Dayne Kingshott is the Scardifields Smash Repairs King of Wings for the second year in a row.
The defending Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series champion claimed the drawn-out and drama-filled 40-lap feature race at Western Australia’s Perth Motorplex on Saturday night ahead Callum Williamson and Kris Coyle.
Kingshott was able to control his car enough to win on the rubber down track that proved brutal on tyres and put some of his rivals out of the contest when their tyres ran out of rubber and deflated.
Of the 23 cars that took the green light, only seven took the checkered flag.Â
The driver of the Krikke Motorsport No. W2 came from sixth, the same starting position that he won the race from last year.
This was after he was quickest in his qualifying session, and raced from fourth to first in his heat race.
Kingshott then dropped back to third, after starting from pole in the A Dash.
He raced up to second with about six laps in the book, but then dropped back as far as fifth before gradually moving back into the lead with about 10 laps remaining.
As a result of a fifth, followed by two wins in a row, Kingshott is the early season points leader, 14 points clear of former series champion Williamson, who threatened to take the win in the feature race.
Williamson set the Victory 1 Performance overall quick time, before starting fourth and winning his heat race, setting up a first-place start in the A Dash, which he unfortunately didn’t start, with electrical issues.
Despite the setback of starting the final from p11, he was up to third at about quarter race distance, before hitting the lead on lap 25.
Williamson dropped back to third for a period before getting into second late and recording his second podium result of the season, bettering his third at the last outing.
Coyle came from 14th in a very solid and workmanlike drive that saw him chase grip on the low lines of the track, with success.
It was a good recovery after he was sixth quickest in his qualifying group and then took a sixth in his heat race.
Coyle gained a couple of spots in the opening laps, but then lost ground and was back to where he started before moving up to 10th with nine laps completed.
By lap 16 his transition forward was obvious, settling into sixth and after running fourth for a while, with three laps remaining he claimed the final podium position.
Brad Maiolo, who started second, staked an early claim on the race, leading until lap 24.
In the next handful of laps he dropped back to fourth before getting back to second until he suffered tyre failure with only a few laps to the checkers.
It was a tough end for the driver of the LJM Racing No. W77 after he was second in his heat race and then won the B Dash, setting up the front row start.
Kaiden Manders qualified on pole after being second in his heat race and winning the A Dash.
After jockeying between the podium positions early on, he was out of the contest just over midrace distance after being tagged by another car which set off a chain reaction, resulting in damage to a couple of cars.
Daniel Harding started third and dropped back as far as seventh at one point, before making up lost ground, getting to second, before heading infield with a flat left rear tire.
New Zealander Michael Pickens, in his second outing in the Sean Carren-owned No. W95, took fourth, backing up his second in the season opener back in November.
Earlier Pickens was second in both his heat race and the B Dash.
Jason Kendrick was fifth after being caught up in a few incidents and going to the rear of the field on two occasions, including once where the team had to replace the front end of the Triple M Kendrick Racing W11.
At the start of the night Kendrick won his heat race and was then fifth in the B Dash, putting him out of 10th for the final.
A.J. Nash was sixth in his second outing in the Nash family-owned No. W51, a result he would not have thought possible after starting the final from p19.
Wayne Russell was the only other finisher, crossing the line in seventh after starting 20th.Â
The series will head south for the first appearance at Bunbury Speedway in two weeks, with the feature being the LJM Sprintcar Grand Prix on Saturday, Nov. 23.