From Peterson Media
With first and second place finishes at the 42nd Annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup, Shane Stewart hoped to cap of his weekend with a Saturday night win, however, contact on lap 26 knocked him out of the third spot, and ultimately out of the race.
“We had a great car all weekend long, and I wanted nothing more than to win this race with Kick-it and the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation on board with us for the weekend,” Stewart said.
On Friday night, Stewart lined his Kick-it, Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation/Lucas Oil Products entry up on the front row of the 30-lap feature event.
When the green flag dropped, the Bixby, OK driver hit the ‘fun-button’, and grabbed the early lead on a slick Skagit Speedway.
Stewart was a dominant car in the opener, as he picked up the win, and rebounded from a tough qualifying effort.
“We did not time in very well, but we raced well as we won our heat, and went on to pick up the feature event win,” he explained.
Taking part in the Dirt Cup Kick-It Kickball game Saturday morning, Stewart and his team were back in action for the Saturday double header, to make up a rained out Thursday program.
Timing in mid-pack again, Stewart would go on to win his heat race again, and start the 30-lap feature event in the fourth spot, on a very slick race track.
Running in the third spot the duration of the day feature event, Stewart took advantage of an Austen Wheatley mistake as he jumped in to the second spot, where he would finish, and propel himself to fourth in event points, earning him a berth in the A Scramble.
A fourth place finish in the ‘Scramble’ put Stewart in the second row for the 40-lap, $20,000.00 to win feature event.
When the championship feature got underway, Stewart quickly took the third spot, as he chased after the lead duo of Peter Murphy, and Jonathan Allard.
In what was visibly a very strong racecar, Stewart applied heavy pressure to Murphy as he ran the top side of the track, as they raced through lapped traffic.
On the 24th lap, Stewart ran in the third spot, and began feeling pressure from Roger Crockett.
With Crockett going for the third spot, the duo made contact, and both went spinning.
Stewart ultimately would pull in when the race resumed, ending his night, and his weekend very disappointed.
“We had a great car, and I really would have been interested to see what we had for Allard in traffic,” he said. “I have to thank Paul Silva for working hard on two cars all weekend, and really having two cars that should have been on the podium.”
The Silva Motorsports team thanks Kick-it, The Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, Lucas Oil Products, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Pro Bilt Construction, Palmero Properties, Finley Farms, Car and Fleet, Stepping Stone Genetics, FK Rod Ends, OMP Racing, Wesmar Racing Engines, Amerikote, XYZ, Hoosier Tire, Pro Shocks, Banshee Graphics, Dan Olson Products, K&N Filters, RE Technologies, Weld, Schoenfeld Headers, Butlerbuilt Seats, Vortex Wings, CP Pistons, Cometic Gaskets, Huggins Cams, BR Ignitioneering, Blackwell Consolidation, and Petersen Media for their partnership in 2013.
2013 BY THE NUMBERS- Starts-42, Wins-9, Top 5’s-22, Top 10’s-26.
SILVA MOTORSPORTS 2013 BY THE NUMBERS: Races-10, Wins-3, Top-5’s-7, Top 10’s-7.
ON TAP: Shane hopped on a flight early this morning, and will be in action in Waynesfield, OH tonight for the third leg of Ohio Speedweek in the 3G Motorsports entry.