4/2/16
Randolph County Raceway
Moberly, MO
NSL 360’s
23 cars
Breezy and cold conditions didn’t damper the spirit of fans who wanted to get the racing season underway on the high banks in central Missouri. It was a lower car count for a number of reasons. ASCS prohibited national drivers from participating. A couple local drivers I talked to in the pits said they didn’t bring their cars out due to weather or just not being ready yet. The higher car count last weekend in Wichita may also have been a result of the two-night format opposed to tonight’s one-night show. Nonetheless, it was a solid field on hand shooting for the $7,500 and Dave and Janelle Claypoole did a great job of promoting as has become the norm at RCR.
Heat one (started): 1. Tyler Thomas 86 (2) 2. Jeremy Campbell 10c (5) 3. John Schulz 99 (4) 4. Derek Hagar 9JR (8) 5. Jay Russell 76 (1) 6. Jamie Ball 5J (7) 7. Joe Beaver 53 (3) 8. Chris Morgan 81a (6)
Thomas led the 8-lapper early over Campbell and Schulz. Campbell and Schulz swapped the runner-up spot for a few laps before Campbell took command. Hagar was up to fifth by lap two. On lap five, Beaver brushed the turn two wall, slowing his progress. A lap later, Hagar nailed down fourth with a pass of Russell.
Heat two (started): 1. Brian Brown 21 (1) 2. Jonathan Cornell 28 (2) 3. Mitchell Moore 51 (3) 4. Anthony Nicholson 16 (6) 5. Ian Madsen 18 (7) 6. Zach Chappell 75K (4) 7. Jake Greider 20G (8) 8. Bryan Clauson 17w (5)
Brown crowded Cornell on the start and took the lead. Moore shot by into second, but Cornell regained the spot on lap two. Clauson surged into third, passing Moore on lap three. Two laps later, his motor expired, and he pulled to the infield. Madsen was running third on the white flag lap, but slowed, apparently thinking the checkers had flown. He lost two spots.
Heat three (started): 1. Danny Lasoski 33 (2) 2. Sammy Swindell 3 (4) 3. Jordon Mallett 14 (3) 4. Chris Martin 44 (5) 5. Tyler Blank 75 (6) 6. JR Topper 92J (7) 7. Brock Elliott 75E (1)
Lasoski got the jump, as Sammy and Mallett settled into second and third. The lead pair left the rest behind, while Mallett and Martin traded the third spot.
Qualifier one (started): 1. Brown (4) 2. Lasoski (5) 3. Cornell (3) 4. Nicholson (2) 5. Chappell (10) 6. Clauson (12) 7. Madsen (7) 8. Ball (8) 9. Mallett (1) 10. Russell (9) 11. Elliott (11) 12. Campbell (6)
With the high point drivers in the heats starting sixth, after two tries to go green failed, Cornell led this one from row two early over Mallett and Nicholson. Brown used the high line in one and two to shoot by Nicholson into third on lap three of the 10-lapper. With three in the books, Madsen came to a stop on the frontstretch. The restart saw Cornell leading Mallett, Brown, Nicholson and Lasoski. Brown surged into second on the restart and took the lead from Cornell on lap six. Lasoski charged by Nicholson and Mallett to take third on the same circuit. Disaster struck for both Mallett and Campbell on the last lap. Mallett shredded a right rear and faded to ninth, while Campbell lost his right front wheel, which went careening over the turn three wall.
Qualifier two (started): 1. Swindell (5) 2. Moore (2) 3. Martin (1) 4. Hagar (4) 5. Schulz (3) 6. Blank (7) 7. Greider (9) 8. Thomas (6) 9. Morgan (11) 10. Beaver (10) 11. Topper (8)
Moore led Martin and Hagar early in the going. The track yielded to rubber, especially on the bottom of three and four. Swindell used it to sneak by Hagar for third on lap six. He picked off Martin a lap later, and then passed Moore for the lead on lap eight. It was enough to earn high points for the night and a pole position for the feature.
A main (started): 1. Swindell (1) 2. Lasoski (3) 3. Hagar (6) 4. Brown (2) 5. Cornell (4) 6. Madsen (14) 7. Martin (7) 8. Clauson (13) 9. Nicholson (8) 10. Schulz (9) 11. Thomas (11) 12. Greider (15) 13. Moore (5) 14. Beaver (22) 15. Campbell (16) 16. Chappell (10) 17. Blank (12) 18. Elliott (23) 19. Topper (21) 20. Mallett (18) 21. Ball (17) 22. Morgan (19) 23. Russell (20)
With the track submitting to a full day of heavy winds and sun, rubber-down conditions were in store for the 30-lapper. The race to turn one would be critical. Swindell had the line from the pole, driving AG Rains #3. Brown tried a higher line on the banks to try to gain momentum ahead of Lasoski. Both cars chasing Swindell searched several lines the next few laps as the leader reeled in lapped traffic. The search cost Lasoski third when Cornell shot under him in the rubber on lap seven. Ten laps or so later, Lasoski returned the favor in lapped traffic. When Brown was trying to lap Ball, Lasoski shot under him as well, grabbing second. With three laps to go, Hagar completed a steady race, getting under Brown for fourth. The win paid Sammy $7,500. Madsen moved up eight spots from 14th to sixth, as did Beaver (22nd to 14th).