From Lonnie Wheatley
Dodge City, KS — (April 2, 2016) — Hometown shoe Brian Herbert caught a timely late caution to hang on to the win in Saturday night’s season-opening 20-lap Precise Racing Products DCRP Sprint Car feature atop the 3/8-mile Dodge City Raceway Park clay oval.
While Herbert captured his first DCRP feature win since May of 2013, Cody Gearhart made a late move to snare IMCA Modified honors, Dakota Sproul took IMCA Sport Modified honors in the closing stages, Tyler Tipton topped the IMCA Stock Cars and Iowa’s Shannon Anderson bested the IMCA Hobby Stocks.
In the DCRP Sprint Car feature, Herbert gunned into the lead at the outset from the pole position and led all 20 laps aboard the Myers Racing Engines No. 97 entry.
But, if not for a caution with just four laps to go, the victory may have slipped from Herbert’s grasp.
“That track wore me out,” Herbert commented. “That caution really saved me, without that I might have ended up fifth or something like that.”
Herbert paced the field with ease in the early going, weathering a pair of cautions four laps into the going. Soon after the midway point though, Tyler Knight began reeling in the leader while Jake Bubak worked past Mike Peters for third by the 15th round.
With Knight all over Herbert for the point, Bubak challenged Knight on the inside for second exiting turn two on the 17th round only to spin after contact. Bubak was done for the night.
Given a quick breather with four laps to go, Herbert raced on to the checkered flag ahead of Knight with Peters, Taylor Velasquez and Steven Richardson rounding out the top five. Defending track champion Luke Cranston was sixth with Ray Seemann, Tracey Hill, Zach Blurton and Ty Williams completing the top ten.
Dodge City Raceway Park – 2016 Season Opener
April 2 Results:
Precise Racing Products DCRP Sprint Cars
Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 21x-Taylor Velasquez, 2. 72-Ray Seemann, 3. 0-Steven Richardson, 4. 20-Luke Cranston, 5. 911-Ty Williams, 6. 10-Jordan Knight, 7. 1x-Cody Lampe, 8. 6-Kaden Taylor, 9. 2-James Riner.
Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 11k-Tyler Knight, 2. 33-Koby Walters, 3. 49x-Mike Peters, 4. 2j-Zach Blurton, 5. 11-Keefe Hemel, 6. E85-Kade Hagans, 7. 49-Kris Moore, 8. 7r-Beau Ricke, 9. 17x-Craig Jecha.
Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 9x-Jake Bubak, 2. 28-Tracey Hill, 3. 97-Brian Herbert, 4. 33x-Kris Miller, 5. 112-Richie Dewell, 6. 30c-Barry Crane, 7. 18-Brandon Sprott, 8. 3-Ryan Walters. DNS: 20J-Brandy Jones.
“B” Main (8 Laps): 1. E85-Kade Hagans, 2. 49-Kris Moore, 3. 30c-Barry Crane, 4. 10-Jordan Knight, 5. 7r-Beau Ricke, 6. 20J-Brandy Jones, 7. 17x-Craig Jecha, 8. 6-Kaden Taylor, 9. 2-James Riner, 10. 3-Ryan Walters, 11. 18-Brandon Sprott.
“A” Main (20 Laps): 1. 97-Brian Herbert, 2. 11k-Tyler Knight, 3. 49x-Mike Peters, 4. 21x-Taylor Velasquez, 5. 0-Steven Richardson, 6. 20-Luke Cranston, 7. 72-Ray Seemann, 8. 28-Tracey Hill, 9. 2j-Zach Blurton, 10. 911-Ty Williams, 11. 33x-Kris Miller, 12. 1x-Cody Lampe, 13. 11-Keefe Hemel, 14. 30c-Barry Crane, 15. 10-Jordan Knight, 16. 9x-Jake Bubak, 17. 49-Kris Moore, 18. 112-Richie Dewell, 19. 33-Koby Walters, 20. E85-Kade Hagans.