Haubstadt, Indiana…….Daron Clayton is widely considered to be the master of Tri-State Speedway, and he continued to add to his lore with a dominant victory in Saturday’s 40-lap “Haubstadt Hustler” co-sanctioned by the Midwest Sprint Car Series. The 11th AMSOIL National Sprint Car win of his career was worth $10,000 to the Sikeston, Missouri native.
Local favorite Kyle Cummins got the jump from outside the front-row as Kevin Thomas, Jr. kept pace early and applied pressure after a handful of laps before a red flag on lap seven.
From there, Cummins and Thomas pulled away as the Cullman, Alabama driver, looking to defend his win in last year’s event, moved in on Cummins for the top spot on lap 18. He closed the gap too quickly, though, making contact with Cummins as they entered turn-three and spinning himself around, bringing out the caution.
Clayton, who started 11th, had just moved to the fourth spot before that yellow, and he sat fourth on the restart just before halfway. He disposed of second-running Jerry Coons, Jr. and ran down Cummins, who was about to enter lapped traffic. Cummins narrowly held him off for a few laps before being held up by a slower car in the high line on lap 25, allowing Clayton to cut underneath in turn-four with the lead.
A flurry of late yellows slowed Clayton’s escape from the field, and the July winner at Tri-State, Robert Ballou, was clawing his way up with each restart. He finally restarted in second with just six laps to go, but Clayton couldn’t be touched as he launched off the corner with another popular victory in the Merry Go Round Restaurant – ProGlide Coatings #92 Spike/J&D.
“That was the longest forty laps of my life! It feels awesome to win again here, though. I can’t say enough about the group of people around me, supporting me. This is what we come here to do. I knew we had to be good on a long run tonight and pick off cars when we could. It’s smoking and I’m not sure how much longer it woulda held up, but it was good enough to get it done tonight,” Clayton said.
Ballou came home second in the Blakesley Auto – Hinchman Racing Uniforms #12x Maxim/Ott.
“This is where Daron Clayton is at his best, and we were right there with him. Hats off to him and his guys. I think we may have had a chance at him, but we started to run low on fuel after the last yellow. I hate running second – especially as we’ve been lately. It burns me to run second after you get used to winning,” Ballou said.
Cummins again found himself on the podium after just missing out on his first National win yet again at his home track in the Vincennes University – Greenwell Auto Body #3c Spike/Cummins.
“It was hooked up in the beginning, and I had to mess with lapped cars quite a bit. I started driving harder as I saw some pressure to my inside. I adjusted quite a bit towards the end and felt like I got it better at the end, but I let Robert slip by me for second. I can’t be too upset, but I stand up here behind just one or two guys quite a lot,” Cummins said.
Coons finished a strong fourth in his first night aboard the Gentry Brothers Racing – Automotive Color & Supply #2x DRC/Ott, while Chase Stockon rounded out the top-five in the Superior Tank & Trailer – Crescent Electric Supply #32 DRC/Fisher.
AMSOIL USAC SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 13, 2014 – Haubstadt, Indiana – Tri-State Speedway – “Haubstadt Hustler” (co-sanctioned by Midwest Sprint Car Series)
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Kyle Cummins, (#3c Cummins), 2. Brady Short (#11p Pottorff), 3. Brady Bacon (#69 Dynamics), 4. Jeff Bland Jr. (#04 Burton), 5. Tracy Hines (#4 Hines), 6. Hunter Schuerenberg (#20N Schuerenber/Nolen), 7. Brian Wallace (#27 Wallace), 8. Daylan Chambers (#52c Chambers). 2:18.88
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Jon Stanbrough (#37RW Dutcher), 2. Kevin Thomas Jr. (#9k KT), 3. Chris Windom (#11 Walker), 4. Aaron Farney (#15 Farney), 5. Nick Hale (#02 Hale), 6. Shane Cockrum (#66 Amati), 7. Brandon Mattox (#28 Mattox), 8. Jared Fox (#56 Fox). NT
THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Jerry Coons Jr. (#2x Gentry), 2. Daron Clayton (#92 Clayton), 3. Dave Darland (#71p Phillips), 4. Bryan Clauson (#20 Stewart/Curb-Agajanian), 5. Dakota Jackson (#3 Jackson), 6. Brian Karraker (3R Byram), 7. Donnie Brackett (#4B Brackett), 8. Max McGhee (#17 McGhee). 2:20.81
FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Chase Stockon (#32 32 TBI), 2. Robert Ballou (#12x Ballou), 3. C.J. Leary (#30 Leary), 4. Carson Short (#21 Short), 5. Mitch Wissmiller, (#1w Wissmiller), 6. Hud Cone (#9T Hurst), 7. James Lyerla (#11x JL), 8. Roger DeWitt (#3d Pauley). 2:21.28
SEMI: (12 laps) 1. C.Short, 2. Farney, 3. Cone, 4. Cockrum, 5. Karraker, 6. Brackett, 7. Bland, 8. Mattox, 9. McGhee, 10. Schuerenberg, 11. Lylerla, 12. Chambers, 13. DeWitt, 14. Jackson, 15. Wallace. NT
FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Daron Clayton, 2. Robert Ballou, 3. Kyle Cummins, 4. Jerry Coons Jr., 5. Chase Stockon, 6. Jon Stanbrough, 7. Bryan Clauson, 8. Brady Bacon, 9. Tracy Hines, 10. Brian Karraker, 11. Dave Darland, 12. Aaron Farney, 13. C.J. Leary, 14. Brady Short, 15. Kevin Thomas Jr., 16. Shane Cockrum, 17. Chris Windom, 18. Donnie Brackett, 19. Nick Hale, 20. Carson Short, 21. Brandon Mattox, 22. Hud Cone, 23. Mitch Wissmiller, 24. Jeff Bland Jr. NT
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**Mattox flipped on lap 7 of the feature. Hale flipped on lap 31 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-24 Cummins, Laps 25-40 Clayton.
NEW AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS: 1-Bacon-1,554; 2-Darland-1,551, 3-Clauson-1,522, 4-Stanbrough-1,473, 5-Stockon-1,345, 6-Hines-1,231, 7-Justin Grant-1,230, 8-Windom-1,225, 9-Ballou-1,142, 10-Leary-1,080.
NEXT AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT RACE: September 18 – Terre Haute (IN) Action Track – “Jim Hurtubise Classic”
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