Matt Covington victorious In 2020 Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series Opener

[NickHolt]

Matt Covington Victorious In 2020 Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series Opener by Bryan Hulbert   PEORIA, Ariz. (February 28, 2020) Besting a stout field of 51 drivers at Canyon Speedway Park, the first payday of the 2020 season with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network went to Oklahoma's Matt Covington with the Lucas Oil/A-Rock Material No. 95 leading start to finish on the first night of the Sands Chevrolet Meltdown.   Courtesy of ASCS PR   Having to chase the line around the one-third mile oval as it moved top to bottom through the 25-lap preliminary A-Feature, Covington held on through several late-race restarts to collect the night's $3,000 paycheck.   "Several times when the track gets like that and moves around, I've made the wrong choice and tonight I made the right choice," commented Covington of the race. "The car felt good all night, and I had a lot of fun. I didn't really need to start babying it until right there at the end. It felt like my right rear was starting to go down about the last five laps, but Mike [Davenport] did a great job on the car tonight and I'm glad we were able to put on a show for these fans."   Taking the lead from the pole, Covington kept pace over John Carney II. Working the bottom of the Speedway, Carney tried for the lead on Lap 12 but hooked the inside berm off the exit of the second turn; sending the No. J2 skyward before slamming hard on the front suspension. Dropping to third in the process, Carney went three-wide with the Scelzi brothers before going around on Lap 13.   Taking off with Sanders and Scelzi in tow, the race for the runner-up spot was stout as Dominic and Giovanni battled back-and-forth with Giovanni finally getting the advantage on Lap 16. Leaving Dominic to content with Justin Sanders, the No. 17s was able to keep the No. 41x at bay as Giovanni set his sights on the lead.   Taking a shot on a Lap 17, Giovanni came up short on the pass. Getting another restart on Lap 18, Covington was able to pull away with his advantage growing to nearly a second at the drop of the checkered flag. Giovanni Scelzi crossed second with Justin Sanders third. Dominic Scelzi in fourth was trailed by Colby Copeland to complete the top five.   Harli White grabbed sixth with Canada's Dylan Westbrook in seventh. Jason Solwold in eighth was trailed by Roger Crockett with D.J. Netto completing the top-ten.   The field of 51 teams was split into six SCE Gaskets Heat Races with wins going to Blake Hahn, Dylan Westbrook, Harli White, Matt Covington, Colby Copeland, and Roger Crockett. Hoosier Tire Qualifiers were topped by John Carney II, Dominic Scelzi, Chase Randall, and Giovanni Scelzi. BMRS B-Features went to Jordon Mallett and Mitchell Faccinto. Two Provisionals were used by Robbie Price and Alex Hill.   The Sands Chevrolet Meltdown at Canyon Speedway continues Saturday, February 29, 2020. Racing goes green at 7:00 P.M. (MT). Canyon Speedway Park is located at 9777 W Carefree Hwy. in Peoria, Ariz. Information and directions on the Arizona oval can be found online at https://www.canyonspeedwaypark.com/ or by calling (602) 258-7223.   Live coverage is available for those who cannot make the trip on http://www.racinboys.com.   For other news, notes, and information on the American Sprint Car Series, from the National Tour to any of the Regional Tours that make up ASCS Nation in 2020, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, on Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).   Race Results: Lucas Oil ASCS presented by MAVTV - ASCS Southwest Region - Canyon Speedway Park (Peoria, Ariz.) - Friday, February 28, 2020 Car Count: 51   SCE Gaskets Heat Races (Top 40 in Passing Points advance to Qualifiers)   Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn[1]; 2. 