MADERA, Calif. — Wyatt Flowers stormed to an exciting first-career 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model Series victory on Saturday night at Madera Speedway, driving around series points leader Lane Christensen to claim the 70-lap feature.
Flowers, age 15, overcame several incidents throughout the challenging contest in the come from behind triumph.
“We had so much going on. We had such a good car in the first 40. We had a right front tire go down. Luckily got a caution and changed that. Then right after that, somebody got into us and it knocked the hood up. I ran like, I don’t know, 20 laps with the hood in my face. We got another caution to fix the hood and take it off,” Flowers said. “Man it’s so good to be talking to you (with the win). I just knew the only chance I probably had was running it on the high side. We did it completely clean so thank you to Lane for racing me so good. Just worked the high side probably the hardest I’ve ever done.”
Points leader Christensen drew the outside pole after leading time trials, with fellow Georgia native Dylan Bongiovanni drawing the top starting position. Bongiovanni led the first three laps before Christensen used the bottom to drive into the lead on lap four.
Bongiovanni drifted back to fifth by lap seven.
Mason Blodgett made a lap 39 pass to take fifth from Bongiovanni as well. The non-stop opening 40-lap segment saw Christensen lead Flowers, Connor Penix of Clovis, round six winner Jarrett Dickson, and Blodgett into the halfway break.
Blodgett and Bongiovanni collided in turn four when racing resumed but Bongiovanni was able to rejoin the race without the race requiring a caution. Dickson used the high line to drive into third. Flowers, Penix, and Dickson jostled for the second position. Dickson and Penix then came together in turn four, sending both cars to a stop in turn four for a caution flag. Flowers escaped to the pits with a flat tire.
Flowers then was involved in a restart incident which sent his hood up into his windshield. He stayed on the race track and soldiered forward. A caution on lap 60 allowed Flowers to pit and remove the hood.
Christensen led a resurgent Bongiovanni on the restart while Blodgett tried to hold serve in third. Blodgett was shuffled back on the high side to fifth. Blodgett and Penix then came together in turn two, causing race ending damage for Blodgett on lap 67. The caution set up a three-lap shootout between Christensen and Flowers.
Flowers drove around the outside of Christensen to grab the victory, with Dickson returning to the front of the pack by driving around Christensen as well. Christensen settled for third followed by Bongiovanni and Texas’ Dylan Reese.
Matt Erickson earned his second win of the season in the Mission Pro Late Model Series.
Kade Godbehere benefited from a wild lap 27 INEX Legends restart to earn his first Madera Speedway victory.
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