Grain Valley, Missouri:
Saturday night at Valley Speedway Lone Jack, Missouris Jack Wagner took a hard fought first win of the 2024 season, after back to back seconds in his last two non winged starts including Friday nights MWRA showdown at Lakeside.
On this occasion, Wagner would not be a bridesmaid once again as he fought his way from his 5th starting spot to the lead after passing first his brother Samuel for second, and then early leader Kobe Simpson following a restart idriving the Jesse Hockett/Wagner Boys Racing 77. From there “Gentleman Jack” would build up a sizeable advantage before having to hold off Kory Schudy of Battlefield, (Mo), Wyatt Burks, (Topeka, Ks), Samuel Wagner, (Lone Jack, Mo), and Cody Baker, (Lone Jack, Mo) after a last dash, green, white, checker, restart.
Wagners run to his third all-time victory with the Wholesale Batteries USAC MWRA sprint Sprint Cars was at times calm compared to the wild and wackiness, runs of the competitors behind him in positions 2nd thru 5th that included at times three and four abreast racing on the small confines of the Valley Speedway dirt track. Schudy would come home second after surviving that sequence, as well as dropping back to 10th in the early going after hitting a rut between turns 3 and 4, and scrambling to control his Jon Sawyer Racing 28. Meanwhile, Burks had his hands full as well, making a move down the straightaway at one point to split two cars, before finishing on the podium at Valley in third. With “The Hammer” Samuel Wagner fighting his way to fourth, after a third place Friday at Lakeside, and Baker finally having some good luck for a change to finish a seasons best 5th at the Grain Valley dirt track.
“Survive and Advance “ is a term used typically in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, but could also just as easily describe the second half of the top 10 Saturday night. Wesley Smith, of Nixa, (Mo) would survive and advance after an early caution sent him to the rear of the field before steadily working his way to sixth by the end of the feature. While teammate Luke Howard of Overland Park, (Ks) would take the seventh spot, Brad Wyatt from Kearney, (Mo), would rebound after having handling issues on Friday, to come from the tenth row to 8th, advancing 11 spots to win the Country Kids Day Care Hard Charger award. With Zach Clark of Raymore. (Mo), in ninth, and Independence, Missouris Dakota Earls rounding out the top 10. Before the start of the feature, Valley Speedway track announcer Greg Clemons, who passed over night was honored with the missing man formation.
Heat races once again proved to be very entertaining as Baker would win heat number one. Kory Schudy would drive from 5th to 1st to win the second heat. And Jack Wagner would come from the last row to win heat number three earning high point honors for the evening, before rolling a (3) afterwards to invert the feature starting field three rows for the 22 car field.
The Wholesale Batteries USAC MWRA Sprints are next in action next weekend at Electric City Speedway on both Friday and Saturday night.
Photos By John Lee High Fly’N Photos
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