Rutz wins twice at Skagit Speedway
Published 3:25 am Sunday, July 27, 2008
ALGER, Wash. — Travis Rutz made the absolute most of round 12 of the Foothills Toyota Tundra Series at Skagit Speedway on Saturday, winning both the Outlaw 410 Sprint and Budweiser 360 main events.
In the Outlaw 410 Sprints, Rutz started sixth, but when the green flag fell he drove around three cars to take the third spot. Rutz then passed second-place Eric Fisher and set his sights on race leader Steve Kilcup.
Kilcup seemed to have a car capable of winning, but around lap 16 his nose wing folded up on him, making his front end loose. Rutz seized the opportunity and dove underneath Kilcup on a restart on lap 17, taking the lead and then the win eight laps later in his Rudeen Racing No. 26.
Eric Fisher finished second in the J&R Paving No. 59. Heat race wins went to Barry Martinez in the Artisan Homes No. 66 and Rutz. Nick Engberg set quick time in the Dri-Eaz No. 4.
Rutz had an easier time of it in the Budweiser 360 main. Starting from the pole position, Rutz beat Danny Kirkpatrick into turn 1 and moved out to a comfortable lead in the Rudeen Racing No. 26.
Cory Chamberlain finished second in the Classic Rock 92.9 No. 69, third place went to Alan Munn in the Munn Construction No. 42.
Points leader Brian Kirkpatrick had issue in time trials, but recovered in the main, racing from 16th to sixth. Heat wins went to Jason Bloodgood in the Big John Motorsports No. 38 and Munn. Robby Vaughn set quick time.
It pays to be a veteran in the Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints. Paul Burdick controlled the race from the outset, leading the first 16 laps until he encountered lapped traffic. As he came upon slower cars, Burdick hesitated coming out of turn 2, which opened the door for Kelsey Carpenter. Carpenter pinned Burdick behind a slower car and raced around the top to take the lead and the win in the 20-lap feature in the Precious Care 4 U No. 79k. Burdick finished second in the National Reservation Bureau No. 9 and Kyle Oman was third in the NW Cruisin Coffee No. 6k.
Heat race wins went to Ryan Nootenboom in the Hertz Rentals No. 01 and Devin Barnes in the Ken’s Redmond Auto Body No. 22.
The night belonged to the Swatzina brothers in the Wilson Auto Broker’s Outlaw Hornets, with Cory Swatzina and his brother Wade running first and second the duration of the main event.
Wade Swatzina took the lead on lap 15, pinning Cory Swatzina behind lapped traffic. But his time out front was short-lived as a caution flag flew shortly thereafter, setting up a green-white-checkered finish.
On the restart, Cory Swatzina dove low as the brothers went side-by-side for the final circuits. Entering turn 3 on the final lap, Cory found better bite and beat Wade to the stripe to earn the victory.
Ron Holtrop finished third. The heat races were also won by the Swatzina brothers in their Carl’s Towing sponsored cars.
Skagit Speedway results
Saturday, July 26 at Alger, Wash.
Outlaw 410 Sprints
Fast Time – Nick Engberg 11.625
Heat One – Barry Martinez, Josh Edson, Nick Engberg, Steve Kilcup, Kevin Smith, Derek Holmwood, Cameron Smith, Alec Covert
Heat Two – Travis Rutz, Jesse Whitney, Colton Heath, Eric Fisher, Josh Dewitt, Travis Hawthorne, Kelleigh Johnson
Main – Travis Rutz, Fisher, Martinez, Kilcup, Engberg, Heath, Holmwood, Hawthorne, Dewitt, C.Smith, Johnson, Edson, K.Smith, Covert, Whitney
Budweiser 360 Sprints
Fast Time – Robby Vaughn 12.185
Heat One – Alan Munn, Danielle Huson, Danny Kirkpatrick, Robby Vaughn, Mack Brown, JJ Dishneau, Bud Ashe, Ryan Ringhouse, Blake Cook
Heat Two – Jason Bloodgood, Shane Broers, Cory Chamberlain, Travis Rutz, Brian Kirkpatrick, Michael Harris, Jason Cocking, Steve Parker, Chuck Ashe
Main – Travis Rutz, Chamberlain, Munn, D.Kirkpatrick, Huson, B.Kirkpatrick, Brown, Bloodgood, Cocking, Harris, Broers, Parker, Dishneau, B.Ashe, C.Ashe, Vaughn
Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints
Heat One – Ryan Nootenboom, Kelsey Carpenter, Matt Vander Sys, Jarred Zimmerman, Kyle Oman, Bill Rude, Dave Mead
Heat Two – Devin Barnes, Paul Burdick, Lyle Woods, Marc Schutte, Devin Madonia, Todd Rork, Mark Richmond, Steve James
Main – Kelsey Carpenter, Burdick, Oman, Barnes, Madonia, Schutte, Rork, Zimmerman, Rude, Mead, Curtis Clark, Woods, Nootenboom, James, Vander Sys
Wilson Auto Brokers Outlaw Hornets
Heat One – Cory Swatzina, Tyler Ketchum, Glen Rankin, Marshall Corbell, Freddy Vela, Jon Edwards, James Bundy, Ken Higby, Randy Geary, Witness Protection Driver, Gary Rice, Ronda Eszlinger
Heat Two – Wade Swatzina, Greg Hibma, Ron Holtrop, Ben Gunderson, Ashley Lewellen, Howard Vos, Wendy Johnson, Steve Peters, Rick Young, Jim Solver, Adam Holtrop, Lodi Burdick, Karl Dahl
Main – Cory Swatzina, W.Swatzina, R.Holtrop, Hibma, Gunderson, Corbell, Geary, Bobby Collins, Peters, Lewellen, Edwards, Vos, Young, Bundy, Eszlinger, WPD, Rice, Ketchum, Higby, A.Holtrop, Mark Richmond, Jim Solver, Stacy Day, Johnson, Vela, Rankin
