SALISBURY, N.C. – Carson Kvapil led all the way to capture his eighth Open division win of the year at Millbridge Speedway Wednesday during the finale to DiaEdge NC Race Week.
Kvapil, who is chasing his fourth straight Millbridge track title in the top class, took the lead on the initial start from first-time polesitter Lucas Sipka and controlled the race from there at the sixth-mile dirt oval.
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The son of NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil managed a healthy lead for most of the race, taking the twin checkers in front of Ethan Mitchell by 2.633 seconds.
It marked Kvapil’s sixth Wednesday-night win at Millbridge in nine starts this season.
“We weren’t planning on running this season (for points) at all, but when the pandemic messed everything up that we had planned, we ended up being able to make all the races here so we figured, ‘hey, why not run them all and try to get the championship again,’” Kvapil noted. “It’s probably going to be my last full-time year (in outlaw karts) so I probably won’t be in victory lane much here in 2021.
“The kart was really, really fast, though. The top was hard to run all night long,” Kvapil added. “If you could run it, you were really fast, but if you couldn’t you were about wrecking. You jumped over a dirt mound on entry and then your wheels were off the ground and had no grip on the landing. It was pretty tough.”
The only major incident during the 20-lapper came on a lap-two restart, when Sipka spun his tires in turn three and ended up on his side after contact from behind in a chain-reaction incident. That wreck also eliminated Nick O’Dell as well.
The restart was set up by a lap-one spin in turn one for the No. 67 of Laci Ferno.
Behind Kvapil and Mitchell, Caden Kvapil crossed the line third ahead of Holly Shelton and Dillon Latour.
In other outlaw kart action, CJ Sweatt similarly led all 20 laps to secure his seventh victory of the season in the Intermediate division with his familiar white No. 88.
Sweatt fended off title rival Colt Currie in a race that went from green to checkered without a yellow.
“That was some fun, clean racing tonight,” Sweatt said. “I knew the start was going to be everything, pretty much, and whichever of myself or Colt could get out in front was going to be in the best spot. Luckily we were able to do that and pick up another win.”
Sweatt’s only nervous moment came inside of five laps to go, when he spent several laps pinned behind the slower car of Brady Fabian before finally making the pass of the No. 57 coming to the white flag.
“I was nervous; I thought Colt was going to be on my bumper when we got stuck there, but we were finally able to make the pass and kept on going from there,” Sweatt noted.
Currie came home second, 1.036 seconds back, followed by Coen McDaniel, Emma Francis and Aidan Turner.
Millbridge Speedway takes a week off before returning to action Saturday, Sept. 19.
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