LAS VEGAS – To say Chris Clyne is on a hot streak would be an understatement.
The Las Vegas driver raced to his fifth consecutive NASCAR Super Late Models feature win at The Bullring, taking the checkered flag in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway short track’s premier class for the sixth time in seven races.
Clyne got out to the front by lap three, then held off veteran Jim Wulfenstein by .861 of a second in the 50-lap race to earn the 17th Saturday night victory of his career.
“We’re just taking it one race at a time and having some fun,” said Clyne, a Speedway Children’s Charities Board member who also served as the spotter for drivers in three other races. “(Wulfenstein) is an old-school legend, a class act and I’m happy he’s out here having fun. My guys are working their butts off, and we’re enjoying short track racing.”
NASCAR Bombers points leader Kyle Jacks lost his hood on the backstretch during qualifying, but rebounded to win his second race of the season and 17th overall on Saturday nights at the three-eighths-mile paved oval. He withstood several re-starts and edged defending track champion Vinny Raucci Jr. by 3.238 seconds for the big win.
“I kept over-shooting turn one on all of those restarts, and I was surprised I was able to pull away from those guys,” said Jacks, who holds the track record for the Bombers division. “I had a great race and am thankful for everybody in the pits. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Not to be outdone, his older brother, Sam, notched his 20th career Bullring triumph by taking the NASCAR Super Stocks feature. It was five wins in a row and seventh in the last eight races for Sam Jacks, who will celebrate his 19th birthday on April 28.
“The car’s been absolutely phenomenal and has been driving great all season,” Sam Jacks said. “I can’t say enough about it. I’d like to thank my dad, Court Connell, Kyle, my crew and everybody for coming out here tonight.”
Longtime NASCAR Super Stocks driver Jason Kiser picked up his first career win in the NASCAR 602 Modifieds division after surviving a re-start with two laps remaining. Kiser led for most of the race and topped Pat Petrie by .627 of a second for his 21st Saturday night win at The Bullring.
“I don’t know what to say, it’s awesome,” said Kiser, a two-time track champion. “These things are so tight on lap times, and the top 10 are all bunched in within a few tenths, so I didn’t think I was going to do this. It took me a while to get the car together because they are a little expensive, but if you’re patient, put your money together and get it going, this is what you can do.
“I live for this stuff.”
Las Vegas’ Lee Keach earned his first Late Model Truck Series win, fending off a number of hard-charging challengers to make his way to the Winner’s Circle. The 63-year-old Keach crossed the line .853 of a second ahead of Matt Daly of Minot, N.D., in the 35-lap race.
“We were saving our truck most of the race,” said Keach, who won races in the truck series when it was known as the American Speed Association Truck Series in the late 1990s. “I won in this series years ago, but this is actually my first (Late Model Truck Series) race. I’d like to thank my crew and all my sponsors.”
Four-time track champion Jason Irwin took the lead early in the USLCI Legends 25-lap feature and survived a re-start with two laps remaining, punching his ticket to the Winner’s Circle for the 45th time at The Bullring. Irwin has won eight of the last 10 Legends races at the LVMS short track.
“This feels good, and I’m just very fortunate to be able to come here and do this,” Irwin said. “To be the all-time winner at the track (Scott Gafforini has 67 wins) would be a great accomplishment, but we’ve still got a long way to go. We’ll see what happens.”
Jadan Walbridge took the Jr. Late Models 30-lap feature, nipping two-time track champion R.J. Smotherman by .659 of a second to earn his first career Bullring win.
“I just started racing these not too long ago, and this is pretty cool,” said Walbridge, a 14-year-old who began racing at age 4. “I thought I had the first one in the bag (on March 30), but this one played out better. What a great-handling car.”
Ten-year-old Hank Hall won the 12-lap USLCI Bandolero Bandits feature, while Chloe Lynch claimed her third career checkered flag in the 12-lap USLCI Bandolero Outlaws race. In addition, Chris Bosley out-dueled Doug Germano in the Thunder Cars feature on Friday night and continues to lead the points standings in that division.