From Anderson Speedway
Anderson, IN — (May 25, 2012) — Ryan Litt gambled that track conditions at Anderson Speedway were better on the second day of qualifying for tonight’s running of the Pay Less Little 500 and it paid off in a big way.
With less than 30 minutes left in qualifying, Canadian Ryan Litt withdrew his time of 46.296-seconds in the hope of getting a better starting position.
Litt not only posted the fastest time of the day Friday, but if it came one day earlier he would have been starting on the pole.
Litt turned the fastest lap of 11.199-seconds and four laps at 44.888-seconds (80.199 mph).
The 64th running of the Pay Less Little 500 will start at 8 p.m.
Florida driver Mickey Kempgens driving a team car to Aaron Pierce, turned four laps at 45.999-seconds (78.262 miles per hour) to put himself solidly in the field. He will start 19th in tonight’s Little
Dave Baumgartner was bumped from the starting field by Kyle Feeney, but minutes later made the starting field by bumping Anderson’s Jim Sheets with a time of 46.056-seconds (78.165).
Pendleton resident Travis Welpott will start 33rd in the field after riding the bubble toward the final few minutes of qualifying.
It was a disappointing day for Warsaw’s Joe Swanson who was bumped from the starting field.
On Thursday’s pole day Swanson turned three laps fast enough to have possibly locked into the field in the top 15, but the team aborted the attempt. Until that time Swanson ran two laps in the 11.3-second range and one at 11.6-seconds.
“I’m disappointed,” he said of waving off the first qualifying attempt on Thursday. “The car pushed in turns three and four. We didn’t change the car at all, but it still had a push.
“We learned the right front (brake) caliper was locking up,” Swanson explained. “We changed it overnight.”
Swanson turned four laps on bump day at 46.715-seconds which placed him initially in the 31st spot, but he was knocked down one spot and had to wait for a couple of hours to learn if he would start his first Little 500.
Swanson was eventually bumped by Kempgens.
Chris Neuenschwander solidly put himself into the starting field with a run of the day at 46.154-seconds and will start 22nd tonight.
After being bumped from the field, Kyle Feeney put himself back into the starting field with a four-lap time of 46.209-seconds. His father, Kevin, was the last driver bumped from the field and was unable to find another speed late in the day.
With assistance from Pierce, Anderson’s Jim Sheets was bumped by Baumgartner and then put his car back in the field with a four-lap time of 46.307-seconds (77.742).
The only driver from Madison County to win the Little 500 was Anderson’s Wayne Alspaugh in 1958, but Alexandria’s Donnie Adams Jr. is hoping to break that 54 year string of disappointment.
Adams will start 12thon Saturday. In seven starts Adams started from the pole position in 2007 and has a career best finish of third in 2009.
His father in eight starts in the Little 500 won the pole position in 1992 and recorded four top-ten finishes with a career best third in both 1992 and 1996.
The 64th Pay Less Little 500 will be showcased on Saturday night. The spectator gates open at 4 p.m. with the autograph session schedule for 6. Pre-race ceremonies begin at 7 with the command to start engines slated for 8.
Tickets are available for the historic 64th Pay Less Little 500 at $28 for reserved seating. For more information, contact the Anderson Speedway Ticket Office at (765) 642-0206.