SOUTH AMHERST, Ohio – Joey Wyckoff picked up right where he left off after winning the Maxima Racing Oils Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series opener at Lorain Raceway Park Saturday night.
Wyckoff survived a late race challenge from Joshua Sexton to seal the win.
Wyckoff, who won the Maxima Racing Oils MSR Midwest Lights Series season finale at Lorain Raceway Park on Oct. 25, found himself on the pole by virtue of a four inversion.
Alongside Wyckoff, J.J. Henes was scheduled to start on the outside of the front row. An accident by Henes exiting turn four during warmups for the 30-lap feature ended the night for Henes. A strong heat race win by the defending the Maxima Racing Oils MSR Midwest Lights Series champion earlier in the night made Henes an early favorite to contend for the win. But it was not to be.
When the green flag dropped Wyckoff assumed the top spot and ran a relatively uneventful first half of the race. Second place Joshua Sexton was slowly reeling in Wyckoff with the aid of lapped traffic. On lap 22 Sexton made his move in heavy lapped traffic and dove under the leader entering turn three cleanly showing Wyckoff his nose.
The pass didn’t stick, and Sexton would never get another opportunity over the final seven laps. Wyckoff held on to the win to claim his second consecutive the Maxima Racing Oils MSR Midwest Lights Series victory.
In victory lane Wyckoff indicated he thought Sexton might be lurking late in the race.
“I saw shadows on the wall of another cars wing so I kinda thought somebody might be close,” explained Wyckoff. “Then when I saw his nose I thought, ‘Oh no.’ I started getting looser and looser. I tried to stay on the bottom and hold him off. We didn’t have the best car all day. I don’t think we had anything for J.J. (Henes) probably, but you never know whoever gets out front. I’m disappointed it happed to him because I wanted to race against him.”
The Maxima Racing Oils MSR Midwest Lights Series will be idle until May 28 when the series will compete in the inaugural American Speed U.S. Nationals at Kalamazoo (Mich.) Speedway.
The finish:
Joey Wyckoff, Joshua Sexton, Dylan Watson, James Rader, John Reiser, Tim Henthorne, Justin Stanely, Lauren DePasquale, J.J. Henes.