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Ben Tunny Scores Outlaw Figure 8 Win; Pritchett, Owen Get Wins
(October
15, 2011) –
It took fast qualifier Ben Tunny 24 laps to take the lead, but he
then went on to dominate the International Outlaw Figure-8 Series feature on
U.S. Air Force Night of Thrills at Anderson Speedway.
It took three attempts to get the 50-lap feature underway, but once it got
started the race went caution free to the finish.
On the first attempt at a start Jeff Hizer spun from the front row in turn
two. The second attempt was slowed when Chad Sizemore and Kenny Boggs got
together coming off the fourth corner.
The race was red-flagged on the third attempt at a start when 11 cars
stacked up in turn two when the front two rows got loose.
Mike St. John took the early lead as Tunny worked his way to the front from
the 13th starting spot.
Tunny was running second on lap 24 when St. John lost an engine. Tunny
pulled away from Gary Bedell as he worked his way through lapped traffic to
win by 11.783-seconds with Mark Harmon and Jessy Tunny rounding out the top
four, the only cars on the lead lap.
“It took a few laps to get going,” Tunny said. “The last half we had a good
solid run. There were a lot of lapped cars, that wouldn’t give an inch. The
crossover was dicey at times.”
Jarrod Pritchett took advantage of a restart on lap 14 to pass early leader
Morgan Baird with an outside pass on the front straight to win the Mini Cups
feature. Pritchett was pulling away from the field when the second caution
flag waved on lap 21 for debris on the front straight.
Pritchett was turning laps at 14.908-seconds, which was faster than the new
track record set during Herald Bulletin qualifying by Scott Swem at
15.140-seconds.
On the final restart Pritchett jumped into the lead chased by Baird, Swem
finished third after swapping the position over the final two laps with
Jamie Domski with Austin Kunert driving to a fifth place finish after
starting 12th in the field.
For Pritchett, 11, it was his first win ever in racing competition.
Randy Owen grabbed the lead from Donnie Ellis Jr. with an outside move in
turn two and went on to win the Front Wheel Drive Figure-8 feature. Fast
qualifier Elliott McKinney finished third followed by Nick Warner and Blake
Zirkle rounded out the top five.
“This car wouldn’t run in practice, qualifying or the heat race,” Owen said.
“I don’t know what they did, but the car is running now. It was starting to
sputter at the end. They were going to pass me or wreck me.”
Chris Frawley, aka ‘Bozo’, won the rollover contest by turning his front
wheel drive four times on the front straight. Ellis was able to complete
only one and a half rolls.
Jimmy Ashton took the lead from Randy Owen on the eighth lap to record the
win in School Bus Figure-8 action with Mike Irwin finishing a close second
followed by Owen, who faded over the final two laps.
Gary Bragg Sr. captured the Culver’s Trailer Race when his son, Gary Jr.
spun in turn one and was unable to continue. It was Bragg Sr.’s first win in
the trailer race driving a Volvo with a toilet affixed to the roof and a
large screen television on the trailer. The television didn’t survive a
single lap.
Racing action returns to Anderson Speedway on Saturday, October 22nd with
ThunderCar Enduro 200 and Front Wheel Drive Challenge.
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