DAVENPORT, Iowa — The Lucas Oil MLRA season kicked off on Friday night at the super-fast half-mile Davenport Speedway and for Chase Junghans it was a near perfect night.
Junghans kept his Shop Quick Convenience Stores sponsored Rocket XR1 Chassis out in front all night, sweeping both his heat and the $5,000 to win feature.
Twenty-four cars took the green flag in the 30-lap feature and Junghans quickly jump to the lead over fellow front row starter Will Vaught. With Junghans in control and stretching out the advantage every lap, the battle behind him stayed hot with the likes of Jorday Yaggy, Bobby Pierce, and Hudson O’Neal battling for positions 2-4.
As the race neared the mid-point Junghans found himself locked into a tussle with heavy lapped traffic, yet the Manhattan, Kan., driver was able to maintain a comfortable advantage leading up to the cross flags.
As the leaders approached lap 15, Pierce would momentarily take the runner-up spot away from Yaggy entering turn three, only to see Yaggy storm back by the “Smooth Operator” as they exited turn four.
With 15 laps remaining the races only caution would fly for Jeremy Grady who lost a left front wheel, resulting in heavy contact with the turn three wall and an early end to his night.
As the field prepared to go back under the green it quickly became evident that Pierce was in trouble. He quickly dove to the inside of the front stretch to avoid the field as the green waved, and would be forced pitside with a flat right rear tire. Pierce would restart in 21st and finish seventh.
On the ensuing restart, once again it was all Junghans who regained control of the field. The final five laps found the leaders again mixing it up with lapped traffic, this time with O’Neal making up ground on the race leader.
O’Neal who started forth in his Longhorn/Clements powered entry would come within four car lengths at the end, but Jungans was not to be denied, picking up his first ever Lucas Oil MLRA win. Yaggy would come home third while Chad and Chris Simpson rounded out the top five respectively.
“We have been working hard on it,” Junghans said. “We got our butts kicked a couple weeks ago at Farmer City, so my guys have been working really hard at the shop, I just can’t thank them guys enough.” Looking forward to tomorrow’s weekend finale he concluded, “It definitely feels good to get the first win of the year, hopefully we can start ticking them off. Hopefully we do it again tomorrow!”
Jeff Larson won the modified feature and Jeff Struck Jr. topped the street stock main event. Tyler Soppe bested the Sport Mod contingent.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1.Chase Junghans 2.Hudson O’Neal 3.Jordan Yaggy 4.Chad Simpson 5.Chris Simpson 6.Will Vaught 7.Bobby Pierce 8.Brian Shirley 9.Jesse Stovall 10.Kyle Bronson 11.Dennis Erb 12.Logan Martin 13.Payton Looney 14.Jason Feger 15.Mitch McGrath 16.Jake Neal 17.J.C. Wyman 18.Justin Reed 19.Joseph Gorby 20.Jay Johnson 21. Jonathan Brauns 22. Jeremy Grady 23. Dave Eckrich 24. Skip Frey