Bob Buffenbarger photo
Rossburg, Ohio…Christopher Bell took his first “4-Crown Nationals” victory on Saturday night as he opened the 34th annual prestigious Eldora Speedway event with a wire-to-wire Honda National Midget win. The Norman, Oklahoma native made it three wins on the season in the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports – Toyota TRD #71 Bullet/Speedway Toyota.
“It was tough out there tonight. It wasn’t really the plan to go big for the lead on the first lap, but it kinda worked out that way. I almost crashed in one, and next thing I know, I had a big old run off turn-two. I saw the hole there and took advantage of it. I had to get in below the lip getting into one. It was nice to finally get that one under my belt,” Bell said.
Bell jumped up top in the opening set of corners, as front-row starters Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Tracy Hines battled for the lead, but Bell used a full head of steam down the backstretch to throw a huge slide-job for the lead in turn-three. It stuck, and Bell led off turn-four, never to be dethroned. It was the 16th National Midget win of Bell’s career, tying him for 38th all-time with George Amick, Billy Cantrell, Henry Pens, Lee Kunzman, and Bobby Olivero.
Hines stuck with Bell for a while, but he fell into the clutches of a battle with Thomas, Jr. and Bryan Clauson, who set ProSource “Fast Time” to open the program. Just after Clauson took third on lap 15, he tagged the turn-four wall and caught the front end, ripping the right-front wheel off the car. He was done for the event.
Rico Abreu was the man on the move from there, slicing past Thomas, Jr. and locking in a duel with Hines for the eventual second spot. He finally stuck the second spot in the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports – Toyota TRD #97 Bullet/Speedway Toyota.
Hines held on for third to lengthen his National Midget point lead aboard the Parker Machinery – Turbines, Inc. #24 Spike/Stanton Toyota.
“I picked my line through the middle and I ran it the whole day. I didn’t think it was gonna work at first, but all of a sudden it came in for me. I thought we were good enough for second, but we got beat out late for second. We kept it in one piece, though, and got the finish we needed,” Hines said.
Tanner Thorson came home fourth in the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports – Abreu Vineyards #67 Bullet/Speedway Toyota, and Thomas, Jr. rounded out the top-five in the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports – Bakken Concrete #67K Bullet/Speedway Toyota.
Spencer Bayston drove from 12th to finish seventh to earn the $750 Larry Rice High-Performance Award as the race’s hard charger.