dirtwriter
08-27-2011, 11:50 PM
In one of the best races of the season, Steve Lance Jr., Jason Jaggers and Billy Drake put on a line-swapping, side jobbing 30 lap feature at Peoria Speedway Saturday night. John Gardner was on the pole, but chose to take the front-row challenge and a guaranteed $350 to start, along with $40 for each car passed. Gardner moving to the back allowed Mike Mullvain and Gerry Reeder to occupy the front row as Mullvain jumped to the lead at the start. Jaggers followed Mullvain on the bottom for 2nd.
2 caution periods bunched the field and Jaggers went to the top on a lap 5 re-start. By lap 7 Jaggers was pressuring Mullvain for the lead and finally made it stick on lap 10. Lance, Jr., driving brother Tim's Rayburn after breaking his rear end in the heat race, had charged from 16th to 4th by lap 6. Lance got by Drake and then Mullvain for 2nd place on lap 11. Drake passed Mullvain on the high side on lap 12, Lance pulled a classic slide job on Jaggers on lap 12, only to get slid back down the backstretch as Jaggers kept the lead until a lap 14 cautiuon for Matt McAdams.
On the re-start, Jaggers, Lance, Jr and Drake set sail, racing all over the track. Lance Jr. slid Jaggers again on lap 15, but Jaggers turned left and drove back by down the backtretch. Drake stayed close to the leader, getting even with Lance as all 3 drivers swithced lines nearly every corner. Jaggers and Lance would swap the lead 8 times between laps 20 and 22 until Lance finally made a slide job stick on lap 23. Jaggers, who got pinned in lapped traffic on lap 27, then had to contend with Drake, who pressured Jaggers until he nipped him at the line for 2nd. Lance, Jr. made a bold move in traffic on lap 27 and held on for his 8th straight win at Peoria Speedway and the 2011 Track Championship. Jaggers ended up 3rd, followed by Charley Hess and Mullvain.
"That was one helluva race from where I was sitting", an exhausted Lance, Jr. told the crowd. "The fans had to love that one! It seemed like Jason and I swapped the lead about every corner. The track was perfect, you could run anywhere you wanted and we all did. Thanks to my brother Tim for letting me use his car tonight".
Action resumes Thursday night at Peoria Speedway with the Northern All-Stars Late Model Series season finale at the track, paying $2,000 to-win.
2 caution periods bunched the field and Jaggers went to the top on a lap 5 re-start. By lap 7 Jaggers was pressuring Mullvain for the lead and finally made it stick on lap 10. Lance, Jr., driving brother Tim's Rayburn after breaking his rear end in the heat race, had charged from 16th to 4th by lap 6. Lance got by Drake and then Mullvain for 2nd place on lap 11. Drake passed Mullvain on the high side on lap 12, Lance pulled a classic slide job on Jaggers on lap 12, only to get slid back down the backstretch as Jaggers kept the lead until a lap 14 cautiuon for Matt McAdams.
On the re-start, Jaggers, Lance, Jr and Drake set sail, racing all over the track. Lance Jr. slid Jaggers again on lap 15, but Jaggers turned left and drove back by down the backtretch. Drake stayed close to the leader, getting even with Lance as all 3 drivers swithced lines nearly every corner. Jaggers and Lance would swap the lead 8 times between laps 20 and 22 until Lance finally made a slide job stick on lap 23. Jaggers, who got pinned in lapped traffic on lap 27, then had to contend with Drake, who pressured Jaggers until he nipped him at the line for 2nd. Lance, Jr. made a bold move in traffic on lap 27 and held on for his 8th straight win at Peoria Speedway and the 2011 Track Championship. Jaggers ended up 3rd, followed by Charley Hess and Mullvain.
"That was one helluva race from where I was sitting", an exhausted Lance, Jr. told the crowd. "The fans had to love that one! It seemed like Jason and I swapped the lead about every corner. The track was perfect, you could run anywhere you wanted and we all did. Thanks to my brother Tim for letting me use his car tonight".
Action resumes Thursday night at Peoria Speedway with the Northern All-Stars Late Model Series season finale at the track, paying $2,000 to-win.