From Kaleb Hart
Alger, WA — (May 16, 2015) — It was fantastic night of racing at Skagit Speedway on Saturday night for the 5th round of the Dwayne Lane’s Family of Auto Centers Racing Series. Colton Heat thrilled the crowd with a last lap pass for the win in the 360 Sprint division. He was joined by Lance Sargent, Mark Carrell and Freddie Vela in victory lane.
The old adage in racing goes “The only lap you have to lead is the last.” Never was that more evident than in the 360 main, where Trey Starks led the first 25 laps before Colton Heath snuck past him on the final lap to claim the win. Starks and Heath started side by side on the front row, with Starks narrowly leading the first few laps before a caution came out. Starks would stretch his advantage on the restart until slower traffic emerged. By that point, Heath had faded back to third as Tayler Malsam made a run forward. Amongst heavy slower cars, Malsam showed Starks his wheel a couple of times, but Starks was making all the right moves in traffic and kept Malsam at bay. Heath regained the second spot on lap 16 when Malsam temporarily lost the handle and dropped back to 5th. Heath would set about trying to run down Starks and had closed to within two car lengths as the white flag flew. Heath tried a dive bomb move into turn three on Starks that appeared would come up short, but a red flag flew for fourth place running Brock Lemley before Starks took the checkered, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Heath made no adjustments to his car during the open red that ensued, and on the subsequent restart, he made a move to the inside of Starks in turn one that pulled the two even. Heath started a slide job entering turn three, with Starks countering with a crossover to the low groove the retained the lead for him coming out of four. Heath went high into one while Starks put a slide job on Heath coming out of turn two to briefly retake the lead on the final lap. Heath would cross from top to bottom exiting turn two and returned the slide job as the pair entered the third corned. Starks went to make the crossover, just like the previous lap, but it was Heath with the superior forward bite winning the drag race to the finish line by .127 seconds. A disappointed Starks would settle for second with Malsam recovering up to third. Malsam was the evening’s fast time. Eric Fisher, Kyle Evans and Cam Smith were the heat race winners.
Lance Sargent put on a dominating performance in the Sportsman Sprint A Main. Sargent led all 25 laps of the main from the inside pole, turning away the challenges of Greg Otis and stretching out to a nice sized lead by the end of the main event. Sargent now has two wins in five total nights of Sprint Car Racing. For Otis, the second place finish marked a career best result. Bill Rude came up through the field to take third. Lee Hornbeck was the fastest qualifier. Cale Brooke, Rude and Devin Barnes won the heat races.
One of the best Shipwreck Beads Modified main events that Skagit Speedway has seen occurred on Saturday night, with Mark Carrell emerging victorious. Mel Decker led the first 22 laps under extreme pressure, first from Lawrence O’Connor, then from Carrell. Carrell and Decker went side by side for nearly 15 laps, in and amongst slower cars before Carrell caught a break with Decker pinned behind a slower car that had drifted up track on lap 23. The win was Mark’s first at Skagit Speedway, with Decker taking his best finish in a modified with second and O’Connor coming home third.
Freddie Vela is now three for four on the year in the Outlaw Tuners. Vela led from lap two to the finish, enjoying a healthy margin of victory. Clint Meins ran second with Jon Gunderson taking third. Vela won the first heat with Gunderson winning the other.
360 Sprint Cars
Fast Time – Tayler Malsam 11.680
Heat 1 – Eric Fisher, Tayler Malsam, Robbie Price, Colton Heath, Greg Hamilton, Lawrance Kirkham, Bud Ashe, Michael Bollinger, Cory Samuelson
Heat 2 – Kyle Evans, Jason Solwold, Steve Reeves, Chris Schmelzle, Phil Schemenauer, Nate Vaughn, Luke Didiuk, Steve James, Chase Goetz
Heat 3 – Cam Smith, Derek Roberts, Trey Starks, Brock Lemley, Justin Youngquist, Steve Vague, Colton Akerstrom, Kelly Miller
B Main – Michael Bollinger, Goetz, Vague, Samuelson, Ashe, Miller, Kirkham, Didiuk, James, Akerstrom, Vaughn
A Main – Colton Heath, Starks, Malsam, Solwold, Goetz, Fisher, Schmelzle, Hamilton, Price, Roberts, Evans, Vague, Bollinger, Reeves, Schemenauer, Smith, Lemley, Youngquist
Lap Leaders – Starks 1-25 Heath 26
Sportsman Sprints
Fast Time – Lee Hornbeck 12.830
Heat 1 – Cale Brooke, Joe Lyon, Greg Otis, Ashley Lewellen, Lee Hornbeck, Brett McGhie, Glenn Reinstra, Victoria Cantu
Heat 2 – Bill Rude, Lance Sargent, Ben Gunderson, Geoff Needham, Paul Burdick, Michael Hodel, Tyler Fox, Julian Fuentes
Heat 3 – Devin Barnes, Trey Starks, Steve Parker, James Bundy, Adam Hinds, Roger Oudman, Trevor Cook
B Main – Tyler Fox, McGhie, Hodel, Oudman, Cook, Reinstra
A Main – Lance Sargent, Otis, Rude, Needham, Barnes, Hornbeck, Lyon, Gunderson, Fox, Starks, Brooke, Hodel, Parker, Burdick, Hinds, Lewellen, Bundy, McGhie
Lap Leaders – Sargent 1-25