LOCUST GROVE, Ark. — Eighty-four IMCA Modifieds were checked in at Batesville Motor Speedway on Friday for another qualifying night for the third annual Race For Hope 71.
By night’s end, 10 drivers added their names to the list of qualifiers for Saturday night’s 71-lap, $15,000-to-win championship main event.
Jason Hughes proved he was the class of the field during the 30-lap qualifying feature. Hughes charged from the 14th starting position to claim the win over Terry Phillips and driver Jeff Taylor.
“Man, we had a really good car. I just got down on the bottom and tried to hit the smoother lines,” said Hughes. “We’ll probably have to make a few more adjustments for Saturday night. We’ve got to keep the tires under the car for 71 laps. That’ll be a big part of it.”
Jeff Taylor took a commanding lead from the onset from the third starting position. Taylor had a full straightaway lead at the halfway point. Hughes moved into the runner-up spot on lap 13 and set his sights on Taylor for the lead.
Heavy lapped traffic ahead of Taylor allowed Hughes to close in quickly. Wasting little time, Hughes dove to the inside of Taylor to take the point with nine laps remaining. Once out front, Hughes checked out from the rest of the field and scored the win.
Phillips snuck by Taylor in the waning laps to come home second. Tom Berry Jr. came from 11th to finish fourth. Cody Laney rounded out the top five.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 12-Jason Hughes, [14]; 2. 75-Terry Phillips, [8]; 3. 5T-Jeff Taylor, [3]; 4. 11X-Tom Berry Jr, [11]; 5. 5L-Cody Laney, [10]; 6. 01A-Drew Armstrong, [19]; 7. 175-Ethan Dotson, [21]; 8. 62-Hunter Marriott, [16]; 9. 02X-Jack Sullivan, [4]; 10. 96T-R.C. Whitwell, [20]; 11. 9S-Ken Schrader, [5]; 12. 7M-Peyton Taylor, [15]; 13. 73W-Shawn Walsh, [24]; 14. 77T-Tripp Gaylord, [17]; 15. 83Z-Zack Vanderbeek, [12]; 16. 11-Richie Tosh, [9]; 17. 8-Kyle Strickler, [7]; 18. 17W-Ashton Wilkey, [13]; 19. 12J-Jason Ingalls, [25]; 20. 71-Jessie Hoskins, [1]; 21. X2M-Carl Murphy, [29]; 22. 3B-Eddie Belec, [27]; 23. 31M-Travis Mosley, [18]; 24. 68-Heath Grizzle, [22]; 25. 82-Jacob Poel, [28]; 26. 94-Chris Morris, [26]; 27. 8W-Randy Weaver, [30]; 28. (DNF) 2T-Tyler Stevens, [6]; 29. (DNF) 11B-Donnie Barnhart, [23]; 30. (DNF) 70-Jesse Dennis, [2]