MONROE — A crazy start became a strong finish for super stock driver Kelly Mann Saturday at Evergreen Speedway.
In a race where one third of the starting field didn’t make it to the end, Mann avoided all trouble in winning the feature main of the top division of the Whelen All-American Series.
“It was a real good race,” Mann said from victory stage. “It got a little crazy there at the start.”
It did indeed.
The race was halted before the first lap was completed when Jason Fraser, Jeff Holden and Michael Prudnick tangled and slid off the track in turn 3, bringing out an immediate red flag.
After everything was cleaned up from that incident, the race was started over, but without Fraser and Holden, whose cars were too damaged to continue.
Prudnick lasted just three laps before he and Steve Ptacek were taken out by Tom Berrow, who spun out in turn 1 to bring out the first of four yellow flags in the 40-lap race.
Of the 19 cars that were rolled out for the race, just 12 remained at the end.
Mann passed Jeff Knight for the lead on lap 25, and built a good lead over Knight and Mike Holden over the next nine laps — the longest green-flag run of the race.
Berrow spun Darrin Hall in turn 1 on lap 34, bringing out the final yellow and ending the night for Fred Hall, who was caught up in the incident. Berrow was black flagged.
Mann held off Mike Holden and Knight, who finished second and third respectively, for the final three laps after the restart.
John Zaretzke finished fourth and James Mugge rounded out the top five.
Mike Holden started on the pole and — between cautions — he and Knight dueled for the lead in the early going. Knight eventually got around Holden on lap 13 and held off the field until Mann got past him.
“The last few laps were boring compared to the heat race,” Mann noted after the race.
Mann and Fraser had raced side-by-side for much of the first of two 10-lap super stock heat races, which Fraser won.
The other super stock heat race was won by Naima Lang, who recorded his first-ever super stock victory in the season-opener on April 12. In Saturday’s main, Lang finished 11th, a couple laps down, after pitting to repair damage after Berrow’s first spin-out on lap 3.
Dietz wins super figure eight main: Ricky Dietz ended the Cowboy’s string of victories at five on Saturday.
Dietz and defending champion John “The Cowboy” Carlson started at the back of the 30-lap super figure eight main on Saturday, but they made it to the front of the pack by lap 15.
Dietz took the lead on lap 20 when Carlson left the race with a broken radiator.
“Cowboy got a good jump on me,” Dietz said after the race. “I thought I’d follow him and Lady Luck was on my side tonight.”
Carlson, who finished 10th, had won the previous five super figure eight mains dating back to last season.
Dietz held a comfortable lead the rest of the way, although Troy Seminar, who finished second, had a strong run through the field after the final caution restart on lap 25.
Nick Gunderson was third.
Defending champion wins stinger eight main: Division defending champion Mike Middleton came from deep in the pack and avoided trouble in the intersection to win the stinger eight main on Saturday.
Ben Chandler and Josh Young, the winner of the season opening race on April 12, finished second and third respectively.
Hornets run road course: The hornet division ran heat races on the one-fifth mile track but took to the Evergreen Speedway road course for its main.
Patrick Heald, Chris Williamson and Chuck Brewster finished in the top three positions.
Evergreen Speedway
Saturday at Monroe
Unofficial results
(car number in parenthesis)
Speedway Chevrolet Super Stocks main
1. (9) Kelly Mann; 2. (11) Mike Holden; 3. (70) Jeff Knight; 4. (51) John Zaretzke; 5. (34) James Mugge; 6. (28) Chris Preston; 7. (27) Jill Lang; 8. (16) Daniel Moore; 9. (38) Darrin Hall; 10. (99) Scott LaCross; 11. (00) Naima Lang; 12. (2) Tom Berrow; 13. (48) Tom Hughs; 14. (36) Brian Cottrell; 15. (26) Michael Prudnick; 16. (6) Fred Hall; 17. (06) Steve Ptacek; 18. (12) Jeff Holden; 19. (31) Jason Fraser.
Pawn X-Change super figure eight main
1. (76) Ricky Dietz; 2 (51) Troy Seminar; 3. (33) Nick Gunderson; 4. (3) Bill Wade; 5. (04) Jerry Funden; 6. (01) Doug Delfel; 7. (45) Jake Repin; 8. (47) Greg Estes; 9. (6) Michael Barnes; 10. (50) John Carlson; 11. (0) Jessica Wilkinson; 12. (4) Nick Dunham; 13. (13) Ryan Gunderson; 14 (02) Dale Larson.
Stinger eight A main
1. (75) Mike Middleton; 2. (99) Ben Chandler; 3. (22) Josh Young; 4. (94) Josh Laitila; 5. (85) Mike Buse; 6. (88) James Waters; 7. (68) DJ O’Dell; 8. (01) Schukar; 9. (17) Michael Durbin; 10. (87) Ryan Barber; 11. (3) Bill Wade; 12. (37) Schukar; 13. (40) Seth Funden; 14. (24) Billy Williams; 15. (65) Aaron Flett; 16. (9) Mike Daher.
Stinger eights B main
1. (94) Josh Laitila; 2. (28) Brian Wheeler; 3. (68) DJ Odell; 4. (6) Steve Schoenfield; 5. (04) Jessica Gray; 6. (06) Jocelyn Lafleur; 7. (67) Jason Holton; 8. (71) Mitch Slagle.
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