From URSS
Belleville, KS — (August 3, 2012) — Never in his racing career has Luke Cranston been on a streak like this. More importantly, he hopes it holds out at least one more night.
Cranston won the first night of the United Rebel Sprint Series Belleville High Banks 305 Nationals on Friday night at the famed track in north-central Kansas.
It was Cranston’s fourth win in a row at the half-mile track, something he’s never accomplished in any division of racing in his career.
“I don’t know what the deal is with our luck up here,” Cranston said. “If you can start up front, it makes it a lot easier here.”
Cranston started outside the second row of Friday night’s feature and trailed only Judd Sheaffer for the first few laps. Then the two front-runners entered lap traffic, and Cranston was able to motor around the high side to take the lead.
“I was running a little higher than him and got around him,” Cranston said.
Cranston held down the lead until a late caution. That allowed an opening for the rest of the field, and Wyatt Burks took advantage.
Burks started to close in on Cranston by running the bottom of the track. He closed the gap, but time eventually ran out on his efforts.
“People said if there was six or seven more laps, he would have had us,” Cranston said.
But the night belonged to Cranston once again in Belleville.
“We’ve been having a lot of fun,” Cranston said. “Everyone is having a good time. We had some bad luck at Liberal last week. … But we’ve got a good race car and a good set-up.”
Burks finished second, with Sheaffer in third and Adam Trimble in fourth.
Heat race winners were Burks, Cranston and Zach Blurton.
The Keizer Aluminum Racing Wheels Hard-Charger Award went to Burks, who started 10th and finished second.
The two-day event finishes Saturday night at the High Banks.
Feature results
1. Luke Cranston, 2. Wyatt Burks, 3. Judd Sheaffer, 4. Adam Trimble, 5. Ray Seemann, 6. Brian Herbert, 7. Zach Blurton, 8. Keefe Hemel, 9. Brian Hardman, 10. Lance Davis, 11. Reed Bernbeck, 12. Howard Van Dyke, 13. Mike Spear, 14. John Webster, 15. Jake Bubak, 16. Tom Belsky, 17. Butch Hardman, 18. Mike Peters, 19. Jeff Radcliffe, 20. Mike Saathoff (DNS).