From Kaleb Hart
ALGER, Wash. (May 29, 2021) – Sunshine, sprint cars and fireworks were the perfect combination for an amazing night of entertainment on Saturday at Skagit Speedway, as IRI and the Follman Agency presented the John Carroll Classic. Cam Smith thrilled the crowd with a late race slidejob to win the 360 main and was joined as a winner on the night by Evan Margeson, Tyson Blood and Mike Macpherson.
Trey Starks set a torrid pace in the 25 lap Budweiser 360 Sprint main event, quickly making his way into lapped traffic from his pole position starting spot. Smith would keep pace, despite Starks routinely passing multiple slower cars per corner. A lap 15 caution for third place running Brock Lemley tightened the field up, and on the restart Starks didn’t quite gap Smith like he had previously. The pair had started working through slower cars when a red for Eric Fisher and Jeremy McCune would bunch the field up a final time with a green-white-checkered restart approaching. As Starks brought them back to green, he left the low groove open heading into turn one and Smith executed a picture perfect slidejob to take the top spot on the exit of turn two. Starks returned fire on Smith after the white flag, using a monster run off the turn two cushion to try and roll underneath Smith heading into the final corners. Smith managed to keep his car rolling hard through the turn, while Trey couldn’t hold all the speed he had at the extreme bottom of the track, spinning out as Smith took the win, his second of 2021. With the Starks spin, Colton Heath advanced to second with Garen Linder third. Starks was fast time. Linder, Lemley and Jason Solwold topped the heats for the 21 car field.
Evan Margeson made a hard race look easy in leading every lap of the Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprint main event. While Evan led all 25 laps, he had to decisively deal with lapped traffic, as Jared Peterson closed on him time and time again while weaving through the slower cars. Evan was up to the task each time, taking the win ahead of Jared and third place finisher Greg Hamilton. Margeson was also the fast qualifier. Heat winners were Steve Parker, Cory Swatzina and Allison Johnson.
Tyson Blood picked up his first win of the year in the Skagit Aggregates Modifieds. Blood drove past Ben Gunderson on lap nine to secure the lead and eventual win. The battle behind him for second was intense and entertaining, with Rick Smith coming from eighth to end up second and Adam Holtrop driving from deep in the field to take third. Smith and Blood won the heats.
Mike Macpherson is 2 for 2 in the Outlaw Tuner money events on the year, grabbing the lead on lap nine of the main event and driving away for the money win, thanks to the additional purse being put up in memory of Mike Thomas. Howard Vos and Brian Michelson were second and third. Making the Macpherson win more impressive was his dead last starting spot. He was also a heat race winner alongside Jon Gunderson.
John Carrol Classic
Skagit Speedway
Alger, Washington
Saturday, May 29, 2021
Budweiser 360 Sprints
Fast Time – Trey Starks 11.516
Heat 1 – Garen Linder
Heat 2 – Jason Solwold
Heat 3 -Brock Lemley
Main – Cam Smith, Colton Heath, Garen Linder, Jason Solwold, Greg Hamilton, Chase Goetz, Jesse Schlotfeldt, Lane Taylor, Bailey Sucich, Trey Starks, Ashleigh Johnson, Tyler Driever, Matt Jensen, Mindy McCune, Eric Fisher, Chris Bullock, Steve James, Eric Rockl, Jeremy McCune, Brock Lemley
Lap Leaders – Starks 1-23 Smith 24-25
Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints
Fast Time – Evan Margeson 12.294
Heat 1 – Steve Parker
Heat 2 – Cory Swatzina
Heat 3 – Allison Johnson
Main – Evan Margeson, Jared Peterson, Greg Hamilton, Eric Turner, Justin Youngquist, Joe Lyon, Corey Summers, Cory Swatzina, Steve Parker, Allison Johnson, Keira Zylstra, Jeff Pearson, Russell Ronan, Bill Rude, Jacob Triano
Lap Leaders – Margeson 1-25
Skagit Aggregates Modifieds
Heat 1 – Rick Smith
Heat 2 – Tyson Blood
Main – Tyson Blood, Rick Smith, Adam Holtrop, Tim Phillips, Zach Fuller, Mike Steltz, Tyler Ketchum, Zane Miner, Mel Decker, Austin Lovi, Dave Harmon, Alan Grimbly, Mike Knox Jr, Dan Butenschoen, Ben Gunderson, Craig Moore
Lap Leaders – Gunderson 1-8 Blood 9-25
Outlaw Tuners
Heat 1 – Mike Macpherson
Heat 2 – Jon Gunderson
Main – Mike Macpherson, Howard Vos, Brian Michelson, Colin Sims, Jon Edwards, Brandon Molony, Todd Martinson, Ayuka Carlson, Andrew Lance, Jon Gunderson, Brent Shetler
Lap Leaders – Gunderson 1-2 Michelson 3-8 Macpherson 9-17