Thram led the final two thirds of the 25-lap, $5,000-to-win Gunderson Racing Inc. Midwest Sprint Touring Series 360 Sprint Cars A Main.
“This is really cool,” he said. “It’s not a 410 championship, but 360 championships are just as much competition. It’s great to get a win here.”
Blaine Stegenga held the top spot for the first nine laps before Thram, who advanced from fourth to second place in turns one and two during the opening lap, maneuvered into the lead two laps after traffic arrived. He quickly built a nearly two-second lead and held that advantage when a caution came out on Lap 22. Thram once again powered to a sizeable lead following the restart as he won by 1.728 seconds.
Gunderson Racing Inc. Midwest Sprint Touring Series 360 Sprint Cars
A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 24T-Christopher Thram (4); 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel (8); 3. 96-Blaine Stegenga (1); 4. 83JR-Sam Henderson (2); 5. 22-Kaleb Johnson (3); 6. 35-Skylar Prochaska (6); 7. 09-Matt Juhl (5); 8. 4-Cameron Martin (7); 9. 23W-Scott Winters (9); 10. 20-Brant O’Banion (10); 11. G5-Gage Pulkrabek (14); 12. 10J-Justin Jacobsma (11); 13. 86-Jacob Hughes (12); 14. 17B-Ryan Bickett (17); 15. 91-Andrew Sullivan (19); 16. 8-Micah Slendy (13); 17. 18-Corbin Erickson (15); 18. 3J-Jeridan Jordahl (21); 19. 4W-Matt Wasmund (18); 20. 28-Nicholas Winter (20); 21. (DNF) 32-Riley Valantine (24); 22. (DNF) 81-Jared Jansen (23); 23. (DNF) 2-Dylan Opdahl (16); 24. (DNF) 11D-Dominic White (25); 25. (DNS) 101-Chuck McGillivray.
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 23W-Scott Winters (1); 2. 10J-Justin Jacobsma (2); 3. 8-Micah Slendy (4); 4. 18-Corbin Erickson (3); 5. 17B-Ryan Bickett (5); 6. 91-Andrew Sullivan (6); 7. 28-Nicholas Winter (8); 8. 101-Chuck McGillivray (7); 9. (DNS) 9W-Jeff Watson.
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 20-Brant O’Banion (2); 2. 86-Jacob Hughes (1); 3. G5-Gage Pulkrabek (3); 4. 2-Dylan Opdahl (4); 5. 4W-Matt Wasmund (7); 6. 11D-Dominic White (5); 7. 3J-Jeridan Jordahl (6); 8. 81-Jared Jansen (9); 9. 32-Riley Valantine (8).
“I was kind of guessing which way Sam and Blaine would go,” he said of the start. “They left the top open. Blaine got hung up by a couple of lapped cars there and I think that kind of sealed the deal. I’m glad I could get through it well and get the win.”
Reutzel, who drew the pole position during the feature redraw and took a challenge that would have provided him a $3,000 bonus if he could win the race from eighth, drove into fourth place by the midpoint of the feature. He took third on Lap 15 and second following the late-race restart.
Stegenga rounded out the podium for his best result of the season at Jackson Motorplex.
“I tried to run the bottom,” he said. “I started getting hung up by lappers. I got up there and a little bit in the dirty air. I saw Thram on my inside and I thought, ‘Oh boy, here we go.’ It feels good to be up front.”
Sam Henderson finished fourth and Kaleb Johnson posted a fifth-place result.
The heat races were won by Scott Winters and Brant O’Banion.