By Lonnie Wheatley
ABILENE, Texas (July 23, 2011) – Reigning The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star Region champion Eric Baldaccini broke into victory lane for the first time this season with an impressive victory in Saturday night’s 25-lap main event at Abilene Speedway.
Baldaccini gunned into the lead at the outset and lapped all the way up to sixth place aboard the Laser Racing Engines-powered The Oil Medics No. 4 Eagle for his fifth career ASCS Regional feature win and fourth in Lone Star action.
The 23-year-old from Keller, TX, took the checkered flag ahead of Justin Melton, while current ASCS Lone Star points leader Matt Covington rebounded from an opening lap spin to claim the show position.
Michael Lang was fourth, with Chad Wilson rounding out the top five. Brian McClelland was the final car on the lead lap in sixth, with the rest of the top ten including Larry Howery, Gary Floyd, Claud Estes and John Ricketts.
Ricketts and Lang topped heat race action.
Derek Drown’s night came to an early end when he climbed a wheel and flipped violently in the night’s second heat race. Drown was uninjured.
The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star Region Results from Abilene Speedway:
First Heat (8 Laps): 1. 76-John Ricketts, 2. 74e-Claud Estes, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 20-Chad Wilson, 5. 25-Brian McClelland, 6. 11-Justin Melton, 7. 58-Gary Floyd, 8. 14b-Robert Byrom, 9. 19-Steven Elliott.
Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. 14-Michael Lang, 2. 11c-Matt Covington, 3. 74x-D.J. Estes, 4. 45k-Kolt Walker, 5. 69-Larry Howery, 6. 20x-Mike George, 7. 22-Dan Adkins, 8. 74b-Derek Drown.
“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 2. 11-Justin Melton, 3. 11c-Matt Covington, 4. 14-Michel Lang, 5. 20-Chad Wilson, 6. 25-Brian McClelland, 7. 69-Larry Howery, 8. 58-Gary Floyd, 9. 74e-Claud Estes, 10. 76-John Ricketts, 11. 14b-Robert Byrom, 12. 45k-Kolt Walker, 13. 22-Dan Adkins, 14. 20x-Mike George, 15. 74x-D.J. Estes, 16. 19-Steven Elliott. DNS: 74b-Derek Drown.
The Oil Medics ASCS Lone Star Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Matt Covington 1,542, 2. Eric Baldaccini 1,480, 3. Claud Estes 1,426, 4. Michael Lang 1,415, 5. Justin Melton 1,407, 6. John Ricketts 1,244, 7. Robert Byrom 1,230, 8. Martin Edwards 1,225, 9. Evan Pardo 969, 10. Chad Wilson 961.