FUEL525SERIES
06-17-2014, 08:53 AM
(Charlotte, NC) - Ross Bailes vaulted to the lead at the drop of the green and never looked back to capture a $3,000 victory this past weekend at Harris Speedway. With the win, Bailes extends his FUEL Championship point lead and becomes the first driver to win multiple events in series competition. "We had a great car tonight. We struggled a little bit in qualifying and in the heat race but the car was really fast in the main," said Bailes. The Clover, SC native not only padded his lead in the point standings, but also kept his streak alive of finishing in the top 2 in each of the FUEL Racing Series events in 2014. "We've got a great team! Its a little bit of luck as well, but we've got a fast car and hopefully we can keep this momentum." The night started off with Klotz Synthetic Lubricants Time Trials where Gib Gibbons, appearing in his first FUEL Racing Series event in 2014, recorded the fastest time around the 3/8's mile speedway with a lap of 15.639. In RE Suspension Heat Race #1, pole sitter Gibbons would keep his #07 out front for the win with Bailes finishing in 2nd. In KRC Power Steering Heat Race #2 it was local favorite Ricky Weeks who would delight his hometown crowd with a win and followed by Ryan Atkins. The results of the customary top 4 redraw after the heat races were as follows: Gibbons, Bailes, Weeks, & Atkins. The opening lap of the feature would spell early disaster as the frontrunners jockeyed for position exiting turn 2. Atkins would hit the outside wall on the back stretch, essentially ending his race, along with Lance Reynolds who also retired from the race at that point. The race would run green until lap 9 when Carson Ferguson would find trouble as his car went for a spin. Under that caution, Donald Bradsher would retire from the event after making heavy contact with the wall in turn 1 off a restart. From that point, the race would run caution free until lap 31, when Ferguson would experience more trouble as his car went up in smoke in turn 1. The engine troubles would end the young driver's bid for his first top 5 of the season. For the remaining 9 laps, the best battle would be a two car fight for the lead between Bailes and Weeks. Weeks, who slid by Gibbons earlier in the event on a double file restart, would get to within one car length of Bailes but could never pull alongside to attempt a pass. The hard charging Weeks would have to settle for a season best 2nd place finish. Brett Hamm, Gibbons, and Greg Knight rounded out the top 5. City Chevrolet Performance Parts Main Event Results: Ross Bailes, Ricky Weeks, Brett Hamm, Gib Gibbons, Greg Knight, Kenny Van Derveer, Furman Parton, Carson Ferguson, Jason Pack, Donald Bradsher, Ryan Atkins, Lance Reynolds. Bailes (392) extended his point lead to 24 over Brett Hamm (368) and resides atop the championship standings. Ricky Weeks (358) moves up to 3rd followed by Donald Bradsher (346) and Jason Pack (336). Ryan Atkins (326), Kenny Van Derveer (322), Carson Ferguson (304), Greg Knight (294), and Billy Hicks (266) round out the top 10. Up next for the FUEL Racing Series will be the first double header on the 2014 tour. On Friday June 27th, the tour visits Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, NC for a 40 lap and $3,000 to win main event. The series completes the weekend swing the following night with a visit to Lancaster Speedway in Lancaster, SC. For more information about FUEL Racing Series, visit the website (fuelracingseries.com), find us on Facebook (FUEL Racing Series), and follow us on Twitter (FUEL525SERIES). Partners of the FUEL Racing Series include Chevrolet Performance, City Chevrolet Performance Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire, State Water Heaters, Klotz Synthetics, RE Suspension, KRC, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, B&B Motorsports, Flag To Flag, Kenny Lamb Racing Engines, Heintz Brothers Performance, Performance Tees, D&E Marine, WP Racing Shocks, Renegade Race Fuels, JRi Shocks, Beyea Headers, Eibach Springs, The Joie of Seating, To The Point, Gale Force Suspensions, Roush Yates Performance Products, AR Bodies, Insane Racing Graphics, Velocita, Superior Trailers, Local Race Chat, and Thomas Clarke Performance.