Last week’s racing action saw Jeff Bland Jr. lead wire-to-wire in the Tom White & Company Realtor Sprint Car A Main at Bloomington Speedway. But that was only part of the story. Bland had the perfect setup for the track and starting from the pole, held off all challenges as he scored his first victory of the season. With multiple good racing lines available, the next five cars, Kody Swanson, Brady Short, Stevie Sussexx and Jordan Kinser, battled closely throughout the 25-laps. Tomorrow’s racing will be the fourth chapter of this season’s non-wing 410 sprinter story.
While the picturesque Bloomington oval will be hosting the employees and guests of Monroe Hospital on the hill, the on-track action will include the winged Green Earth Recycling and Composting RaceSaver sprint cars and the AJ Bowlen with RE/MAX Acclaimed Properties UMP Modifieds. Ethan Barrow picked up a highly contested win in the RaceSavers at Lincoln Park Speedway last weekend, for his second victory of the season. Ryan Tusing and Jeff Wimmenauer have also scored wins at Bloomington, and with a strong field of drivers like Andy Bradley and John Paynter Jr. in the mix, the racing is always close.
With a victory and a pair of runner-up finishes, Jacoby Hines is on top of Bloomington’s modified division. A number of strong contenders are poised to move challenge for their first wins of the year, including Jeff Deckard, Jay Humphrey, Kenny Carmichael and Ryan Thomas. Chad Combs rode out a nasty flip last week, and it will be interesting to see if he is able to return this quickly.
There is a lot of good, close, racing action to be seen tomorrow. The gates for the grandstand open at 5:30, with hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:30. General admission is just $15 with kids 12 and under admitted free with an adult. Pit passes are $30 and the pit gate will open at 4:30.
- Mike O'Leary on May 17, 2018
- Article Date: 5/17/2018