WHEATLAND, Mo. — After dominating most of their events, Johnny Fennewald and Tony Jackson Jr. both fought off late-race challenges to bring home $10,000-to-win features on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Fennewald held on to beat Richie Tosh to earn the 9th annual Hickamo Super Stocks Big Buck 50 Presented by Whitetail Trophy Hunt. Meanwhile, Jackson edged Chris Simpson for the Late Model Fall Nationals victory, leading 49 of 50 laps.
The eighth-starting Fennewald, of Appleton City, took over the lead on lap 12 and held it the rest of the way in a race plagued by eight cautions. Fennewald was up to the challenge on each restart, en route to his biggest career victory despite some nerves from a possible mechanical issues midway through the 50-lapper.
“We had a really good race car, but about lap 25 my fuel light started coming on,” Fennewald said in victory lane. “On corner entry, every single lap. It was killing me. Honestly, those cautions kept coming out and I thought they were saving me, but that last restart it just died right there on corner entry into (turn) one.
“I seen Richie’s nose there and I was like ‘come on, baby,’ and I just backed out of the throttle and let it breath a little bit. It died again going into turn three and I just kind of let it coast in and got back on it. The good Lord was looking out for us tonight.”
Terry Schultz started on the pole and immediately grabbed the lead over Taylor Carver in the early going, with eFennewald rolling all the way into second by lap six. A lead that was once more than than a second was cut by Fennewald to .256 seconds by lap 11 and Fennewald took the lead the next time around with an outside pass out of turn four.
Fennewald opened a one-second lead by lap 15 with J.T. Carroll third. As the leaders began dealing with lapped traffic, Fennewald continued to build on his lead and was two seconds clear of Schultz on lap 20.
The top groove continued to be Fennewald’s friend until a lap-24 caution, as fifth-running Neil Kemp lost a wheel entering turn one, wiped out his 2.6-second lead over Schultz.
Fennewald needed only two laps to restore a 2.5-second lead, but the event’s fourth caution appeared on lap 26 as Carroll slowed and had to exit the track. Just before the caution, 2017 Big Buck 50 winner Tony Anglin, who started 12th, took over third.
The restart saw Anglin pass Schultz on the outside for second. Before Anglin could make a run at Fennewald, a lap-29 caution again slowed the field. Anglin slipped on this restart, falling back to fifth with Schultz driving back into second with 20 laps remaining.
Fennewald took advantage of the shuffling to quickly open a 1.5-second lead before caution No. 6 flew on lap 34. Fennewald had another clean restart and was 1.1 seconds in front when another caution appeared on lap 40. Tosh got around Schultz on the restart, but green-flag action only lasted two circuits until the eighth caution of the race came out as two cars got together in turn two.
Tosh stuck to the low groove with Fennewald up high after the restart. Fennewald was able to stave off the challenge and beat Tosh by 1.14 seconds at the checkers.
“Man, we’ve been preparing for this race for quite a while,” Fennewald said. “I don’t even know what to say, but it’s pretty awesome.”
Fennewald also won a spot in the Whitetail Trophy Hunt next month in mid-Missouri, with the winner of that taking home $15,000. Fennewald said he isn’t sure if he or his son will take the entry.
“This is pretty unbelievable,” Fennewald said. “These guys put on this $10,000-to-win Big Buck 50 and it’s so awesome they brought it back. This is like a dream come true. I really wish (three-time defending champion Peyton Taylor) had been here to defend it. It would have been a hell of a race if he’d have been there. I watched him come from the back to win it last year.”
Derek Brown finished third with Schultz fourth and Aaron Poe coming home fifth.
Tony Jackson Jr., of Lebanon was holding a comfortable lead as the laps clicked away in the 50-lap Late Model Fall Nationals. But a late-race caution – just like in the Super Stocks race – presented some drama and Jackson was up to the challenge.
Jackson held off Chris Simpson for a half-second victory in the late model event. He led all but the opening lap.
“I’ve got like a love-hate relationship with this place,” Jackson said, noting an 11th-place finish on Friday night. “I either run really good or really bad. We worked it over today.”
Jackson grabbed the lead on lap two after Mason Oberkramer paced the opening circuit. Jackson forged a 1.8-second lead when the first caution flew on lap nine when Tyler Wolff, running third at the time, spun and grazed the wall in turn four.
Simpson took second away from Oberkramer on the restart as Jackson quickly opened a 1.5-second lead. The leader’s margin reached 1.8 seconds on lap 17 before Simpson began to cut into the gap as a sustained green-flag run continued.
As the leaders began to navigate lapped traffic, Jackson extended his cushion to 2.4 seconds by the midpoint on lap 25 and pushed it to more than three seconds by lap 28. He kept cruising from there as the race stayed caution-free.
Jackson’s lead was a comfortable 3.5 seconds with just 10 to go with Simpson well ahead of Oberkramer. That’s how they stayed until lap 47, when caution came out as Brandon Conkwright spun in turn three right in front of the leaders.
Jackson, with a 2.4-second lead, avoided Conkwright. But that gave new life to his pursuers for a three-lap sprint when action resumed.
“Chris is one of the best racers you’ll race with,” Jackson said. “Any time you restart with him behind you, there’s a chance he’s going to slide by you. We just stuck with the lane we’d been running that got us to the lead and hoped for the best.”
Simpson made a run at Jackson on the inside as the green waved, but Jackson was able to hold him off and win by .557 seconds. Simpson settled for second for the second straight night with Oberkramer third, Dillon McCowan fourth and Gordy Gundaker taking fifth.
“We were good,” Simpson said. “Just the way the lapped traffic laid out, it seemed like Tony would get by ’em and they would all come up to the top and block me, but it’s a part of it. It sucks running second, but I can’t complain. A lot of guys wish they could be standing here.
“This is our last race of the year. We’ll take a second and move on.”
