DILLON, Sc — -- It was a historical night at ASA-sanctioned, Dillon Motor Speedway this past weekend as the USAR Pro Cup Series made their inaugural appearance.
The USAC Midgets, Late Models and the brand new Mini Cup Stocks raced as well. It was an epic night as every race had the fans on their feet. All three races had breathtaking finishes and surprise winners.
Everyone was highly anticipating the USAR Pro Cup Series race. It was the first time that the Speedway has ever seen live pit stops. The pole sitter, Caleb Holman led the first 42 laps until he was caught up in a crash with Mike Williams and JP Morgan. Holman was forced to make a pit stop and series veteran, Jeff Agnew inherited the lead. On lap 53, Agnew had to retire in the garage, and that opened the door for AJ Franks to take over the lead. By about lap 75, Tyler Young and Brad Rogers were making their way through the field and into the top five.
Brad Rogers claimed the lead on lap 134, and never looked back. Rogers led the
remaining 116 laps in route to a victory. Caleb Holman recovered from an early race
incident to bring the car home in second, and Blake Jones captured his career best finish as he crossed the line in the third position. Tyler Young finished fourth, and AJ Franks rounded out the top five.
Up next was the brand new Mini Cup Stock division. Chris Conner led the first seven laps until Larry Boyle took over the lead. On lap 18, the action was kicked up a notch whenever the leaders bump drafted down the backstretch and came out of turn four three-wide. A series of cautions came out late in the race. On lap 25, Chris Conner hit the wall, but was able to continue. On lap 27, Chris Bachman spun in turn one, and that ultimately forced him to retire from the race.
Larry Boyle held on for the win while Carl Britt finished second. Chris Conner rebounded from a late race crash to finish third. Bill Willis finished fourth, and Steve Chauncey rounded out the top five.
The USAC Midgets kicked off the main event in style as the open-wheeled cars were three deep coming around to complete the first lap. Jarett Andretti led well over half of the main event. The only two cautions came out when Nick Drake and Chris Lamb got together on two separate occasions. Drake rebounded from the accidents to capture the checkered flag in front of the packed house.
Jarett Andretti had to settle for second as he just barely lost the race. Scott Hunter finished third after wrecking in a heat race, and Eric Cooms finished fourth. Steven Intravaia finished fifth.
The last race of the night was the Late Model feature. Ben Stanton led the majority of the race with Jon Lane literally pushing him through the turns. A series of cautions came on lap 42 when Archie Adams Jr’s motor blew. On the restart, Archie Adams Sr.’s throttle stuck, forcing him to back the car into the wall. Adams Sr. walked away under his own power.
It was still the Ben Stanton and Jon Lane show in the closing laps. Every time Stanton went into a corner, Lane would jack his back wheels off the ground. Stanton was able to hold on for the win with Lane literally pushing him across the finish line. Ryan Hall rounded out the top three and Jason Clark finished fourth. Chad Webster finished fifth after having mechanical issues during practice.
ASA-sanctioned, Dillon Motor Speedway will be off this weekend to support Darlington Raceway’s Royal Purple 200 and Southern 500. However, the track will be back it once again on Saturday, May 14 for the ISCARS Dash 150.
For more information, please visit www.DillonMotorSpeedway.com or the Facebook and Twitter page. You may also call the race hotline at 843.774.1888
