MEDARYVILLE, Ind. — Jamie Lomax proved again that he’s tough to beat at Shadyhill Speedway, winning the 19th annual Firecracker 50 for UMP modified stock cars at the quarter-mile dirt oval Thursday evening.
The 40-year-old racer, from Lake Village, Ind., captured his ninth feature win of the season, scoring his sixth win at Shadyhill in seven starts.
Lomax, the speedway’s defending modified division champion, wheeled his No. 36 KBC Graphics/Fast Shafts/Jonny on the Spot Delivery Service/Sherley Unlimited-sponsored, Impressive Race Cars/Allen Racing Engines modified to the $3,000 victory.
It was Lomax’s second career Firecracker win. He won the race previously in 2014.
Lomax raced to the checkered flag ahead of Beau DeYoung, Mike McKinney, Devin Wright, Derek Loss and Dylan Caldwell.
A field of 20 started the main event, with DeYoung taking the lead from the pole position. DeYoung, the son of veteran modified driver Kevin DeYoung, led the first eight laps with Lomax, who started third, nipping at his heels.
On the ninth lap, Lomax wheeled around DeYoung for the top spot.
Lomax built a full straightway lead as he showed the way ahead of DeYoung and Wright, who has been the only driver to defeat Lomax so far this year at Shadyhill.
But Lomax’s advantage was wiped out as Frank Marshall, running fifth, spun between turns one and two with 36 laps complete, which brought out the race’s only yellow flag.
After a double-file restart, DeYoung, using the bottom groove, pressured Lomax for the lead only to see Lomax pull away as the pair raced to the finish.
“You always hate to see a yellow (flag) and (then) a double-file restart,” said Lomax. “I knew the car was pretty good. My tires sealed up a little on that yellow but they took back off once we got rolling again in a few laps. I saw him (DeYoung) under me a couple of laps down there in the corner. I kept rolling the middle to get some heat back in the tire.
“The car was good all night. We got a good draw for the heat race. That meant a lot. We were able to win the heat and the invert started us third. The car was spot on in the feature. I had a hard tire on the right rear. Once it got some heat, the car took off.”
A field of 34 modifieds were on hand with Lomax, Bobby Stremme, Beau DeYoung and Wright winning eight-lap heat races. Two last-chance semi features were held, with Brad DeYoung and Steven Brooks taking the wins.
Jerrad Krick of Earl Park, Ind., was the winner of the 20-lap stock car feature race which was part of the track’s Lucky 7 Stock Car Series.
With a field of 17 starting the race, Krick drove his Monte Carlo to the win ahead of David Short, Travis Woolford and Owen Wells, who led the race’s first 16 laps.
Derick Marshall and Ron Wilkes rounded out the top six.
Cameron Shidler, a 17-year-old speedster from Winamac, Ind., took home top honors in the 20-lap I-Mod division headliner.
Shidler won his fourth feature win of the year ahead of Don Stone and Dan Marshall.
The finish:
Firecracker 50 (50 laps): Jamie Lomax, Beau DeYoung, Devin Wright, Mike McKinney, Derek Losh, Dylan Caldwell, Lynn Johns, Tim Sullivan Jr., Bobby Stremme, Bradley Jameson, Steven Brooks, Kevin DeYoung, Tom Bell, Frank Marshall, Nick Allen, Michael Thayer, Kyle Cooper, Jordan Danford, Dillon Nusbaum, Brad DeYoung