What a difference seven days can make. This week Mother Nature cooperated and Skagit Speedway was in superb racing condition for Round Three of the Skagit Racing Series. Repeating main event winners Jayme Barnes in the 410 Sprint division and Jason Bloodgood in the Budweiser 360 Sprints were joined on the winners podium by Kevin Smith in the Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints and Mike Ploeg in the Wilson Auto Brokers Outlaw Hornets.
For Jayme Barnes winning seems quite easy these days at Skagit Speedway. From the midseason point of last year to the third race of the current season, Barnes has at times appeared untouchable in the 410 class. For the second week in a row, Barnes took off and was never seriously challenged for the lead. Brock Lemley led the first three laps before a lap 4 spin by Adriana Klein brought out the yellow flag. Just four laps in the race had just seen itʼs third caution. On the restart Barnes passed Lemley and sailed off for the 25-lap main event win his second in two weeks. The remainder of the top five finishers were Lemley, Josh Edson, Danny Bullock and Eddie Evans. Point leader Barry Martinez pulled off the track with apparent motor problems and only a few laps remaining to finish seventh. The heat races were won by Barnes and Lemley. Barnes again topped the qualifying list with an 11.788 time trial lap.
Timing in sixth fast may have been disappointing for Jason Bloodgood, the Budweiser 360 Series point leader, but when the dice roll came up with a 6 on the invert and he wound up on the pole of the 360 main event, all disappointment had to be gone. Last weeks main event winner took the green flag and led all 25 laps for his second win of the season and his career at Skagit Speedway. The race was dotted with four yellow flags slowing the action, Colton Heath stopped in turn two bringing out the first yellow with handling issues. He would stop again bringing out the yellow and ending his night just a few circuits later. On lap thirteen, four cars wound up stopped in turn 4 as a result of a Cory Chamberlain spin. Lap nineteen saw the fourth and final caution come out for quick qualifier Brian Kirkpatrick (12.096) who lost a brake caliper while flying down the back stretch running 5th. Bloodgood pulled away on all restarts, holding off Travis Rutz and Rod Perkins who appeared to be the only two cars that had anything for the leader. The rest of the top five went to Seth Bergman in fourth and Mitch Olson in fifth. Heat race wins were captured by Greg Sandquist, Chamberlain and Bergman.
For Kevin Smith; the defending Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprint champion, the last two weeks couldnʼt have been any different. After breaking an axle and flipping in turn 3 two weeks ago, Smith came back with a brand new chassis and won the Sportsman feature leading the last half of the race. Todd Rork had the main event in hand, leading the first ten circuits when he flipped hard into the turn three fence ending his night for the second straight week with a bad wreck. Rork has to be one of the hard luck award winners of the early season. Smith held off current point leader Eric Fisher, Martin Koetje, Steve James and Dave Mead for the win. Smith and Fisher won the heat races.
Twenty-nine Wilson Auto Brokers Outlaw Hornets graced the hive in week three. Heat race wins went to James Sims and Greg Hibma with both cars leading all 8 laps. The main event was wild, as usual. Josh Hansen returned from last weeks head-on event into the turn 4 wall and lead the first 4 laps. Then it was Travis Meins turn at the point. Meins driving the same car that won last years US Hornet Nationals flew through traffic and built up more than a half lap lead on the second place car of Mike Ploeg up until lap 16. Meins pulled the car on the apron, took the white flag and coasted to the pit area, Ploeg would lead at the checkered flag and capture his first ever Outlaw Hornet main event win. Met in victory lane by his jubilant family, the Burlington Edison High School Senior finally earned top honors after three full seasons racing at Skagit Speedway. Hansen, Cory Swatzina, Luther Wilson and Sims rounded out the top five.
Racing resumes Friday May 11th and Saturday May 12th at Skagit Speedway as the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series (NSCS) makes their first appearance of the year and are joined by the Wilson Auto Broker Outlaw Hornets on both nights. A huge field of cars is expected. Log on to www.SkagitSpeedway.com for more information. Gates open at 6:00 p.m., with racing at 7:30 p.m. both nights.
