BELLEVILLE, Kan. – Adam Trimble cashed in to the tune of $7,000 by winning Sunday afternoon’s third annual Belleville 305 Sprint Car Nationals finale atop the half-mile Belleville High Banks clay oval.
Trimble wrestled the lead away from Stu Snyder on the sixth round of the 20-lap main and then survived a green-white-checkered restart after the race’s lone caution, holding off Snyder and Luke Cranston to post the win.
“We lost a brake rotor last night,” the Pueblo, Colo., racer explained in victory lane. “I don’t think I took a breath for the entire 20 laps.”
While Trimble led the feature field to the green flag with Cranston alongside, it was sixth-starter Snyder working the extreme upper portion of the High Banks to race into the lead on the opening round.
As Snyder continued to work the top, Trimble began nibbling at his advantage by working the low side. Trimble pulled alongside after five laps and then took command on the sixth circuit aboard the No. 43 sprint car.
Snyder soon moved to the bottom as well before surrendering second to Cranston on the 13th lap.
Snyder began to surge in the final handful of laps, reclaiming second on the 17th lap and turning up the heat on Trimble until the race’s only caution flew for a Buddy Tubbs flat right rear tire with 19 laps in the books.
Snyder and Cranston kept the pressure on during the green-white-checkered run, but Trimble was up for the task. Snyder and Cranston settled for second and third, respectively, with Jason Martin making a lap-13 move into fourth that stuck for the rest of the race.
Trevor Grossenacher rounded out the top five, with Jeff Stasa, Friday night preliminary winner Zach Blurton, Jordan Knight, 15th-starter Jake Martens and Jed Werner completing the top 10.
With a revised format in place to accommodate daytime track conditions, J.D. Johnson established the overall quick time of 16.998 seconds in group qualifying, with Cranston, Blurton, Grossenbacher and Knight winning the heat races.
Tubbs and Ty Williams topped B-main action.
The day came to an early end for both J.D. Johnson and Cody Ledger when the duo collided in turn two while battling the fourth and final transfer position midway through the first heat race.
Both went for a tumble with Ledger sailing out of the park over the turn two retaining fence.
Forty-six different drivers took part in the third rendition of the Belleville 305 Sprint Car Nationals.
The finish:
1. 43-Adam Trimble (1), 2. 5-Stu Snyder (6), 3. 11b-Luke Cranston (2), 4. 5x-Jason Martin (8), 5. 95T-Trevor Grossenbacher (5), 6. 91-Jeff Stasa (7), 7. 11-Zach Blurton (3), 8. 10-Jordan Knight (4), 9. 27b-Jake Martens (15), 10. 50-Jed Werner (9), 11. 12-Tyler Drueke (13), 12. 7x-Shane Sundquist (11), 13. 72-Ray Seemann (19), 14. 17x-Taylor Velasquez (14), 15. 911-Ty Williams (18), 16. 2b-Brett Becker (24), 17. 05-Brandon Allen (16), 18. 45-Lonnie Cox (10), 19. 82c-Christian Kinnison (12), 20. 45x-Kyler Johnson (20), 21. 95-Buddy Tubbs (17), 22. 53-Jack Dover (21), 23. 12n-Nick Nekolite (22), 24. 0-Steven Richardson (23).
Lap Leaders: Stu Snyder 1-5, Adam Trimble 6-20.