GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — Jack Wagner led the final 15 laps in the opening night of the Wholesale Batteries Challenge Series debut at Valley Speedway with the POWRi WAR/MWRA to notch his third career feature victory kicking off the premier season of racing events.
Kick-starting the initial green flag start with high-point qualifier Chase Howard and Cody Baker lined up in the front row as Wyatt Burks gained the lead on the opening lap from starting third with Chase Howard blasting into the runner-up spot.
Leading for the first 10 laps, Burks was in fine form out front as the field jockeyed for position behind with Chase Howard, Jack Wagner, Cody Baker, Samuel Wagner, Kyle Shipley, and Wesley Smith all tried their best in the runner-up spot.
Overtaking on lap 10, Wagner rode the daring high line smoothly to grip the preferred position with outstanding action happening behind the battling pair.
Holding steady out front, Wagner emerged victorious with the POWRi WAR/MWRA at Valley Speedway to notch his first yearly league victory.
Staying in the hunt Wyatt Burks would finish runner-up as a clean running Brad Wyatt completed the final podium placements.
“I really didn’t know where to go for the first half of the race with the tight competition, I searched high and search low but eventually came up with just drive it,” said Wagner. “Feels great to get full fields and have to such a high level of talent here.”
Challenging closely behind would find Kyle Shipley finish fourth as Luke Howard hard-charged his way to round out the top-five finishers.
The finish:
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 77-Jack Wagner[4]; 2. 11W-Wyatt Burks[3]; 3. 41-Brad Wyatt[11]; 4. 0G-Kyle Shipley[5]; 5. 2H-Luke Howard[15]; 6. 73-Samuel Wagner[6]; 7. 44JB-Jakeb Boxell[14]; 8. 33-Bryson Smith[7]; 9. B52-Blake Bowers[17]; 10. 9X-Chad Goff[9]; 11. 26-Zachary Clark[12]; 12. 15E-Dakota Earls[18]; 13. 93-Ralph Parkinson Jr[16]; 14. 27-Justin Johnson[10]; 15. 25-Mike McCleary[21]; 16. 10P-Dayton Pursley[20]; 17. 03-Tyler Burton[19]; 18. 9-Cody Baker[2]; 19. 2-Wesley Smith[8]; 20. 11X-Tom Curran[13]; 21. 13-Chase Howard[1].
