LAS VEGAS, Nevada — It was USAC night at the Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic with Damian Gardner of Concord, CA, driving the #71 DGRacing/PaceLighting/Eagle/Shaver in the USAC Amsoil Nationals and CRA Sprint Series, surging from a fifteenth start, to grab the victory of the feature event in a wild dive to the front with just two laps to go, to claim the checkered flag on the half-mile dirt oval at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada.
"The stands were full in spite of a chilly February night and these wingless sprint cars put on quite a show. "
This is Gardner's third victory out of four events, thus far as the 2010 season begins and Gardner has the current lead in points for the race for the New Amsoil National Sprint Series Championship Title in this USAC series.
"The track condition was good. I was moving up. I prayed to get that yellow (the yellow flew with just five laps to go). After that, I got a good run. I want to thank all of the fans for coming out." said Gardner.
The stands were full in spite of a chilly February night and these wingless sprint cars put on quite a show.
Jerry Coons, Jr. of Tucson, AZ, driving the #69 Dynamics, Inc./Hoffman Auto Racing/F-5/Gaerte, clocked in a 19.191 second lap, to have the fastest lap scored in qualifying.
When the twenty-four car field rolled out to the original green flag of the feature, it was Dave Darland (IN) and Robert Ballou (IN) facing off in the front row racing for the lead. Darland managed to score the first lap in front but Ballou powered by on the second lap to take the lead. Darland, driving the #67K Keith Kunz Motorsports/Advanced Racing/Bullet/Speedway Mopar, challenged from second place until taking back the point on the eighth lap. Darland led the field until those last two laps, when Gardner made his move. Darland finished in second with Chris Windom (IL),driving the Jeff Walker Racing #11 sprint raced from a fourth place start and hung in there to finish in third for a podium finish.
Only two caution flags flew out, with the first one going out for Brad Sweet (CA) in the #49 Kasey Kahne Racing sprint. Sweet stopped out of the first turn as they started the thirteenth lap. Levi Jones (IL) in the #20 Tony Stewart Racing sprint was on the inside wall of the fourth turn, with five laps to go. No injuries were reported.
Tracy Hines (IN) crossed the line in fourth, followed by Coons, Jr., Seth Wilson (NV), Bryan Clauson (IN), Johnny Herrera (NM), Henry Clarke (CA), Ballou, Mike Spencer (CA), Casey Shuman (AZ), Sweet, Blake Miller (CA), Bud Kaeding (CA), Chad Boat (AZ), Shane Hmiel (NC), Danny Sheridan (CA), Bret Mellenberndt (SD), Cory Kruseman (CA), Brett Burdette (IN), Cody Williams, Jones and Ricky Williams (OH).
| "B" Semi-Main: |
|---|
| oons, Shuman, Hines, Wilson, R. Williams, Burdette, Austin Mero (CA), Kruseman, Jimmy Crawford, Keith Bloom, Kyle Cummins, Greg Bragg, C. Williams, Matthew Shedarowich, Austin Williams. (This was twelve laps with six transferring into the "A" feature.) |
| Heat #1 |
| Jones, Spencer, Hmiel, Sheridan, Shuman, Bragg, Coon, Jr., Cummins, Shedarowich. |
| Heat #2 |
| Gardner, Sweet, Windom, Miller, Hines, Burdette, Bloom, Crawford |
| Heat #3 |
| Clauson, Ballou, Kaeding, Boat, Kruseman, Wilson, Cody Kershaw, R. Williams |
| Heat #4 |
| Darland, Herrera, Clarke, Mellenberndt, A. Williams, C. Williams, Mero, Rusty Carlile Heat races were eight laps each, top four transfer. |
