GAS CITY, Ind. – Third-generation racer Tyler Collins has been around race tracks all his life, but he made his first visit to Gas City I-69 Speedway Friday night.
It was profitable, as he earned $1,000 for winning the 20-lap crate late model feature on the quarter-mile clay oval.
Collins blasted by polesitter Jeremy Creech in turn four on the first lap and then led the other 19 to win the crate late model feature over Steve Peeden, who started sixth.Â
The race was halted by a red flag on lap two for a crash involving two cars that carried the No. 44: one driven by Dave Fritz and the other the No. 44M driven by Josh Barrett. Barrett escaped injury but Fritz, 47, reportedly suffered an arm and a head injury. Rescue workers cut off the roof of Fritz’s late model to extricate him, and he was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Further information is not known at this time.Â
Creech ran in second place until Peeden passed him at the halfway point. Collins had more than a one-second lead over Peeden on lap 16, but with the help of a restart with 18 laps down Peeden cut Collins’ advantage to .607 seconds at the checkered despite having contact with a spinning car early in the race. Jeremy Creech finished third while his son, Blake Creech placed fourth. Jace Owens rounded out the top five.Â
In other action, defending track champion Derek Losh also earned $1,000 after dominating the 20-lap modified feature during the Summer Thunder show.
Losh started on the pole and led the entire modified feature to post his third victory of the year at Gas City in the No. 21 Longhorn by Loenbro.
Aaron Orr started second but got crossed up in turn four with one lap down, and the running order changed dramatically when others had nowhere to go. Dillon Nusbaum vaulted from fourth to second in the skirmish, and he kept close to Losh until the halfway point. Clayton Bryant spun in turn four with 10 laps down, and although Nusbaum held second through the restart and on lap 11, Bub Roberts slid under him at the end of the backstretch to assume the runner-up spot on lap 12.Â
Losh was 1.619 seconds ahead of Roberts at the checkered. Nusbaum finished third. Orr held on for fourth and Cole Sink rounded out the top five.Â
The USAC Midwest Thunder SpeeD2 midget portion of the program attracted 26 entries, and defending series champion Jacob Denney, 16, came away as the winner of that 25-lap feature after he regained the lead from Chett Gehrke on the last lap.
Polesitter Ryan Thomas led the first lap of the midget feature before Denney charged under him in turn three to take command. Thomas retired on lap 11 while in second place, and Aaron Leffel jumped from fourth to second on the next lap.
Gehrke, who started ninth, made his first appearance in the top five on lap eight, right before the first yellow flew for Josh Yenser and Cory Guingrich after contact in turn four. Gehrke moved into third on lap 10, and was trailing only Denney and Leffel when the second caution flew with 15 laps down after the seventh- and eighth-place drivers, Zack Gingerich and Abby Hohlbein spun in turn four.
Denney had good restarts all night and the one with 15 laps down was no exception. Gehrke had a good one too, and passed Leffel for second at that point. Gehrke was then able to pass Denney to lead lap 19, but Denney got the lead back by charging under Gehrke on the backstretch on the next lap.Â
Another spin by Hohlbein in turn four on lap 23 set up a two-lap dash to the checkered. Gehrke gave it all he had but Denney had a .123-second margin of victory over Gehrke at the line in Chuck Taylor’s No. 11T Triple X Ecotech.
Lee Hobbs and James Headley Jr. led all 15 laps of the street stock and hornet features, respectively.