CANEY, Kan. —– Rain may have cut short Saturday night’s scheduled 25-lap Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series National Tour feature at Caney Valley Speedway.
But it did little to dampen Seth Bergman’s spirits as he claimed his second series win of the year.
The Snohomish, Wash., native was in command aboard the Mid-Mo Equipment/Corridor Electric No. 23 sprint car when a series of mid-race cautions ultimately forced the checkered flag to fly 10 laps short of the scheduled distance as the surface became too treacherous to continue on.
“There was starting to be some greasy spots out there, I think they made the right call ending it when they did,” Bergman explained afterward. “I was just thinking to myself out there that I better not lose this race by hitting one of those greasy spots.”
Bergman approached the green flag from the front row outside, but it was pole starter Matt Covington leading the way into turn one only to have Bergman slip by on the inside exiting turn two to take command.
Bergman maintained command from there, keeping Covington and reigning series champion Blake Hahn at bay as the skies began to open a handful of laps into the affair.
The race’s first caution flew after eight laps when a turn two tangle left Fred Mattox sitting idle in turn two, with the yellow flying again four laps later when Sam Hafertepe Jr. spun to a stop at the top of turn two.
Turn two continued to be a trouble spot when Tim Crawley got upside down soon after, with the final blow occurring when Brandon Anderson came to a stop exiting turn four with damage after contact with Jason Martin.
Continuing rain forced the checkered flag to fly after that final caution.
“I was happy enough to see the checkered flag then,” Berman said after his 16th career ASCS National Tour triumph. “I’ll take ‘em any way I can get ‘em.”
Covington settled for runner-up honors with Hahn filling out the podium in third.
The finish:
Feature (15 laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[2]; 2. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 3. 52-Blake Hahn[3]; 4. 12-Jeffrey Newell[4]; 5. 187-Landon Crawley[6]; 6. 10C-Jeremy Campbell[5]; 7. 87-Sean McClelland[10]; 8. 2C-Wayne Johnson[7]; 9. 27B-Jake Bubak[18]; 10. 36-Jason Martin[20]; 11. 88-Terry Easum[12]; 12. 17F-Chad Frewaldt[21]; 13. 45X-Kyler Johnson[17]; 14. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[9]; 15. 10-Landon Britt[15]; 16. 26M-Fred Mattox[14]; 17. 17B-Ryan Bickett[22]; 18. 90-Lance Norick[16]; 19. 55B-Brandon Anderson[13]; 20. 1X-Tim Crawley[8]; 21. 15D-Andrew Deal[19]; 22. 10P-Dylan Postier[11]