Jackson Speedway
6/23/2016
Jackson Motorplex
Jackson, MN
USAC National Sprint Cars and 305’s
21 USAC Sprint Cars
10 305’s
USAC
It was my first trip to Jackson this season, and the upgrades are spectacular. Last year, the track was widened and the banking was changed. New lighting and a number of other things were done. This year has featured a new grandstand with suites and outdoor bar, a total renovation behind the grandstands, a 12-foot cement wall on the backstretch, a new video board and much more has been added.
Chase Stockon (5th car out to time) set a new non-wing record at Jackson with a lap of 18.222 seconds over the half-mile. Aaron Farney (1st car out) was second quick, followed by Robert Ballou (2nd), CJ Leary (12th), Brady Bacon (21st), Dave Darland (15th), Chad Boespflug (10th), Bret Mellenberndt (13th), Landon Simon (3rd) and Isaac Chapple (20th). Robert Bell who had spud problems in the power steering, and Kyle Simon did not get times in. Max McGhee went to a backup car after issues in hot laps.
Heat one (started): 1. Chris Windom 5 (2) 2. Boespflug 98E (4) 3. Stockon 32 (6) 4. Chapple 52 (3) 5. Leary 17GP (5) 6. Joe Bares 19 (1) 7. Clinton Bruns 7x (7)
Eight lap heats saw the top five able to keep their times for the feature lineup. Windom led the distance, while Stockon moved up into third on the first lap. Leary made a late pass of Bares to grab fifth and assure himself a starting spot in the first three rows.
Heat two (started): 1. Farney 15F (6) 2. Bacon 69 (5) 3. Thomas Meseraull 66 (3) 4. Mellenberndt 97 (4) 5. Alex Schriever 0x (1) 6. Rob Caho Jr. 78 (2) DNS – Robert Bell 71
Caho led early over Mellenberndt and Farney. Farney disposed of Mellenberndt and took the point from Caho on lap three. Bacon worked by Mellenberndt into third, and then took second from Caho on lap four. On lap five, Meseraull moved into the top three. Schriever passed Caho for fifth with two to go, as the lead trio pulled away from the field.
Heat three (started): 1. Ballou 1 (6) 2. L. Simon 24 (4) 3. Darland 11 (5) 4. Max McGhee 17 (3) 5. Brandon Stevenson 0 (2) 6. Brandon Halverson 13MJ (1) DNS – Kyle Simon 24x
Stevenson led a charging Ballou and Halverson through lap one. Ballou took the lead quickly on lap two and pulled away. L. Simon shot into second on lap four, while Darland followed him into third a lap later.
A main (started): 1. Bacon (2) 2. Ballou (4) 3. Stockon (6) 4. Leary (3) 5. Darland (1) 6. Meseraull (11) 7. Farney (5) 8. Windom (13) 9. Boespflug (7) 10. L. Simon (9) 11. Chapple (10) 12. McGhee (12) 13. Bares (17) 14. Stevenson (14) 15. Schriever (15) 16. Halverson (18) 17. Bruns (19) 18. Mellenberndt (8) 19. Caho (16) 20. Bell (20) 21. K. Simon (21)
Darland led Bacon and Ballou early in the non-stop 30-lapper. The surface stayed heavy, but widened, especially in one and two. The lead trio stayed the same most of the first half of the race. K. Simon and Bell retired early, as did Mellenberndt and Caho. When Darland stumbled behind the lapped car of Stevenson on lap 15, Bacon pounced and took the lead. The lead four cars of Bacon, Darland, Ballou and Stockon separated themselves a bit. Ballou worked the low side to take second from Darland on lap 20. He began to track down Bacon as the leaders were in heavy lapped traffic from about lap 22 to 27. Ballou pulled to Bacon’s nerf bar and made a couple of bids below him, but never really got the chance to make a move. Bacon went on to win and extend his point advantage with the series. Meseraull was the hard-charger.
305’s
Heat one (started): 1. Colin Smith o5 (2) 2. Jesse Lindberg 7L (3) 3. Trevor Serbus 10 (1) 4. Mike Stien 4s (4) 5. Jeremy Schultz 33s (5)
Smith led the 8-lap distance. Lindberg shot from fourth to second on lap four in the move of the race.
Heat two (started): 1. Brady Forbrook 5 (4) 2. Nate Eakin 4sm (2) 3. Kaleb Johnson 22 (3) 4. Bruce Anderson 11A (5) 5. Elliot Amdahl 51A (1)
Brady, the son of Guy Forbrook took the checkers in his first sprint car race ever. He looked impressive. Eakin led early, while Forbrook moved into second on the first lap. Forbrook would take the lead on lap three. Shortly after, Amdahl would drive over the turn two berm and flip wildly behind the concrete wall on the backstretch. He was uninjured. Forbrook led the rest of the way, while Johnson took third from Anderson on the restart.
A main (started): 1. Johnson (2) 2. Lindberg (3) 3. Anderson (1) 4. Forbrook (5) 5. Stien (6) 6. Serbus (4) 7. Eakin (8) 8. Schultz (9) 9. Smith (7) DNS – Amdahl
Lindberg shot around the front row to lead early in the 15-lapper over Johnson and Anderson. Not much changed up front as a parade ensued until a lap 12 caution for a stopped Smith. Lindberg led Johnson, Anderson, Forbrook and Serbus back to green. Forbrook moved into third on the restart, but Johnson was working hard to get by Lindberg as well. He pulled ahead coming for the white flag, and held it on the cushion. Anderson recaptured third on the last lap as well. The win was Johnson’s first.