PEEBLES, Ohio – Kyle Larson’s magic number was five on Wednesday night during the Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek stop at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex.
Larson steamrolled to his fifth Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions win of the season during round five of the All Stars’ annual Buckeye State sojourn.
He took the lead from Cale Conley on lap five of the 30-lap feature at the three-tenths-mile, high-banked dirt oval, then led the rest of the way for his fifth sprint car victory in the last nine days.
All told, it was Larson’s 14th career All Star triumph and the 10th of his career during Ohio Sprint Speedweek, making him the fourth driver in Speedweek history to reach the double-digit threshold.
“I felt really good,” said Larson after his $5,000 score. “I found the middle about the last lap of my heat race, and pretty much commtted to that (line). I felt like I could shortcut (turns) three and four a lot running that groove. My car was good enough that I could go wherever I wanted until I caught traffic.
“I couldn’t really see where I was going or where everyone else was going (at that point); it was just a lot of dust, but I tried to stay away from the outside wall,” Larson added. “I felt like I was lapping a lot of guys with a good pace early. I wasn’t sure who was in second, but I figured Rico (Abreu) and (Aaron) Reutzel would be those guys.
“You can’t get too comfortable out front, but my car was good and that made it a lot of fun.”
The feature ran from green to checker without a caution and was completed in just seven minutes.
Abreu made a last-lap pass of Speedweek and series point leader Aaron Reutzel for second, with Reutzel holding on to fill out the podium. Conley, who led the opening four laps, faded to fourth at the finish.
Cory Eliason started from the pole, but never led a lap and crossed fifth, followed by Skylar Gee, Paul McMahan, Chad Kemenah, Zeb Wise and Cole Duncan.
Larson’s performance was so dominant that he lapped more than half the field, with 11th-finishing Hunter Schuerenberg ranking as the final car to complete all 30 laps Wednesday night.
Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek continues Thursday night, with round six taking the mini-series to Muskingum County Speedway in Dresden, Ohio.
The finish:
1. 57-Kyle Larson [6], 2. 24-Rico Abreu [4], 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel [7], 4. 3c-Cale Conley [2], 5. 26-Cory Eliason [1], 6. 99-Skylar Gee [5], 7. 13-Paul McMahan [3], 8. 15k-Chad Kemenah [11], 9. 11-Zeb Wise [13], 10. 22c-Cole Duncan [10], 11. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [16], 12. W20-Greg Wilson [22], 13. 70-Sye Lynch [8], 14. 28-Tim Shaffer [15], 15. 5h-Jordan Harble [9], 16. A79-Brandon Wimmer [12], 17. 35-Stuart Brubaker [17], 18. 07-Gerard McIntyre Jr. [14], 19. 21-Brinton Marvel [24], 20. 17-Josh Baughman [21], 21. 2-Nathan Skaggs [20], 22. 59-Bryan Nuckles [19], 23. 4-Danny Smith [18], 24. 97-Max Stambaugh [23].
Lap Leader(s): Cale Conley 1-4, Kyle Larson 5-30.
Hard Charger: W20-Greg Wilson (+10)
SPEED SPORT’s Ohio Sprint Speedweek coverage is presented by Cometic Gasket Inc., a leading worldwide supplier of gaskets and engine sealing solutions for the automotive performance, powersports, original equipment and remanufactured engine industries. No matter what you ride, Cometic Gasket can seal your machine so you can focus on the finish line.
Since 1989, Cometic has been living, breathing, and eating powersports. As a proud supporters of GNCC, AMA, NASCAR, and other race-teams across the country, Cometic understands what it takes to put everything on the line with one goal in mind. When you earn your living racing at the highest level against the best in the country, engine failures simply aren’t an option. Champions across the world continue to use Cometic Gasket for their engine-sealing solutions. Whether they’re driving a Gen-6 stock car or riding a top fuel motorcycle, Cometic Gaskets are the reliable source in extreme conditions.
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