From Kaleb Hart
Alger, WA — (May 9, 2015) — Youth was served at Skagit Speedway on Saturday night during the fourth round of the Dwayne Lane’s Family of Auto Centers Racing Series. Nate Vaughn found victory lane in his fourth time in a Sprint Car in the 410 division while Jake Helsel made it two wins in two total nights of sprint car racing with the Sportsman Sprints. Matt Powers won his first race of the year on the Outlaw Tuners while Mike Knox Jr won the Street Stocks.
Nate Vaughn made the improbable into reality by leading all 25 laps of the 410 Sprint Car main event to pick up his first career victory. A high school senior at Sedro Woolley High School, Vaughn grew up watching racing at Skagit and accomplished a lifelong dream by dominating the main event. Making the win even more special, his father, Justin Vaughn, is the assistant flagger at Skagit Speedway and threw the checkered flag for Nate as he picked up the win. Brock Lemley made a late run at Nate on a lap 21 restart but settled for second with Lawrance Kirkham taking third. Kelsey Carpenter was the fast qualifier and Lemley won the heat race.
Jake Helsel has started his sprint car career with two wins in two nights of competition after winning the Sportsman Sprint A Main. Helsel, the Monroe teenager who won at Grays Harbor Raceway last Saturday night, battled with race leader Ben Gunderson the entire race, never letting him further away than a car length or two. Gunderson had led the first 23 laps but made a mistake as he completed lap 23, appearing to tag the wall on the front stretch as he crossed under the flag stand. This opened the door for Helsel, who took his shot on the inside of turn one and two and emerged in the lead down the back stretch. Helsel would then turn away one final challenge from Ben and went on to win his second race of his career in just two attempts. Gunderson settled for a career best second with Paul Burdick taking third. Devin Barnes was the fast qualifier on the night. Cale Brooke, Michael “Hodie the Outlaw” Hodel and Steve Parker were the heat winners with Lance Sargent winning the B Feature.
A great three car race in the Outlaw Tuners punctuated the evening, with Matt Powers, Freddie Vela and Brandon Berg finishing 1-2-3. Powers took the lead on lap three and tried to collect some breathing room, but Berg and Vela narrowed his lead every lap until they ran so close you could throw a virtual blanket over them as they came to the white flag. Vela took a shot at the low groove while Berg ventured high, but neither could get around Powers who took his first win of the year. Berg and Jon Gunderson won the heats.
Mike Knox was the winner of the Street Stock division. The Street Stocks used the night as a tune up for their upcoming show at Skagit Speedway on May 30th, when they’ll join the 360 Sprints, NW Focus Midget Series and Outlaw Tuners in competition. Knox won the heat and led the majority of the main event over Doug Brewster.
Sportsman Sprints
Fast Time – Devin Barnes 12.902
Heat 1 – Cale Brooke, Tyler Fox, Bill Rude, Devin Barnes, James Bundy, Lance Sargent, Victoria Cantu
Heat 2 – Michael Hodel, Jake Helsel, Greg Otis, Roger Oudman, Trevor Cook, Dave Mead, Clayton Sibley
Heat 3 – Steve Parker, Joe Lyon, Ben Gunderson, Paul Burdick, Brett McGhie, Ashley Lewellen, Lee Hornbeck, Julian Fuentes
B Main – Lance Sargent, Lewellen, Skylar Gee, Cantu, Hornbeck, Cook, Fuentes, Mead
A Main – Jake Helsel, Gunderson, Burdick, Rude, Otis, Lyon, Fox, Sargent, Barnes, Hodel, Parker, Brooke, Bundy, McGhie, Lewellen, Needham, Gee, Oudman
Lap Leaders – Gunderson 1-23 Helsel 24-25
410 Sprints
Fast Time – Kelsey Carpenter 11.441
Heat – Brock Lemley, Kelsey Carpenter, Skylar Gee, Michael Bollinger, Lawrance Kirkham, Nate Vaughn
Main – Nate Vaughn, Lemley, Kirkham, Gee, Bollinger, Carpenter
Lap Leaders – Vaughn 1-25
Outlaw Tuners
Heat 1 – Brandon Berg, Ben Wilton, Matt Ploeg, Matt Powers, Cody Schooler, Clint Meins, Sam Desrosier, Dalton Taylor
Heat 2 – Jon Gunderson, Cliff Ballenger, Howard Vos, Dan Butenschoen, Pat Patterson
Main – Matt Powers, Freddie Vela, Berg, Wilton, Ballenger, Ploeg, Vos, Meins, Schooler, Butenschoen, Desrosier, Patterson, Taylor, Gunderson
Lap Leaders – Ballenger 1-2 Powers 3-17
Street Stock
Heat – Mike Knox Jr, Doug Brewster, Don Briggs Jr
Main – Mike Knox Jr, Doug Brewster, Don Briggs Jr
Lap Leaders – Knox 1-5 Brewster 6-7 Knox 8-15