(6/6/09 by Kaleb Hart, Skagit Speedway)
ALGER, Wash. — Colton Heath didn’t go easy on himself en route to winning his first main event of the year in the Associated Asphalt 410 division at Skagit Speedway on round eight of the Foothills Toyota Tundra Racing Series. Heath rocketed out to the initial lead, but almost spun himself out in corner four on the sixth lap, giving the lead to former World of Outlaw competitor Chad Hillier.
Heath battled back in the Sanford Tire #5x XXX, closing the gap between himself and Hillier, taking the lead back on lap twelve with a strong move on the inside of turn one. The night didn’t get any easier, as Heath was in heavy lapped traffic and made contact with Kyle Oman, sending the latter into wall causing a red. The hits just kept on coming after the restart, as your leader again got into heavy traffic and made contact with Kelleigh Johnson, causing another yellow on lap 21.
With Rick Fauver in the Reynolds/Fauver #F1 Maxim poised to strike, Heath would change his groove and block the bottom, sealing up an adventurous first win of 2009. Fauver brought home second, with Barry Martinez in the Advanced Sprint Car &Toys for Trucks #66 J&J coming in third. Quick time was Mitch Olson in the SC Fuels #98 KPC. Heath and Hillier, in the APC Powdercoating #38 J&J, won the heats.
Jared Peterson has really come into his own in his third full year of sprint car racing. Aboard his Frontier Chevrolet #9 Rocket, Peterson blitzed the Budweiser 360 Sprint field for his second win of the year at Skagit Speedway, leading every single lap of the main event. Rod Perkins ran second in the Classic Rock 92.9 #69 XXX, third going to Brian Kirkpatrick in the K&B Racing #5k XXX who also set quick time. Heat wins went to Perkins, Brock Lemley in the Haling Seafood #40 XXX and Robby Vaughn in the Jay’s Automotive #29 Rocket.
Marc Schutte won his first main of 2009 in the Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints, leading every lap of the main event in the Rudy Blumenhagen owned #72 XXX. Kelsey Carpenter came from sixth to second in the Dri-Eaz#27c XXX. Third was Lyle Woods in the K&B Racing #12k Becker. The win was sweet redemption for Schutte who was leading a race three weeks ago when a steering rod broke, sending him into the wall and trashing his car. Heat race wins went to Woods and Carpenter.
Wade Swatzina and Ben Gunderson had a barn burner of a race going in the Outlaw Hornet class. For 18 laps, Gunderson dogged Swatzina, literally bumper to bumper around a beautiful main event track. Coming to lap 19, Gunderson made the wrong decision in lapped traffic, giving the win to Swatzina, his first of 2009. The misstep dropped Gunderson to the third finishing position behind Vance Hibbard. Heat race wins went to brand new high school graduate Ashley Lewellen and James Bundy.
The Relay for Life presents the Dirt Cup Tune Up at Skagit Speedway next weekend. Ticket gates open at 530p with racing to start at 7p. For ticket information, go to www.skagitspeedway.com .
Skagit Speedway Results June 6
Associated Asphalt 410 Sprints
Fast Time – Mitch Olson 12.014
Heat 1 – Chad Hiller, Jesse Whitney, Rick Fauver, Olson, Chris Schmelzle, Tayler Malsam, Kevin Smith
Heat 2 – Colton Heath, Jayme Barnes, Barry Martinez, Nick Engberg, Eric Fisher, Kyle Oman, Kelleigh Johnson, Jared Ridge
Main – Colton Heath, Fauver, Martinez, Olson, Fisher, Engberg, Malsam, Schmelzle, Smith, Hillier, Barnes, Johnson, Whitney, Oman, Ridge, Steve Kilcup, Brock Lemley
Lap Leaders – Heath 1-5, Hiller 6-11, Heath 12-25
Budweiser 360 Sprints
Fast Time – Brian Kirkpatrick 12.627
Heat 1 – Rod Perkins, B.Kirkpatrick, Mack Brown, Josh Edson, Steve James, Chuck Ashe, Bud Ashe, Ron Butler
Heat 2 – Robby Vaughn, Michael Harris, Danny Kirkpatrick, Jared Peterson, Cody Anderlini, Steve Tupper, Clayton Sibley, Daniel Cernich
Heat 3 – Brock Lemley, Mike Melwicks, Steve Parker, Danielle Huson, Paul Hopkins, Shane Broers, Alan Munn
Main – Jared Peterson, Perkins, B.Kirkpatrick, Munn, D.Kirkpatrick, James, Lemley, Parker, Anderlini, C.Ashe, Cernich, B.Ashe, Hopkins, Edson, Butler, Tupper, Melwicks, Sibley, Brown, Harris
Lap Leaders – Peterson 1-25
Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints
Heat 1 – Lyle Woods, Michael Bollinger, Marc Schutte, Ray Parker, Paul Burdick, Nick Dunham
Heat 2 – Kelsey Carpenter, Glen Reinstra, Devin Barnes, Bill Rude, Dave Mead, Cale Brooke
Main – Marc Schutte Carpenter, Woods, Rude, Reinstra, Mead, Parker, Brooke, Barnes, Dunham, Burdick, Bollinger
Lap Leaders – Schutte 1-20
Outlaw Hornets
Heat 1 – Ashley Lewellen, Vance Hibbard, Ron Holtrop, Freddy Vela, Kenny Harris, James Sanford, Cory Swatzina, Howard Vos, Jerry Birdsey Jr, Ali Morris, The Rookie, Adam Holtrop
Heat 2 – James Bundy, Ben Gunderson, Wade Swatzina, Ken Higby, Jon Edwards, Tyler Ketchum, Rick Young, Karl Dahl, Brian Michelson, Ronda Eszlinger, Scott Naylor
Main – Wade Swatzina, Hibbard, Gunderson, C.Swatzina, Vela, R.Holtrop, Ketchum, Dahl, Harris, Lewellen, Sanford, Naylor, Higby, Bundy, Edwards, Michelson, Birdsey Jr, Rookie, Matt Powers, Morris, Young, Vos, A.Holtrop, Eszlinger, #99
Lap Leaders – W.Swatzina 1-20
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