ALGER, Wash. – Opening night at Skagit Speedway saw J.J. Hickle claim his first win in 14 years of trying at the 65-year-old track, going wire to wire in the Budweiser 360 Sprint Car division.
Chase Goetz claimed his first sprint car win in the Sportsman Sprints, with Chris Beaulieu taking the modified main event win and Vance Hibbard victorious in the Outlaw Tuners.
Lapped traffic was hairy for Hickle, who has been coming to Skagit Speedway seeking race wins since 2005. A still young veteran at this stage in his career, the Quilcene, Wash., driver and former Grays Harbor Raceway track champion led all 25 laps of the main, dealing with heavy and inconsistent lapped traffic, as slower cars changed lines in front of him frequently.
Eventual second place finisher Greg Hamilton closed to with a car length multiple times in the late stages of the race while the lead pair dealt with the slower cars, but it was Hickle making the right moves to take his first Skagit Speedway win, followed by Hamilton and fast qualifier Colton Heath.
Travis Jacobson and Luke Didiuk won the heat races.
Goetz stepped into the driver’s seat of the Roger Oudman-owned Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprint and responded by going 25 straight laps for his first sprint car win at Skagit Speedway.
Similar to Hickle, Goetz found fast and smooth lanes to navigate slower cars in a dominating performance that saw him finish half a track ahead of John Tharp and Sean Johnson who claimed second and third. Joe Lyon was quick time.
Heat wins went to Michael Bollinger and Jayme Barnes.
Late race shenanigans benefited Beaulieu in winning the Skagit Aggregates Modified A-Main. Beaulieu led laps 3-14 before Lane Zerbin found a fast way around the outside of slower traffic to take the top spot from Beaulieu.
In a recurring theme, lapped cars were heavy for the lead pair all race long and while Zerbin opened up an advantage on Beaulieu, Beaulieu would find his way back to the front after Zerbin and a slower car made contact in turn three of the final lap, causing Zerbin to pop a front tire and slow, giving Beaulieu just enough time to close and take the win. Zerbin limped the car along to second place and Kevin Smith was third.
Heat wins went to Smith and Beaulieu.
Hibbard went wire to wire for the Outlaw Tuner win. Brian Michelson would close and pull even with Hibbard a number of times off turn four, but Hibbard was consistently better in the first and second corners in securing the victory. Michelson would settle for runner up with Howard Vos rounding out the podium.
Michelson and T.J. Campbell were heat race winners.