VIVIAN, La. — The Ark-La-Tex Speedway played host to the second round of the 10th Annual USMTS Cajun Clash Friday night with a rookie champ and a rookie title chaser stealing the show at the ‘Land of Three Wide.’
Another gathering of open-wheel modified muscle filled the pit area for the sixth race of the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt.
Cayden Carter earned the Sybesma Graphics Pole Award but it was ‘Big Daddy’ Joe Duvall who seized control on the opening lap. With Carter following in Duvall’s tire tracks around the red clay oval, the yellow flag waved for the first time on lap 12 when the leader’s first lapped car spun just in front of the lead pack.
At the same time, Tyler Wolff retired with drivetrain issues and another quick caution slowed the pace on the restart when Cade Dillard stopped atop turn two with a flat tire.
The caution came out for a third time on lap 16 due to a five-car pileup in turn four, but it was one lap too late for Duvall as Carter wrestled the lead away just in time to lead the field back to the green flag with Duvall, Jake O’Neil, Will Krup and Jade Luzenberg following.
Action was short-lived again when Luzenberg went sideways in the first corner, collecting Dan Ebert in the process and yielding the fourth caution and ending Luzenberg’s impressive effort.
Meanwhile, Carter exploded to a big lead over O’Neil and Duvall on the restart while multiple positions throughout the field put on a show for the fans until the fifth caution came out with 26 laps down and 14 to go.
The restart brought Tom Berry Jr. into the picture as the rim-riding rookie picked off Rodney Sanders and Duvall in the first six laps. With eight to go, he drove around O’Neil for second and set his sights on Carter.
Lapped traffic with two laps to go made for a nail-biting finish that saw Carter forced to move to the outside, thus blocking Berry’s charge. Carter crossed the finish line with Berry at his side in second.
“I heard him out there, and knew I had to do something to just break his speed,” Carter reveled in victory lane. “He’s won a lot of big races the last few years so it’s great to get the win.”
Behind last years Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year and Berry, who is aiming at the same $10,000 title this season, it was O’Neil hanging on for third with Sanders edging Duvall for fifth.
The Finish:
Feature (40 Laps): 1. (1) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa, 2. (14) 11X Tom Berry Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, 3. (4) 0 Jake O’Neil, Tucson, Ariz., 4. (5) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, 5. (2) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., 6. (6) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., 7. (8) K9 Will Krup, Mt. Carmel, Ill., 8. (19) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa, 9. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., 10. (10) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas, 11. (17) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas, 12. (16) 58X Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla., 13. (22) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., 14. (27) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, 15. (13) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., 16. (25) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan., 17. (15) 38T Dylan Thornton, Orcutt, Calif., 18. (9) 45 Chase Holland, Success, Miss., 19. (29) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan., 20. (11) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., 21. (23) 16B Randy Brown, Chowchilla, Calif., 22. (26) 10B Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan., 23. (20) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls, Wis., 24. (28) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa, 25. (21) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn., 26. (24) 01 Jacob Hobscheidt, Plattsmouth, Neb., 27. (18) 6 Donnie Powers, Henderson, Texas, 28. (3) 46 Jade Luzenberg, Saucier, Miss., 29. (12) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.