PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Brent Marks flexed some muscle on Saturday night at Portsmouth Raceway Park, not only earning his second Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory of the season, but scoring $20,554 for winning the Dean Knittel Memorial that capped Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires.
Marks, who earned his first All Star triumph of the season in Williams Grove Speedway’s Tommy Hinnershitz Classic, led the final 10 circuits around Portsmouth’s high banked oval, taking command over fellow Central Pennsylvania native Danny Dietrich with a dive through turns one and two on lap 21.
The ace of the Murray Marks Motorsports No. 19 was third just two laps prior, following Dietrich by race-long leader, Tyler Courtney, on lap 20, then taking command the very next circuit. Marks started the 30-lapper from the outside-pole position.
Dietrich hung on to finish second, followed by Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney and Sam Hafertepe Jr.
“Really, I was just trying to go where they weren’t,” Marks said. “I was waiting for the bottom groove to come in, and when Danny (Dietrich) and Tyler (Courtney) started to race each other, it gave me the opportunity to slip by both of them. To get a Speedweek win is pretty special, and to win one like this is just incredible. I can’t say enough about this team. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to compete in Ohio Sprint Speedweek in the future.”
Peck’s podium finish helped him officially clinch the Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires championship, earning a $5,000 payday to go along with his pair of Speedweek victories.
Peck found the top five on seven occasions in nine Speedweek starts, holding down a final championship margin of 26 points over Courtney.
“This is what I’ve worked my whole life for, to come out here and win races, and be in a position to win championships like this,” Peck said. “I’ve always idolized guys that came out here and won Speedweek championships, and it’s great that Tom Buch gave us the opportunity to come out here and accomplish that goal. I’m a little speechless right now because I never thought I’d ever be in this position.”
The finish:
Feature(30 Laps): 1. 19M-Brent Marks [2]; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich [3]; 3. 13-Justin Peck [4]; 4. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [1]; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [10]; 6. 11-Parker Price Miller [5]; 7. 17B-Bill Balog [7]; 8. 19-Chris Windom [6]; 9. 91T-Cale Thomas [15]; 10. 10-Zeb Wise [9]; 11. 42-Sye Lynch [8]; 12. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [14]; 13. 4-Cap Henry [25]; 14. 19AZ-Mitchel Moles [16]; 15. 55X-Alex Bowman [11]; 16. 39-Christopher Bell [23]; 17. 97-Greg Wilson [22]; 18. 26-Cory Eliason [12]; 19. 1-Nate Dussel [21]; 20. 99-Skylar Gee [17]; 21. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [19]; 22. 101-Lachlan McHugh [20]; 23. 54-Danny Smith [26]; 24. 49X-Ian Madsen [24]; 25. 22-Cole Duncan [13]; 26. 70-Sammy Swindell [18]