Texan takes 10k Top Prize Sat. night A-main result

[rebelracewriter]

25 cars started the 50 lap, $10,000 to win A-main at I-76 Speedway, Fort Morgan, Colorado, paced to green by Brady Coen and Monte Bolton. The duo stayed side by side on lap 1, with no clear advantage from where I was. Bolton, on the high side inched ahead on lap 2 as the pack battle three wide behind the leaders. Lap 2 saw Mike Sandholm take a peek on Coen for second as Bolton got completely past for the point. Jerry Phillips, John Logue and Ken Maloney ran three wide for fifth on lap 5. Coen reeled Bolton back in on lap 7, as Bolton continued to use the high line. Coen would get along side in the corners, but Bolton would use his momentum to pull ahead on the straights.

 

By lap 10 the top four of Bolton, Coen, Sandholm and Jeff Hartwell had broken away from the pack. Maloney and Logue got around Phillips on lap 12 for 5th and 6th. Lap 13 and 14 had Coen and Sandholm running wheel to wheel for the runner up spot as Bolton started to get away. Hartwell moved in to challenge Coen for third when Sandholm was able to get by. By this time Bolton had nearly a 1/4 straightaway lead. Just before halfway Bolton ran up on lap traffic, with Sandholm, Hartwell, Coen and J Phillips rounding out the top five as the crossed flags were shown.

 

Bolton ran into heavy traffic shortly after halfway but was still stretching his lead. Gary Clark moved in to challenge J Phillips for his top five spot on lap 26. Phillips held Clark off and was able to sneak by Coen for fourth. By lap 30 Bolton was long gone, building a full straight lead over Sandholm as the leaders battled there way through traffic. With 15 to go, Bolton had his only scare when he got hung up behind the lap cars of Justin Yeager and Tony Schultz who were locked in their own battle for position. Bolton brushed the front stretch wall hard enough to leave concrete dust in the wheel. But Bolton hardly missed a beat as was able to finally clear Schultz.

 

A big wolfpack battled hard for sixth through tenth until Wayne Houston got sent spinning from that pack to bring out the first caution on lap 39. On the restart Bolton had a 6 lap car buffer over Sandholm as the green flew again with 10 to go and a clear track ahead. The races second and last caution came out on lap 43 when John Hanson spun between turns 1-2.

 

Bolton still had four lap cars between he and Sandholm when the green came back out, with 13 cars on the lead lap. Sten Johnson took a little trip through the infield on the restart but continued on. With 6 to go Hartwell made the pass on Sandholm for second, but Sandholm battled back getting along side Hartwell with 3 to go. Hartwell held off Sandholm, but no one had anything to catch Bolton. As the white flag flew, it was Bolton, my personal pick to win as I stuck with my Texas homey, with a comfortable margin. Bolton cruised on to take the victory and the $10,000 check in his Bolton Properties/RC Wheels and Props/Briggs Carpet/Train Station Antiques/Big Dog Chassis.

Official Results

 

41B Monte Bolton, Lubbock Texas

 

23X Jeff Hartwell, Colby Kansas

 

751 Mike Sandholm, Kenosha Wisconson

 

66 Jerry Phillips, Galva Kansas

 

3 Brady Coen, Wiley Colorado

 

69 John Logue, Boone Iowa

 

9L Cliff Lawson, Arvada Colorado

 

4G Gary Clark, Walker Missouri

 

1 Kenny McCarty, North Platte Nebraska

 

1st Brook Phillips, Wichita Kansas

 

0 Jon Debenedetti, Rogue River Oregon

 

43tw Wayne Houston, Aurora Colorado

 

75 Ken Maloney, Keenesburg Colorado

 

86 Sten Johnson, Arvada Colorado

 

96 Don Shepherd, Boulder Colorado

 

41 Bill Lundock, Wiggins Colorado

 

96T RC Whitwell, Sahuarita Arizona

 

55 Tony Schultz, North Platte Nebraska

 

76 Mike Shaw, Lakewood Colorado

 

09a Darren Williams, Glendale Arizona

 

ww1 Ricky Alvarado, Gilcrest Colorado

 

33y Justin Yeager, Green River Wyoming

 

8H John Hanson, Brush Colorado

 

98 Eddie Edwards, Arvada Colorado

 

12j Ray Laird, Howard Colorado

 

 

 

John Owen of Lakewood Colorado won the $5/ticket drawing for the modifid to benefit the Childerns Hospital. I'd have had a hard time getting it in the carry-on section for my flight back, but was happy to donate to a worthy cause.