BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Jack Wagner would hold steady and thrill through thick and thin with the POWRi Wingless Auto Racing Sprint League to capture the Valley Speedway feature event and notch his second career feature win in an elbows-up action-packed twenty-five lap feature event.
Early on-track accomplishments would witness defending event winner Xavier Doney start quickest in hot laps with a 13.668-second lap as Luke Howard, Kory Schudy, and Wesley Smith each earn heat racing wins with Cody Baker pocketing the event’s high-point qualifier award.
Contesting on the initial green flag start would find Baker battle against front-row companion Schudy into the first pair of corners with Schudy taking the early lead as Baker pulled off with mechanical issues on the opening lap with Wagner, Doney, Smith and Chad Tye running inside the top-five while attempting to run down the speedy leader.
Battling intently for several laps, Schudy and Wagner would contend for the top spot for most of the feature event with Wagner gaining the edge in a daring chose-cone restart. With Schudy choosing low, Wagner would start on the high side only to dive low and slide the leading Schudy into the first pair of corners. Taking the top spot and never relinquishing the preferred position, Wagner would hold on through all challenges.
“I can’t thank my family, team, and everyone else that makes this all possible to put this Jesse Hockett Racing No. 77 back into victory lane,” said a very elated Wagner in the Valley Speedway victory lane. “From earlier in the season with all those podiums and the long time since I was able to last pick up a POWRi win, it just makes this so much sweeter.”
Leading sixteen laps of feature competition, Wagner would pick up his first feature victory of the season as Smith would use lap traffic to his advantage to place a close runner-up as early leader of nine laps of the feature would find the always present Schudy finishing third.
Feature Finish (25 Laps)
1. 77-Jack Wagner[3]; 2. 44-Wesley Smith[6]; 3. 28-Kory Schudy[2]; 4. 11W-Wyatt Burks[14]; 5. 74-Xavier Doney[4]; 6. 73-Samuel Wagner[13]; 7. 2H-Luke Howard[5]; 8. 24C-Craig Carroll[15]; 9. 2L-Brian Beebe[11]; 10. 26-Zachary Clark[12]; 11. 41-Brad Wyatt[10]; 12. 24H-Ty Hulsey[9]; 13. 21M-Michael Moore[19]; 14. 88-Chad Tye[8]; 15. 45-Jesse Bebee[21]; 16. (DNF) 11X-Tom Curran[16]; 17. (DNF) 15E-Dakota Earls[20]; 18. (DNF) 74N-Natalie Doney[18]; 19. (DNF) 9-Cody Baker[1]; 20. (DNF) 87-Jason Billups[7]; 21. (DNF) 52-Blake Bowers[17]; 22. (DNS) 82-Vinny Ward.