Short Track Nationals Night #2 Results and Stories

I-30 Speedway 11/4/16
 
I-30 Speedway
Little Rock, AR
 
Short Track Nationals Night #2
 
59 cars
 
Slicker conditions greeted competitors on Friday night.  The night was a bit cooler after the warmest night Thursday that I can remember in my years going to the STN.
 
Heat one (started): 1. Jonathan Cornell 28 (2) 2. Dylan Westbrook 47x (4) 3. Marshall Skinner 26 (5) 4. Jake Bubak 9x (8) 5. CJ Hulsey 77c (7) 6. Dale Wester 12w (6) 7. Jamey Mooney 69 (1) 8. Dewayne White 10K (3)
 
10-lap heats saw passing points used.  The top 40 were placed in four Qualifiers with the rest heading to the C.  Cornell led Westbrook and Mooney on lap one.  Hulsey spun with a lap down, bringing a yellow.  Bubak used the restart to move up to third.  Skinner battled back to grab the spot on lap seven.  Wester spun at that point and restarted at the tail.  D. White exited with mechanical issues at that point.  Skinner held onto third at the checkers, as Bubak mounted a late challenge.
 
Heat two (started): 1. Aaron Reutzel 87 (2) 2. Tim Shaffer 49x (4) 3. Jason Sides 7s (7) 4. Cody Gardner 88R (5) 5. Rick Pringle 38 (1) 6. Harli White 17w (6) 7. Joey Schmidt 1s (3) DNS – Matthew Bauldwin 43
 
Bauldwin had issues in hot laps and didn’t make the call.  Schmidt spun before a lap could be completed.  Reutzel led the distance.  R. Pringle was riding second, but at the halfway point, both Shaffer and Sides shot by him into second and third in probably the stoutest of the eight heats.  C. Gardner claimed fourth on the last lap.
 
Heat three (started): 1. Terry McCarl 24 (6) 2. Dakota Gaines D6 (3) 3. Brian Bell 23B (8) 4. Jamie Ball 5J (2) 5. Jordan Thomas 79 (1) 6. Brandon Hinkle 21B (4) 7. Ronny Howard 44 (7) 8. Alex Hill 77x (5)
 
Thomas led Gaines and Ball early.  Contact with Bell flattened Hill’s right rear tire with four laps down.  Thomas led Gaines, Ball, McCarl and B. Hinkle back to green.  Thomas went over the top of turn two on the restart.  With seven laps down, B. Hinkle got over the berm as well.  Gaines inherited the lead over Ball and McCarl.  McCarl quickly moved into second, and after stalking Gaines, passed him for the lead on the last lap.  Bell finished a good run from eighth by passing Ball for third on the last circuit as well.
 
Heat four (started): 1. AG Rains 3 (4) 2. Trey Starks 23 (6) 3. Howard Moore 40 (3) 4. Jason Keith 10c (7) 5. Shawn Dancer 49 (2) 6. Charlie Louden X (1) 7. Tommy Snellgrove 4 (5)
 
Louden led lap one over Dancer and Rains.  Rains picked off Dancer on lap two and Louden for the lead on lap three.  Starks was on the move as well, snagging third from Dancer on lap four, and second from Louden on lap five.  Moore also got by Louden to move into third on lap six.

Brian Bell Heat five (started): 1. Tony Bruce Jr. 86 (2) 2. Chad Kemenah 10H (4) 3. Coleman Gulick 14 (1) 4. Mark Smith M1 (5) 5. Derek Hagar 9JR (7) 6. Andy Shouse 27 (3) 7. Kevin Hinkle 21 (6)
 
Bruce led throughout and pulled away in the closing stages.  Gulick ran a strong race, but was overtaken by Kemenah on the fourth lap.
 
Heat six (started): 1. Claud Estes III 74E (1) 2. Max Stambaugh 5m (2) 3. Spencer Bayston 39 (3) 4. Jeremy Middleton 15J (4) 5. Brad Bowden 59 (5) 6. Brandon Long 2K (7) 7. Brandon Stevenson 29 (6)
 
Estes led from flag to flag.  The race was for second.  Stambaugh, who ran low and Bayston who ran the middle groove exchanged the spot four times before Stambaugh captured it on the white flag lap.
 
Heat seven (started): 1. Sheldon Haudenschild 31B (1) 2. Jordon Mallett 14m (2) 3. Parker Price-Miller 2 (4) 4. Joe B. Miller 51B (7) 5. TJ Michael 8m (6) 6. Dustin Homan 10 (5) 7. Johnny Gardner 31G (3)
 
S. Haudenschild led the distance and pulled away at the finish.  Price-Miller and J.B. Miller had a good race for third.  They traded the spot on laps three and four and again on the final circuit when PPM took control.
 
