JACKSON, Minn. — Josh Baughman and Cam Schafer earned their first feature triumph of the season at Jackson Motorplex on Friday evening during the opening night of the DeKalb/Asgrow 360 Nationals.
Both drivers survived a late scare to score a victory during Holiday Inn Fairmont Night and accumulate a stout point total on the first of two preliminary nights leading into Sunday’s event finale.
Baughman led the distance after grabbing the lead by riding the cushion around turn two as polesitter Justin Henderson slid up the track. It turned out to be the race-winning move, but a caution with five laps remaining set up a late showdown with Jackson Motorplex 360 sprints points leader Lee Grosz in second.
Baughman maintained the top lane and the open track was beneficial as he cruised to the DeKalb/Asgrow presents the Midwest Power Series and Midwest Sprint Touring Series 360 sprint cars main event win by 1.757 seconds.
“I’m tired,” he said. “I’ve led a lot of laps here and could never pull it off. This means a lot. The curb got really big at the end. I’m glad we didn’t give that one away.”
Grosz finished second with Henderson third, Trey Starks fourth and Brooke Tatnell fifth.
Schafer also held on during several anxious moments in the closing laps of the National Sprint League non-winged sprint cars presented by HitchDoc main event. The leaders were thick in traffic and Alex Schriever went for a last-lap slide job in turns one and two that barely came up short.
Eric Schulz rounded out the podium with Johnny Parsons III placing fourth and Jake Kouba fifth.