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Dorer Wins SealWrap Redbud Thriller - Nips Elliott at Checkered Flag
(August 1, 2011) – For the second year in a row the SealWrap Redbud
300 wasn’t decided until the final lap with Steve Dorer using an outside
power move to pass Chase Elliott coming off the fourth corner.
Dorer, who started 17th in the 30 car-field overcame several incidents in
the first half of the race and slowly worked his way back to the front as
accidents and mechanical woes took out several front rows.
It appeared the Elliott was enroute to winning the SealWrap Red Bud 300 at
Anderson Speedway when the final caution flag waved with nine laps remaining
when Jim Crabtree Jr. lost an engine.
On the final restart Dorer got inside of Brian Campbell and set his sights
on Elliott. Entering turn one Dorer went to the outside, pulled even going
into the third corner and completed the pass on the front straight to win by
.143-seconds.
Brian Campbell finished third followed by Aaron Pierce and Jason Dietsch.
“This is unbelievable,” Dorer, a visiting driver from Florida. “I knew I had
a good car. This is unreal to win here.”
Elliott took the lead on lap 153 with an inside pass of Pierce on the back
straight following the halfway break. It appeared that Elliott’s biggest
challenge fell by the wayside when John VanDoorn suffered a flat right front
tire on lap 275.
Elliott said he was afraid to drive hard into turn three on the final lap.
“He ran a great race,” Elliott said of Dorer. “I want to build on this as we
go forward.”
Campbell ran in the top five all night long and several times in the first
half of the race challenged for the lead.
Knightstown’s Jeff Lane dominated the first half of the race leading 149 of
the 150 laps, but by taking four tires at the break he started ninth.
Pierce, who took no tires started on the point.
Dietsch turned in an impressive run finishing fifth after starting 12th and
Kenny Tweedy came home sixth despite getting some air on the back straight
when he climbed over the back of Peter Cozzolino’s car.
The first half of the race was disrupted by 10 cautions for a total of 48
laps, many of the incidents taking out expected contenders for the win.
On lap 49 Joe Beaver and Scott Hantz made contact on the back straight while
battling for the fifth position. Hantz climbed the banking in turn three and
collected the car of Ross Kenseth.
Ryan Blaney was collected in a crash on lap 66 involving four cars including
that of eventual winner Dorer.
In the second half Lane was moving toward the front when on lap 241 he made
contact with Mason Mingus while battling for the fifth position. Mingus got
loose coming off the fourth corner and collected Lane.
The race was slowed a total of 16 times for 81 laps. There were five lead
changes among four different drivers.
Anderson Speedway returns to action on Saturday, August 6 with appearances
from the UMRA Midgets, WMDH ThunderCars and Front Wheel Drive Oval.
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