Belleville, IL. (7/16/23) Jack Wagner would hold steady and thrill through thick and thin with the POWRi Wingless Auto Racing Sprint League to capture the Valley Speedway feature event and notch his second career feature win in an elbows-up action-packed twenty-five lap feature event.
Early on-track accomplishments would witness defending event winner Xavier Doney start quickest in hot laps with a 13.668-second lap as Luke Howard, Kory Schudy, and Wesley Smith each earn heat racing wins with Cody Baker pocketing the event’s high-point qualifier award.
Contesting on the initial green flag start would find Cody Baker battle against front-row companion Kory Schudy into the first pair of corners with Schudy taking the early lead as Cody Baker pulled off with mechanical issues on the opening lap with Jack Wagner, Xavier Doney, Wesley Smith, and Chad Tye running inside the top-five while attempting to run down the speedy leader.
Battling intently for several laps, Kory Schudy and Jack Wagner would contend for the top spot for most of the feature event with Wagner gaining the edge in a daring chose-cone restart. With Schudy choosing low, Jack Wagner would start on the high side only to dive low and slide the leading Schudy into the first pair of corners. Taking the top spot and never relinquishing the preferred position, Jack Wagner would hold on through all challenges.
“I can’t thank my family, team, and everyone else that makes this all possible to put this Jesse Hockett Racing #77 back into victory lane,” said a very elated Jack Wagner in the Valley Speedway victory lane. Adding, “From earlier in the season with all those podiums and the long time since I was able to last pick up a POWRi win, it just makes this so much sweeter.”
Leading sixteen laps of feature competition Jack Wagner would pick up his first feature victory of the season as Wesley Smith would use lap traffic to his advantage to place a close runner-up as early leader of nine laps of the feature would find the always present Kory Schudy finishing third.
Maintaining a solid showing all night, Wyatt Burks would hard-charge his way past ten other drivers to finish fourth as Xavier Doney rounded out the top-five finishers in the POWRi Wingless Auto Racing Sprint League feature event at Valley Speedway for the Second Annual Bill Lawson Memorial.
POWRi WAR Sprint League | Central Missouri Speedway | 6/17/23:
Hoosier Racing Tire Hot Lap Quick Time: 74-Xavier Doney(13.663)
Advanced Racing Suspension Heat Race 1 Winner: 2H-Luke Howard
Auto Meter Heat Race 2 Winner: 28-Kory Schudy
Schure Built Suspensions Heat Race 3 Winner: 44-Wesley Smith
MVT Services High Point Qualifier: 9-Cody Baker
Super Clean Hard Charger: 11W-Wyatt Burks(+10)
Toyota Racing Development Feature Winner: 77-Jack Wagner
A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 77-Jack Wagner[3]; 2. 44-Wesley Smith[6]; 3. 28-Kory Schudy[2]; 4. 11W-Wyatt Burks[14]; 5. 74-Xavier Doney[4]; 6. 73-Samuel Wagner[13]; 7. 2H-Luke Howard[5]; 8. 24C-Craig Carroll[15]; 9. 2L-Brian Beebe[11]; 10. 26-Zachary Clark[12]; 11. 41-Brad Wyatt[10]; 12. 24H-Ty Hulsey[9]; 13. 21M-Michael Moore[19]; 14. 88-Chad Tye[8]; 15. 45-Jesse Bebee[21]; 16. (DNF) 11X-Tom Curran[16]; 17. (DNF) 15E-Dakota Earls[20]; 18. (DNF) 74N-Natalie Doney[18]; 19. (DNF) 9-Cody Baker[1]; 20. (DNF) 87-Jason Billups[7]; 21. (DNF) 52-Blake Bowers[17]; 22. (DNS) 82-Vinny Ward.
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 2H-Luke Howard[1]; 2. 74-Xavier Doney[4]; 3. 41-Brad Wyatt[2]; 4. 88-Chad Tye[6]; 5. 11W-Wyatt Burks[5]; 6. 73-Samuel Wagner[8]; 7. 74N-Natalie Doney[7]; 8. 82-Vinny Ward[3].
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 28-Kory Schudy[3]; 2. 9-Cody Baker[6]; 3. 77-Jack Wagner[7]; 4. 26-Zachary Clark[4]; 5. 52-Blake Bowers[2]; 6. 21M-Michael Moore[1]; 7. 45-Jesse Bebee[5].
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 44-Wesley Smith[1]; 2. 87-Jason Billups[2]; 3. 24H-Ty Hulsey[3]; 4. 2L-Brian Beebe[5]; 5. 24C-Craig Carroll[4]; 6. 11X-Tom Curran[7]; 7. 15E-Dakota Earls[6].
Next up for the POWRi Wingless Auto Racing Sprint League will be a return trip to Central Missouri Speedway on Saturday, July 29th.
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Photo Credit: John Lee (High Flyin Photos)