Travis Rilat Rules ASCS National Jetmore Motorplex opener

[NickHolt]

Rilat Rules Lucas Oil ASCS Jetmore Opener - Locks Into Sunday's $10,000 to Win Steve King Memorial Finale

 

by Lonnie Wheatley

 

Jetmore, Kan. (May 23, 2009) – Travis Rilat snapped a Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters victory drought that was just 48 hours shy of two years in duration by topping Saturday night's 30-lap Steve King Memorial presented by Coors Light preliminary feature event at the Jetmore Motorplex.

 

The 2003 ASCS National champion gunned into the lead at the outset and led all the way atop a turbulent surface for his 23rd career Lucas Oil ASCS National win and first since a Saluda, VA, victory on May 25, 2007.

 

 

"I've been spending some time in the gym lately and that probably made a difference," Rilat relayed afterward. "Otherwise, the last half of that race might have been more of a struggle."

 

Rilat held off current series points leader Shane Stewart most of the way, with Zach Chappell taking the show position. Nebraska's Jack Dover took advantage of a late caution to race around Gary Wright for the fourth and final lock-in position to Sunday night's $10,000 to win Steve King Memorial championship feature event.

 

Originally slated to start the main event inside row two, Rilat found himself on the pole after a chaotic opening lap that sent four cars to the pit area before a lap was in the books.

 

The trouble started when 17-year-old Trey Robb, 19-year-old Chad Corken and veteran Kansas shoe Mike Peters all went tumbling in a wild turn three melee, with pole starter Darren Long then climbing a tire and flipping as the field checked up entering turn one. There were no injuries.

 

Shuffling up to the pole position, Rilat outgunned fellow front row starter Chappell at the drop of the green on the second start and never looked back en route to a boosted payday of $4,000 that included a $1,000 bonus from Dodi Miller's Machine & Welding of Seabrook, TX.

 

While Rilat led all 30 circuits aboard the Shark-powered F&J Construction No. 29 Triple X, Shane Stewart moved in to challenge on several occasions. But, with heavy traffic and some choppy track conditions, the Bixby, OK, native settled for runner-up honors aboard Paul Silva's Wesmar-powered ProBilt Construction No. 57 A.R.T.

 

Chappell, the 2001 ASCS National champion hailing from Talala, OK, kept Danny King's Ethanol No. e85 entry among the frontrunners throughout and claimed third to lock into the 35-lap Steve King Memorial finale.

 

Working forward from tenth, 19-year-old Dover charged past Wright on a lap 24 restart and held the crucial fourth and final lock-in position over the waning laps aboard the Eckley-powered 3D Auto Transport No. 53 Eagle.

 

Wright, the four-time series champion, tried to battle back as the laps wound down but had to settle for fifth in Scott Brown's ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service No. 9x Maxim.

 

Defending series champion Jason Johnson crossed the stripe sixth, while Joe Wood, Jr., who followed Dover around Wright on the late restart, slipped back to seventh in the final frantic laps.

 

Event promoter Tony Bruce, Jr., claimed eighth, with 19-year-old Matt Covington and California native Paul McMahan completing the top ten.

 

Danny Wood, Garry Lee Maier, Long, Covington, Foster Landon and Joe Wood, Jr., topped heat race action for the 49-car field. Sean McClelland wired the field in the first 15-lap "B" Main, while Brady Bacon made a move around McMahan on the ninth round to win the second "B" Main.

 

After starting 18th, Bacon was up to seventh and climbing on the 24th lap when a broken suspension piece sent his Triple-X mount sailing off the turn four embankment and into a guardrail, precipitating a red flag. Bacon was uninjured.

 

Landon exited after coasting to a stop 12 laps into the feature, while Baldaccini bounced it in turn three two laps later to end his night.

 

Louisiana's Michael Dupuy dumped his mount in turn four midway through the first "B" Main without injury.

 

The $10,000 to win Steve King Memorial concludes on Sunday night, with action going green at 7:00 p.m.

 

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters

Jetmore Motorplex – Jetmore, KS

Steve King Memorial Preliminary Results:

 

Heat Races (Top 16 in Passing Points to "A" Main; Balance to 2 "B" Mains):

 

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 94-Danny Wood, 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 3. 97h-Brian Herbert, 4. 1-Sean McClelland, 5. 00-Michael Dupuy, 6. 13-Jesse Hockett, 7. 4J-Lee Grosz, 8. 85-Jerry Bell, 9. 46-Dusty Murray.

