IMPERIAL, Pa. — The Heat Wave 25 Super Late Model race on Saturday night at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway was a record-breaking event as a new track record set in qualifying was only the beginning of a stellar evening.
Alex Ferree set a new track record in qualifying with a 16.826-second lap time.
Michael Norris put on a dominating performance in the 25-lap Super Late Model feature event as he led all 25 laps.
Despite setting a new track record in qualifying with his brand new Rocket XR1, Ferree battled car trouble all night starting in the heat race as the car wouldn’t stay in high gear and he was forced to pull off before the green flag which would have him starting in P11 for the 25-lap a main feature event.
Starting on the pole was John Garvin Jr. and he had Brian Hucko flanked to his outside. Norris would start in third while Colton Flinner started to his outside in fourth.
At the event’s start, Norris was shot out of a cannon and had the lead by the exit of turn two. By lap three, Norris already had a full straightaway lead over the field and would soon enter lapped traffic. Lap 10 had Norris still leading, Jared Miley in second and Ferree in third.
However, Ferree was forced to pull into the pits shortly after due to overheating. Norris continued to lap car after car and with the race going green to checkered in record fashion, Norris would cruise to a 4.316-second win, and he lapped everyone except for second place Miley.
Flinner finished third while Kyle Lukon finished fourth and Tony White rounded out the top five.
“Thanks to you guys for putting this deal on. Like I’ve always told you, I love coming here, that track was actually really demanding, I was getting kind of tired, it was super fast,” Norris said.
He took home the $2,000 prize and more importantly, the track provisional for the upcoming Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Pittsburgher presented by Big River Steel Oct. 4-5.
“I feel like that race owes me one a little bit, we’ve always been fast, and you know, just bad luck,” Norris said. “So, we will see what we can do this year.”
Stephen Shelpman would win the make-up “Wee” Willie White Memorial for the Fuel Required Hobby Stock which was round two of the Stephen W Johnson Triple Crown and Shelpman would also pick up the win in the Pittsburgh Truck Center Penn Ohio Pro Stock Feature.
John Gil picked up win No. 2 on the season for the Crawford Auto Repair Open Four Cylinders and Austin Siemon got his first career win in the All Ways Safe Flagging And Traffic Control Young Guns feature.
Feature Finish
1. 02-Michael Norris[3]; 2. 10-Jared Miley[6]; 3. 48-Colton Flinner[4]; 4. 184-Kyle Lukon[5]; 5. 27T-Tony White[7]; 6. 60-Brian Huchko[2]; 7. 01-Ron Hall[8]; 8. 1C-Alex Ferree[11]; 9. 2M-Chuck Medved[9]; 10. J4-John Garvin Jr[1]; 11. B8-Tom Bateman[10]