Heat eight (started): 1. Zach Pringle 8z (7) 2. Robbie Standridge 17* (2) 3. Shane Stewart 88s (6) 4. Kevin Ramey 91 (3) 5. Andy McElhannon 42 (5) 6. Jeff Masson 15* (4) 7. Joseph Miller 30 (1)
 
Standridge led J. Miller and Ramey early on.  Stewart was riding the cushion and took third form ramey on lap three.  His run continued into second and by J. Miller on lap four.  Z. Pringle brought the crowd to its feet after starting scratch and climbing to third by lap five.  A yellow with seven laps in the books tightened things with Standridge leading Stewart, Z. Pringle, Ramey and J. Miller.  J. Miller spun after the restart, with McElhannon also involved.  Z. Pringle made the last three laps count, getting under Stewart for second and Standridge for the win on the last lap.  The moves were good enough to give him high point honors heading into the Qualifiers.
 
Qualifier one (started, *qualified for feature): 1. Stewart (3*) 2. Bruce (4*) 3. Bell (5*) 4. Gulick (8*) 5. Z. Pringle (6*) 6. Stambaugh (1) 7. Moore (7) 8. McElhannon (10) 9. Ramey (9) 10. Gaines (2)
 
10-lap Qualifiers took the top 14 in combined Heat/Qualifier points to the feature.  Stambaugh led Gaines and Stewart at the outset.  Gaines spun in turn one and Gulick got airborne over the turn two berm to avoid him.  Incredibly, he was able to restart at the tail.  Stewart inherited second on the caution and disposed of Stambaugh on lap three for the lead and eventually the win.  Gaines spun a second time with four laps down, ending his night.  Stewart led Stambaugh, Bruce, Bell and Z. Pringle back to green.  Two laps later, Bruce got by Stambaugh for second.  Bell followed into third, as did Gulick, who came back from the tail to finish fourth.
 
Qualifier two (started, *qualified for feature): 1. Skinner (2*) 2. Mallett (1*) 3. McCarl (6*) 4. Westbrook (4) 5. Sides (5) 6. Bayston (7) 7. Estes (3) 8. Michael (9) 9. Long (10) 10. Hulsey (8)
 
Mallett led early over Skinner and McCarl.  Skinner grabbed the lead on the high side, as he and Mallett, who ran low, waged a good battle all race long.
 
Qualifier three (started, *qualified for feature): 1. Shaffer (4*) 2. Standridge (1*) 3. Hagar (8*) 4. Keith (2) 5. Cornell (5) 6. Rains (6) 7. C. Gardner (7) 8. S. Haudenschild (3) 9. Ball (9) 10. Dancer (10)
 
Keith led Standridge and Shaffer in a three-way battle for the lead early.  S. Haudenschild briefly took third on lap two, before Shaffer reclaimed it a circuit later.  Shaffer’s run continued by Standridge and Keith to take the lead on lap four.  S. Haudenschild backed his car over the turn three berm with four laps to go.  Shaffer held the lead for the win on the restart, while Hagar took third from Keith on lap eight.
 
Qualifier four (started, *qualified for feature): 1. Price-Miller (1*) 2. Kemenah (4*) 3. M. Smith (7*) 4. J.B. Miller (2) 5. Bubak (3) 6. Starks (6) 7. Reutzel (5) 8. Middleton (8) 9. Bowden (9) DNS – R. Pringle
 
Price-Miller led J.B. Miller and Kemenah early.  Bowden exited immediately when his top wing collapsed.  Kemenah shot by J. B. Miller for second lan lap five, whilte M. Smith finished a good run from row four, by taking third with two to go.

C main one (started): 1. Thomas (1) 2. Shouse (2) 3. Mooney (6) / 4. Schmidt (7) 5. Bauldwin (8) 6. B. Hinkle (3) 7. Louden (5) 8. Stevenson (4) 9. Hill (9) DNS – H. White
 
12-lap C’s took the top three to the back of the B’s.  The track was tilled on the extreme top and bottom, but not in the middle where it would eventually yield rubber.  Thomas led Shouse on lap one, before contact from Bell sent Stevenson into a broadside of Louden.  Both of those cars were done.  Hill exited as well.  Thomas led Shouse, B. Hinkle, Mooney and Schmidt back to green.  Mooney came to a stop on lap three to bring another caution.  Bauldwin shot by B. Hinkle for third on the restart.  The last yellow of the race came when Mooney took out Bauldwin with his right rear for the last transfer.  Bauldwin was able to salvage fifth, but was unhappy with Mooney.
 
C main two (started): 1. Snellgrove (6) 2. Howard (4) 3. Wester (1) / 4. J. Gardner (7) 5. D. White (9) 6. K. Hinkle (5) 7. J. Miller (8) 8. Masson (3) DQ – Homan (tech, crossed 1st)
 
Masson spun in turn four before a lap could get in.  Homan led Wester and Howard early.  Masson spun a second time, ending his night with three laps to go.  Homan led Wester, Howard and D. White back to green.  Snellgrove was the mover on the restart, hitting the high line to go from sixth to second.  Howard maintained third ahead of Wester.  That all changed when Homan was DQed for not passing postrace tech.  Snellgrove inherited the win and Wester the final transfer.
 
