Carroll Classic winners a mix of old and new

The winners circle at Skagit Speedway’s annual John Carroll Classic on Saturday included a mix of the familiar and the new.

Brock Lemley in the 410 sprints and Chris Erickson in the outlaw hornets repeated as race winners this season at the Memorial Day weekend event, which began at the Alger speedway in 1999 to honor the memory of long-time racer “Big” John Carroll.

Travis Jacobson, who is the defending 410 sprint champion, won for the first time this year in the 360 sprints and Kelleigh Johnson scored his first win in the sportsman sprints.

Lemley’s second straight 410 division victory pushed him from second to the top of the points standings. Previous points leader Jayme Barnes did not race Saturday and fell out of the top five.

Danny Bullock finished the race in second place and moved from fifth to third in the rankings. Jared Ridge came in third. Barry Martinez’s sixth-place finish was good enough to move him up one spot to second in the 410 standings.

Jacobson started from the front row in the 360 sprint main and led all 25 laps. Jacobson’s first 360 division victory was doubly sweet as Carroll gave him his first ride in a full-sized sprint car. Points leader Jason Bloodgood finished second and Steve Kilcup was third.

Johnson also led wire-to-wire for his first sportsman sprint main victory. Rookies Devon Madonia and Matt Vandersys finished second and third, respectively.

Racing continues in all four divisions this weekend.

Hamlin update: Snohomish native Kevin Hamlin recorded his first top-10 finish Friday in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250.

Hamlin qualified 26th in the Bobby Hamilton Racing (BHR) No. 4 Dodge and used his short-track experience to full benefit while advancing through the field at the hard-to-pass Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park.

Heavy rain delayed the race four hours, but Hamlin took over 10th place in the closing laps to secure BHR’s best finish of the season and his best overall finish in an upper echelon NASCAR series race.

Hamlin, who is on loan to BHR from Chip Ganassi Racing, was making the second of nine truck series starts he is scheduled to have this season. His next scheduled truck start for BHR is June 22 at the Milwaukee Mile.

Hamlin returns to the Busch series for his next race. He will drive Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 Dodge on June 9 at Nashville Superspeedway.

NASCAR racing set to return to Evergreen: After giving way this past weekend to the destruction of monster trucks and the demolition derby, the NASCAR Whelen All American series returns to Monroe’s Evergreen Speedway on Saturday.

After points leader John Zaretzke, who has won three straight races and has a comfortable lead in the standings, things are tight in the top-tier super stocks division. Just two points separate No. 2 Darrin Stordahl and No. 3 Naima Lang, with defending champion Shane Harding just six points behind Lang.

The competition is just as close in the second-tier bombers division, with former champion Travis Blackwood leading Jill Lang and Steve Ptacek, who are tied for second, by just 10 points. Another point back is Darrel Lutovsky in fourth place, and a point behind Lutovsky is Jim Foti in fifth.

The field is a bit more spread out in the third-tier mini-stocks, with Mark Weedin, who has two wins this season, leading Chuck Richard by 25 points. Third-place Joe Hobbs trails Richard by 14 points.

Points leaders

Evergreen Speedway

(NASCAR Whelen All American Series)

Super stocks-1. John Zaretzke, 174; 2. Darin Stordahl 132; 3. Naima Lang 130; 4. Shane Harding 124; 5. Roger Habich, 106. Bombers-1. Travis Blackwood, 306; 2. (tie) Steve Ptacek and Jill Lang, 296; 4. Darrel Lutovsky, 294; 5. Jim Foti, 293. Mini-stocks-1. Mark Weedin, 218; 2. Chuck Richard, 193; 3. Joe Hobbs, 179; 4. Kris Hariss, 170; 5. Doug Hinds, 155.

Skagit Speedway

410 Sprints -1. Brock Lemley, 576; 2. Barry Martinez, 543; 3. Danny Bullock, 506; 4. Steve Kilcup, 485; 5. Josh Edson, 483. 360 Sprints-1. Jason Bloodgood, 578; 2. Rod Perkins, 571; 3. Bob Stevens, 465; 4. Cory Chamberlin, 461; 5. Dan Pierson, 456. Sportsman Sprints-1. Kevin Smith, 528; 2. Eric Fisher, 524; 3. Kelleigh Johnson, 501; 4. Steve James, 455; 5. Glen Reinstra, 452.