TWIN FALLS, Idaho — April 28, 2012) Scott Luttmer may wish every race was the first race of the season.
Driving for the ASA Pro Trucks Series Saturday night at Magic Valley Speedway Luttmer motored his way to an opening night win for the second year in a row.
This time Luttmer got to the Winner’s Circle by way of qualifying sixth and placing second in his heat race. Starting the main event from the second row Luttmer quickly went into the lead at lap four. Eight laps later the trucks of Jeff Pohlman and Doug Dugger tangled hard in turn four bringing out the only caution of the main event race.
Holding on to the front-runner position after the restart Luttmer now had to concentrate on staying ahead of Jerry Rice and Hannah Newhouse. Fortunately for Luttmer the pair vied for position for several laps before Rice settled into second. As the laps wound down Rice tried to catch up to the No. 9 truck but Luttmer’s lead was too much for Rice to overcome before the checkered flag waved at lap 40.
Luttmer said he didn’t have much time to work on the truck before race day had no idea how it would perform once he got to the track.
“I was a little worried when the caution came out because the truck hadn’t been real great all day. But I thought if I could pull away from the field I would be alright. The last three laps I was just praying it would keep running because we blew the headers and it was misfiring.”
Rice wound up finishing 1.464 seconds behind Luttmer followed by Drew Reitsma, Hannah Newhouse and Johnny Pierre.
“I was way, way too tight,” Rice said. “But if I had known he (Luttmer) was having problems maybe I would have pushed him a little harder.”
Pohlman put up a time of time 16.279 seconds around the one-third mile track nipping Newhouse for the fast qualifying time of the night.
In NASCAR Whelen All-American racing action Ernie Hall got his first win of the season with the Brennan’s Carpet Street Stocks after coming from a mid-pack starting point for the main event race. A caution at lap four gave Hall all he needed to take the lead at lap six and by the half-way point of the race he was well ahead of the rest of the field. When Hall crossed the finish line at lap 30 his closest competitor, Brandon Thomas, was nearly nine seconds behind him.
“The car was awesome tonight,” Hall said. “We got the brakes fixed so this week we could drive deeper into the corners and it sticks there really well now.”
In other racing action Jenna Quale assertively made her way ahead of Lane Walker late in the Magic Valley Pipe Hornets main event race. Walker soon re-took the front position and held on to the lead for his second win of the year.
Brenden Radabaugh held off Hailey Douglas in a green-white-checkered finish of the first Quale’s Jr. Stingers main event race of the night. In the second main Douglas was able to stay well ahead of Justice Coates to get her second win of the season.
RESULTS:
ASA Pro Trucks: 1. Scott Luttmer, 2. Jerry Rice, 3. Drew Reitsma, 4. Hannah Newhouse, 5. Johnny Pierre.
Brennan’s Carpet Street Stocks: 1. Ernie Hall, 2. Brandon Thomas, 3. Paul Browne, 4. Jason Todd, 5. Mitchell Pehrson.
Magic Valley Pipe Hornets: 1. Lane Walker, 2. Jenna Quale, 3. Chad Everett, 4. Jeff Peck, 5. Steve Hatke.
Quale’s Electronics Jr. Stingers (first main): 1. Brenden Radabaugh, 2. Hailey Douglas 3. Justice Coates, 4. Reiley Browne, 5. Trenton Thomas.
Quale’s Electronics Jr. Stingers (second main): 1. Hailey Douglas, 2. Justice Coates, 3. Branden Radabaugh, 4. Reiley Browne, 5. Trenton Thomas.
The Car Store Thunderdogs winner: David Adams.
