WHEATLAND, Mo. – Ryan Gustin unloaded for Saturday night’s opener of the MLRA Fall Nationals with a brand new Rocket XR-1 and proceeded to put together a dominant performance, picking up the win in his first MLRA series start of the season.
A strong field of 38 cars rolled through the gates of Lucas Oil Speedway, in the second MLRA co-sanctioned event of the season with the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series. In qualifying, Tyler Bruening set the quick time in his first visit to Wheatland. Bruening used his quick time to pick up a heat win along with Payton Looney, Brian Rickman and Tony Jackson Jr.
For the second time on the season Bruening rolled from the pole alongside Jackson. On the races first circuit, contact between Looney and MLRA Point leader Will Vaught sent Looney spinning in front of the field from his row two starting position. Terry Phillips ended up making contact with the spinning No. 15 of Looney, resulting in Looney landing on his top in the middle of a nine car parking lot in turns three and four.
Looney was able to climb from his car unhurt, and was the only car unable to continue the duration of the 50 lapper.
With the track clear, Bruening jumped out front to a comfortable lead over Jackson until a lap eight yellow was displayed for a slowing Phillips. Back under green, on lap 10, Jackson jumped the cushion in turn one and looped his No. 56 surrendering the second position.
Bruening again restarted from the top spot with Brian Rickman and Gustin in tow with 40 laps remaining. Gustin used the long run and lapped traffic to his advantage, chasing down Bruening by running the treacherous top side of the speedway.
Exiting turn two, Gustin use the top side momentum to steal the lead from Bruening. Both drivers continued to pressure one another over the balance of the race, diving in and out of lapped traffic.
At the end it was Gustin pulling off the surprise win, his seventh all-time under the Lucas Oil MLRA banner. Bruening scored his second runner-up finish of the season in his fourth start while defending MLRA champion Chad Simpson capped off the podium. MLRA Point leader Will Vaught all but locked up the series title finishing fourth, while Rickman completed a strong night in the fifth spot.
Gustin’s win pocketed him $5,000, plus an additional $750 bonus on behalf of the family of Ron Jenkins, the original builder of Lucas Oil Raceway.
“Hats off to these guys, this Rocket was just on a rail. Tri Star Engines, without them none of this would be possible,” Gustin said. “It was especially (tricky) getting down there into one if you were down just a little bit you could get your right front in a brown spot and bottom out and push. If you were above it you would go off the race track, so it was a fine line up there for sure.
“It feels good man-I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined we would come back and win like that. This XR-1 was just on a rail and it don’t get no better.”
The finish:
Ryan Gustin, Tyler Bruening, Chad Simpson, Will Vaught, Brian Rickman, Jason Papich, Mitch McGrath, Timothy Culp, Jake Neal, B.J. Robinson, Logan Martin, Mason Oberkramer, Steve Drake, Morgan Bagley, Colton Horner, Terry Phillips, Gavin Landers, Tony Jackson Jr., Ryan Johnson, Hunter Rasdon, Scott Crigler, David Payne, Joseph Gorby, Payton Looney.