(Photo by Justin Brester)
Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 12, 2016) – Dale Blaney wrapped up the 2nd annual Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown last weekend with a pair of top-five finishes at Cocopah Speedway.
That led the Mainstream Holdings, Inc., backed CH Motorsports team to a runner-up finish in the event standings – only eight points behind the champion.
“To go out there and be in the midst with (Shane) Stewart, (Daryn) Pittman, (Danny) Lasoski and (Greg) Hodnett, it showed we can run with anyone in this country,” he said.
The second week of action during the marquee five-race event began last Wednesday with Blaney advancing from fourth to third place in a heat race before he finished where he started – fourth – in a qualifier. That made him run a B Main for the first and only time during the event.
Blaney won the consolation race to capture a transfer into the 17th starting position for the main event on a very fast track. He then advanced to a 12th-place result.
“Kyle Larson put us down a lap early so that hurt our chances of picking up more positions,” he said. “I think if he wasn’t leading and setting such a strong pace we would have stayed on the lead lap and could have got into the top 10.”
Round 4 of the Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown was last Friday and once again Blaney was on the move from the drop of the initial green flag. He charged from ninth to fourth place in a heat race and from fifth to third place in a qualifier. That ranked him fifth in overall points out of the 44 competitors, which locked him into the fifth starting position for the 30-lap feature.
“I ran around fifth most of the race and got by two guys on the frontstretch with about 10 laps to go to get up to third,” he said. “I could see Stewart and Lasoski in front of me in traffic at the end. I felt like we got better as the race went on, but we just didn’t have enough to get by those two guys.”
Blaney posted a third-place result, which kept him within striking distance of the championship entering the finale on Saturday.
The Mainstream Holdings, Inc., sponsored team kicked off Saturday’s event by maneuvering from fifth to third place in a heat race and fourth to third in a qualifier. That lined Blaney up on the inside of the fifth row for the feature.
“We took a shot at putting a harder tire on,” he said. “I knew our balance was good all week. If we’d have stuck a tire on like everyone else, I think we could have been a little better. I had a good race with Kasey Kahne (for fourth). It was fun to race with him. We were going at it pretty hard.”
Blaney and Kahne swapped the position a handful of times before Blaney secured the fourth-place result. It marked his fourth top five of the event and earned him a $1,500 bonus for placing second in the championship standings.
Blaney is scheduled to return to competition Feb. 5-6 at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions.
QUICK RESULTS –
Jan. 6 – Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz. – Heat race: 3 (4); Qualifier: 4 (4); B Main: 1 (1); Feature: 12 (17).
Jan. 8 – Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz. – Heat race: 4 (9); Qualifier: 3 (5); Feature: 3 (5).
Jan. 9 – Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz. – Heat race: 3 (5); Qualifier: 4 (5); Feature: 4 (9).
SEASON STATS –
5 races, 1 win, 4 top fives, 4 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 5 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Feb. 5-6 at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions
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Website: http://www.BigGameTreestands.com
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- Shawn Miller on Jan 12, 2016
- Article Date: 1/12/2016 by Inside Line Promotions