside row one starter Colton Heath exited with mechanical problems, shuffling Jason Solwold to the front row and Price to outside row two. Solwold took the lead on the initial start as Price moved into second and began giving chase. Solwold had nearly a straightaway lead when mechanical gremlins jumped up and bit the #18 and Price motored past into the lead. Robbie enjoyed clean air for the most of the remaining laps en route to the win, with Eric Fisher and Bud Ashe rounding out the podium. Heath and Steve Reeves won the heats.
Lawrence O’Conner ran a smart feature in defense of his 2016 track championship in the High Society Modified class. O’Conner took the lead on lap three from Adam Holtrop and voraciously defended the low groove over the final 22 laps to take the win. Kevin Smith came up to challenge O’Conner a few times but ended up settling for second with Holtrop running a strong third. Kevin Smith and his brother Rick were the heat race winners.
Kelsey Carpenter completed an elusive clean sweep in the Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints. Similar to Price, Carpenter benefitted from a front row starter having issues, as Julian Fuentes spun on a warm up lap. Now starting fourth, Kelsey took the Bill Rude owned machine up to second within a few laps before passing race leader Paul Burdick on the sixth circuit right before a red flag came out. On the ensuing restart, Carpenter checked out, expertly navigating slower cars on his way to grab the win. Brett McGhie was second with James Bundy taking third. Carpenter and Steve Parker were the heat race winners.
In Outlaw Tuner action, Clint Meins drive a superb race to take his first win of the year, passing Vance Hibbard on lap eight to take the eventual win. Hibbard would make a late race rally but ended up second with TJ Campbell equaling his career best result with a third place run.
Budweiser 360 Sprints
Fast Time – Robbie Price 11.492
Heat 1 – Colton Heath, Jason Solwold, Lawrance Kirkham, Eric Fisher, Robbie Price
Heat 2 – Steve Reeves, Bud Ashe, Colin Baker, Greg Hamilton, Brandon Harkness
Main – Robbie Price, Fisher, Ashe, Baker, Harkness, Hamilton, Kirkham, Solwold, Reeves
Lap Leaders – Solwold 1-6 Price 7-25
Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints
Fast Time – Kelsey Carpenter 12.385
Heat 1 – Kelsey Carpenter, Paul Burdick, James Bundy, Julian Fuentes, Brett McGhie, Derek Roberts, Chris Ochs, Bill Rude, James Miller
Heat 2 – Steve Parker, Devin Barnes, Adam Hinds, Chance Crum, Clayton Sibley, Bailey Sucich, Roger Oudman, Ashleigh Johnson
Main – Kelsey Carpenter, McGhie, Bundy, Burdick, Crum, Sucich, Parker, Hinds, Ochs, Sibley, Barnes, Roberts, Fuentes
Lap Leaders – Burdick 1-5 Carpenter 6-25
High Society Modifieds
Heat 1 – Rick Smith, Mel Decker, Louis Nutter Jr, Tom Warner, Craig Moore, Tyler Ketchum
Heat 2 – Kevin Smith, Lawrence O’Conner, Adam Holtrop, Louis Nutter Sr, Brandon Berg, Becky Boudreau
Main – Lawrence O’Conner, K Smith, Holtrop, Moore, R Smith, Nutter Sr, Decker, Boudreau, Nutter Jr, Mike Knox Jr, Bill Tomer
Lap Leaders – Holtrop 1-2 O’Conner 3-25
Outlaw Tuners
Heat – Luke Warmwater, Clint Meins, Vance Hibbard, TJ Campbell, Howard Vos, Kevin Reuter, Paul Urqhart
Main – Clint Meins, Hibbard, Campbell, Warmwater, Arnett, Urqhart
Lap Leaders – Hibbard 1-7 Meins 8-17