By Andrew Kunas
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming –, as Ned Powers outlasted Logan Forler for the win after multiple lead changes between the two.
For Powers, it was the Belle Fourche, South Dakota driver’s third win with the Frontier Region this season, leading all drivers aboard his No. 0 – Cornella-powered Maxim.
Powers started outside the front row and took the lead on the start, leading the first 15 laps while Forler was in pursuit aboard the Forler Racing No. 2L Parker-powered Maxim. The dry 3/8-mile clay oval began changing as it took rubber. Forler found better traction lower in the turns and motored by to take the lead on the 16th circuit. Powers responded in kind as he motored back by Forler exiting Turn 4 for the white flag on Lap 24.
While there were only two official lead changes, they passed each other multiple times only to lose the spot back to the other driver on the same lap as they raced through traffic, motoring by on the rubbered up portions of the track and both attempting to throw unsuccessful slide jobs. Both drivers pulled away from the other, only to get reeled back in. Fans in attendance enjoyed what they saw.
“That was fun. That was some real good racing. Logan is a great racer with a great car and it was good and clean,” Powers said in Rod End Supply Victory Lane. “I was upset that Logan found the rubber first, but we worked at and we started trading passes. Glad we got to win it.”
The pass for the win came after the final restart with a couple of laps remaining. The last caution was perhaps the caution Powers did not get on Friday night. Powers was clearly the fastest car and driver on the track at the end of that event, but a caution free race saw eventual race winner Jeremy McCune get far enough ahead for Powers to not have any chance once he was in second place.
While he wanted the win Saturday, Boise, Idaho’s Forler admitted that he really enjoyed racing with Powers this night.
Colorado visitor Patrick Bourke came from the eighth starting position to finish third in his own No. 27B Meyers-powered Triple X. Pole-sitter Anthony Farnsworth of Newcastle, Wyoming finished fourth in his own No. 10 Frisk-powered Eagle. Arizona’s Lance Norick recovered from an early race accident to finish fifth in his own No. 90 Smith-powered Triple X.
Utah’s Chauncey Filler and Montana’s Mindy McCord, who is third in the ASCS Frontier Region points standings, started in the eighth row together and each advanced nine positions to finish sixth and seventh respectively. McCune, William Hernandez and Shad Petersen rounded out the Top 10.
Disaster struck for the top two drivers in the points standings while running in the Top 5. Escaping after contact in the Norick accident earlier with nothing worse than a well dented tail tank, points leader David Hoiness of Billings, Mont. was running fifth when he suddenly pulled off the race track as his motor shut off on him. Hoiness had a 108-point lead over Cheyenne, Wyoming’s Rich Martin going into the event. Martin was running third at the time Hoiness pulled off. With an opportunity to gain some ground on Hoiness in the points, Martin instead had motor problems of his own as he later pulled off with just a few laps remaining.
Martin was scored 16th and Hoiness 19th. Minimal damage was done to the points lead for Hoiness with just one points race remaining. It was only the second time all season Hoiness did not finish in the Top 10.
As he did on Friday, Forler won the evening’s first heat race from the pole. Powers and Norick then won the second and third heat races, respectively, both from the fifth starting position. The each earned the top heat race passing points score, with Powers getting the official nod based on the early heat tiebreaker.
The weekend’s events were the first at the Rock Springs, Wyo. facility for the ASCS Frontier Region. The track had previously hosted the old ASCS Rocky Mountain Region, the last time being in 2009.
The last points race scheduled for the Brodix ASCS Frontier Region in 2017 is Friday, September 8th as the series takes part in the annual Big Sky Supernationals at Gallatin Speedway in Belgrade, Mont. Hoiness looks to wrap up his first ASCS championship that night.
The series, however, is still racing before that on Labor Day weekend. With the recent announcement that Montana will unify next season, ASCS announced that the Frontier Region will support the NSA tour’s events when Electric City Speedway in Great Falls hosts its annual Montana Roundup, scheduled for the usual three nights on Friday through Sunday, Septmber 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Due to the late notice for race teams following the ASCS Frontier Region, those races will not be points events.
More information on the Brodix Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series, Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour presented by MAVTV Motorsports Network and other ASCS regional tours, including schedules and results, can be found online at ascsracing.com. You can also find the series on Facebook.
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Brodix ASCS Frontier Region
Sweetwater Speedway
Rock Springs, WY
August 19, 2017
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
22 cars
Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 2L Logan Forler, 2. 27DD David Hoiness, 3. 86 Zac Taylor, 4. 24m Rich Martin, 5. 2 Shad Petersen, 6. 1m William Hernandez, 7. 88 Travis Reber, 8. 19 Jalen Powers (DNF).
Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. 0 Ned Powers, 2. 0J Jeremy McCune, 3. 14 Ben Holmberg, 4. 77 Damon McCune, 5. 33 Robert DeHaan, 6. 56 Butch Capshaw (DNF). DNS – 66 Lany Reber.
Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. 90 Lance Norick, 2. 10 Anthony Farnsworth, 3. 27B Patrick Bourke, 4. 7 Mike Sires, 5. 11 Mindy McCord, 6. 74u Chauncey Filler, 7. 8x Randy Dolberg.
High heat race passing points score: 0 Ned Powers & 90 Lance Norick, 120 (early heat tiebreaker goes to Powers)
Feature (25 laps): 1. 0 Ned Powers, 2. 2L Logan Forler, 3. 27B Patrick Bourke, 4. 10 Anthony Farnsworth, 5. 90 Lance Norick, 6. 74u Chauncey Filler, 7. 11 Mindy McCord, 8. 0J Jeremy McCune, 9. 1m William Hernandez, 10. 2 Shad Petersen, 11. 14 Ben Holmberg, 12. 8x Randy Dolberg, 13. 33 Robert DeHaan, 14. 7 Mike Sires, 15. 19 Jalen Powers, 16. 24m Rich Martin (DNF), 17. 66 Lany Reber (DNF), 19. 88 Travis Reber (DNF), 19. 27DD David Hoiness (DNF), 20. 56 Butch Capshaw (DNF). DNS – 86 Zac Taylor, 77 Damon McCune.
Lap leaders: Ned Powers 1-15, Logan Forler 16-23, Ned Powers 24-25