Six Classes Clash at the Playground of Power
By: Anita Soltis
(Plymouth, IN) In a season that has been plagued by rain, fans and drivers were treated to a beautiful night of racing Saturday at Plymouth Speedway.
The USAC HPD Midgets visited the track with 10 drivers in the field. Andrew Bradley made it look easy as he took the lead after battling Gage Etgen on the eighth lap. Bradley started sixth while Etgen started on the outside pole. The pair finished in that order a little over a second apart. The pole-sitter, Alex Watson, fell in the running order, but caught a break when a flat tire sidelined Scott Bradley who was in the second position throughout much of the race. Watson would finish third.
The Dickies Restaurant 600 Open Sprints points battle got a little closer when Eric Saunders crossed the finish line ahead of points leader Nick Yoder on Saturday. Yoder started on the pole and stayed in first until a lapped car played a factor in the running order. Yoder had to check up to avoid missing a slower paced car which allowed Saunders to go by him on lap 16. Saunders went on to claim his fifth win of the season while Yoder was second and Dylan Woodling finished in third. Saunders is 17 points out of first place in the points standings.
“My car was really good even though it was hard to pass,” said Saunders. “It was a great race!”
David Short extended his points lead in the WTCA Super Streets feature with another win. He started on the pole and didn’t look back. Michael Clark settled in the second position which he held throughout the race after starting fourth. Roger Duszynski battled Travis Wolford during the 20-lap feature. Wolford was able to keep Duszynski out of a podium spot until lap 18 when Wolford had to slow for lapped traffic on the backstretch. However, Wolford quickly gained back the lost spot out of turn four into the last lap.
“It’s starting to look good for us in the points standings,” stated Short. “My wife put me on track for that goal at the beginning of the season and here we are.”
Derek Losh claimed his first victory of the season in the Swan Lake Resort UMP Modifieds division. He had to battle Steve Clark and previous division champion Frank Marshall for track position as they were side by side for the first few laps. As that heated up, Losh was able to get by on lap four and go on to claim the victory. Frank Marshall kept the second position while Dillon Nusbaum used the outside groove to work his way from 12th to the third podium spot.
“Plymouth Speedway is a great track and hats off to the crew for their hard work. We crashed the primary car earlier this year and have been working on a backup car. A lot of changes have happened and it’s great to see them pay off,” said Nusbaum.
Jim Henson added another win to his stats in the Walmart Thunder Stock race at the Playground of Power. He started on the pole and kept the lead throughout the race. Points leader John Rhoads started sixth and crept up to the third position by lap 11. A last lap caution involving Mike Hoagland, who was running second, allowed Rhoads to make the finish in the second spot. Shane Sanders started near the rear of the field and fought his way to the last spot on the podium.
“I apologize for being a bad sport last week, but this win feels great tonight. The car was really good,” commented Henson.
From worst to first was the story of the Bane-Welker Cyber Stock race. Guy Sutton began the 12-lap feature at the tail of the field and worked his way to the lead on lap eight. Scott Murphy had been leading the race, but suffered problems which put points leader Loren Swanson out front. Swanson’s hood flew up with three laps to go and fell back in the running order. He mentioned in his post-race interview that he had just enough space to see where he was on the track to be able to finish the race. Joe Murphy quietly finished second.
“This was a great race. I’ve been trying to help out my daughter with her racing so it’s been an eventful season,” said Sutton.
The Sprints on Dirt Series returns to Plymouth Speedway for the Bob Newton Classic on Saturday, Aug. 15. This is also the last points race of the season for the 600 Open Sprints, UMP Modifieds, Super Streets, Thunder Stocks, and Cyber Stocks. The dates will open at 4 p.m., hot laps begin at 6 p.m. and racing is at 7 p.m. ET. For ticket and pit pass pricing, visit www.plymouthspeedway.net.
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About Plymouth Speedway:
Plymouth Speedway features a three-eighths (0.375) mile banked dirt oval owned by Ed Kennedy. Five different classes of racing are featured: UMP Modifieds, Non-wing 600 Sprints, Thunder Stocks, Cyber Stocks and Super Streets. Regular season races are scheduled in the months of April through August on Saturday nights with several special events. For information, visit www.plymouthspeedway.net, follow Plymouth Speedway’s official Facebook page, @PlymouthSpeed on Twitter or email info@plymouthspeedway.net.