Crystal, MI - On night 2 of the of this weekends action, Jared Horstman (Cloverdale, OH) topped the 30 car field at Crystal Motor Speedway on our last visit of the 2019 Season.
On another picture perfect day in Central Michigan, Great Lakes Super Sprints rolled into Crystal Motor Speedway for our 2nd and last visit of the 2019 Race Season. We had 30 teams from 4 states and Canada. Crystal owner, Ron Flinn, had put a little extra attention into the track and we were able to roll out about an hour and a half later than expected for qualifying, but on a great racing surface!
Phil Gressman (Helena, OH) rolled out 18th and set a fast time for the night, with a 12.3 second lap, averaging 111 miles per hour. Second quick time overall, was ran by Shawn Dancer (Delphos, OH). Horstman, Gregg Dalman (Bellevue, MI) and Trevor Berry (Clio, MI) rounded out the top 5 cars in qualifying.
In the Kistler Engines and Racing Parts Heat 1, Dustin Daggett (Portland, MI) jumps out to a great start. Danny Sams III (Northport, FL) stays with Daggett, but can't quite reel him in. Then suddenly after completing 6 laps, Daggett pulls into the infield. Sams wins the heat, with Dan McCarron (Britton, MI), Michael Summers (Warsaw, IN) and Brad Lamberson (Parma, MI) rounding out the top four transfer spots.
Shawn Murray (Jacksonville, FL and Trevor Berry (Clio, MI) lead out the Campbell Performance Heat 2. Gregg Dalman (Bellevue, MI) jumps out and is the leader after the first trip around the track. Horstman closes on Dalman, moving into 2nd in the second lap. But Dalman is able to keep Horstman behind him, winning the heat. Horstman, Berry and Murray round out the 4 transfer spots to the A-Main.
The needmethanol.com Heat 3 rolls out with Conner Morrell (Bradenton, FL and Ayrton Olsen (Indianapolis, IN) on the front row. Olsen gets a good run into turn 1 and is in the lead after the first trip around the track. Gressman was quickly up to second, but needed a couple more laps to reel in Olsen. Gressman gets around Olsen in lap 4 and goes on to win. Olsen takes 2nd, just 74 hundreths of a second behind Gressman. Morrel and Shawn Dancer (Delphos, OH) secured the 3rd and 4th transfer spots.
Rolling out for the Perfit/Engine Pro Heat 4, Andy Chehowski (Coldwater, MI) and Josh Shantz (Waterloo, ONT) lead the final group to the chalk line in turn 4. As the field goes green, Shantz is out front in a shot and cruising the rim of the track with a comfortable lead...for 5 laps. As Shatz came out of turn 4, he experiences engine problems and has to pull into the infield in front of the grandstands. Ridenour takes over the lead and picks up the win. Andrew Scheid (Sparta, MI) takes second as Chehowski and Brandon Moore (Clyde, OH) round out the top four transfer spots.
With 16 cars already punching their tickets to the A-Main, 14 cars took the track to battle for the last 6 spots in the Addvanced Heating and Cooling B-Main. Kyle Poortenga (Woodland, MI) who took a hard hit on the front wall after hitting a slick spot during qualifying, leads out the group with Jared Lamberson (Parma, MI) next to him on the front row. Poortenga gets a great start with Lamberson in his back pocket.
Starting 14th in the B-Main, Daggett has his work cut out to make one of the 6 remaining transfer spots. With the great track conditions, most of the field was running side by side on the top and bottom, making it difficult for Daggett to find openings to get through. In lap 4, passing for eighth, Daggett and Tank Brakenberry make hard contact in the middle of turn 3 & 4. Somehow, Daggett is able to clear and keep moving as Brakenberry comes to a stop bringing out the caution. In the next 8 laps, Daggett works his way in behind Poortenga and crosses the finish line just 25 hundreths of a second behind Poortenga who took the win!
The top 2 finishers from each heat race redrew for their starting position in the feature. With the redraw finished, the line up was set, placing Horstman on the pole with Olsen next to him. On the initial start, going into turn one, Dancer, Garrett Saunders (Lakeville, IN) and Linden Jones (Edwardsburg, MI) get tangled up and come to a stop bringing out a caution. Dancer is able to be pushed off, Saunders had a flat RR and is able to get it changed and back on the track, but Jones is done for the night.
With a clean restart, Horstman and Olsen are out front quick, clicking off laps just 3/4 of a second slower than quick time set in qualifying. In lap 12, a caution comes out for Scheid, as he was running 9th. Getting a single file restart, the cars are given the half way sign from the flag stand. Gressman, who started 8th, has worked his way up to 3rd right behind Olsen. As the green flag flew, Horstman was able to take the checkered flag in just 3 minutes. Olsen held on to a second place finish with Gressman, Dalman and Ridenour rounding out the top 5 finishers.
Daggett, was able to move up from his 18th place starting position to finish 7th just behind Danny Sams III and secure his spot as the Engler Machine & Tool Hard Charger.
Our next race will be this Friday at I-96 Speedway in a "Battle of Speed" where we share the evening with the American Ethanol Late Model Series. On Saturday, we return to Mt Pleasant Speedway for the first time in 4 years "Sprints for Veterans", an all Sprint Show including GLSS, MTS non-wing 410's and the Hiram's (1,000 cc) Winged Lightening Sprints.
Thank you to our marketing sponsors, Beacon and Bridge Markets, Addvance Heating & Cooling, Specialty Fuels and Logistics and Hoosier Midwest. Also to our race sponsors, Kistler Engines and Racing Products, Campbell Performance, Perfit/Engine Pro and Engler Machine and Tool.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the current pictures and activities. For our schedule, points and results go to our website at www.greatlakessupersprints.com.
- administrator on Jun 23, 2019
- Article Date: 6/22/2019 by Spencer "Diamond Dog" Marlow