Winners Shine Under the Bright Lights of Marysville

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marysville Raceway

Winners Shine Under the Bright Lights of Marysville Raceway

Marysville, CA – (4-2-22) …Nearly 60 cars entered championship point race No.4 Saturday night at Marysville Raceway.  In the end, four drives picked up their first win of 2022.  Bobby Butler thrilled the crowd with a win during the winged 360 sprint car main event. Jimmy Ford parked the No. 60k in victory lane during the IMCA Sport Mod feature.  Jason Ballentine won a spectacular Crate Sprint main event.  Finally, David Prickett drove the No. 22q to the win in the Western Midget Racing Series.

Drake Standley led the first seven laps of the 25-lap main event during the exciting winged 360 sprint car event.  Bobby Butler maneuvered around Standley on lap eight.  It was a spot that Butler would never relinquish. Behind him the racing was intense. Steel Powell moved into second lap eight and would stay there until Carson Hall passed Powell for the spot.  Behind them, Brad Bumgarner and Michael Wasina traded spots a few times for the chance to be inside the top five. On lap 20, the race up front changed when Powell and Hall were racing for second.  The track began to get a little bumpy in turn four.  Hall’s car got a little out of shape and Powell seized the opportunity to try and make a pass, but a little contact was made, and Powell’s car ended up getting the damaged and could no longer continue. None of that mattered to Butler, who restarted the race in the lead and went on to cross the checkered flag first.  Hall finished a career best second.  Wasina came home in the third spot.  Bumgarner was fourth.  Billy Wallace drove a consistent race and finished fifth. Fast time qualifier Casey Schmitz spun early in the race and did a good job to rebound for a seventh-place finish. Wasina, Stadley and Powell were all winners during their eight-lap heat race earlier in the night.

What a wild IMCA Sport Mod feature event we all witnessed.  Multiple caution flags slowed the event but also made it unpredictable and exciting.  Shaun Merritt jumped out to the early lead until lap five when he stopped in turn one.  Scott Savell went on to lead the next six laps until he too had issues. This moved Jimmy Ford into the top spot. Unlike the few leaders before him, Ford stayed up front and went on to win the 20-lap race.  Chasing him in second, was Damian Merritt, who gave a valiant effort and closed in on Ford many times.  Merritt ended up second. Shaun Merritt passed Hunter Merritt on the final lap to make it all the way back to a third-place finish.  Savell worked his way back to a fifth-place finish. Shaun Merritt and Scott Savell each won their eight-lap heat race.

The Crate Sprint race was wild as always. Jason Ballentine led the first lap.  On lap five, Cameron Haney Jr. passed Ballentine for the lead.  Yet, going into turn four Haney Jr. ran into the back of a slowing Chad Thompson and crashed.  Haney Jr. did not continue.  Ballentine was back in the lead for the restart.  Ballentine stayed up front until another odd situation unfolded. Chase Madden passed Ballentine on lap 13 for the lead.  As Madden made his pass, Britton Bock was in the third spot.  As the three raced into turn three, Bock tried to pass both Ballentine and Madden.  Bock passed Ballentine on the bottom of three but was unable to clear Madden and contact between the two sent Bock upside down.  Madden came to a stop. Ballentine was once again the leader.  The crazy part, even though Ballentine had been passed twice, but two separate drivers, the complete lap never counted, so officially, Ballentine led all 20 laps for the win. Mike Hall battled his way into a second-place finish.  Brett Youngman rounded out the podium.  Madden and Jacob Johnson were winners during their eight-lap heat race.  Both drivers after the race pumped their fists in the air signifying how excited they were to get the win.

David Prickett won the lone heat race in the eight-lap contest, then lined up third for the feature after the inversion. The invert placed Lodi’s Nate “Gator” Wait and Oakley’s Bryant Bell on the front row. Bell put in a strong performance in the No. 10 Bay Muffler Stealth Chassis for Tony Boscacci, darting to a comfortable lead while Prickett ran second over Wait. The lead was short lived as Bell blew the engine on lap 11. Prickett took over the lead but had company from Wait. Wait flipped into turn one on lap 15, however, requiring a red flag. Prickett led the final five circuits to top French Camp’s Sage Bordenave, Moorpark’s Todd Hawse, Las Vegas’ Kyle Hawse, and Robert Sheldon of Reno, Nevada.

Full results at https://speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/1962479

END