From Kaleb Hart
ALGER, Wa. (July 27, 2017) – Colton Heath was almost perfect in winning the opening night of the 2017 Bob’s Burgers & Brew Summer Nationals at Skagit Speedway with the Summer Thunder Sprint Series. Heath led every lap but one on his path to victory lane and in the process, locked himself into one of the first four rows for the Saturday night finale’ which pays $10,000 to win.
With a pole position starting spot, Heath held the catbird seat early for the 30 lap A Main, with the top four finishers locking into a redraw for the first eight starting sports for the Saturday night feature. Colton set a blistering pace despite multiple stoppages for spinning and flipping cars. With a long green flag run in the middle of the feature, Heath entered slower traffic with Eric Fisher and Jason Solwold rapidly closing the gap. Amongst the slower cars, Colton tried the high groove in turn three on lap 15 only to see Fisher blast past him down low to take the lead out of the corner. Heath dove back to the bottom of turn one and two and as Fisher moved high to try and pass a slower car and retook the lead despite contact with the car going a lap down. Fisher also dropped a spot to Solwold in the exchange. Solwold tried keeping Heath in striking distance as the field went to war for the low groove, but the night belonged to the three time reigning track champion as Colton took the win. Solwold, FIsher and Jared Peterson were the top four finishers and locked in to the redraw for Saturday. Fisher was fast time Trevor Cook won the B Main. Heat wins went to Peterson, Travis Rilat, Cam Smith and Kelsey Carpenter.
For the first time in over a month, Clint Meins visited victory lane in the Outlaw Tuner division. Keeping the car smooth and straight out front, Meins led every lap of the main event. Vance Hibbard won the heat race and ran second with Brian Michelson taking third.
Summer Thunder Sprint Series
Fast Time – Eric Fisher 11.463
Heat 1 – Jared Peterson, Austen Wheatley, Eric Fisher, JJ Hickle, Robbie Price, Jared Ridge, Reece Goetz, Steve James
Heat 2 – Travis Rilat, Barry Martinez, Marc Duperron, Devin Madonia, Trevor Cook, Steve Reeves, Bud Ashe, Jeff Dunlap
Heat 3 – Cam Smith, Jason Solwold, Chase Goetz, Colton Heath, Brandon Harkness, Lance Sargent, Cale Brooke, Jason Reed
Heat 4 – Kelsey Carpenter, Roger Crockett, Chris Schmelzle, Casey Adams, Luke Didiuk, Brian Boswell
B Main – Trevor Cook, Garen Linder, Sargent, Ridge, Ashe, Didiuk, Price, R Goetz, Dunlap, Reed, Brooke, Boswell, Rude, Reeves, James, Harkness
A Main – Colton Heath, Solwold, FIsher, Peterson, Rilat, Wheatley, Duperron, Crockett, Schmelzle, C Goetz, Price, Madonia, Smith, Adams, Martinez, Carpenter, Didiuk, Ashe, Sargent Linder, Cook, Hickle, Ridge
Lap Leaders – Heath 1-14 Fisher 15 Heath 16-30
Outlaw Tuners
Heat – Vance Hibbard, Cliff Ballenger, Intars Spunde, Brian Michelson, DJ Beaver, TJ Campbell, Clint Meins, Howard Vos
Main – Clint Meins, Hibbard, Michelson, Ballenger, Campbell, Beaver, Spunde
Lap Leaders – Meins 1-17