17S-Justin Sanders[3]; 3. 9-Chase Randall[2]; 4. 83T-Tanner Carrick[4]; 5. 14-Jordon Mallett[8]; 6. 5H-Michael Faccinto[7]; 7. 38B-Blake Carrick[5]; 8. 12J-Josh Grady[9]; 9. 57-Stevie Sussex III[6]   Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[2]; 2. 8-Devon Borden[1]; 3. 115-Nick Parker[4]; 4. 28-Scott Bogucki[8]; 5. 11C-Jeff Lowery[3]; 6. 14C-Cody Sickles[5]; 7. 3V-Jim Vanzant[7]; 8. (DNF) 45C-Lonnie Cox[9]; 9. (DNF) 7-Eric Wilkins[6]   Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 17W-Harli White[2]; 2. 88N-DJ Netto[1]; 3. 41X-Dominic Scelzi[4]; 4. 18S-Jason Solwold[8]; 5. 75X-JT Imperial[5]; 6. 77X-Alex Hill[6]; 7. 21P-Robbie Price[7]; 8. (DNF) 11M-Mindy McCune[3]; 9. (DNS) 7K-Mason Keefer   Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington[2]; 2. 17-Seth Bergman[4]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[3]; 4. 41S-Giovanni Scelzi[5]; 5. 21K-Thomas Kennedy[8]; 6. 99X-Caleb Saiz[1]; 7. 22-Jesse Baker[7]; 8. 43-Ryan Oerter[6]   Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 01-Colby Copeland[1]; 2. J2-John Carney II[2]; 3. 44-Chris Martin[4]; 4. 19-Wes Wofford[3]; 5. 37-Mitchell Faccinto[6]; 6. 18-Lorne Wofford[7]; 7. 24D-Danny Sams III[5]; 8. (DNS) 2S-Shad Petersen   Heat 6 (8 Laps): 1. 11-Roger Crockett[1]; 2. 17B-Ryan Bickett[2]; 3. 41-Colton Hardy[5]; 4. 2-Alex Pettas[8]; 5. 88-Travis Reber[4]; 6. 24-Garet Williamson[3]; 7. 14T-Tim Estenson[6]; 8. 0J-Jeremy McCune[7]   Hoosier Tire Qualifiers (Top 16 in combined Passing Points advance to the A-Feature)   Qualifier 1 (8 Laps): 1. J2-John Carney II[3]; 2. 21K-Thomas Kennedy[1]; 3. 18S-Jason Solwold[4]; 4. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[6]; 5. 83T-Tanner Carrick[7]; 6. 21P-Robbie Price[10]; 7. 5H-Michael Faccinto[8]; 8. 52-Blake Hahn[5]; 9. 77X-Alex Hill[9]; 10. 115-Nick Parker[2]   Qualifier 2 (8 Laps): 1. 41X-Dominic Scelzi[2]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 3. 01-Colby Copeland[5]; 4. 17W-Harli White[6]; 5. 17B-Ryan Bickett[3]; 6. 19-Wes Wofford[7]; 7. 22-Jesse Baker[10]; 8. 2-Alex Pettas[4]; 9. 88-Travis Reber[8]; 10. 14C-Cody Sickles[9]   Qualifier 3 (8 Laps): 1. 9-Chase Randall[1]; 2. 17S-Justin Sanders[4]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[6]; 4. 11-Roger Crockett[5]; 5. 37-Mitchell Faccinto[7]; 6. 44-Chris Martin[2]; 7. 8-Devon Borden[3]; 8. 24-Garet Williamson[9]; 9. 99X-Caleb Saiz[10]; 10. 18-Lorne Wofford[8]   Qualifier 4 (8 Laps): 1. 41S-Giovanni Scelzi[1]; 2. 88N-DJ Netto[3]; 3. 14-Jordon Mallett[2]; 4. 28-Scott Bogucki[5]; 5. 17-Seth Bergman[6]; 6. 41-Colton Hardy[4]; 7. 75X-JT Imperial[7]; 8. 11C-Jeff Lowery[8]; 9. 12J-Josh Grady[10]; 10. 3V-Jim Vanzant[9]   BMRS B-Feature (Top 6 advance to the A-Feature)   B Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 14-Jordon Mallett[1]; 2. 83T-Tanner Carrick[2]; 3. 41-Colton Hardy[3]; 4. 19-Wes Wofford[4]; 5. 21P-Robbie Price[6]; 6. 2-Alex Pettas[5]; 7. 11C-Jeff Lowery[8]; 8. 38B-Blake Carrick[14]; 9. 22-Jesse Baker[7]; 10. 115-Nick Parker[9]; 11. 77X-Alex Hill[10]; 12. 0J-Jeremy McCune[15]; 13. 12J-Josh Grady[11]; 14. 14T-Tim Estenson[13]; 15. 14C-Cody Sickles[12]; 16. 7-Eric Wilkins[17]; 17. 2S-Shad Petersen[16]; 18. (DNS) 11M-Mindy McCune   B Feature 2 (15 Laps): 1. 37-Mitchell Faccinto[2]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 3. 5H-Michael Faccinto[6]; 4. 17B-Ryan Bickett[1]; 5. 24-Garet Williamson[8]; 6. 75X-JT Imperial[7]; 7. 24D-Danny Sams III[14]; 8. 57-Stevie Sussex III[16]; 9. 8-Devon Borden[5]; 10. 99X-Caleb Saiz[10]; 11. 44-Chris Martin[3]; 12. 88-Travis Reber[9]; 13. 45C-Lonnie Cox[13]; 14. 43-Ryan Oerter[15]; 15. 3V-Jim Vanzant[12]; 16. 