MEDARYVILLE, Ind. — It had been a 12-year wait for Nick Allen to repeat as a winner of the annual Firecracker 50 at Shadyhill Speedway.
Saturday night saw the 37-year-old Wheatfield, Ind., speedster score the win in the 20th annual Firecracker 50 for DIRTcar UMP modified stock cars at the quarter-mile oval. Winning his first Firecracker trophy in 2008, Allen, an eight-time modified champion at the speedway, took home $4,000 for his recent winning effort. Thirty-nine modifieds were on hand for the competition.
Winning his qualifying heat race, Allen started on the outside of the front row of the 20-car feature field. Allen held off Michigan’s Brian Ruhlman, who came from his ninth starting spot, to score the win.
At the checkered flag, it was Allen over Ruhlman and Frank Marshall with two-time Shadyhill track champion Jamie Lomax finishing fourth. Devin Wright and Beau DeYoung rounded out the top six with Tom Bell, Dylan Caldwell, Tony Anderson and Roger Cavness, who won the race back in 2003, the rest of the top 10.
Veteran Indiana racer Lee Hobbs won the Lucky 7 stock car feature with Ryan Lagestee claiming top honors in the Enduro 100 for four-cylinders.