It was a rather hot Saturday afternoon and the racing was just that much hotter as four classes of drivers took to the dirt surface when the sun went down.
In an evening presented by OmniSource, Frank Marshall, of Valparaiso, was able to claim the victory in the Swan Lake Resort UMP Modifieds with Derek Losh in second. The last spot on the podium would be fought over until the last turn of the feature. Jamie Lomax and Dan Hamstra were racing second and third, respectively, when a lapped car came into play. Hamstra avoided the car by racing on the upper groove and Lomax raced in the low groove. As the trio came out of turn four, Hamstra was able to get by the lapped car and Lomax for third.
David Short was the winner in the WTCA Super Streets feature with Roger Duszynski, Jr. and Ron Wilkes in third. The top of the running order was fairly quiet through the race.
The Dickies Restaurant 600 Open Sprints found Dylan Woodling on top of the podium. Barbie Kimmel, who started the race in fifth, was able to get up to the second running position by lap seven while Justin Harper ran in third. On lap 16, the engine on Blake Lamb’s 600 Open Sprint expired. As he was pulling off the racing surface, a fire erupted with flames shooting out of the left front engine compartment which occupied the driver’s compartment and over the top of the car. Lamb was not injured in the incident, thanks to the expert safety staff on board at Plymouth Speedway. When the race resumed, Woodling kept the lead and won the race while Kimmel finished in second and Harper in third.
Tom Grall got the win in the Walmart Thunder Stocks feature in dramatic fashion. Grall started third and got another spot by the fourth lap. Tony Bowman moved up to the third spot after a competitor’s car suffered a mechanical failure and began battling Grall for position. They stayed side-by-side for two laps before Grall fought off Bowman for second. Grall then snuck up on leader John Rhoads and the pair were side-by-side for the lead on the last lap. Grall got the lead out of turn four while looking at the checkered flag. Grall was the winner while Rhoads was in second and Bowman was third.
Plymouth Speedway will have a packed week of racing as the first of a three-day Hump Day Summer Series occurs on Wednesday, June 29with the USAC Midgets and the Dickies Restaurant 600 Open Sprints set to take the track. On Saturday, July 2, it’s a night of racing and fireworks as the Independence Day holiday approaches. The Swan Lake Resort UMP Modifieds, WTCA Super Streets, Walmart Thunder Stocks, Shepherd Firearms Pro Sprints and Dickies Restaurant 600 Open Sprints will take center stage. A 7 p.m. ET start time is set for both events. For ticket information, visit www.plymouthspeedway.net. Visit Walmart or The Complete Printer in Plymouth to obtain a coupon for $2 off the admission price for either night.
By: Anita Goodan
