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Atkinson Gets CRA Late Model Sportsman Victory; Charlie Hargraves
Captures Outlaw 100
(August
11, 2012) –
New Castle’s Jason Atkinson used the outside line on a restart on
lap 49 to grab the lead in the CRA Sportsman feature at Anderson Speedway on
Saturday.
For Atkinson it was his fourth Top Speed Fabrication series win at Anderson
Speedway, tying him with Keith Sterkowitz, on Lawrence Lubricants Night at
the Races.
Brian McFadden, helped by the inversion of the 12 fastest cars, led the
first 49 laps first chased by Josh Cave. Atkinson, who started tenth in the
field, passed Cave on lap 46 with an outside move racing down the back
straight.
The sixth caution flag waved on lap 47 when Josh Timmerman spun in turn
three following a bump from fast qualifier Damon Ecoff.
On the restart Atkinson got the jump on McFadden and made the pass on the
back straight. McFadden finished second, followed by Cave, Dean Cook and
Tommy Cook.
It’s Atkinson’s third CRA win of the season and his second of the year at
Anderson Speedway.
“We had a good car on the long run,” Atkinson said.
The top five got scrambled on lap 15 when the middle of the field got three
wide entering turn one with Fred Hopkins and K.C. Spillers coming to rest
against the turn one wall.
There was drama before the running of the IOFS Outlaw 100 when fast
qualifier Brian Rievely was informed that the tires he qualified at on Aug.
4 were determined to be illegal after initially approved by series
officials.
Rievely was informed in order to compete he would have to change tires and
start at the rear of the field, an option the veteran driver decided not to
exercise.
Charlie Hargraves inherited the lead on lap 51 when his brother, Johnny,
experienced a mechanical problem.
Johnny Hargraves took the lead from his brother on lap nine when the two
encountered slower traffic in turn three. The two Hargraves were leading the
rest of the field by a lap at the midway point after an oil leak knocked
Tommy St. John from the race.
The driver to watch during the first 30 laps was St. John who used the
outside line to move into the top three, but he was forced to the pits with
an oil leak, which could not be repaired.
During the final 50 laps the driver on the move was Ronnie Phipps, who moved
outside of Shawn Cullen on lap 73 in turn three to move into the second
spot. Phipps passed Hargraves on lap 84 to put himself one lap down to the
leader.
At the finish it was Charlie Hargraves, Phipps, Cullen, Jeff Swinford and
Jeff Williams, driving a late model.
“The last 30 or 40 laps I was just cruising around,” Hargraves said. “I knew
what was happening.”
Hargraves won the Outlaw 100 for the second consecutive year.
Larry Fritz held off challenges from fast qualifier Chris Weddel and David
Lobbia to capture the Thunder Roadster feature. Fritz, 63, has been racing
for 54 years, and used the bottom groove to record the win.
Fritz passed Doug Dugger on the third lap to take the lead and on lap 19
Weddel attempted to get inside coming off the fourth corner and instead
spun. That put Lobbia into the second position and he tried several times
without success to get underneath Fritz.
Behind Fritz and Lobbia were Dugger, Nate Shrout and Darrell Brown.
Nate Shrout led all 25 laps to win the make-up of the July 14 feature for
the Thunder Roadsters.
David Lobbia got inside of Shrout on lap 17 but Shrout was able to maintain
the momentum on the outside lane to record his first feature win of the
year. Lobbia finished second followed by Marty Griffin, Larry Fritz and Doug
Dugger.
Don Gallaher drove from the tail of the field to take the lead with an
inside pass entering turn one of Ron Phipps. Gallaher had set time during
qualifications, but was disqualified for a camber problem.
Phipps grabbed the early lead but it was Gallaher slicing his way through
the field to record his second feature win of the year. Phipps finished
second followed by Paul Phipps, Trevin Henson and Ronnie Phipps.
Donnie Ellis Jr. passed Josh Tharp entering turn three on the final lap to
win the IOFS Front Wheel Drive Figure-8 feature. Ellis and Tharp raced wheel
to wheel over the final seven laps before the decisive pass was made.
Third went to Jimmy Kirby with Rickie Craig and Harry Lashure rounding out
the top five.
Anderson Speedway returns to racing action on Saturday, August 18 with the
Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series featured in the Mitch Auto Service 50.
Other divisions in action include WMDH ThunderCars, Legends and G.W. Pierce
Front Wheel Drive Figure 8’s.
For additional information on Anderson Speedway, visit
www.andersonspeedway.com or contact Anderson Speedway at (765) 642-0206.
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