Grain Valley, Missouri: For (Ventura, California) racer Ricky Lewis everything lined up perfectly for his 13th feature win of the 2023 season in non winged sprint car racing, this time racing with the Wholesale Batteries USAC MWRA Sprint Series at Valley Speedway for the Helm Memorial.
The Californian wheelman was fast all night running at the Helm Memorial, and the early results showed just that. Lewis, who has raced out of Indiana this summer, would run second in his heat after starting seventh to earn high point honors going into the redraw. And then, after starting on the outside of the front row, grabbed the lead early on to win his first ever MWRA feature event over (Topeka, Ks) defending MWRA champ Wyatt Burks in second place, (Battlefield, Mo) racer Kory Schudy, third, Samuel Wbr Wagner (Lone Jack, Mo) fourth, and former three-time Helm Memorial winner Wesley Smith of (Nixa, Mo) taking fifth spot driving for John Helm.
The race for first place on this night however wasn’t easy for Lewis, or any other driver running in the 24 car field for the win at this sixth annual event ran in honor of the “Colonel” John E. Helm. Lewis, had to survive among other issues, a stacked field, a technical track, point leader Burks, and a smoking issue that developed during the race. As well as multiple restarts, and a green, white, checker, finish that led to Lewis winning $2,500, for the Helm Memorial. 1,500 of which was courtesy of Lies Trash Service of Blue Springs, Missouri, who also would give 1,000 dollars total to ten different drivers running in the back half of the field as well.
Intense competition was also present for those completing the top ten at Valley Saturday night. With (Spring Hill, Ks) chauffeur Chad Goff running sixth, a surging Tom Curran, (Kansas City, Mo) coming from twenty-first to seventh, while also grabbing Midwest Wingless Racing Association “Hard Charger” honors after advancing fourteen spots. While (California, Mo’s) Broc Elliott ran eighth, and teammates Chad Winfrey & Chris Parkinson, both from (Gladstone, Mo) would advance, ten, and thirteen spots, respectively, to round out the top 10 of the 24 starters who took the green flag in the 25 lap finale.
Earlier in the evening, Zach Clark would flip out of the track in hot laps, but was okay. Unfortunately his car was not, and his night of racing ended there. While the three heats were taken by, Samuel Wagner winning heat one, Wesley Smith, heat two, and Kory Schudy winning his series leading eighth heat race of 2023 in heat three.
Besides Lies Trash Service adding to the purse, John Helm, son of the late John E. Helm, would give away several contingency cash awards including, one hundred and twelve dollars, and twelve cents, in honor of his fathers racing number “twelve”, to twelfth place finisher Luke Howard. While Garrett Hulsey would win “Reverse Charger”, Burks, sportsman, Lewis, longest tow, and Dakota Earls, shortest tow. Xtreme Color, would give out the hard luck award to Cody Baker, Liberty Cycle would give out a cash award to 20th place finisher Chad Tye, and finally Drake Barker Racing would give out exactly 112 dollars to Chad Goff Motorsports after Goff drew the number twelve during the pill draw.
The Wholesale Batteries USAC MWRA Sprint Series will next be in action on September 22nd at the US 36 Raceway Dirt Track in Osborn, Missouri, for race number sixteen of the 2023 campaign on “The Road To A Championship in 2023”. Photos Courtesy of Ryan Black D.T.O., and Ken Simon.
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