Lonnie Wheatley
BELLEVILLE, Kan. (August 6, 2022) – Arcadia, Oklahoma’s Ty Williams added another feather to his cap by taking the $7,000 winner’s share in Saturday night’s Fifth Annual Belleville 305 Sprint Car Nationals 30-lap finale atop the ½-mile Belleville High Banks clay oval.
It wasn’t without some twists and turns along the way before Williams ultimately made what proved to be the race-winning pass in the final pair of corners of the United Rebel Sprint Series event and learned of the victory post-race when apparent winner Steven Richardson fell light at the scales.
While much of the way it looked as if Luke Cranston was destined for a second consecutive Belleville 305 Nationals title, Richardson rallied through the field after an opening lap incident and took command on the final circuit in turns one and two.
Williams followed suit and slipped by Cranston as well in the next pair of corners to chase Richardson across the stripe.
But Richardson’s thrilling charge through the field proved to be all for naught when he rolled across the scales 30 pounds below the minimum weight of 1,550 pounds, handing the win over to Williams aboard the Steve Hilker Trucking/Cattletrucks.com No. 911.
After starting from the pole position, Williams spent the duration of the race pursuing fellow front row starter Cranston and closed in on several occasions as the lead duo blazed a trail on the upper portion of the high-speed oval.
“I felt like we were about equal and I might have a shot at him (Cranston), I had already decided that I was going to the low side on the last lap to see if I could get by,” Williams explained afterward. “But Steven (Richardson) found the rubber down there first and got by before I moved down.”
Originally of the belief that he was settling for runner-up honors after following Richardson past Cranston, moments later Williams learned that he was adding the Belleville title to a 305 Nationals win at Missouri’s I-70 Motorsports Park in May.
“It’s not the way I want to win for sure,” Williams explained. “But that’s the way it goes, that’s what the rules say.”
After gunning into the lead at the outset and leading all the way to the white flag, Cranston settled for runner-up honors. “Those guys just found the rubber down there, I didn’t realize it had come in that strong,” the Ness City shoe commented. “I hate it for Steven (Richardson), that’s a tough way to lose this race.”
Salina’s Jon Freeman filled out the podium in third with Texas representative Chase Brewer crossing the stripe fourth while Zach Blurton earned Hard Charger honors by racing from 18th to round out the top five. Much of Blurton’s charge happened early as he made his way to eighth in the opening handful of laps and then battled his way to an ultimate top-five finish.
Chad Koch crossed the stripe sixth with 20th-starter Landon Thompson, Brett Becker, Jordan Knight and Jed Werner completing the top ten. Friday night preliminary winner John Carney II stayed near his seventh starting position throughout until he slowed on the final lap with a cut tire and coasted across the line in 15th as the final car on the lead lap.
The feature got off to a tumultuous start as six cars tangled in the opening corner including Richardson, Todd Plemons, Tyler Drueke, Thompson, Brandon Bosma and Gunnar Pike. Plemons and Drueke were done for the night while Richardson tagged the field and began his dramatic charge, cracking the top ten by the tenth round and making his way to fourth by the time a final caution flew with three laps remaining when Bosma slowed on the track.
Working the bottom of the track, Richardson worked forward and into the lead after the white flag only to run afoul of the scales.
Freeman established the quickest overall qualifying lap of 16.874 seconds with Stu Snyder, Williams, Brewer and Jack Potter topping heat race action before Drueke and Blurton won the twin “B” Mains.
Fifth Annual Belleville 305 Sprint Car Nationals
August 6, 2022, Results:
United Rebel Sprint Series (URSS):
Qualifying Group One: 1. 20-Luke Cranston 16.937, 2. 5-Stu Snyder 16.972, 3. 50-Jed Werner 17.103, 4. 17-Connor Atkinson 17.107, 5. 88J-Jeremy Huish 17.140, 6. 12-Tyler Drueke 17.156, 7. 2J-Zach Blurton 17.166, 8. 22-Justin Lasiter 372, 9. 53-Joe Miller 17.572.
Qualifying Group Two: 1. 91-Jeff Stasa 17.067, 2. 74b-John Carney II 17.094, 3. 911-Ty Williams 17.121, 4. 2b-Brett Becker 17.217, 5. 11k-Tyler Knight 17.219, 6. 10-Jordan Knight 17.249, 7. 14J-Josh Riggins 17.303, 8. 43-Jake Greenwood 17.348, 9. 11c-Cole Cloud 20.168.
