Marks Masters Eldora for $100,000 Payday

Brent Marks with his team after winning the $100,000 to win Historical Big One at Eldora Speedway. (Mike Campbell Photo)

By T.J. Buffenbarger

ROSSBURG, Ohio (July 14, 2022) — ROSSBURG, Ohio (July 14, 2022) – Brent Marks continued his tear through the sprint car world in 2022 by winning the revival of the Historical Big One Thursday night at Eldora Speedway. Marks was able to take the lead from Tyler Courtney holding on through slower traffic for the victory.

Marks, from Myerstown, Pennsylvania, charged from 14th starting position to pass 2021 Kings Royal winner Tyler Courtney for the lead, then hold off Courtney in the late stages of the feature in traffic for his 12th feature victory of the 2022 season.

Even though Marks had to come from deep in the field, he tried to go about it patiently during the 40-lap distance.

“I was just trying to bide my time,” said Marks. “I felt like I did have a better car than those two. But they were also racing each other pretty hard to see. It is kind of hard to judge but I still felt like my car needed some more laps work to come, burn off some more fuel load, and it did that just really came to life there at the end.”

Sye Lynch and Courtney started on the front row for the 40-lap finale. During the initial start Dave Blaney got into the fence and spun in turn four. Blaney was able to rejoin the tail of the field for the restart.

Courtney got the jump during the second attempt to start the feature with Kyle Larson driving by Lynch to get second. Courtney was able to maintain a comfortable distance between himself and Larson until catching the back of the field on lap seven, which allowed Larson to close. Sensing that his lead was dwindling he drove by two lapped cars three wide to maintain his advantage.

Just as Courtney made that impressive move, the red flag appeared when Lynch’s engine went up in flames while running third. Lynch exited the car under his own power.

Once the cars were pushed off for the restart Kyle Larson entered the work area with a flat right rear tire. With assistance from his and other crews, Larson was able to join the field for the restart. Kraig Kinser also cut down a right rear tire to change a tire as well while running fifth.

During the restart Rico Abreu drove to second position around Kerry Madsen, but that pass was negated when Kraig Kinser tangled with Jacob Allen and turned over on the backstretch. Kinser exited the car under his own power, but the damage to his car would not allow him to continue.

After an open red flag period during the Kinser accident Courtney pulled away while Abreu was able to drive around Brad Sweet for third position. Abreu quickly closed on Madsen for second while Sweet and David Gravel were racing side by side for the fourth position.

Abreu was able to get a look under Madsen through turns one and two for second, then finished the pass with a slide job in turns three and four on lap 12 to take the second position. One lap later the caution appeared for Zach Hampton slowing on the track with a delaminated left rear tire. Hampton was able to get the tire changed and join the tail of the field.

Courtney pulled away from the field again during the restart while Abreu raced around the top of the track again to move up to second position. This left Madsen under fire from Brad Sweet along with Marks and Donny Schatz moving up through the field.

Up front Abreu closed in on Courtney lap 16. Abreu got a look under Courtney on lap 18, but could not make the pass. On lap later Abreu used a slide job in turn two to take the lead. Courtney kept pace and when Abreu tagged the fence in turn two Courtney tried to pull another slide job. Abreu was able to counter with his own slide job to maintain the lead. Courtney ran up to the top of the track, turned down, and took the lead again in turn two. Shortly after Courtney took the lead, the caution appeared for James McFadden slowing in turn three. McFadden had the car taken to the work area, but his team was unable to make repairs in the allotted time.

During the restart Marks was able to drive under Courtney to take the lead. Courtney tired to drive back around the outside of Marks, crossing off in turns three and four, with Marks holding onto the lead. Sweet and Abreu were behind the lead pair exchanging slide jobs for third position with Brian Brown eventually making it a three-car race for position.

Courtney was able to hang with Marks through slower traffic waiting for a mistake. That moment came on lap 38 when trying to get by a slower car, Marks tagged to the turn four wall just enough to let Courtney close in. It turned out though Courtney was too far behind at the time to take advantage and Marks held on for the $100,000 victory. Courtney, Abreu, Sweet, and Logan Schuchart from 21st starting position rounded out the top five.

Unlike Marks other victories such as the Williams Grove National Open, there is not much time for celetebration with another program looming on Friday before Saturday’s $175,000 to win Kings Royal.

