FRANKLIN, Pa. – Carl Bowser earned his first victory of the season in the Shawgo Real Estate Sprint Car division Sunday at Tri-City Raceway Park.
When the green flag waved for the feature, polesitter Bowser took the lead. Bowser, who sits 10th on the all-time sprint car win list at Lernerville Speedway, immediately pulled away from the field by five car lengths.
Maintaining the lead for four laps, Bowser and his pursuers would be halted by the red flag for a frightening crash on the front straight. New York’s Brad Knab brushed the outside wall, causing his car to flip and get hit head on by Chase Methenay. Knab’s chassis was split by the impact but neither driver was injured.
When racing resumed, Bowser again grabbed the lead from second-place starter George Hobaugh Jr. Hobaugh, whose father was a winning modified driver at Tri-City, stayed even with Bowser for only one corner.
Bowser’s advantage in the middle stages of the race was a comfortable one, as he averaged over 113 mph at the front of the pack. Bowser masterfully weaved through lapped traffic and kept Hobaugh a distant second to earn his first victory of the season.
Hobaugh, who has spent much of the past two seasons touring the nation, finished second – just as he did the night before at Ohio’s Sharon Speedway. Jack Sodeman Jr., A.J. Flick and R.J. Jacobs completed the top-five.
Other winners Sunday at Tri-City Raceway Park included Jimmy Holden in the modified division, Dillon Speer in the mini stocks and Roman Jones in the mod lites.