By Andrew Kunas
BELGRADE, Mont. – Kelly Miller continued his march towards an ASCS Frontier Region championship on Friday night when he dominated and won the sprint car portion of the annual Big Sky Supernationals at Gallatin Speedway.
The Lethbridge, Alberta driver led all 25 laps and it was win number six on the season, including both races run at Gallatin Speedway this season. Friday’s race, however, meant a little more for Miller and his crew, as it was the first race after their fellow Canadian, Alberta sprint car great Bill Boyce, passed away on Monday after a long illness.
For the three-wide parade lap during the main event Miller, the lone Alberta driver present, rode alone in front of the field representing Boyce, who raced in and won a lot in Montana during his more than four-decade career. Ironically, earlier in the evening at pill draw for heat race lineups, Miller drew the 1 – Boyce’s car number – to put him on the pole of Heat 1. Later in the re-draw for the main event, Miller drew the 1 again to start on the pole of the feature.
After a yellow flag on the initial start for a car spinning out, the race went non-stop from there. Miller took the lead on the start and immediately jetted out to a substantial lead. At one point Miller led by more than four seconds and more than a straightaway over Laurel, Montana’s Phil Dietz.
The 3/10-mile clay oval became bottom dominant and Miller’s lead over Dietz shrank to two seconds in the last laps as Miller worked his way around slower cars, allowing Dietz to close in some. Time, however, ran out and Miller scored the victory aboard the KDM Motorsports No. 2jr Custom Automotive-powered Eagle.
Miller, who also won the sprint car portion of the Big Sky Supernationals at Gallatin in 2018, celebrated with his team on the front stretch. In their victory lane photo, they held up 1 finger, not to signify their victory but to honor Bill Boyce. “One for Bill.”
With defending series champion Trever Kirkland finishing fifth, Miller increased his points lead to 97 tallies with three races remaining, though Miller said he still wasn’t looking at points yet and remained focused to competing for wins each night.
Dietz, the five-time Montana sprint car champion, finished a season-best second in the Dietz Racing No. 72 Rodgers-powered Maxim for his sixth Top 5 finish on the season. Joe Perry of Billings, Montana ran third throughout the feature and finished there aboard the Chuck Perry No. 28 Don Ott-powered Maxim.
Kory Wermling, twice a winner at Gallatin Speedway in the past, finished fourth. With his fifth-place finish Kirkland continued his run as the only driver to finish in the Top 10 in every ASCS Frontier Region sprint car main event this season.
Miller and Perry won heat races earlier in the evening.
The ASCS Frontier Region continues its season Saturday at Big Sky Speedway outside Billings. It later wraps up the 2023 campaign with a two-night event at Big Sky Speedway on September 22nd and 23rd.
More information on the Brodix Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series, along with the ASCS National Tour and other ASCS regional tours, can be found online at www.ascsracing.com. Stagg Motor Sports, the promoting company of the ASCS Frontier Region, can be found at www.staggmotorsports.com.
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ASCS Frontier Region
Big Sky Supernationals
Gallatin Speedway
Belgrade, MT
September 8, 2023
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
11 cars
Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 2jr Kelly Miller, 2. 37 Trever Kirkland, 3. 9k Kory Wermling, 4. 24m Ian Myers, 5. 0J Jeremy McCune, 6. 81 Darre Smith.
Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. 28 Joe Perry, 2. 2 James Setters, 3. 72 Phil Dietz, 4. 38b Bryan Brown, 5. 01 Rich Bailey.
Feature (25 laps): 1. 2jr Kelly Miller, 2. 72 Phil Dietz, 3. 28 Joe Perry, 4. 9k Kory Wermling, 5. 37 Trever Kirkland, 6. 2 James Setters, 7. 0J Jeremy McCune, 8. 24m Ian Myers, 9. 38b Bryan Brown, 10. 81 Darren Smith, 11. 01 Rich Bailey.