HUMBOLDT — Race fans were treated to a thriller Friday.
A 16-lap Home Savings Bank Factory Feature was fought start to finish, and decided in only the last few feet on the way to the Humboldt Speedway checkered flag.
Wayne Johnson, Trey Stipp and Scott Collins, all of Humboldt, fought off a ferocious pack of competitors to bring it down to the wire.
Johnson clung to the lead for 15 laps. Collins had shadowed him many of those laps, and would make a move each time coming off turns 3 and 4, only to be skillfully blocked by Johnson each time at the line. Meanwhile, Stipp was all over Collins in third.
Collins has been runner-up in virtually every event he’s run this year, and it looked like a repeat performance as Johnson launched off turn 4, seeking his first feature win of the year. Out of the turn, Collins went to the high side one last time, this time with the throttle on the floor. You couldn’t have fit a piece of cardboard between Collins’ car and the wall. Then, with fewer than five feet to the flag, Collins nosed his Camaro ahead of Johnson for the win. Stipp finished third, less than half a car length behind Johnson.
A hard-fought fourth place went to Ethan Vance of Chanute, while Thayer’s Zach Trimm rounded out the top five.
In the Ray’s Metal Depot B-Mod feature, Cole Campbell, a visitor from Mexico, Mo., led wire-to-wire for the feature win. Behind him aged a free-for-all that saw Tyler Kidwell of Chanute claw his way from mid-pack to claim second. Kenton Allen, Chanute, finished a close third, holding off fourth-place Jake Richards of Lansing and Pittsburg’s Brian McGowen om fifth.
Jacob Ellison of Chanute tallied yet another Love’s Travel Stops Midwest Mod feature win, despite a tremendous effort by runner-up Jackson McGowen of Humboldt. Altoona driver Brad Jarman recorded third, with Zach Boyd of Silver Lake in fourth, and Bronson’s Ronnie Coulter fifth.
An appearance by ARMI-USRA “A” Mods saw Chase Domer of Nevada, Mo., claim first prize of $1,000, ahead of Tyler Wolff out of Fayetteville, Ark. Third went to Terry Schultz of Sedalia, Mo. Payden Phillips was fourth, and Cody Jolly of Jasper, Mo., was fifth.
Steve Bunton of St. Joeseph, Mo., topped the 18 car field in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Sport Compact class, with Topeka driver Barry Luthi second, Rick Andres of LaHarpe in third, Allen Jesseph of Earlton fourth, and Trenton Wilson of Chanute in fifth.
The Whitworth Construction Street Stock feature was dominated by Clayton Campbell of Otterville, Mo. Next was Dalton Garrison of Collinsvile, Okla. Third went to crowd favorite Dennis Bishop of Chanute, with Ethan Lamons of Savonburg was fourth and Devin Irvin of Cleveland, Mo., took fifth.
Friday will feature ASCS 360 Winged Sprints, along with other local racing
