From Kaleb Hart
ALGER, Wa. (June 10, 2017) – The final tune up for the Budweiser 360 Sprint Cars before the 46th annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup was won by Colton Heath on a gorgeous night for racing at Skagit Speedway. Joining Heath in victory lane were Kelsey Carpenter, Lawrence O’Connor and Vance Hibbard.
Three time and defending Skagit Speedway 360 champion Colton Heath won the final feature before the 46th annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup coming up on June 22, 23 and 24. In a race that went green to checkered with no stoppages, Robbie Price set out to the early lead with Heath advancing to second from his fourth place starting spot. Price, the Cobble Hill, BC teenager, set a wicked pace, quickly carving his way through slower cars as he tried distancing himself from the champ. Heath was up to the challenge, dispatching of the traffic at a rapid pace himself while narrowing the distance between himself and Robbie. On lap 18, Colton’s opportunity came as Price hung himself a bit too wide off the outside of four, giving Heath the top spot as he got good drive off the low groove exiting the turn. Robbie tried darting back underneath Colton as the pair raced on lap 19, but Heath held serve and tried to jet away. JJ Hickle had others plans, dispatching of Price and closing to within a couple of car lengths on lap 22, but Colton continued to hit his marks, pulling away on the last lap to take his first win of 2017. Hickle would settle for second with Price third. Jason Solwold was quick time. Trey Starks and Eric Fisher won the heats,
Kelsey Carpenter is now four for six at Skagit Speedway and five for seven on the year as the Burlington, WA driver brought Bill Rude’s car to victory lane at Skagit Speedway in the Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints. Michael Hodel led the first 18 laps on the main event as Carpenter tried to work his way up the field from his fifth place starting spot. Up to third by a lap 14 red for Bailey Sucich, Carpenter made his way by Trevor Cook for second, then past the lapped car of Bert Johnson Jr before taking aim at Hodel. With his car on rails around the high side, Carpenter swept into the lead at the completion of the 19th lap before a red flag for car owner / teammate Rude halted the race. After the open red, Kelsey streaked away to take the win, with Hodel and Cook trading second place back and forth before Hodel took it away, relegating Cook to third. Paul Burdick set quick time. Heat wins went to Ashleigh Johnson, Adam Hinds and Bailey Sucich.
Lawrence O’Connor won his second straight High Society Modified main. After leading the first six laps, Kevin Smith took the lead from O’Connor on a lap seven restart, using the high side of turn three and four to rocket into the lead. O’Connor returned Smith a dose of his own medicine, using the same move on lap nine to retake the top spot. Cautions plagued the race late, with Smith trying every move in the book on multiple restarts to try and pass Lawrence, but the Port Hardy, BC native had the correct counter every time to hold him off and grab the victory. Adam Holtrop thrilled the crowd with a last lap dash around Smith to collect second. Kevin would take third, as well as a heat race win. The other heat winner was his brother Rock.
In his tenth year of Outlaw Tuner racing, Vance Hibbard picked up his first feature win, leading laps eight through seventeen on his way to his first feature victory. Brian Michelson was second and Dylan Acidera took a career best third place. Hibbard and Michelson won the heats.
Budweiser 360 Sprints
Fast Time – Jason Solwold 12.548
Heat 1 – Trey Starks, Colton Heath, Robbie Price, Jason Solwold, Bud Ashe, Steve Reeves, Devin Madonia
Heat 2 – Eric Fisher, Cam Smith, JJ Hickle, Brandon Harkness, Lance Sargent, Trevor Cook, Steve James
Main – Colton Heath, Hickle, Price, Solwold, Fisher, Smith, Starks, Harkness, Cook, Madonia, Ashe, Sargent, Reeves, James, Jimmy Kirkham
Lap Leaders – Price 1-17 Heath 18-25
Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints
Fast Time – Paul Burdick 12.803
Heat 1 – Ashleigh Johnson, Julian Fuentes, Paul Burdick, Trevor Cook, Derek Roberts, Bill Rude, Michael Millard
Heat 2 – Adam Hinds, Kelsey Carpenter, Michael Hodel, Devin Barnes, Bert Johnson Jr, James Bundy
Heat 3 – Bailey Sucich, Clayton Sibley, Brett McGhie, Cory Swatzina, Steve Parker, Rick Hinds
Main – Kelsey Carpenter, Hodel, Cook, McGhie, Parker, Burdick, A Hinds, Millard, Roberts, Swatzina, Barnes, Fuentes, Johnson Jr, Rude, Sibley, Bundy, Johnson, Sucich, R Hinds
Lap Leaders – Hodel 1-18 Carpenter 19-25
High Society Modifieds
Heat 1 – Rick Smith, Jeff Blanton, Brandon Berg, Bill Tomer, Louis Nutter Jr, Adam Holtrop
Heat 2 – Kevin Smith, Lawrence O’Connor, Craig Moore, Graham Cook, Mike Knox Jr, Dan Butenschoen, Becky Boudreau
Main – Lawrence O’Connor, Holtrop, K Smith, Decker, Knox Jr, Moore, Cook, Nutter Jr, Berg, Tomer, Boudreau, Butenschoen, Blanton, R Smith
Lap Leaders – O’Connor 1-6 K Smith 7-8 O’Connor 9-25
Outlaw Tuners
Heat 1 – Vance Hibbard, DJ Beaver, Kery Bostrom, Clint Meins, TJ Campbell, Terra Arnett, Rob Dozark
Heat 2 – Brian Michelson, Dylan Acidera, Jalen Vick, Casey Cobert, Howard Vos
Main – Vance Hibbard, Michelson, Acidera, Cobert, Intars Spunde, Arnett, Vick, Dozark, Beaver, Meins, Campbell, Bostrom, Curtis Cameron
Lap Leaders – Meins 1-7 Hibbard 8-17