By T.J. Buffenbarger
CRYSTAL, Mich. (April 23, 2022) — For the second consecutive night Dylan Westbrook made his first visit to a race track a victorious one by winning Saturday’s main event with the Great Lakes Super Sprints at Crystal Motor Speedway.
Westbrook, from Brant, Ontario, backed up his victory Friday at the National Racing Alliance at Attica Raceway Park during his first visit to that facility, quickly moving up from seventh starting position and holding off a late challenge by Chase Dunham in heavy lapped traffic in a feature that ran 25 non-stop laps following a red flag on the opening circuit during his first trip to Crystal.
After taking the lead from Dunham earlier in the feature event, Westbrook had a feeling that Dunham was starting to close in as slower traffic became more of a factor late in the feature.
“I knew I was going a lot slower trying to get around those cars trying to like to try it low try it high, and I just couldn’t get by the one of them. I knew (Dunham) would be getting close. I think I’ve seen him on the inside of me once coming out of a turn three and four there. But uh, yeah, I thought he had to be getting close to me.”
Dunham thought he was going to have one more shot at Westbrook, but one mistake on the top of the racetrack ended up making the difference.
“I think the lapped cars were kind of just blocking his way, said Dunham. “I was getting in a good run at the same time, but I think I showed my nose a little too soon and let him know I was there. Then (Westbrook) started pushing the issue with the lap cars a little more, which was I at that point, because I thought we had a good chance. I wish I could have got a good run on the top. I had a good chance to one time and I kind of I didn’t get completely up and committed where I should have been, but it was a good run
The first attempt to start the feature ended up with a red flag in turn four involving Frank Neil, Tylar Rankin, Kyle Poortenga, and Dan Nanticoke. All four drivers were unable to continue.
With Rankin out of the event that moved Westbrook up one row for the restart. Dunham took the lead while Westbrook disposed Max Stambaugh for third and Keith Sheffer Jr. for second on consecutive lap before chasing down Dunham for the lead.
“Even the first start I got a good run got off the fifth there and then seeing the caution came out came out and then it was red, so I was a little disappointed there because I thought I had to go back to seventh,” said Westbrook. “The second start was even better. I hit that bottom real good going into turn one and got good drive coming off.”
By lap 10 Westbrook wrestled the lead away from Dunham and became to open a sizeable lead. During the later stages of the main event Westbrook was blocked in by slower traffic. Dunham was able to close with less than five laps to go, but Westbrook skirted through slower traffic again to open some distance between himself and Dunham and drove away to victory. Dunham held on for second with Stambaugh, Ryan Ruhl, and Dustin Daggett rounding out the top five.
For Westbrook, completing the weekend sweep was the perfect way to salvage the weekend after a pair of ASCS National Tour events he was scheduled to compete in were called off earlier in the week, giving his Miles Hill owned team a chance to work on some things.
“Even though like we got rained out with the National Tour, we’re still out here learning,” said Westbrook of the opportunity to work with his team on some things in an environment where points racing is not an issue. “Different tracks and such, getting an opportunity try some things every time we’re out on track.”
Great Lakes Super Sprints
Crystal Motor Speedway
Crystal, Michigan
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Qualifying (2 Laps)
1. 47X-Dylan Westbrook, 12.549[9]
2. 25M-Ryan Ruhl, 12.818[6]
3. 71H-Max Stambaugh, 13.137[2]
4. 66-Chase Dunham, 13.176[17]
5. 70-Eli Lakin, 13.270[5]
6. 84-Kyle Poortenga, 13.279[15]
7. 85-Dustin Daggett, 13.285[24]
8. 7C-Phil Gressman, 13.296[23]
9. 27-Brad Lamberson, 13.324[27]
10. 16C-Tyler Rankin, 13.448[29]
11. 21-Linden Jones, 13.469[4]
12. 3A-Mike Astrauskas, 13.509[8]
13. 88N-Frank Neill, 13.537[1]
14. 24D-Danny Sams III, 13.578[28]
15. 10S-Jay Steinebach, 13.587[13]
16. 86-Keith Sheffer Jr, 13.622[26]
17. 9-Liam Martin, 13.742[16]
18. 8-Justin Ward, 13.817[19]
19. 15-Dan Nanticoke, 13.856[18]
20. 87-Logan Easterday, 14.015[22]
21. 27K-Zac Broughman, 14.032[20]
22. 55-Matt Cogley, 14.078[12]
23. 07-Shane Simmons, 14.170[3]
24. 33-RJ Payne, 14.355[21]
25. 2-Tyler Bearden, 14.374[25]
26. 38-Max Frank, 14.482[7]
27. 31-Jim Girard, 14.648[11]
DNS: 13-Andy Teunessen
DNS: 49T-Gregg Dalman
Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 27-Brad Lamberson[2]
2. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[4]
3. 88N-Frank Neill[1]
4. 9-Liam Martin[5]
5. 70-Eli Lakin[3]
6. 49T-Gregg Dalman[8]
7. 27K-Zac Broughman[6]
8. 2-Tyler Bearden[7]
Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 16C-Tyler Rankin[2]
2. 24D-Danny Sams III[1]
3. 25M-Ryan Ruhl[4]
4. 84-Kyle Poortenga[3]
5. 8-Justin Ward[5]
6. 55-Matt Cogley[6]
7. 38-Max Frank[7]
Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 85-Dustin Daggett[3]
2. 71H-Max Stambaugh[4]
3. 21-Linden Jones[2]
4. 15-Dan Nanticoke[5]
5. 31-Jim Girard[7]
6. 07-Shane Simmons[6]
7. 10S-Jay Steinebach[1]
Heat Race #4 (8 Laps)
1. 86-Keith Sheffer Jr[1]
2. 7C-Phil Gressman[3]
3. 66-Chase Dunham[4]
4. 3A-Mike Astrauskas[2]
5. 13-Andy Teunessen[7]
6. 33-RJ Payne[6]
7. 87-Logan Easterday[5]
B-Main (12 Laps)
1. 8-Justin Ward[2]
2. 70-Eli Lakin[1]
3. 49T-Gregg Dalman[5]
4. 13-Andy Teunessen[4]
5. 27K-Zac Broughman[9]
6. 87-Logan Easterday[12]
7. 38-Max Frank[10]
8. 2-Tyler Bearden[13]
9. 55-Matt Cogley[6]
10. 31-Jim Girard[3]
11. 07-Shane Simmons[7]
DNS: 33-RJ Payne
DNS: 10S-Jay Steinebach
A-Main (25 Laps)
1. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[7]
2. 66-Chase Dunham[1]
3. 71H-Max Stambaugh[3]
4. 25M-Ryan Ruhl[6]
5. 85-Dustin Daggett[4]
6. 7C-Phil Gressman[10]
7. 27-Brad Lamberson[8]
8. 24D-Danny Sams III[9]
9. 9-Liam Martin[13]
10. 49T-Gregg Dalman[19]
11. 21-Linden Jones[12]
12. 70-Eli Lakin[18]
13. 3A-Mike Astrauskas[16]
14. 8-Justin Ward[17]
15. 13-Andy Teunessen[20]
16. 86-Keith Sheffer Jr[2]
17. 84-Kyle Poortenga[14]
18. 15-Dan Nanticoke[15]
19. 16C-Tyler Rankin[5]
20. 88N-Frank Neill[11]