8/2/2024 Belleville, Kan (www.urssracing.com) photo by Don Holbrook - It was an action packed night Friday at the Belleville High Banks, as 46 race teams made the trip for the opening night of the 7th Annual Belleville 305 Nationals presented by NextEra Energy.
After preliminary action was completed and the top 8 redraw was done, Zach Blurton and Whit Gastineau started the 25 car, 20-Lap Mel Hambelton Ford Feature race. The opening lap came to a halt out of turn three when the #911 of Ty Williams, (Arcadia, Oklahoma), got collected with a group of cars, causing multiple flips. All drivers were ok and checked by local EMS.
While the red flag was out, crew members of Jeremy Huish’s team began to work on the #20 car. Officials quickly directed the team they would be starting at the back during the restart. Huish inevitably did not start the feature after the red flag.
Once the filed came back to side-by-side formation, it didn't take the #10 of Trevor Serbus, (Olivia, Minnesota), very long to charge to the lead. Serbus began to build a comfortable lead as the laps continued to click away. That was until lap traffic started to catch the front of the pack.
Serbus began to navigate his Bode Collision and Glass #10 through the lap cars, as the battle for second started to shape up all in his tire tracks. The #9 of Kyle Jones, (Kennedale, Texas), began to pester the #2 of Whit Gastineau, (Moore, Oklahoma), for the position.
As the lap traffic became harder to pass, Trevor Serbus began to quickly get drawn in by a 3-car dog fight for 2nd. Exchanging of the baton in an Olympics relay was how the battle for the lead started to play out. Lap after lap, fans witnessed possibly one of the best finishes in series history. Gastineua would get a run on lap 17 helping him take the lead from Serbus for the final time out of turn 2.
“I was too tight at the beginning and that was slowing us down a little bit” said Whit after the race. “ We just tried to let the track come to us and at the end I knew we were catching them there and I was just trying to pace myself. Lap traffic played to our advantage tonight and its definitely not the easiest place to pace here but you have to pick and choose when and where you pass here” added Gastineua.
With not only his first win at the Belleville High Banks, it was also Whit’s first win with the United Rebel Sprint Series. Whit Gastineau now adds his name to eighty one other drivers who have all claimed a win with the series since its sanction in 2006.
To see past history and winners at the Belleville High Banks, you can head over to: https://bellevillehighbanks.org/history-past-champions/
How to Live Stream 2024 Belleville 305 Nationals:
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FloRacing Archived Footage
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About the series
The URSS has been driven by fair, fun, and competitive racing since its establishment in 2006. Excitement for family and friends from all across the Midwest. The United Rebel Sprint Car Series continues to expand and is always looking to bring in new opportunities. For more inclusive coverage, follow us on Facebook or MyRacePass.
(HAVING MORE FUN THAN THE LAW WILL ALLOW)
- Dalton Janousek on Aug 03, 2024
- Article Date: 8/3/2024 by Dalton Janousek