By T.J. Buffenbarger
TERRE HAUTE, IN (July 29, 2020) — After a pair restarts at the end of the fourth round of Indiana Sprint Week for the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series Justin Grant used those late race restarts to his advantage to pass Chase Stockon on the final lap to win the feature event on Wednesday at the Terre Haute Action Track.
On the final lap of the second attempt to end the feature with a green, white checkered finish Grant made contact with Stockon’s back bumper going into turn one and then used the middle of the race track to drive around Stockon for the lead. Grant then held off Chris Windom for the victory.
The victory was Grant’s fourth win of the year with the USAC National Tour. After going winless during the first three rounds of Sprint Week Grant felt the team found something during Sunday’s third round at Lawrenceburg Speedway that carried into the event at Terre Haute.
“This thing has been a rocket ship lately. After Sunday night at Lawrenceburg I said ‘okay, we’re back. We’re going to start winning races again’ and we got it done.”
After the race Grant was brutally honest about the contact with Stockon at the end.
“I got into the back of Chase down the front stretch there. I’m not going to lie and tell you I didn’t mean to, I mean to,” said Grant. “I don’t know if he missed the bottom or knew I was ripping the top and tried to hang the thing there on the white flag to break my run. We had a run and could not let it go to waste down to the checkered. That doubles my income for the night. I like Chase, we are friends. Hopefully, we will be friends again. I am sure we’re not friends tonight. That’s how it goes sometimes and I’m sure the shoe will be on the other foot at some point.”
Stockon afterwards was unhappy with the caution late in the event with the checkered flag in sight.
“I don’t think I need to say anything, the crowd knows what’s up,” Stockton said after being greeted by cheers after the race. “We were the car to beat tonight and got screwed by a bullshit caution there. That is the way things go. We will battle back tomorrow night and we are getting some tracks we are really good at too. I’m really looking forward to the next three nights of Sprint Week in the Hudson car.”
Stockon led the opening lap under Brady Bacon drove to the lead off turn two. As Bacon pulled away Grant and Stockon raced for the second position. Grant took second from Stockon on lap six working the bottom of the racetrack.
Bacon appeared to be in control of the 30-lap affair until a lap 19 caution bunched up the field. Bacon was ambushed on the restart as Grant took the lead with Stockon surged to second position. One lap later Grant slipped up the track and allowed Stockon to take the top position.
Grant continued to work the middle of the track, but Stockon was able to hold off his advances. The first caution on the final lap and ensuing restart saw Stockon hold off Grants advances, but Dennis Gile stopping in turn two brought out the caution, setting up a second green white checkered finish.
Coming down the front stretch during to take the green on the final restart Grant got into the back of Stockon down the front stretch going into turn one. Grant then drove by for the lead with Windom also getting by Stockon for second. Heading to turns three and four both Windom and Stockon drove their cars deep into the turn to catch Grant, sending Stockon into a bicycle that he was able to recover from to maintain third position, but neither had anything for Grant.
After the race Grant was happy to have the late race restarts to recover from his earlier mistake knowing he had an advantage of the leader.
“If didn’t pay so much better to win these things than it does to run second, I’d almost feel bad for (Stockton),” said Grant about the wild sequence at the end of the feature. “He had this thing won. He did a good job. I got by (Bacon) on the restart there, and for some idiotic reason I went back to the top and (Stockon) drove right by me there. I thought we gave it away there. So many yellows, so many shots there at the end, eventually you are going to wear them down. You can only do so much when you are the leader like that.”