From Kaleb Hart
Alger, WA — (May 14, 2016) — Mother Nature and 19 other Sportsman Sprint cars tried to interrupt the Bundy family birthday celebration on Saturday night, but none could deny James Bundy a trip to victory lane on Saturday night at Skagit Speedway. The 25 year old Marysville, WA driver parker the Bullet Racing #57 in victory lane on his Grandpa / Car Owner Jerry Bundy’s 70th birthday to score an emotional win on a night delayed by a 20 minute rain shower.
Despite Mother Nature acting as a second water truck on the night, the track was wide but slick through the middle for the 25 lap Sportsman Sprint feature. Greg Otis took the point and held serve for the first 12 laps before Bundy found traction underneath him in turn two of lap 13 to take the lead. James weaved through slower cars for four laps until a yellow flag on lap 17 for Bert Johnson Jr stacked the field up behind him. James was great on the restart, as well the restart on lap 20 after Dan Lauden slowed and a restart on lap 24 too as he took the checkered flag and the win, dedicating it to Grandpa Jerry, who sold his Harley this offseason to fund a new engine for James’ car. Zach McCabe was second and Steve Parker was third. Bill Rude set quick time, with McCabe, Otis and Joe Lyon winning heats.
Graham Cook picked up an improbable win in the High Society Modifieds. Chris Beaulieu picked up the lead on lap five after a Delaware style restart played out perfectly in front of him, allowing him to rocket from fifth to first in one lap. Chris was checked out on the field with a near half-track lead, but in the final corner of the final lap, spun to a stop in turn four. At the same time, Cook had just passed Rick Smith for second, and as the field gathered for a green – white – checkered restart. Lawrence O’Conner gave Graham a challenge on the restart, but Cook held strong to take his first Skagit Speedway win, followed by O’Conner and Tyler Ketchum. O’Conner and Beaulieu won the heats.
Travis Meins became the third different winner in three nights of Outlaw Tuner racing on the season, dominating the main event, leading all but the first lap en route to the win. Brian Michelson was second with Clint Meins winning a spirited battle for third. Travis was also a heat winner along with Jon Gunderson.
Sportsman Sprint Cars
Fast Time – Bill Rude 12.626
Heat 1 – Zach McCabe, Roger Oudman, Bill Rude, Kevin Kirkpatrick, Chris Ochs, Dave Mead,
Heat 2 – Greg Otis, James Bundy, Derek Roberts, Victoria Cantu, Bert Johnson Jr, Dustin Johnson, Paul Burdick
Heat 3 – Joe Lyon, Steve Parker, Adam Hinds, Clayton Sibley, Cale Brooke, Julian Fuentes, Dan Lauden
Main – James Bundy, McCabe, Parker, Roberts, Lyon, Otis, Brooke, Kirkpatrick, Oudman, Sibley, Rude, Ochs, B Johnson, Fuentes, Burdick, Lauden, D Johnson, Mead, Cantu, Hinds
Lap Leaders – Otis 1-12 Bundy 13-26
High Society Modifieds
Heat 1 – Lawrence O’Conner, Mel Decker, Tyler Ketchum, Branden Nutter, Tom Warner, Louis Nutter Sr, Becky Boudreau
Heat 2 – Chris Beaulieu, Rick Smith, Mike Knox Jr, Graham Cook, Carl Franssen, Louis Nutter Jr, Jeff Blanton
Main – Graham Cook, O’Conner, Ketchum, Blanton, Decker, Nutter Jr, Beaulieu, Smith, Nutter, Knox Jr, Franssen, Warner, Nutter Sr, Boudreau
Lap Leaders – Knox Jr 1-3 Beaulieu 4-24 Cook 25-26
Outlaw Tuners
Heat 1 – Jon Gunderson, Clint Meins, Brian Michelson, Vance Hibbard, Howard Vos, Terra Arnett
Heat 2 – Travis Meins, Kevin Reuter, Eric Thibert, Dalton Taylor, Jermaine Barnes Jr
Main – Travis Meins, Michelson, C Meins, Gunderson, Thibert, Reuter, Hibbard, Vos, Taylor, Arnett
Lap Leaders – Thibert 1-4 T Meins 5-17