DRESDEN, Ohio — Danny Sams III became the first repeat winner during the Ti-22 Performance FAST On Dirt 42nd annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek Thursday in a very thrilling 30-lap feature.
Just like two days prior at Hilltop Speedway where he scored the win, Sams utilized the high line to retake the lead with just two laps to go to score the $5,000 pay day at Muskingum County Speedway.
Sams, from North Port, Fla., bolted out to the lead at the drop of the green with Connor Morrell, Cale Thomas, Travis Philo and Cap Henry in tow.
Thomas slid into second on lap four and started to narrow the gap to Sams before a caution flew on lap nine. With clean air Sams pulled away from Thomas as Henry began to close on the lead duo.
At the halfway point Sams’ lead was nearly two seconds as he prepared to enter heavy lapped traffic. Thomas and sixth starter Henry closed quickly and Thomas slid into the lead on lap 19, but Sams fought back to regain the top spot two laps later with six laps to go the crowd were on their feet for a tremendous three car battle for the lead with Henry getting a two for one move to take the top spot on lap 25 just before the caution flew.
On the restart, Sams immediately jumped to Henry’s outside and applied pressure edging in front once again on lap 28. Sams blasted the cushion the final two laps to score the win over Henry, Thomas, Philo and Zane DeVault.
“I was doing my best Haudenschild impression out there,” Sams said. “That caution came out … lapped cars are just so tough tonight. I was like I’m not giving up yet. I waited all the way down the backstretch to go to the high side, made the right move when it counted. I can’t thank my mom and dad enough, Rocky…we’ve been up all day chancing engines…we’re wore out.
“This will give us a good boost. This win is even bigger than Tuesday because I had to race for this one. I can’t believe we’re even here right now. We didn’t even make the show last night, didn’t even get close. Just the rebound these guys have is just absolutely incredible.”
A second-place run pads Henry’s lead for the coveted Ohio Sprint Speedweek championship.
“I knew where he (Sams) was going on that restart,” Henry said. “He’s been killing the top all week. I hadn’t run up there all day. I knew I had to go up there but the bottom was working. I’ll take this and have a good point night.”
The 42nd Ohio Sprint Speedweek resumes Friday, June 14 at the recently re-opened Millstream Speedway near Findlay, Ohio before wrapping up at Atomic Speedway near Chillicothe, Ohio, Saturday for a big $10,000-to-win finale.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 24D-Danny Sams III[2]; 2. 33W-Cap Henry[6]; 3. 23-Cale Thomas[4]; 4. 5T-Travis Philo[3]; 5. 4-Zane DeVault[8]; 6. 48-Danny Dietrich[5]; 7. 22D-Cole Duncan[9]; 8. 28M-Conner Morrell[1]; 9. 99-Skylar Gee[12]; 10. 73-Scotty Thiel[13]; 11. 29-Zeth Sabo[10]; 12. 5AU-Brock Hallett [7]; 13. 45-Devon Borden[14]; 14. 17-Dylan Norris[16]; 15. W20-Greg Wilson[24]; 16. 5M-Max Stambaugh[21]; 17. 34-Sterling Cling[22]; 18. 19H-Joel Myers Jr[20]; 19. 16-DJ Foos[15]; 20. 9-Trey Jacobs[11]; 21. 59-Bryan Nuckles[23]; 22. (DNF) 11N-Kasey Jedrzejek[17]; 23. (DNF) 4*-Tyler Street[19]; 24. (DNF) 2-Ricky Peterson[18]