18-Lorne Wofford[11]; 17. (DNS) 7K-Mason Keefer   Sawblade.com A-Feature   A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 2. 41S-Giovanni Scelzi[11]; 3. 17S-Justin Sanders[3]; 4. 41X-Dominic Scelzi[4]; 5. 01-Colby Copeland[5]; 6. 17W-Harli White[7]; 7. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[6]; 8. 18S-Jason Solwold[8]; 9. 11-Roger Crockett[12]; 10. 88N-DJ Netto[9]; 11. 52-Blake Hahn[20]; 12. 5H-Michael Faccinto[22]; 13. 41-Colton Hardy[21]; 14. 14-Jordon Mallett[17]; 15. 28-Scott Bogucki[13]; 16. 37-Mitchell Faccinto[18]; 17. 21K-Thomas Kennedy[15]; 18. J2-John Carney II[2]; 19. 9-Chase Randall[10]; 20. 83T-Tanner Carrick[19]; 21. 17-Seth Bergman[14]; 22. (DNF) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[16]; 23. (DNF) 21P-Robbie Price[23]; 24. (DNF) 77X-Alex Hill[24]   Lap Leader(s): Matt Covington 1-25 Hard Charger: Michael Faccinto +10 High Point Driver: Matt Covington Provisional(s): Robbie Price (Points); Alex Hill (Points)   Driver Point Standings (Top 15): 1. Matt Covington 150; 2. Giovanni Scelzi 142; 3. Justin Sanders 135; 4. Dominic Scelzi 130, 5. Colby Copeland 125; 6. Harli White 122; 7. Dylan Westbrook 119; 8. Jason Solwold 116; 9. Roger Crockett 113; 10. D.J. Netto 110; 11. Blake Hahn 108, 12. Michael Faccinto 106; 13. Colton Hardy 104; 14. Jordon Mallett 102; 15. Scott Bogucki 100;   2020 A-Feature Winner(s): Matt Covington - 1 (2/28 - Canyon Speedway Park);   ASCS Online: American Sprint Car Series: http://www.ascsracing.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lucasoilascs Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lucasoilascs (@lucasoilascs) Instagram: LucasOilASCS Video Broadcast: http://www.racinboys.com Live-Scoring (Where Applicable): MRP Live   ASCS National Tour Drivers Online: Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA.): http://www.sethbergmanracing.com Scott Bogucki (McLaren Vale, S. Aust.): https://www.facebook.com/ScottBogucki89 John Carney II (El Paso, TX): https://www.facebook.com/JohnCarneyRacing Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK): http://www.mattcovingtonracing.com Roger Crockett (Broken Arrow, OK): http://www.rocketdesignsllc.com Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK): http://www.blakehahnracing.com Alex Hill (Six Nations, Ontario, Can.): https://twitter.com/alexhill77x Thomas Kennedy (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Can.): https://twitter.com/tjkennedy21k Jordon Mallett (Greenbrier, AR): https://www.jordonmallett.com Robbie Price (Cobble Hill, BC, Can.): http://www.bdsmotorsportsllc.com Chase Randall (Waco, TX): https://twitter.com/chaserandall09 Danny Sams III (North Port, Fla.) https://www.samslamtnracing.com Harli White (Lindsay, OK): http://www.harliwhiteracing.net Garet Williamson (Columbia, MO.) https://twitter.com/garetw3   ASCS 2020 Schedule   2/28/2020 - Canyon Speedway Park (Peoria, AZ) 2/29/2020 - Canyon Speedway Park (Peoria, AZ) 2/29/2020 - USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ)   3/6/2020 - Merced Speedway (Merced, CA) 3/7/2020 - Central Arizona Speedway (Casa Grande, AZ) 3/7/2020 - Placerville Speedway (Placerville, CA) 3/8/2020 - Petaluma Speedway (Petaluma, CA) 3/14/2020 - TBA 3/20/2020 - Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) 3/21/2020 - Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) 3/21/2020 - USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ) 3/28/2020 - Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ) 3/28/2020 - Big O Speedway (Ennis, TX) 3/28/2020 - Central Arizona Speedway (Casa Grande, AZ)   4/3/2020 - Jacksonville Speedway (Jacksonville, IL) 4/3/2020 - RPM Speedway (Crandall, TX) 4/4/2020 - Caney Valley Speedway (Caney, KS) 4/4/2020 - I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) 4/4/2020 - Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) 