After last weeks race that saw so many cars get damaged it was amazing to see 22 cars show for the seventh race of the series, but the pre-race practice would see the #98 of Frank Andreasen go on the trailer for a bad main bearing and #17 Brett Thompson would join him with a bad oil pump. Rick Ellsion would lose an engine, but would go to his back up car #90.
Qualifying saw over half the field under 16 seconds for the 3/8 mile oval, with Jeff Hillock #41 leading the way with a 15.28. The #22 of Jerry D. Cox was unable to post a time due to mechanical problems and was on the trailer cutting the field to 19 cars.
The first heat race had #73 Joe Miller jump the start, so they lined up again and the restart saw the #88 of Clint Kidd take the lead which he would hold until lap 7 when Jeff Hillock would pass him on the outside coming out of turn 4 to take the lead. Miller would get into the back end of #63 Marty Zehr but no caution would throw. Hillock would lead the rest of the way and take the 15-lap heat race win.
Heat race number two saw Gary Porter #77 take the lead on the start. Bret Houskeeper #16 would bring out the caution on lap 4 when he would get into #90 Rick Ellison coming out of turn 2 and would end up spinning down into the infield. The restart saw Porter take the lead again. Lap 13 would see #33 Keith Mayberry scrape the backstretch wall. Porter would continue out front and take the checkered flag.
The main event would see just 18 cars start as #99 Jared Elwell would join the trailered cars with unspecified mechanical problems. On the start #66 Troy Workman would spin out on the backstretch causing a restart. Workman was sent to the back of the pack for the restart. Joe Miller #73 would take the lead on the restart, but would give it up to #77 Gary Porter on lap 3. Workman and #43 Cal Barnes would get together in turn 2 sending both cars into the infield, no caution was thrown as both cars got back on the track and continued on.
Lap 6 saw #11 Brad Young come out of turn 2 and lose his engine, putting down oil and engine parts onto the track. This caused Young to get into #33 Keith Mayberry sending him into the wall, while #27 Rick Webster hit the oil on the track coming out of turn two and hit the wall. All three came down into the infield together with Mayberry catching on fire, bringing the race to a red flag stop. Several cars spun out trying to avoid the wreck and the safety crews who immediately put out the fire in Mayberry's car, which would along with Webster and Young emerge unhurt from the incident.
On the restart Gary Porter #77 would keep his lead until lap 13 when #16 Bret Houskeeper would take the lead followed closely by #88 Clint Kidd. Rick Ellison #90 would spin going into turn 3 and would repeat this on lap 28. The run under green would continue until lap 37 when #88 Clint Kidd, #25 Russell Butler and #16 Bret Houskeeper would get together coming out turn 3 going into turn 4 and would spin going down into the infield bringing out the yellow.
This restart would find #16 Houskeeper in front with #25 Butler in second, followed by #41 Jeff Hillock, #37 Joe Hood and #63 Marty Zehr. Lap 42 would find Butler getting to the wall and #41 Hillock but was able to save it, dropping back to 3rd. The top four cars would battle hard for position the last 7 laps with #16 Bret Houskeeper keeping them all behind him to take the checkered flag and his first win of the season. For more visit www.intermountainseries.com
