ANDREW PHIPPS WINS POLYDOME 75 AT THE BULLRING AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

LAS VEGAS – Andrew Phipps of Simi Valley, Calif., won the PolyDome 75 for the SuperClean Modified Series at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday night. Billy Johanneck started on the pole for the 26-car feature and led the first lap while racing side-by-side with Phipps. Richard Streker spun in Turn 4 on lap 3 and brought out the first caution flag of the race just as Bullring regular Doug Hamm moved into third place. Phipps motored to the inside of Johanneck to take the lead on the restart and was immediately challenged by Hamm. Hamm grabbed the lead on lap 6 and began to pull away on his home turf. Charley Wahl and Shelby Stroebel caused the second caution flag to be thrown when they came together on lap 10. By lap 25, Hamm had built up a comfortable lead while negotiating lapped traffic, leaving Phipps to battle with Jimmy Dickerson for second place.

The race saw a radical change in position on lap 49 when leader Hamm pitted under caution for fuel. Hamm returned to the track just as the green flag was thrown and did not lose a lap but found himself in last place after handing the lead to Phipps. Hamm’s night came to an early end on lap 53 when his car began smoking and he exited the speedway.

Chris Gerchman’s engine expired on lap 63, brought out the caution flag and allowed Dickerson to pull even with Phipps. Phipps pulled away on the restart and won the race, followed by two-time winner Dickerson.

“That guy in the 4 car (Hamm) seemed to have about 150 more horsepower than I did,” Phipps exclaimed. “Next time we come here, I’m gonna bring a lot more thunder.”

Sixteen-year-old Christian Copley of Santa Ynez, Calif., won the 40-lap West Coast Pro Trucks feature.

Christian Warren won the thrilling 12-lap Bandolero Bandits feature by a nose over Jonathan Eakin. Michael Morris finished a close third.

Amanda Gubler won her first Bandolero Young Guns feature, leading from start to finish. Patrick O’Hanley finished second and Jacksen Smith was third.

Justin Johnson scored his fifth Thunder Roadster feature of the season. The race was red-flagged on the next-to-last lap when Ron McIntyre’s car rolled over on the back straightaway. He was not injured in the mishap. Josh Gross held off K.J. Garrison for second place. Jared Carpenter finished fourth and Tony Gugliuzza was fifth.

Jeremiah Wagner won the 20-lap Legends Cars feature. Darren Amidon and Jack Madrid completed the top three.

The 25-lap Bomber feature was won by Gary Wyatt. Wyatt’s new TheBomberNation.com car helped him score his first Bomber victory of 2008 at the Bullring. Early-race leader Tom Dittman, driving his father’s station wagon, went wide in Turn 4 on lap 8 and relinquished the lead to Wyatt and spent the rest of the race valiantly trying to chase him down. Fred Harding finished second and Dittman was third.

PRELIMINARIES: Amanda Gubler won the Bandolero Young Guns qualifying heat. Jacob Tilton won the six-lap Bandolero Bandits heat. The eight-lap Thunder Roadster heat was won by Justin Johnson. Tom Dittman and Gary Wyatt won the eight-lap Bomber qualifying heats. Zach Zimmerly won the Budweiser Legends Cars Dash. The 10-lap SuperClean Modified B-Features were won by Doug Carpenter and Tim Lawrence. Billy Johanneck won the Budweiser SuperClean Modified Dash.

NEXT RACE: The Bullring presents the annual Keith Danser Kids Candy Toss Night on Saturday, May 24, featuring the Super Late Model/Late Model Combo class, Legends Cars, Chargers, Bandoleros and Thunder Roadsters. Bullring drivers will toss candy into the stands for the young race fans. Ed “The Outlaw” Jones will thrill the fans with his Jelly Belly-sponsored wheelstander. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. Adult admission is $10 with kids 6-12 at $5. Kids 5 and under are admitted free. The Bullring’s concession stand offers a family-friendly dollar menu, featuring $1 hot dogs, $1 soda and $1 beer. For more information, please call (702) 644-4444 or visit www.LVMS.com.

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