McGahan Jr., Droivold, and Clayton Jr. Secure Championships
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McGahan Jr., Droivold, and Clayton Jr. Secure Championships
(Marysville, CA 8/26/23)…Saturday night Marysville Raceway hosted Championship night for three divisions. The winged 360 sprint cars, IMCA Sport Mods, and the Crate Sprints. Corning’s Brian McGahan Jr. had already wrapped up the 360-sprint car title, but the other two divisions were still up for grabs. After 20 laps of exciting racing in both the Crate Sprints and Sport Mods, two drivers emerged as new champions of the Raceway. Grass Valley’s Carl Droivold held off Misty Castleberry to capture the Crate Sprint title. Yuba City’s Jason Clayton Jr. rebounded from an early spin during the IMCA Sport Mod main to win the track championship. A solid turnout of 16 winged 360 sprints, 16 Crate Sprints, and 15 IMCA Sport Mods thrilled the fans on the final point race of the season.
Opening lap of the winged 360 sprint car main event saw Nick Larsen tap the wall in turn on and flip on his side. He was uninjured but unable to continue. The race resumed and went on to go 22-laps of nonstop, heart pounding racing. Dawson Hammes was the dominate car and driver. On lap 10 he held a full straightaway lead over Willam Fielding. While Hammes dominated, Fielding had his hands full trying to keep Cody Spencer behind him. There were great battles all throughout the field. On lap 22 disaster struck for Hammes. His car came to a sudden stop. Fielding was the new leader. He would lead the final three laps with ease. Spencer had a solid night and finished second. Heath Hall was super impressive tonight and finished third. Hall has been good this year in limited starts. Bobby Butler charged to a fourth-place finish. Carson Hall was on the gas all night and finished fifth. Brian McGahan Jr.’s race ended on the lap 22 restart. He spun in turn two. His car ended up in the infield as the checkered flag waived. Yet, the crew went out to greet him and they ultimately pulled his car onto the front stretch to celebrate the title.
Mike Hall took the early lead during the 20-lap Crate Sprint feature event. Koa Crane held down the second spot and David Sims started off in third place. Lap five Car Droivold passed Sims for third place. A few laps later Matthew Kaiser moved around Sims for the fourth spot. The leaders were about to encounter slower traffic but a yellow was needed on lap 10. The race resumed with Hall up front and Crane all over him for the lead. That all came to an end on lap 14 when Crane stopped suddenly in turn four. Under the yellow, fourth place Kaiser exited to the pit area. Droivold was now in second and unless something crazy happened, he was going to win the championship. Hall led the final six laps with ease. Hall led all 20-laps to get the win. Droivold came home second and won the track championship by 13-points over Misty Castleberry. Third went to Sims. Tyler George was solid all night and finished fourth. Castleberry had a wonderful season and tonight finished the main event in fifth spot.
Jace Wright led the opening lap during the IMCA Northern Sport Mod feature. Chasing him was Evan Scroggins and Shannon Barton. On lap two, Hunter Merritt came to a stop in turn four. Race resumed with the same three up front, but the next lap the championship battle took a twist. Jason Clayton Jr. spun in turn four. He now needed to regroup and reload. Clayton Jr. restarted 13th. At this time Ford was running in the sixth spot. The race continued until lap eight when for the second time debris was scattered on the racing surface. At this point Ford held a two-point edge in the championship. On lap nine the race leader Wright unexpectedly biked it up the track and stopped in turn two. Tough break for Wright who looked to be the best car all night. The final 10 laps were great. KC Carpenter moved into the second spot. On lap 15 Clayton Jr. showed true championship form, battled his way around other drivers, and eventually moved around Ford to secure the track title. Scroggins continued to lead the final few laps and won the race. Clayton Jr. finished sixth while Ford crossed the line in eighth. It was a great season for both drivers and an exciting way to end the season. Trevor Clymens finished third. Mike Merritt rounded out the top four. Jason Ryan Jr. rounded out the top five.
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