Wheatland, MO. (09/17/2020) Kicking off one of the largest open-wheel spectacles of the season for the POWRi Lucas Oil Wingless Auto Racing Sprint League, night one of three for the 10th Annual Jesse Hockett Daniel McMillin Memorial would see 64 competitors file into Lucas Oil Speedway with hopes of glory and side-by-side racing on the mind. After a multitude of early racing action accomplishments that would help to set the feature lineup, outstanding on-track action would witness Mario Clouser reign supreme by leading wire-to-wire and winning the night while setting themselves up nicely for the remaining weekend of racing.
With a near record-setting number of entrants seven heat races were required with Garrett Aitken, Noah Gass, Mario Clouser, Steve Thomas, Trey Gropp, Wyatt Burks, and Anthony Nicholson all claiming the early victories. As the top forty in passing points from the heat races would move into four qualifiers; Kory Schudy, Garrett Aitken, Anthony Nicholson, and Brian Beebe would each win their qualifiers. The top sixteen in passing points would lock-in to the feature event with the remaining field falling into three semi-feature events. B-Feature action would we won by RJ Johnson, Landon Simon, and Riley Kreisel with the top-two finishers from each advancing on into the twenty-five-lap main event for Night One of the 10th Annual Jesse Hockett Daniel McMillin Memorial.
The ”Diamond if the Dirt Tracks” would be in fine form as twenty-three POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League competitors would pace the circuit for twenty-five revolutions with Garrett Aitken and Mario Clouser pacing the field on the initial green-flag launch. Battling into the first corners, #6 Mario Clouser would edge out #32 Garrett Aitken to the preferred running line. Emerging the leader off the exit of turn two on the opening lap, Clouser would take the point and never relinquish the top spot en route to earning the feature victory.
Phenomenal on-track action would follow the leader Clouser, as #37 Brian Beebe and #24lcr Chris Morgan would fly through the field and into the podium placements. Beebe and Morgan would both advance ten positions throughout the racing with Beebe edging out Morgan in the closing laps to place second leaving Morgan to third.
In the hunt upfront all feature #31 Joe B. Miller would find speed throughout the night placing in a solid fourth as #11w Wyatt Burks rounded out the top five finishers for the feature event on Night One of the JHDMM.
Hinchman Racewear Top Hot-Lap Time: #6 Mario Clouser – 14.711 second lap time.
Schure Built Suspensions Heat Race 1 Winner: #32 Garrett Aitken
Auto Meter Heat Race 2 Winner: #20G Noah Gass
KSE Racing Products Heat Race 3 Winner: #6 Mario Clouser
Advanced Racing Suspensions Heat Race 4 Winner: #27 Steve Thomas
Schoenfeld Headers Heat Race 5 Winner: #54 Trey Gropp
AFCO Heat Race 6 Winner: #11w Wyatt Burks
Diversified Machine Inc. Heat Race 7 Winner: #16 Anthony Nicholson
Bell Racing Helmets Qualifier Winners: #28 Kory Schudy, #32 Garrett Aitken, #16 Anthony Nicholson, #37 Brian Beebe
Mesilla Valley Transportation Semi-Feature Winners: #77M RJ Johnson, #24 Landon Simon, #91 Riley Kreisel
TRD High Point Qualifier: #32 Garrett Aitken
Racing Electronics Hard Charger: #37 Brian Beebe +10 (12th to 2nd)
Lucas Oil Feature Winner: #6 Mario Clouser
Feature Results from Lucas Oil Speedway with the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League: (25 Laps) 1. 1. 6 - Mario Clouser 2. 37 - Brian Beebe 3. 24lrc - Chris Morgan 4. 31 - Joe B Miller 5. 11w - Wyatt Burks 6. 33m - Matthew Westfall 7. 16 - Anthony Nicholson 8. 32 - Garrett Aitken 9. 91 - Riley Kreisel 10. 311 - Quinton Benson 11. 24x - Casey Shuman 12. 74 - Xavier Doney 13. 5d - Zach Daum 14. 77k - Katlynn Leer 15. 8d - Terry Babb 16. 77m - RJ Johnson 17. 24 - Landon Simon 18. 28 - Kory Schudy 19. 77 - Jack Wagner 20. 73 - Sam Wagner 21. 20g - Noah Gass 22. 89 - Todd McVay 23. 9w - Justin Zimmerman – DQ
Next up for the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League will be day two of the three-day event at Lucas Oil Speedway for the annual running of the Jesse Hockett/ Daniel McMillin Memorial on Friday, September 18th.
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Photo Credit: Nicole Hockett