6.14.14 URSS Sprints Results
With 25 laps in a feature race, there’s time to be patient. But when opportunity arises, a driver has to strike.
That’s exactly what Steven Richardson did Saturday night in the United Rebel Sprint Series 305 sprint car main event at RPM Speedway in Hays.
Richardson started outside on the second row, just behind Brian Herbert. Herbert paced the field for several laps, only to slip up one time in turns three and four. That allowed Richardson to get by him to win his first URSS feature this year.
“When it’s rubbered down like that in three and four, you just kind of take your time and wait for someone to slip up and then take your chance,” Richardson said. “That’s when you have to get them. “I saw him get in a little high, and he got up in the slick. I thought, ‘All right. Here we go. Let the race begin.’ ”
Herbert jumped to the lead at the drop of the green flag, with Jeff Radcliffe hot on his tail.
Richardson settled into the third spot and moved into second on lap six. By then, Herbert had built a several-car-length advantage.
“You have to take your opportunities when you have them,” Richardson said. “You have to be patient, which is hard at times. You just want to get to the front. It’s a long race — 25 laps. It’s a lot of time for people to make mistakes, and yourself to make mistakes. You have to bide your time, and when those opportunities come, seize them.” Richardson closed the gap on Herbert on laps 13 and 14. On lap 15, Herbert entered turn three a bit too high, losing momentum. Richardson stuck the nose of his sprint car down low and edged to the front. “Once the race track rubbers up, you’re pretty much going to get into just one line,” Herbert said. “I drove her in a little hot going into three, and I knew I was a sitting duck pretty much then. It was a good job by Richardson. He did a heck of a job. We just over-drove it a little bit. Maybe I’m getting a little too old for these guys.”
The caution would wave on lap 16, giving Herbert a chance to get back on Richardson’s bumper. But the leader pulled away on the restart and led the rest of the way for the win.
“Once we got out front, I was feeling real good,” Richardson said. “The restarts bring everyone up to you, gives everybody a chance to make a move on the initial lap. But we held our ground and got out there in front of Brian and brought it home.” Herbert settled for second. “I just over-drove it one time,” Herbert said. “It was fun to race like that and not tear anything up.”
Zac Taylor, who won a night earlier in Nebraska, worked his way through the field to finish third.
“It was really tough, really rubbered down,” Taylor said. “You couldn’t really pass. It was one lane, unless you moved up top. It was a really fun race, though.”
J.D. Johnson started 13th and finished fourth, passing defending URSS national champion Jake Bubak with five laps remaining. Bubak was fifth.
“We ain’t finished no worse than sixth, no better than third,” Richardson said. “We were dying for this thing. To finally pick it up is weight off my shoulders. Now it’s just aim for the rest of the season, go for a championship and keep picking up wins.”
J.D. Johnson earned the Keizer Wheels hard charger award moving from 13th to 4th.
Feature results
1 Steven Richardson
2 Brian Herbert
3 Zac Taylor
4 JD Johnson
5 Jake Bubak
6 Ty Williams
7 Koby Walters
8 Josh Fairbank
9 Jordan Randles
10 Keefe Hemel
11 Ray Seemann
12 Jeremy Huisch
13 Justin Schwein
14 Jed Werner
15 Austin McLean
16 Shawn Radcliffe DNF
17 Rick Salem DNF
18 Zach Blurton DNF
19 Jeff Radcliffe DNF
20 Luke Cranston DNF
21 Kade Hagans DNS
Heat Race winners Jeff Radcliffe, Walters, Fairbank
If it wasn’t a full moon, it should have been. It should have been Friday the thirteenth as well. All but four sprint cars wish they could have a “do-over” from Saturdays racing program at El Paso County Speedway. Everyone but Mark Walinder, Scott Cochran, Mike Taylor, and Kevin Schramek were on the trailer before the end of the shortened feature.
The weather played hell for the speedway that night. The wind picked up, drying the track in one and two and keeping the bottom sloppy muddy in three and four during the heat races. The temperature dropped to the low fifties making the night a challenge to say the least.
Before the heat races Rookie of the year challenger Nic Sutton’s night ended with a broken rear end. “We are scratching tonight to not completely ruin the rear end “said Nic.
During the first heat race Chris Crowder got too high in turn one and hit the concrete wall, destroying his rear axle. “I just got too high up the track” he stated. The second heat race Clint Schubert’s night ended with fuel issues and the Hooters 27a of Mike Hathaway climbed the turn one wall launching him out of the facility. Mike was ok but the car was finished for the evening.
Brian Hardman won the first heat and Cousin Coby Pearce won the second heat.
The feature rolled onto the track with outside pole sitter Mark Walinder surrounded by the “young guns” of the Colorado URSS division. “I knew if I could beat Dustin (pole sitter Dustin McNeill) into turn one I had a good chance to get this win” said Walinder. And that’s exactly what he did on the first start which was erased when cousins Hardman and Pearce got together ending both their nights early. Mark took the lead again but on lap four, Rookies Joey Schmidt and Dustin McNeill’s night ended on the tow truck hook. Once again, Mark led a field of drivers half his age to the green flag and held off a charging Scott Cochran to take the checkers. “I feel bad for all the guys that got tore up. I sure wish they would move those walls back about fifty feet. Guys would have a place to go when things happen in front of them.” Walinder stated in victory lane.
Scotty Cochran finished second stating “I had a shot toward the end to get under Mark, but after the last time we were here and we ran into each other running first and second, I thought to myself second is not that bad behind a driver like Mark”
Third place Mike Taylor said “I tried running where those two (Walinder and Cochran) were faster than me and no way did I feel good up there – and I wasn’t going to spin out and loose third place”
Fourth place was Kevin Schramek, whose landscape business will be adding money to the purse the next to two races. Rounding out the top five was Luke Lucero, who ran short of fuel on the last lap. “That was frustrating” said Lucero
The Keizer Wheels hard charger award went to Kevin Schramek who advanced from his 9th starting spot to 4th.
Finishing order 1) Mark Walinder 2) Scott Cochran 3) Mike Taylor 4) Kevin Schramek 5) Luke Lucero (DNF) 6) Dustin McNeill (DNF) 7) Joey Schmidt (DNF) 8) Coby Pearce (DNF) 9) Brian Hardman (DNF)
Clint Schubert, Mike Hathaway, Chris Crowder, and Nic Sutton all DNS