“We can’t celebrate it tonight, but we’re going,” said Marks afterwards. “There are guys that win big races like this are always looking towards the next one. I want to go race the next day so just in our blood. I’m excited for tomorrow, I’m most excited for Saturday, and hopefully we can contend for this.”

12th Historical Big One
Eldora Speedway
Rossburg, Ohio
Thursday, July 14, 2022

Qualifying:
1. 18-Giovanni Scelzi, 12.967[4]
2. 2-David Gravel, 13.007[38]
3. 21-Brian Brown, 13.136[35]
4. 8-Aaron Reutzel, 13.137[19]
5. 41-Carson Macedo, 13.144[21]
6. 5-Spencer Bayston, 13.154[36]
7. 21H-Brady Bacon, 13.158[51]
8. 71-Cory Eliason, 13.163[33]
9. 83JR-Kerry Madsen, 13.164[54]
10. 49X-Tanner Thorson, 13.164[10]
11. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 13.167[55]
12. 1A-Jacob Allen, 13.169[44]
13. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.171[23]
14. 39-Daryn Pittman, 13.179[9]
15. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.180[26]
16. 57-Kyle Larson, 13.191[15]
17. 1-Logan Wagner, 13.197[5]
18. 9-Kasey Kahne, 13.228[13]
19. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.229[22]
20. 24-Rico Abreu, 13.231[18]
21. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.237[25]
22. 11T-TJ Stutts, 13.242[1]
23. 3-Ayrton Gennetten, 13.251[20]
24. 1AU-Marcus Dumesny, 13.260[27]
25. 49-Brad Sweet, 13.266[34]
26. 19-Brent Marks, 13.267[42]
27. 10-Dave Blaney, 13.285[3]
28. 35-Zach Hampton, 13.286[7]
29. 19W-Chris Windom, 13.286[8]
30. 42-Sye Lynch, 13.290[11]
31. 39M-Anthony Macri, 13.294[24]
32. 83-James McFadden, 13.297[43]
33. 55-Alex Bowman, 13.297[12]
34. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss, 13.331[53]
35. 91-Cale Thomas, 13.333[16]
36. 13-Justin Peck, 13.338[57]
37. 55W-Hunter Schuerenberg, 13.340[58]
38. 20G-Noah Gass, 13.367[6]
39. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 13.367[46]
40. 17B-Bill Balog, 13.393[59]
41. 18X-Cole Macedo, 13.403[56]
42. 48-Danny Dietrich, 13.406[41]
43. 55T-McKenna Haase, 13.430[30]
44. 4-Cap Henry, 13.445[37]
45. 47X-Dylan Westbrook, 13.448[2]
46. 11-Parker Price Miller, 13.450[47]
47. 101-Lachlan McHugh, 13.496[29]
48. 26-Zeb Wise, 13.514[39]
49. 6-Bill Rose, 13.528[17]
50. 70-Sammy Swindell, 13.548[48]
51. 7S-Robbie Price, 13.608[49]
52. 81-Lee Jacobs, 13.639[14]
53. 97-Greg Wilson, 13.639[31]
54. 5T-Travis Philo, 13.662[50]
55. 70M-Henry Malcuit, 13.705[28]
56. 29-Zeth Sabo, 13.916[32]
57. 9G-Ryan Myers, 13.916[45]
58. 40-Logan Fenton, 15.078[40]
59. 99-Skylar Gee, 15.078[52]

Heat Race #1 (10 Laps):
1. 49-Brad Sweet[1]
2. 11K-Kraig Kinser[2]
3. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[5]
4. 1S-Logan Schuchart[3]
5. 21H-Brady Bacon[4]
6. 55W-Hunter Schuerenberg[7]
7. 39M-Anthony Macri[6]
8. 70M-Henry Malcuit[10]
9. 55T-McKenna Haase[8]
10. 6-Bill Rose[9]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)

Heat Race #2 (10 Laps)
1. 2-David Gravel[5]
2. 24-Rico Abreu[2]
3. 19-Brent Marks[1]
4. 83-James McFadden[6]
5. 71-Cory Eliason[4]
6. 39-Daryn Pittman[3]
7. 4-Cap Henry[8]
8. 70-Sammy Swindell[9]
9. 20G-Noah Gass[7]
10. 29-Zeth Sabo[10]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)

