WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — Oklahoma’s Harli White became the first woman to ever top the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series National Tour presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network Saturday night at Riverside Int’l Speedway.
Harli is the 152nd different winner with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series National Tour presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network since 1993, and the fifth winner this season. Co-sanctioned with the ASCS Mid-South Region, the win counts as her second with the regional tour.
“This has been a long time coming. I feel like we finally got the Gorilla off our back. I can’t describe how good it feels to finally get this done. We had so many times where luck just didn’t go our way, something would happen to the car, or on the track, and tonight everything went right,” stated a jubilant White. “I can’t thank my parents and Johnny [Herrera] enough for believing in me and always pushing me and everyone on this car. Without them, none of this would be possible.”
Leading the opening two circuits, White nearly went around off the second turn on Lap 3. Able to recover, Harli has the task of running down Derek Hagar. Getting into slower traffic, Harli paced the bottom of the Arkansas quarter-mile.
Reeling in the No. 9jr, the two danced around a slower car off the second turn on Lap 7 with White able to secure the point. Weaving through the back markers, Hagar was able to take several shots at the lead but was unable to get back to the front.
Caution on lap 16 for Scott Bogucki and Danny Sams III, clean racetrack allowed White to steadily pull away. Working the low and middle grooves as she raced back into slower traffic, it was not enough to allow Hagar a run, as Harli found the checkered flag with a 1.766-second advantage.
Battling with Howard Moore over the final five laps, Hagar held on for the runner-up spot with Moore in third. Roger Crockett made up two spots to fourth with Sam Hafertepe, Jr. moving up 12 positions to fifth after having to race through the first BMRS B-Feature.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 17W-Harli White[1]; 2. 9JR-Derek Hagar[2]; 3. 3-Howard Moore[4]; 4. 11-Roger Crockett[6]; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[17]; 6. 26-Marshall Skinner[7]; 7. 2-Brad Bowden[14]; 8. 47-Dale Howard[9]; 9. 52-Blake Hahn[20]; 10. 8Z-Zach Pringle[8]; 11. 24W-Jeffrey West Jr[3]; 12. 4S-Eddie Gallagher[12]; 13. 24D-Danny Sams III[11]; 14. 14-Jordon Mallett[13]; 15. 9-Chase Randall[22]; 16. 91A-Ernie Ainsworth[25]; 17. 77X-Alex Hill[15]; 18. 88-Travis Reber[5]; 19. 28-Scott Bogucki[18]; 20. 24-Garet Williamson[24]; 21. 44-Ronny Howard[16]; 22. 94L-Layne Himebaugh[10]; 23. 61-Cody Howard[21]; 24. 95-Matt Covington[23]; 25. 1X-Tim Crawley[19]