ALGER, Wash. – A drivers duel through slower traffic thrilled the crowd at Skagit Speedway on Saturday night.
As the dust settled, it was Greg Hamilton taking the win in the 360 division, with Justin Youngquist becoming the first repeat winner of the year in the Sportsman Sprints and B.J. Wild running away with the Modified main.
While Hamilton led every lap of the $2,100 to win Budweiser 360 Sprint main event, he did not have it easy. Upon entering traffic around the halfway point of the main, Trey Starks was on him, putting pressure on Hamilton at every turn.
Hamilton rose to the occasion time and again, decisively dealing with lapped traffic, making Starks work to keep pace. Coming to the white flag, Hamilton and Starks tried splitting a slower car, with Hamilton choosing high and clearing while Starks and the slower car came together, sending Starks spinning and setting up a green-white-checkered finish.
Hamilton turned away a Jason Solwold slide job attempt on the restart and drove on to the win, with Solwold running second and Brock Lemley taking third. Tanner Holmes earned hard charger, while Chase Goetz set fast time. Starks and Lemley won heats.
Youngquist became the first repeat winner of the year at Skagit Speedway, taking the feature win in the Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints.
Youngquist led the first 10 laps of the main in the Dynes Racing entry but lost the top spot to Kelsey Carpenter on lap 11. Carpenter was stretching his lead before contact with a slower car sent him tumbling, giving Justin the top spot once again.
With the lead in hand, Youngquist was dominant over the back half of the main, never letting his competition close and grabbing win number two on the year over Malachi Gemmer and Corey Summers. Gemmer earned hard charger honors, while Carpenter was quick time.
Cory Swatzina and Joe Lyon won the Sportsman Sprint heat races.
In the Skagit Aggregates Modifieds, Wild showed himself as the class of the field, leading every lap except the first one in taking his first Skagit Speedway win.
Wild drove around the outside of Craig Moore to take the lead on lap two and survived six restarts to take the win.
A mix of four drivers battled hard for second, with Tyson Blood coming out on top ahead Blair Shoemaker, Craig Moore and Rick Smith in that order. Heat wins went to Wild and Blood.
The finish:
360 Sprints (25 laps): Greg Hamilton, Jason Solwold, Brock Lemley, Colton Heath, Cam Smith, Tanner Holmes, Trey Starks, Eric Fisher, Lance Sargent, Ashleigh Johnson, Bailey Sucich, Steven James, Lane Taylor, Robbie Price, Jesse Schlotfeldt, Chase Goetz