SKAGIT SPEEDWAY RESULTS 5/05/07
410 SPRINTS
Fast time: #9 Jayme Barnes 11.788
Heat 1: 9 Barnes, 31 Danny Bullock, 12 Jared Ridge, 23 Steve Parker, 17
Kelly Barnett
Heat 2: 40 Brock Lemley, 66 Barry Martinez, 75 Roy Blumenhagen, 26 Tayler Malsam, 69 John Tharp
Main: 9 Jayme Barnes, 40 Lemley, 83 Josh Edson, 31 Bullock, 28 Eddie Evans,
23 Steve Parker, 66 Martinez, 17 Barnett, 26 Malsam, 25 Adriana Klein, 75 Blumenhagen, 12 Jared Ridge, 69 Tharp, 8 Travis Rutz
Lap Leaders: Lemley 1-3, Barnes 4-25
BUDWEISER 360 SERIES SPRINTS
Fast time: #5k Brian Kirkpatrick 12.096
Heat 1: 19 Greg Sandquist, 9 Jared Peterson, 5k Kirkpatrick, 98m Mitch Olson, 3 Dan Pierson
Heat 2: 10c Cory Chamberlain, 8 Travis Rutz, 8e Evan Funk, 24 Nick Evans, 66 Jason Cocking
Heat 3: 23 Seth Bergman, 38 Jason Bloodgood, 69 Perkins, 7k Danny Kirkpatrick, 13c Colton Heath
B Main: 26 Malsam, 4 Robby Vaughn, 98 Bob Stevens, 73 Danielle Huson, 44h Michael Harris, 22 Blake Cook, 9a Ray Parker, 57 Bud Ashe
A Main: 38 Jason Bloodgood, 8 Rutz, 69 Perkins, 23 Bergman, 98m Olson, 19 Sandquist, 3 Pierson, 98 Stevens, 26 Malsam, 9 Peterson, 24 Evans, 4 Vaughn, 10c Chamberlain, 7k Kirkpatrick, 66 Cocking, 5k Kirkpatrick, 8e Funk, 13c Heath
Lap Leaders: Bloodgood 1-25
COOK ROAD SHELL SPORTSMAN SPRINTS
Heat 1: 59 Eric Fisher, 22 Todd Rork, 5v Jeff Voter, 90 Martin Koetje, 9 Paul Burdick
Heat 2: 75 Kevin Smith, 3m Dave Mead, 30 Matt Vandersys, 44 Devon Madonia, 29w Steve James
Main: 75 Kevin Smith, 59 Fisher, 90 Koetje, 29w James, 3m Dave Mead, 14 Kelleigh Johnson, 44 Madonia, 13gr Glen Reinstra, 9 Paul Burdick, 0z Jarrid Zimmerman, 72 Marcus Schutte, 5v Voter, 30 Vandersys, 22 Rork, 7 Wes Tyra, 77 Mark Richmond
Lap Leaders: Rork 1-10, Smith 11-20
WILSON AUTO BROKERS OUTLAW HORNETS
Heat 1: 25 James Sims, 07 Cory Swatzina, 6% Jesse Eldridge, 44 Josh Hansen, 100% Luther Wilson
Heat 2: 19 Greg Hibma, 3 Scott Naylor, 7 Travis Meins, 40 Mike Powers Sr.,58 Clayton Delano
Main: 24 Mike Ploeg, 44 Hansen, 07 Swatzina, 100% Wilson, 25 Sims, 26 Mike Powers Jr., 43 Chris Erickson, 58 Delano, 40 Powers Sr., 10 Jerry Birdsey Jr., 41 Wendy Johnson, 66s Larry Kwik, 9p Stacey Day, K9 Karl Dahl, 03 Howard Vos, 62 Nils Freeman, 20 Freddy Vela, 71 Rick Young, 04 Matt Powers, 7 Meins, 57 James Bundy, 6% Eldridge, 39 Tyler Ketchum, 19 Hibma, 3 Naylor, 32 Bernie Bates, 856 Bill Tomer, DNS 8 Ken Higby, 64x AdamHoltrop
Lap Leaders: Hansen 1-4, Meins 5-16, Ploeg 17