4/4/2020 - Southern Oklahoma Speedway (Ardmore, OK) 4/17/2020 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) 4/17/2020 - US 36 Raceway (Osborn, MO) 4/18/2020 - Abilene Speedway (Abilene, TX) 4/18/2020 - Salina Highbanks Speedway (Salina, OK) 4/18/2020 - USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ) 4/25/2020 - 105 Speedway (Cleveland, TX) 4/25/2020 - Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ) 4/25/2020 - El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, CO) 4/25/2020 - Jackson Motor Speedway (Byram, MS) 4/25/2020 - Volunteer Speedway (Bulls Gap, TN)   5/1/2020 - Humboldt Speedway (Humboldt, KS) 5/1/2020 - Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, PA) 5/2/2020 - Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ) 5/2/2020 - Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) 5/2/2020 - Selinsgrove Speedway (Selinsgrove, PA) 5/7/2020 - Plymouth Speedway (Plymouth, IN) 5/8/2020 - I-96 Speedway (Lake Odessa, MI) 5/9/2020 - I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) 5/9/2020 - I-96 Speedway (Lake Odessa, MI) 5/15/2020 - Monarch Motor Speedway (Wichita Falls, TX) 5/15/2020 - Tri City Speedway (Granite City, IL) 5/16/2020 - Central Arizona Speedway (Casa Grande, AZ) 5/16/2020 - Heartland Motorsports Park (Topeka, KS) 5/16/2020 - TBA 5/23/2020 - 105 Speedway (Cleveland, TX) 5/23/2020 - El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, CO) 5/23/2020 - Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) 5/23/2020 - Vado Speedway Park (Vado, NM) 5/24/2020 - I-76 Speedway (Fort Morgan, CO) 5/24/2020 - Vado Speedway Park (Vado, NM) 5/28/2020 - Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, KS) 5/29/2020 - Red Dirt Raceway (Meeker, OK) 5/30/2020 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) 5/30/2020 - Superbowl Speedway (Greenville, TX)   6/5/2020 - Gallatin Speedway (Belgrade, MT) 6/5/2020 - Poplar Bluff Speedway (Poplar Bluff, MO) 6/6/2020 - Big Sky Speedway (Billings, MT) 6/6/2020 - Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, AR) 6/6/2020 - Route 66 Motor Speedway (Amarillo, TX) 6/6/2020 - USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ) 6/12/2020 - Black Hills Speedway (Rapid City, SD) 6/12/2020 - Crowleys Ridge Raceway (Paragould, AR) 6/12/2020 - TBA 6/13/2020 - Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ) 6/13/2020 - El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, CO) 6/13/2020 - Gillette Thunder Speedway (Gillette, WY) 6/13/2020 - I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) 6/13/2020 - Legit Speedway Park (West Plains, MO) 6/13/2020 - TBA 6/19/2020 - Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA) 6/19/2020 - Phillips County Raceway (Holyoke, CO) 6/20/2020 - Central Arizona Speedway (Casa Grande, AZ) 6/20/2020 - Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA) 6/20/2020 - I-76 Speedway (Fort Morgan, CO) 6/20/2020 - Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) 6/25/2020 - Skagit Speedway (Alger, WA) 6/26/2020 - Aztec Speedway (Aztec, NM) 6/26/2020 - Big Sky Speedway (Billings, MT) 6/26/2020 - Centerville Super Speedway (Dardanelle, AR) 6/26/2020 - Monarch Motor Speedway (Wichita Falls, TX) 6/26/2020 - Skagit Speedway (Alger, WA) 6/27/2020 - Aztec Speedway (Aztec, NM) 6/27/2020 - Big Sky Speedway (Billings, MT) 6/27/2020 - I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) 6/27/2020 - Skagit Speedway (Alger, WA) 6/27/2020 - TBA   7/4/2020 - 105 Speedway (Cleveland, TX) 7/4/2020 - Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) 7/5/2020 - 105 Speedway (Cleveland, TX) 7/5/2020 - TBA 7/10/2020 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) 7/10/2020 - Gallatin Speedway (Belgrade, MT) 7/11/2020 - 81 Speedway (Park City, KS) 7/11/2020 - Gallatin Speedway (Belgrade, MT) 7/17/2020 - US 36 Raceway (Osborn, MO) 7/18/2020 - Greenville Speedway (Greenville, MS) 7/23/2020 - Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, AR) 7/24/2020 - Crowleys Ridge Raceway (Paragould, AR) 7/24/2020 - West Texas Raceway (Lubbock, TX) 7/25/2020 - Big Sky Speedway (Billings, MT) 7/25/2020 - I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) 7/25/2020 - Route 66 Motor Speedway (Amarillo, TX) 7/25/2020 - TBA 7/31/2020 - Black Hills Speedway (Rapid City, SD) 7/31/2020 - Phillips County Raceway (Holyoke, CO)   8/1/2020 - Gillette Thunder Speedway (Gillette, WY) 8/1/2020 - I-76 Speedway (Fort Morgan, CO) 8/1/2020 - Jackson Motor Speedway (Byram, MS) 8/1/2020 - Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) 8/6/2020 - Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) 8/7/2020 - Heart O' Texas Speedway (Waco, TX) 8/7/2020 - Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) 8/7/2020 - Sweetwater Speedway (Rock Springs, WY) 8/8/2020 - Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) 8/8/2020 - Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) 8/8/2020 - Sweetwater Speedway (Rock Springs, WY) 8/11/2020 - Southern Iowa Speedway (Oskaloosa, IA) 8/15/2020 - 105 Speedway (Cleveland, TX) 8/15/2020 - Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) 8/21/2020 - Aztec Speedway (Aztec, NM) 8/22/2020 - Aztec Speedway (Aztec, NM) 8/22/2020 - Kennedale Speedway Park (Kennedale, TX) 8/22/2020 - Monett Motor Speedway (Monett, MO) 8/22/2020 - TBA 8/22/2020 - USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ) 8/28/2020 - Gallatin Speedway (Belgrade, MT) 8/29/2020 - Heartland Motorsports Park (Topeka, KS) 8/29/2020 - Superbowl Speedway (Greenville, TX)   9/4/2020 - Sweetwater Speedway (Rock Springs, WY) 9/5/2020 - 105 Speedway (Cleveland, TX) 9/5/2020 - Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) 9/5/2020 - Sweetwater Speedway (Rock Springs, WY) 9/5/2020 - Vado Speedway Park (Vado, NM) 9/6/2020 - 105 Speedway (Cleveland, TX) 9/6/2020 - Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) 9/6/2020 - Vado Speedway Park (Vado, NM) 9/11/2020 - Gallatin Speedway (Belgrade, MT) 9/12/2020 - Central Arizona Speedway (Casa Grande, AZ) 9/12/2020 - El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, CO) 9/12/2020 - I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) 9/12/2020 - I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE) 9/17/2020 - Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) 9/18/2020 - Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) 9/19/2020 - Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) 9/19/2020 - Monarch Motor Speedway (Wichita Falls, TX)   10/2/2020 - I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) 10/3/2020 - Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ) 10/3/2020 - I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, AR) 10/10/2020 - Big O Speedway (Ennis, TX) 10/10/2020 - Caney Valley Speedway (Caney, KS) 10/10/2020 - El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, CO) 10/16/2020 - Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) 10/17/2020 - Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX) 10/17/2020 - USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ) 10/23/2020 - Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX) 10/24/2020 - Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ) 10/24/2020 - Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX) 10/30/2020 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) 10/31/2020 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) 10/31/2020 - Houston Motorsports Park (Houston, TX)   11/7/2020 - Central Arizona Speedway (Casa Grande, AZ) 11/27/2020 - Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ) 11/28/2020 - Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ)