From Bryan Hulbert
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (July 24, 2021) – Two nights through Arkansas in Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Week presented by Smiley’s Racing Products action with just as many winners, Oklahoma’s Matt Covington jumped the lead on the start at I-30 Speedway and kept that position through Saturday’s SawBlade.com A-Feature with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.
“This is one of my favorite tracks. It’s where I started Sprint Car racing in 2008 before I ever started running ASCS, so I’ve got more laps at this track any track really,” said Covington who has once again taken over the points lead.
Covington’s 13th career victory with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, the win is a series of firsts for the Glenpool, Okla. driver despite his years around the Arkansas quarter-mile. Covington’s first career win in Speedweek competition, the win is also his first at “Hammer Hill” against the National Tour, as well as his first tour score in the state of Arkansas.
Officially leading every lap, Covington’s lead was lost at one point when J.J. Hickle worked under the No. 95 on Lap 19. Crossing over the finish line, Hickle was joined by seven more drivers before the caution lights came on for Michael Faccinto who spun racing for second after tagging an infield tire. Reverting the field back to Lap 18, that put Covington back to the point.
“Thank God for the caution because J.J. showed by the bottom,” stated Covington when asked about the near pass.
“I don’t think I would have found it on my own. I couldn’t see it, and I thought I might have seen turn four getting a little darker, but I just didn’t know where it was going to take, but fortunately, the caution came out. Good for me, bad for J.J., but that’s why that call it racing and now winning all the time, but the track was good all night considering how hot it was, and with this many cars.”
Adjusting his line on the restart, Covington was unchallenged, despite a few more cautions before the race found its conclusion. Pulling away by 1.239-seconds, second went to J.J. Hickle with Dylan Westbrook, after falling back early on, fighting back for his second podium run of the weekend. Battling viciously throughout the event, Tim Crawley held on for fourth with Brandon Hanks in fifth.
Hayden Martin from 13th made it to sixth with Ryan Bickett rolling to seventh after a multi-lap battle with Marshall Skinner, who ended up eighth. Spinning on Lap 9 while battling for sixth, Blake Hahn rebounded to a ninth-place finish. Despite the use of a provisional, Washington’s Colby Thornhill made an impressive run from 23rd to complete the top ten.
A field of 47 filled the pits at the I-30 Speedway with SCE Gaskets Heat wins going to Ryan Timms, Matt Covington, Tim Crawley, Landon Britt, Blake Hahn, and Scott Bogucki. Hoosier Tire Qualifiers were topped by Marshall Skinner, J.J. Hickle, Matt Covington, and Cody Gardner. BMRS B-Features went to Cody Gardner and Ernie Ainsworth. Provisional were utilized by Colby Thornhill, Greg Hamilton, and Paxton Gregory.
The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Week presented by Smiley’s Racing Products continues at Riverside International Speedway on Sunday, July 25. Racing gets underway at 7:30 P.M. (CDT). Riverside International Speedway is located at 151 Legion Rd. in West Memphis, Ark. More information on the track can be found at https://riversideinternationalspeedway.com or by calling (901) 840-1970.
Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour presented by MAVtv
ASCS Speedweek
I-30 Speedway
Little Rock, Arkansas
Saturday, July 24, 2021
Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 5T-Ryan Timms[6]
2. 74-Tucker Boulton[1]
3. 13-Chase Howard[4]
4. 27J-Joseph Poe Jr[8]
5. 99-Blake Jenkins[2]
6. 77X-Greg Hamilton[3]
7. 15J-Jeremy Middleton[5]
8. 187-Landon Crawley[7]
Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 95-Matt Covington[6]
2. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[8]
3. 67-Hayden Martin[3]
4. 38-Rick Pringle[2]
5. 10P-Dylan Postier[1]
6. 0-Mike Vaculik[7]
7. 23C-Keith Ainsworth[4]
8. 23P-Hunter Poe[5]
Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 1X-Tim Crawley[3]
2. 84-Brandon Hanks[5]
3. 5H-Michael Faccinto[8]
4. 91A-Ernie Ainsworth[4]
5. 41-Colton Hardy[2]
6. 19-Colby Thornhill[7]
7. 9-Josh McCord[1]
8. 1-Brenham Crouch[6]
Heat Race #4 (8 Laps)
1. 10L-Landon Britt[1]
2. 3-Howard Moore[6]
3. 14-Jordon Mallett[7]
4. 26-Marshall Skinner[4]
5. 91T-Tyler Thomas[5]
6. G6-Cody Gardner[8]
7. 88-Travis Reber[2]
8. 19J-Jason Long[3]
Heat Race #5 (8 Laps)
1. 52-Blake Hahn[7]
2. 63-JJ Hickle[5]
3. 21-Gunner Ramey[1]
4. X-Charlie Louden[4]
5. 91-Zach Pringle[3]
6. 24W-Jeffrey West Jr[2]
7. 21K-Kevin Hinkle[6]
8. 3G-Paxton Gregory[8]
Heat Race #6 (8 Laps)
1. 28-Scott Bogucki[3]
2. 17B-Ryan Bickett[5]
3. 6-Dustin Gates[6]
4. 21B-Brandon Hinkle[1]
5. 1S-Joey Schmidt[4]
6. 44-Ronny Howard[2]
DNS: 47-Dale Howard
Qualifier #1 (8 Laps)
1. 26-Marshall Skinner[1]
2. 6-Dustin Gates[3]
3. 84-Brandon Hanks[4]
4. 52-Blake Hahn[6]
5. 3-Howard Moore[5]
6. 19-Colby Thornhill[8]
7. 21B-Brandon Hinkle[7]
8. 13-Chase Howard[2]
9. 21K-Kevin Hinkle[10]
10. 10P-Dylan Postier[9]
Qualifier #2 (8 Laps)
1. 63-JJ Hickle[4]
2. 67-Hayden Martin[2]
3. X-Charlie Louden[1]
4. 5T-Ryan Timms[6]
5. 5H-Michael Faccinto[5]
6. 10L-Landon Britt[3]
7. 77X-Greg Hamilton[9]
8. 91-Zach Pringle[8]
9. 91T-Tyler Thomas[7]
DNS: 15J-Jeremy Middleton
Qualifier #3 (8 Laps)
1. 95-Matt Covington[6]
2. 21-Gunner Ramey[2]
3. 1X-Tim Crawley[5]
4. 17B-Ryan Bickett[4]
5. 24W-Jeffrey West Jr[9]
6. 38-Rick Pringle[1]
7. 1S-Joey Schmidt[7]
8. 99-Blake Jenkins[8]
9. 27J-Joseph Poe Jr[3]
10. 23C-Keith Ainsworth[10]
Qualifier #4 (8 Laps)
1. G6-Cody Gardner[1]
2. 91A-Ernie Ainsworth[2]
3. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[6]
4. 28-Scott Bogucki[5]
5. 14-Jordon Mallett[4]
6. 41-Colton Hardy[8]
7. 74-Tucker Boulton[3]
8. 3G-Paxton Gregory[10]
9. 0-Mike Vaculik[7]
10. 44-Ronny Howard[9]
B-Main (12 Laps)
1. G6-Cody Gardner[1]
2. 24W-Jeffrey West Jr[3]
3. 91T-Tyler Thomas[8]
4. 1S-Joey Schmidt[7]
5. 74-Tucker Boulton[4]
6. 77X-Greg Hamilton[14]
7. X-Charlie Louden[2]
8. 13-Chase Howard[6]
9. 0-Mike Vaculik[9]
10. 10P-Dylan Postier[10]
11. 23C-Keith Ainsworth[11]
12. 9-Josh McCord[12]
13. 23P-Hunter Poe[13]
DNS: 27J-Joseph Poe Jr
DNS: 15J-Jeremy Middleton
DNS: 47-Dale Howard
B-Main 2 (12 Laps)
1. 91A-Ernie Ainsworth[1]
2. 41-Colton Hardy[4]
3. 10L-Landon Britt[2]
4. 38-Rick Pringle[5]
5. 187-Landon Crawley[15]
6. 21B-Brandon Hinkle[6]
7. 3G-Paxton Gregory[8]
8. 99-Blake Jenkins[14]
9. 44-Ronny Howard[10]
10. 91-Zach Pringle[7]
11. 1-Brenham Crouch[12]
12. 19J-Jason Long[13]
13. 21K-Kevin Hinkle[9]
14. 19-Colby Thornhill[3]
15. 88-Travis Reber[11]
A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 95-Matt Covington[1]
2. 63-JJ Hickle[3]
3. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[2]
4. 1X-Tim Crawley[6]
5. 84-Brandon Hanks[7]
6. 67-Hayden Martin[13]
7. 17B-Ryan Bickett[10]
8. 26-Marshall Skinner[14]
9. 52-Blake Hahn[4]
10. 19-Colby Thornhill[23]
11. 21-Gunner Ramey[16]
12. 14-Jordon Mallett[15]
13. 91A-Ernie Ainsworth[18]
14. 91T-Tyler Thomas[21]
15. 5T-Ryan Timms[5]
16. 24W-Jeffrey West Jr[19]
17. 41-Colton Hardy[20]
18. 10L-Landon Britt[22]
19. 28-Scott Bogucki[9]
20. 3-Howard Moore[11]
21. 5H-Michael Faccinto[12]
22. 6-Dustin Gates[8]
23. 3G-Paxton Gregory[25]
24. G6-Cody Gardner[17]
25. 77X-Greg Hamilton[24]