B main one (started): 1. Sides (2) 2. Westbrook (1) 3. Cornell (3) / 4. Reutzel (5) 5. J. B. Miller (3) 6. Moore (7) 7. Michael (9) 8. C. Gardner (8) 9. Ball (11) 10. Shouse (15) 11. Dancer (13) 12. Estes (6) 13. Thomas (14) 14. Gaines (10) 15. Mooney (16) 16. Hulsey (12)
 
12-lap B’s took the top three to the back of the A.  Westbrook led Sides and Cornell early.  Not much changed up front, but Sides did get a run on Westbrook on lap seven and went on to win.
 
B main two (started): 1. Starks (2) 2. Keith (3) 3. Bayston (5) / 4. S. Haudenschild (7) 5. Rains (1) 6. McElhannon (8) 7. Bubak (4) 8. Stambaugh (6) 9. Ramey (10) 10. Bowden (12) 11. Howard (11) 12. Snellgrove (14) 13. Long (9) 14. Wester (13) DNS – Middleton, R. Pringle
 
Starks led early over Rains and Keith.  On the second lap, Keith was able to sneak by Rains for second.  Bayston would battle hard with Rains for several laps before grabbing the last transfer spot with four to go.  Starks ran and hid, while S. Haudenschild made a late play for third that fell short.

Dewayne White C main one (started): 1. Thomas (1) 2. Shouse (2) 3. Mooney (6) / 4. Schmidt (7) 5. Bauldwin (8) 6. B. Hinkle (3) 7. Louden (5) 8. Stevenson (4) 9. Hill (9) DNS – H. White
 
12-lap C’s took the top three to the back of the B’s.  The track was tilled on the extreme top and bottom, but not in the middle where it would eventually yield rubber.  Thomas led Shouse on lap one, before contact from Bell sent Stevenson into a broadside of Louden.  Both of those cars were done.  Hill exited as well.  Thomas led Shouse, B. Hinkle, Mooney and Schmidt back to green.  Mooney came to a stop on lap three to bring another caution.  Bauldwin shot by B. Hinkle for third on the restart.  The last yellow of the race came when Mooney took out Bauldwin with his right rear for the last transfer.  Bauldwin was able to salvage fifth, but was unhappy with Mooney.
 
C main two (started): 1. Snellgrove (6) 2. Howard (4) 3. Wester (1) / 4. J. Gardner (7) 5. D. White (9) 6. K. Hinkle (5) 7. J. Miller (8) 8. Masson (3) DQ – Homan (tech, crossed 1st)
 
Masson spun in turn four before a lap could get in.  Homan led Wester and Howard early.  Masson spun a second time, ending his night with three laps to go.  Homan led Wester, Howard and D. White back to green.  Snellgrove was the mover on the restart, hitting the high line to go from sixth to second.  Howard maintained third ahead of Wester.  That all changed when Homan was DQed for not passing postrace tech.  Snellgrove inherited the win and Wester the final transfer.
 
B main one (started): 1. Sides (2) 2. Westbrook (1) 3. Cornell (3) / 4. Reutzel (5) 5. J. B. Miller (3) 6. Moore (7) 7. Michael (9) 8. C. Gardner (8) 9. Ball (11) 10. Shouse (15) 11. Dancer (13) 12. Estes (6) 13. Thomas (14) 14. Gaines (10) 15. Mooney (16) 16. Hulsey (12)
 
12-lap B’s took the top three to the back of the A.  Westbrook led Sides and Cornell early.  Not much changed up front, but Sides did get a run on Westbrook on lap seven and went on to win.
 
B main two (started): 1. Starks (2) 2. Keith (3) 3. Bayston (5) / 4. S. Haudenschild (7) 5. Rains (1) 6. McElhannon (8) 7. Bubak (4) 8. Stambaugh (6) 9. Ramey (10) 10. Bowden (12) 11. Howard (11) 12. Snellgrove (14) 13. Long (9) 14. Wester (13) DNS – Middleton, R. Pringle
 
Starks led early over Rains and Keith.  On the second lap, Keith was able to sneak by Rains for second.  Bayston would battle hard with Rains for several laps before grabbing the last transfer spot with four to go.  Starks ran and hid, while S. Haudenschild made a late play for third that fell short.

Tim Shaffer A main (started): 1. Shaffer (2) 2. Bell (5) 3. McCarl (1) 4. Bruce (4) 5. Hagar (9) 6. Stewart (3) 7. M. Smith (11) 8. Z. Pringle (6) 9. Kemenah (7) 10. Price-Miller (10) 11. Standridge (13) 12. Sides (15) 13. Starks (16) 14. Skinner (8) 15. Gulick (14) 16. Cornell (19) 17. Keith (18) 18. Westbrook (17) 19. Bayston (20) 20. Mallett (12)
 
Shaffer jumped to the lead early in the 25-lapper with McCarl and Bell, up from fifth, in tow.  Bell would surge by McCarl for second on the second lap and the lead trio would never change.  Bruce settled into fourth, while Hagar was fifth by lap four.  Shaffer entered lapped traffic on lap ten, about when the rubber hit the middle of the track surface.  From there, there wasn’t much movement the rest of the way.  Shaffer, Bell and McCarl joined Sammy Swindell, Tim Crawley and Jason Johnson as drivers locked into Saturday’s $15,000 to win finale.