GAS CITY, Ind. — After a long winter and a rainout last week, Gas City I-69 Speedway drivers and fans got some relief for their spring fever as the track opened its season Friday night.
Despite a persistent mist in the air, a large crowd of race-hungry fans was on hand for the six-class program at the quarter-mile dirt oval and saw defending track champion Clinton Boyles win a torrid 25-lap, non-stop, non-winged sprint car feature.
Boyles started eighth in the 20-car sprint car feature but was third by lap two, took the lead from Chad Boespflug on lap four, and was lapping cars before the halfway point. Justin Grant passed Boespflug on lap 11 for second place and finished in the runner-up position. Kevin Thomas Jr., Brady Bacon and Tyler Hewitt rounded out the top five in a field of heavy hitters, but Boyles was not to be denied.
He drove the same car that took him to the 2018 track championship — Paul Hazen’s red No. 57 DRC that is sponsored by Physical Medicine Consultants and KECO Coatings and powered by a Kercher-prepared Chevy engine.
The sprint action only paused once all night, when Shane O’Banion flipped between turns one and two in warm-ups. Mini sprint driver Keith Arvin also flipped between turns three and four at the start of that feature. Luckily both escaped injury.
Derek Losh came out on top of a battle with Ryan Sutterto win the 20-lap UMP modified feature. Brad Strunkdominated the 15-lap American Mini Sprint Ass’n 1,000 cc winged mini sprint feature in the first of five events that group is scheduled to present at Gas City in 2019. Joey Spiewakwas triumphant in the 10-lap street stock feature, while Bill Lewisled all 10 laps of the super street main event.
James Headley won the 10-lap hornets feature to round out the busy program that featured 116 race cars and challenging weather but was still over by 11:47 p.m.