Heat Race #3 (10 Laps)
1. 83JR-Kerry Madsen[4]
2. 15-Donny Schatz[3]
3. 10-Dave Blaney[1]
4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[2]
5. 21-Brian Brown[5]
6. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[7]
7. 7S-Robbie Price[9]
8. 55-Alex Bowman[6]
9. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[8]
10. 9G-Ryan Myers[10]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)

Heat Race #4 (10 Laps)
1. 57-Kyle Larson[3]
2. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[6]
3. 35-Zach Hampton[1]
4. 11-Parker Price Miller[8]
5. 17B-Bill Balog[7]
6. 11T-TJ Stutts[2]
7. 49X-Tanner Thorson[4]
8. 81-Lee Jacobs[9]
9. 8-Aaron Reutzel[5]
10. 40-Logan Fenton[10]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)

Heat Race #5 (10 Laps)
1. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[4]
2. 19W-Chris Windom[1]
3. 41-Carson Macedo[5]
4. 1-Logan Wagner[3]
5. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[2]
6. 91-Cale Thomas[6]
7. 101-Lachlan McHugh[8]
8. 18X-Cole Macedo[7]
9. 97-Greg Wilson[9]
10. 99-Skylar Gee[10]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)

Heat Race #6 (10 Laps)
1. 42-Sye Lynch[1]
2. 1AU-Marcus Dumesny[2]
3. 1A-Jacob Allen[4]
4. 13-Justin Peck[6]
5. 5-Spencer Bayston[5]
6. 48-Danny Dietrich[7]
7. 26-Zeb Wise[8]
8. 9-Kasey Kahne[3]
9. 5T-Travis Philo[9]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)

C-Main (12 Laps)
1. 39M-Anthony Macri[1]
2. 26-Zeb Wise[6]
3. 4-Cap Henry[2]
4. 70-Sammy Swindell[8]
5. 101-Lachlan McHugh[5]
6. 49X-Tanner Thorson[4]
7. 97-Greg Wilson[17]
8. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[9]
9. 55-Alex Bowman[3]
10. 20G-Noah Gass[14]
11. 70M-Henry Malcuit[7]
12. 6-Bill Rose[18]
13. 9G-Ryan Myers[15]
14. 81-Lee Jacobs[10]
15. 18X-Cole Macedo[11]
16. 9-Kasey Kahne[12]
17. 55T-McKenna Haase[13]
18. 40-Logan Fenton[16]
19. 29-Zeth Sabo[19]
20. 99-Skylar Gee[20]
21. 5T-Travis Philo[21]

Last Chance Showdown (15 Laps)
1. 83-James McFadden[2]
2. 1S-Logan Schuchart[1]
3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[3]
4. 11-Parker Price Miller[4]
5. 1-Logan Wagner[5]
6. 21H-Brady Bacon[7]
7. 13-Justin Peck[6]
8. 5-Spencer Bayston[12]
9. 48-Danny Dietrich[18]
10. 91-Cale Thomas[17]
11. 39-Daryn Pittman[14]
12. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[11]
13. 71-Cory Eliason[8]
14. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[9]
15. 17B-Bill Balog[10]
16. 39M-Anthony Macri[19]
17. 7S-Robbie Price[15]
18. 26-Zeb Wise[20]
19. 49X-Tanner Thorson[24]
20. 11T-TJ Stutts[16]
21. 4-Cap Henry[21]
22. 101-Lachlan McHugh[23]
23. 55W-Hunter Schuerenberg[13]
24. 70-Sammy Swindell[22]

A-Main (40 Laps)
1. 19-Brent Marks[14]
2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[2]
3. 24-Rico Abreu[8]
4. 49-Brad Sweet[6]
5. 1S-Logan Schuchart[21]
6. 21-Brian Brown[19]
7. 2-David Gravel[5]
8. 41-Carson Macedo[17]
9. 57-Kyle Larson[3]
10. 15-Donny Schatz[9]
11. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[22]
12. 1-Logan Wagner[24]
13. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[10]
14. 11-Parker Price Miller[23]
15. 83JR-Kerry Madsen[4]
16. 19W-Chris Windom[11]
17. 1AU-Marcus Dumesny[12]
18. 35-Zach Hampton[16]
19. 1A-Jacob Allen[18]
20. 83-James McFadden[20]
21. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[13]
22. 11K-Kraig Kinser[7]
23. 42-Sye Lynch[1]
24. 10-Dave Blaney[15]