Qualifying Group Three: 1. 9-Chad Koch 16.978, 2. 8J-Steven Richardson 17.037, 3. 25-Chase Brewer 17.042, 4. 33k-Aaron Ploussard 17.082, 5. 17p-Todd Plemons 17.086, 6. 23-Brandon Bosma 17.140, 7. 57b-Boyd Peterson 17.222, 8. 1ha-Caleb Saiz 17.303, 9. 28-Madison Miller 17.973.x
Qualifying Group Four: 1. 81-Jon Freeman 16.874, 2. 98w-Mike Woodruff 17.047, 3. 15-Jack Potter 17.228, 4. 4x-Neath Nestrick 17.253, 5. 25g-Gunnar Pike 17.349, 6. 2d-Duty Ballenger 17.695, 7. 7T-Landon Thompson 17.711, 8. 24-Cody Hays 17.856, 9. 23r-James Reed 18.636.
Heat One (8 Laps – Top Four Transfer): 1. 5-Stu Snyder (3), 2. 17-Connor Atkinson (1), 3. 20-Luke Cranston (4), 4. 50-Jed Werner (2), 5. 12-Tyler Drueke (6), 6. 2J-Zach Blurton (7), 7. 88J-Jeremy Huish (5), 8. 22-Justin Lasiter (8), 9. 53-Joe Miller (9).
Heat Two (8 Laps – Top Four Transfer): 1. 911-Ty Williams (2), 2. 2b-Brett Becker (1), 3. 74b-John Carney II (3), 4. 10-Jordan Knight (6), 5. 91-Jeff Stasa (4), 6. 11k-Tyler Knight (5), 7. 14J-Josh Riggins (7), 8. 43-Jake Greenwood (8), 9. 11c-Cole Cloud (9).
Heat Three (8 Laps – Top Four Transfer): 1. 25-Chase Brewer (2), 2. 8J-Steven Richardson (3), 3. 9-Chad Koch (4), 4. 17p-Todd Plemons (5), 5. 33k-Aaron Ploussard (1), 6. 23-Brandon Bosma (6), 7. 1ha-Caleb Saiz (8), 8. 57b-Boyd Peterson (7), 9. 28-Madison Miller (9).
Heat Four (8 Laps – Top Four Transfer): 1. 15-Jack Potter (2), 2. 81-Jon Freeman (4), 3. 4x-Heath Nesrick (1), 4. 98w-Mike Woodruff (3), 5. 7T-Landon Thompson (7), 6. 25g-Gunnar Pike (5), 7. 24-Cody Hays (8), 8. 23r-James Reed (9), 9. 2d-Dusty Ballenger (6).
First “B” Main (10 Laps – Top Four Transfer): 1. 12-Tyler Drueke (2), 2. 91-Jeff Stasa (1), 3. 23-Brandon Bosma (3), 4. 11k-Tyler Knight (4), 5. 1ha-Caleb Saiz (6), 6. 88J-Jeremy Huish (5), 7. 57b-Boyd Peterson (7), 8. 22-Justin Lasiter (8), 9. 2d-Dusty Ballenger (9), 10. 11c-Cole Cloud (10).
Second “B” Main (10 Laps – Top Four Transfer): 1. 2J-Zach Blurton (3), 2. 7T-Landon Thompson (2), 3. 33k-Aaron Ploussard (1), 4. 25g-Gunnar Pike (4), 5. 24-Cody Hays (6), 6. 43-Jake Greenwood (5), 7. 53-Joe Miller (8), 8. 28-Madison Miller (7). DNS: 14J-Josh Riggins, 23r-James Reed.
“A” Main (30 Laps): 1. 911-Ty Williams (1) [$7,000], 2. 20-Luke Cranston (2), [$3,500], 3. 81-Jon Freeman (4) [$2,500], 4. 25-Chase Brewer (5) [$2,000], 5. 2J-Zach Blurton (18) [$1,800], 6. 9-Chad Koch (3) [$1,700], 7. 7T-Landon Thompson (20) [$1,600], 8. 2b-Brett Becker (12) [$1,500], 9. 10-Jordan Knight (16) [$1,400], 10. 50-Jed Werner (15) [$1,300], 11. 17-Connor Atkinson (10) [$1,200], 12. 91-Jeff Stasa (19) [$1,200], 13. 5-Stu Snyder (6) [$1,200], 14. 23-Brandon Bosma (21) [$1,100], 15. 74b-John Carney II (7) [$1,100], 16. 98w-Mike Woodruff (9) [$1,100], 17. 4x-Heath Nesrick (13) [$1,050], 18. 15-Jack Potter (11) [$1,050], 19. 33k-Aaron Ploussard (22) [$1,050], 20. 11k-Tyler Knight (23) [$1,000], 21. 25g-Gunnar Pike (24) [$1,000], 22. 17p-Todd Plemons (14) [$1,000], 23. 12-Tyler Drueke (17) [$1,000]. Disqualified (failed to meet minimum weight at scales) 8J-Steven Richardson (8).
Lap Leaders: Luke Cranston 1-29, Ty Williams 30.