 

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 1x-Garry Lee Maier, 2. e85-Zach Chappell, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 81au-Gavin Punch, 5. 45x-C.J. Johnson, 6. 81-Jon Freeman, 7. 33-Kris Miller, 8. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford.

 

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 7-Darren Long, 2. 11-Chad Corken, 3. 99-Brady Bacon, 4. 01-Wayne Johnson, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 0c-Derek Drown, 7. 91-Gary Taylor, 8. 72-Sherman Davis.

 

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington, 2. 53-Jack Dover, 3. 12-Trey Robb, 4. 3d-Paul McMahan, 5. 15s-Nick Smith, 6. 2-Kenneth Walker, 7. 0T-Jake Martens, 8. 19-Joe McCarthy.

 

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 11F-Foster Landon, 2. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 3. 88-Tim Crawley, 4. 72x-Steven Richardson, 5. 51-Mike Peters, 6. 10a-Ricky Logan, 7. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 8. 23-Seth Bergman.

 

Heat Six (8 Laps): 1. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 2. 9x-Gary Wright, 3. 57-Shane Stewart, 4. 13k-Kathryne Minter, 5. 51x-Dave Hall, 6. 87-Brian McClelland, 7. 27-Patrick Bourke, 8. 04-Brad Graham.

 

"B" Mains (Top 3 From Each Advance to "A" Main):

 

First "B" Feature (15 Laps): 1. 1-Sean McClelland, 2. 45x-C.J. Johnson, 3. 12-Trey Robb, 4. 13-Jesse Hockett, 5. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 4J-Lee Grosz, 7. 87-Brian McClelland, 8. 91-Gary Taylor, 9. 81au-Gavin Punch, 10. 0c-Derek Drown, 11. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 12. 2-Kenneth Walker, 13. 46-Dusty Murray, 14. 00-Michael Dupuy, 15. 04-Brad Graham, 16. 85-Jerry Bell. DNS: 27-Patrick Bourke.

 

Second "B" Feature (15 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 3d-Paul McMahan, 3. 51-Mike Peters, 4. 15s-Nick Smith, 5. 10a-Ricky Logan, 6. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 7. 97h-Brian Herbert, 8. 72x-Steven Richardson, 9. 51x-Dave Hall, 10. 81-Jon Freeman, 11. 72-Sherman Davis, 12. 0T-Jake Martens, 13. 13k-Kathryne Minter, 14. 33-Kris Miller. DNS: 23-Seth Bergman, 19-Joe McCarthy.

 

Steve King Memorial Preliminary "A" Main Event:

 

“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 57-Shane Stewart, 3. e85-Zach Chappell, 4. 53-Jack Dover, 5. 9x-Gary Wright, 6. 41-Jason Johnson, 7. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 8. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 9. 95-Matt Covington, 10. 3d-Paul McMahan, 11. 01-Wayne Johnson, 12. 94-Danny Wood, 13. 88-Tim Crawley, 14. 1x-Garry Lee Maier, 15. 1-Sean McClelland, 16. 15s-Nick Smith, 17. 99-Brady Bacon, 18. 45x-C.J. Johnson, 19. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 20. 11F-Foster Landon, 21. 7-Darren Long, 22. 11-Chad Corken, 23. 12-Trey Robb, 24. 51-Mike Peters.

 

Lap Leaders: Travis Rilat 1-30.

 

Note: Eric Baldaccini and Nick Smith utilized provisionals based on 2008 owner's points to start the "A" Main.

 

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters Points (Top 15): 1. Shane Stewart 442, 2. Jason Johnson 432, 3. Gary Wright 430, 4. Paul McMahan 388, 5. Danny Wood 386, 6. Nick Smith 378, 7. Tony Bruce, Jr. 372, 8. Travis Rilat 365, 9. Zach Chappell 353, 10. Sean McClelland 352, 11. Jack Dover 351, 12. Joe Wood, Jr. 347, 13. Eric Baldaccini 344, 14. Tim Crawley 329, 15. Michael Dupuy 315.