By David Smith Jr.
– Doniphan, Nebraska – August 20, 2011 – It has been a rough sophomore season on the National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Smiley’s Racing Products sprint car tour for defending series champion Jeremy Campbell. With mechanical gremlins and such, coupled with missing one event, taking him out of contention for a series repeat, the outlaw sprint car veteran looks to add feature wins to his resume. On Saturday night it was series feature win number two for his career as he took the lead with eleven laps to go and went on to claim the victory as the tour made their first and only appearance of the season at Mid-Nebraska Speedway in Doniphan, Nebraska on Saturday night.
Five-time series champion Garry Lee Maier of Dodge City, Kansas started on the pole for the thirty lap event and quickly took the lead from outside front row starter Tyler Drueke. Maier, aboard the familiar Ochs Brothers #1x, set the pace for several laps before the first caution of the race fell on lap seven when Ryan Roberts spun in turn four.
It was not a good restart for series veteran Mike Peters as the Wichita native hit the cone, sending him to the back of the field for the restart.
Once racing resumed, Maier once again paced the field but behind him, third starting Campbell began pressuring for the lead.
Campbell, his first night aboard the Gary Swenson owned #24a, Gary’s Auto Sales/Terry’s Body Shop sponsored sprinter, would pull even with Maier on lap eighteen and take the lead for good one lap later.
Lap twenty-one would not be kind to Maier as he would spin in turn two to bring out the caution, after having faded to fifth at the time of the caution.
Campbell would continue to set the pace with Chad Humston, aboard the familiar Mark Burch Motorsports #1M, giving chase. Campbell looked to be on his way to victory but the final caution would wave with three laps to go for a Zach Blurton spin.
But there was no catching Campbell and the Eckley Racing Engine powered Schnee chassis the final three laps as he held on to claim his first series victory of the season and become the ninth different winner out of the ten events that have been held thus far this season.
Humston held on for the runner up position with seventh starting Jason Martin coming home third. Luke Cranston had a strong run coming from tenth to fourth with eleventh starting Patrick Stasa rounding out the top five.
Heat races for the eighteen car field were won by Humston, Drueke and Campbell.
The race that was scheduled to be held at the Great American Dirt Track in Jetmore, Kansas for Saturday night, August 27, has been cancelled and will not be made up. This makes the next scheduled point race to be held at the Belleville High Banks in Belleville, Kansas over Labor Day weekend on Sunday night, September 4th.
For more information on the 41st anniversary season for the National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Smiley’s Racing Products, find them at their new online address www.racencra.com or call the series office (316) 755-1781.
The series would like to take this time to thank their sprint car partners and sponsors for the 2011 race season:
Park City, Kansas, Smiley’s Racing Products, Hoosier Racing Tires, Sunoco Race Fuels
Contingency Sponsors: Saldana Racing Products, The Brake Man
NCRA Sprint Cars
Mid-Nebraska Speedway/Doniphan, Nebraska
08/20/11
18 Cars
1st Heat: 1) Chad Humston 2) Taylor Velasquez 3) Jason Martin 4) C.J. Johnson 5) Bint Obanion 6) Jordan Weaver
2nd Heat: 1) Tyler Drueke 2) Mike Peters 3) Zach Blurton 4) Patrick Stasa 5) Kris Miller 6) Jeff Stasa
3rd Heat: 1) Jeremy Campbell 2) Ryan Roberts 3) Garry Lee Maier 4) Luke Cranston 5) Adam Walton DNS: Billy Alley
A Feature: 1) Jeremy Campbell 2) Chad Humston 3) Jason Martin 4) Luke Cranston 5) Patrick Stasa 6) C.J. Johnson 7) Jeff Stasa 8) Mike Peters 9) Garry Lee Maier 10) Ryan Roberts 11) Taylor Velasquez 12) Tyler Drueke 13) Bint Obanion 14) Zach Blurton 15) Kris Miller 16) Jordan Weaver 17) Adam Walton DNS: Billy Alley