JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Paul Nienhiser proved again on Friday night that he continues to be a force to be reckoned with when the No. 9x unloads at Jacksonville Speedway.
The four-time Midwest Open Wheel Ass’n champion started on the outside of the front row and never looked back. Nienhiser jumped to the lead at the drop of the green flag and quickly set pace over the field and was into lapped traffic by the second circuit.
A lap-five yellow for Bryan Brewster erased Nienhiser’s lead and bunched the field back up. Returning to green flag action, Nienhiser stretched his lead back to nearly a full straightaway in just two laps while polesitter Kevin Newton fought off challenges from Joey Moughan and Korey Weyant as the laps began to wind down.
Contact with the turn one wall for Cole Tinsley slowed the field again, which also saw third-running Korey Weyant retire early and head pitside.
Nienhiser pounced ahead on the ensuing restart to a two second lead by lap 16, to again see his lead erased as Joey Moughan spun on the exit of turn four from the second position. Zach Daum inherited the spot at the restart with Landon Crawley in third.
Taking the field back to green with 9 laps remaining, Nienhiser continued his dominance by surging ahead on the restart while action ensued behind him. Zach Daum comfortably held onto second while Landon Crawley fought back a challenge from Joe B. Miller.
Crawley’s No. 12x machine missed the entry in turn three, which allowed Miller to move by and then set his sights on Daum for the runner-up position. As the laps began to wind down, Nienhiser remained untouchable with a commanding lead over the field.
As Nienhiser was set to take the white flag, a caution for Shelby Bosie saw the field slow one final time with two laps remaining.
Back to green flag conditions for one final restart, Nienhauser powered ahead and never looked
back as he crossed under the checkers for his 33rd-overall Morrow Brothers Ford MOWA Sprint
Car Series victory ahead of Daum and Miller.
The finish:
- 9X-Paul Nienhiser (2); 2. 92-Zach Daum (3); 3. 51B-Joe B. Miller (7); 4. 3N-Jake Neuman (12); 5. 12X-Landon Crawley (8); 6. 7A-Will Armitage (15); 7. 9-Tyler Duff (10); 8. 85J-Logan Julien (20); 9. 14-Zane DeVault (17); 10. 16TH-Kevin Newton(1); 11. 5H-Mario Clouser (11); 12. 44-Cory Bruns (5); 13. 31-Joey Moughan (4); 15. 37-Bryce Norris (13); 16. 01-Justin Standridge (18); 17. 3B-Shelby Bosie (22); 18. 99W-Jarrett Weyant (14); 19. 6-Corey Nelson (21); 20. 47-Korey Weyant {6); 21. 51-Cole Tinsley (19); 22. 58-Bryan Brewster {16).
