JUNCTION CITY, Ky. – Josh Rice would take the lead on lap thirteen and put on a dominant performance the remainder of the race at Ponderosa Speedway to claim the victory and the $5,000 payday.
The win for 23-year-old Rice would be his first of the season with the Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Series and fifth career victory. Rice’s winning entry is a Rocket Chassis powered by a Jay Dickens Race Engine with sponsorship from Sunesis Holdings, Blox Spiked Ice, Chain Locker USA, ATC Bolts and Fasteners, Base Racing Fuel, Extreme Sportswear Sales, Maxwell Trucking, Valvoline, Integra Shocks, Rice Brothers Racing, and Slicker Graphics.
Eli Beets would take the lead at the start of the 2nd Annual Johnny Mulligan Classic main event, with Michael Chilton, Justin Rattlliff, Rice, and Scott James in pursuit.
Rice would work past Rattliff on lap two for the third position, but the action would be slowed one lap later when fifth place running James would slow on the backstretch and pull to the infield, ending his night.
The attempted restart would not see a lap completed before a three-car tangle involving Wesley Brummett, Shane Irvin, and Kenny Cobble would occur in turn four.
The next restart would see action stay green and Beets would maintain the lead, with Rice getting by Chilton for the second position, with Rattliff and Josh Putnam fourth and fifth.
Beets and Rice would begin to put some distance back to Chilton, while Victor Lee would challenge Putnam for fifth and take the position on lap five.
The front pair of Beets and Rice would lap some slower traffic beginning on lap nine and Rice would begin to pressure Beets for the lead, with the pair trading slide jobs for the race lead on lap twelve before Rice would secure the lead with a turn two slide job pass of Beets for the lead on lap thirteen.
Rice would begin to really flex his muscles and stretch his lead. By the halfway mark of the race, Rice held a four second advantage over Beets. Rice would work slower traffic to perfection throughout the second half of the race and would continue to stretch his around a half-track advantage in the waning stages of the race.
At the drop of the checkered flag, Rice would have a 9.270 second advantage over second-place Beets, while Chilton would finish third. Rattliff and Lee would complete the top five finishers.
The Finish:
Feature: 1. Josh Rice, 2. Eli Beets, 3. Michael Chilton, 4. Justin Rattliff, 5. Victor Lee, 6. Dakotah Knuckles, 7. Garrett Smith, 8. Josh Putnam, 9. Austin Lay, 10. Keegan Cox, 11. Shane Irvin, 12. Brayton Laster, 13. Billy Denby, 14. Brady Lear, 15. Scott James, 16. Wesley Brummett, 17. Kenny Cobble, 18. Michael Klein