By Kaleb Hart
Yakima, WA – Wet weather plagued Central Washington State Fair Raceway in Yakima, WA on Friday afternoon, but not enough to keep the Summer Thunder Sprintcar Series and Washington Modified Tour from completing their first program of 2019. Jason Solwold and Jason Beaulieu stood triumphant in victory lane at the end of the night.
The main event looked to be a heavyweight brawl with California’s Tony Gualda and Washington’s Jason Solwold duking it out in the early stages. Solwold led the first two laps before Gualda motored the Doug Rutz owned #8r by on the outside on lap three. Solwold set to work trying to run Gualda back in and was doing so when Gualda slowed to a halt on lap 10. Solwold would retake the lead on the ensuing restart and was not seriously challenged for the rest of the main, scoring the first Summer Thunder Sprint Car Series feature of 2019. Chris Schmelzle and Logan Forler rounded out the podium. Forler, Lance Sargent and Solwold won the heats. Gualda was fast time.
Jason Beaulieu had a dominant victory in the Washington Modified Tour Main Event. A lap 7 restart gave Beaulieu the opportunity to pass race leader Jeffrey Hudson for the lead and he never looked back, building a near five second advantage in the late stages of the race. Grey Ferrando would run second with Jeremy Martin a strong third. Heat race wins went to Lawrence O’Connor, BJ Wild, Robert Jenner and Hudson. Larry Buchanon won the B Feature.
Summer Thunder Sprintcar Series
Fast Time – Tony Gualda 14.620
Heat 1 – Logan Forler, Tony Gualda, Devon Borden, Bailey Sucich, Tyler Driever, Chris Ochs
Heat 2 – Lance Sargent, Chris Schmelzle, Trevor Cook, Brayton Davison, Michael Bollinger, Garen Linder
Heat 3 – Jason Solwold, JJ Hickle, Matt Jensen, Cam Smith, Chris Bullock, Colton Heath
Main – Jason Solwold, Schmelzle, Forler, Smith, Borden, Linder, Sucich, Davison, Cook, Sargent, Bullock, Gualda, Jensen, Bollinger, Hickle
Lap Leaders – Solwold 1-2 Gualda 3-9 Solwold 10-30
Hard Charger – Cam Smith +13