ELMA, Wash. — Matt Covington added the Fred Brownfield Classic championship night to his list of accomplishments on Saturday night with his first Sawblade.com A-Feature victory of the year with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.
Covington’s ninth career victory with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, the win as a much-needed one for the team who saw Dirt Cup ripped from their hands one week ago.
“We needed this. Man, we needed this win. I thought we had Dirt Cup in the bag and had a Rod Bolt let go. Nothing on our engine builder, I tried to take old parts and make them last too long. Mark at Shark Racing Engines definitely stepped our program up,” said Covington, who is the season’s 10th different winner.
Winning the race for the lead into the first two turns, Covington set a quick pace around the Grays Harbor Raceway with Colton Heath in tow. Caution working lap seven for Jay Cole who rolled to a stop entering the first turn, Heath tried for the lead on the restart but was denied as Reece Goetz and Jason Solwold set their sights on the Triple X Race Co. No. 33. Grabbing the runner-up spot on lap eight, the run for Goetz was short lived as Solwold slid both drivers to move from fourth to second off the fourth turn on lap nine.
Allowing Covington to open a sizable advantage, the Scottie Plumbing No. 18 began searching around the track. Finding a line just off the cushion of the Grays Harbor Raceway, Solwold began picking away at Covington’s lead.
Moving the gap to 0.855 seconds in clean air, traffic loomed for the leaders, but the caution would come out instead as Chris Bullock looped his No. 17c in the second turn; directly in the path of the leaders. Everyone was able to avoid.
Diving low in the Lap 12 restart, Solwold pulled even for the race lead as the pair hit the back straightaway. Diving to the bottom the close the door on Solwold’s run, Covington forced the No. 18 out of the throttle. Letting the car drift off the bottom through the fourth turn, the T&L Foundry No. 95 was again pressured. Rushing the bottom again into the first turn, this time Covington stuck the hub to protect the race lead.
Working back into slower traffic in the closing laps, Covington’s pace was nearly unchanged as he crossed under the checkered flag 3.849 seconds ahead of Jason Solwold.
Running out of laps to contend for the runner-up spot, Scott Bogucki picked up his fourth podium finish of the season in the Sawblade.com No. 28. The night’s Hard Charger from 14th to fourth, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. reclaimed the point’s lead by 44 markers with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network. Austen Wheatley ended up fifth.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington, [1]; 2. 18-Jason Solwold, [8]; 3. 28-Scott Bogucki, [6]; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., [14]; 5. 44W-Austen Wheatley, [5]; 6. 33-Colton Heath, [3]; 7. 9R-Reece Goetz, [4]; 8. 21P-Robbie Price, [16]; 9. 11-Roger Crockett, [15]; 10. 6-Breyton Davison, [10]; 11. 52-Blake Hahn, [23]; 12. 77X-Alex Hill, [9]; 13. 14-Jordon Mallett, [11]; 14. 17-Cam Smith, [17]; 15. 8-Devon Borden, [19]; 16. J2-John Carney II, [21]; 17. 17W-Harli White, [22]; 18. 2X-Tucker Doughty, [18]; 19. 33S-Lance Sargent, [7]; 20. 14B-Bailey Sucich, [20]; 21. 17C-Chris Bullock, [12]; 22. (DNF) 0J-Jay Cole, [13]; 23. (DNF) 23-Seth Bergman, [2]