Side-by-side racing and fireworks on Saturday sparked a busy month of July at Plymouth Speedway.
Tom Grall, of Plymouth, began the Walmart Thunder Stock feature from the pole and watched all of the action unfold in his rearview mirror throughout the race. Bryan Banta, of South Bend, and Austin Hunter, of Kokomo, were trading position for second until Hunter spun and Joshua Small’s race car suffered a blown engine on lap 14. The race was red-flagged until safety crews could determine that a small fire under the hood was contained. The top of the running order changed as Sheldon Oberle, of Battleground, moved up to Hunter’s spot. Tony Bowman challenged Oberle for the final spot on the podium in the closing laps, but couldn’t complete a pass. Grall won his second consecutive feature in the division while Banta finished second and Oberle third.
Kevin Atkins has the car to beat in the Shepherd Firearms Pro Sprint Division at Plymouth Speedway. Atkins, of Warsaw, started the feature in sixth place and ran his car on the outer racing groove to pick off competitors. He challenged race leader Garrett Saunders, of Lakeville, for the lead by the fifth lap and took charge from there. Zane DeVault, of Plymouth, started one position ahead of Atkins and made it up to third by lap seven. Saunders attempted to get a run on Atkins after a mid-race caution, but Atkins took a commanding lead. Atkins won the feature by three seconds over Saunders while DeVault took the last step on the podium.
It was a three-wide battle for the lead to begin the the Swan Lake Resort UMP Modifieds feature. Derek Losh, of Rensselaer, drove his car in between Todd Sherman, of Churubusco, and Jamie Lomax, of Lake Village, for the top position but Lomax didn’t back down. He secured the lead by the end of the lap with Sherman and Losh side-by-side to settle the top three. Losh was able to secure second with Sherman feeling pressure from Zeke McKenzie, of Claypool, by lap six. Lomax and Losh were able to get away from the rest of the field as they caught up to lapped traffic by the halfway point of the race. On lap 11, Frank Marshall and Todd Sherman, who were battling for the third position, tangled in turns one and two to slow down the race which changed the podium picture. When racing resumed, Losh was able to catch up to Lomax in the corners to race evenly in the remaining laps, but Lomax powered through the exit of the corners to keep the lead. As the leaders were battling for position, McKenzie was trying to hold on to third, but Mike Learman, of Woodstock, got by McKenzie by taking the low lane on the track. Lomax won the race with Losh in second and Learman in third.
David Short, of Winamac, kept ahead of the action in the WTCA Super Streets race. Short was by Duszynski, Jr., of Black Oak, for second by lap four and passed Kody Conner for the lead by lap five. Conner was able to keep ahead of Duszynski, Jr. for several laps until a caution bunched up the field and Conner fell to third. Duszynski, Jr. and Conner fought side-by-side for second for four laps. Conner was able to sneak by Duszynski, Jr. on lap 18, but a caution created the first of two green-white-checkered attempts. The final lap found Conner and Duszynski, Jr. side-by-side on the backstretch. As the leaders rounded the corner, Short crossed the start/finish line in first, Duszynski, Jr. in second and Conner in third.
There was a new driver atop Dickies Restaurant 600 Open Sprints podium. Trey Johnson, of Warsaw, took the early lead with Bud McCune, of Pierceton, hot on the trail. Johnson got out of sorts in turn one and lost the lead to McCune on lap seven. Dylan Woodling, of Warsaw, started seventh in the feature and charged up to second by the mid-point of the race. Woodling took after McCune for the lead. McCune closed the door on the race track as Woodling attempted several inside passes for several laps late in the race. McCune was able to block Woodling and picked up the feature win with Woodling in second. Johnson fell several positions after losing the lead, but he battled back for a third place finish.
Another Saturday night event is set for Saturday, July 9 when the Swan Lake UMP Modifieds, Shepherd Firearms Pro Sprints, Dickies Restaurant 600 Open Sprints, Walmart Thunder Stocks and WTCA Super Streets take to the track. Hot laps are at 6 p.m. with racing at 7 p.m. ET. The first 50 kids through the front gate will receive a Hoosier Tire piggy bank. On Sunday, July 10, the owners of Michiana Balloon Rides, LLC will offer tethered balloon rides from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Hell Tour tickets for the July 12 race are now available on our website. For pricing information on all events, visitwww.plymouthspeedway.net.
### By: Anita Goodan
About Plymouth Speedway:
Plymouth Speedway features a three-eighths (0.375) mile banked dirt oval owned by Ed Kennedy. Five different classes of racing are featured: Swan Lake Resort UMP Modifieds, Dickies Restaurant Non-Wing 600 Sprints, Shepherd Firearms Winged Pro Sprints, Walmart Thunder Stocks, and WTCA Super Streets. Regular season races are scheduled in the months of April through August on Saturday nights with several special events. For information, visit www.plymouthspeedway.net, follow Plymouth Speedway’s official Facebook page, @PlymouthSpeed on Twitter, @plyspeedway on Snapchat, or email info@plymouthspeedway.net.
