Kelsey Carpenter Wins ISCS Week Of Speed Finale At GHR; Tanner Holmes Crowned Champion
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Dryden Racing Media)
Elma, Washington-The sixth and final round of the 2019 ISCS “Week Of Speed” came down to Saturday, August 17th at Grays Harbor Raceway. It marked the second straight night that the Interstate Sprint Car Series visited the 3/8-mile clay oval in Elma. Twenty-two cars once more inhabited the pit area from the states of Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho.
Kelsey Carpenter, last night’s runner-up, wasted no time putting the Bill Rude owned mount to the front. Taking full advantage of his outside front row starting position, Carpenter was the leader of the opening lap. The Burlington chauffeur blazed a rapid trail over the rest of the field and managed to construct a massive lead.
The only thing that slowed Kelsey up was two stoppages, on lap ten and fifteen, but on every restart, he went back to work on deserting the competition. At the drop of the checkered flag, Kelsey Carpenter finished in first place for the first time with the ISCS. He is the tenth different winner in series history and the second driver from the Evergreen State to have won a main event.
Junction City, Oregon veteran Shane Forte held on to second place while Tyler Driever, the teenager from Meridian, Idaho, posted an incredible third-place finish. Cottage Grove, Oregon native Kinzer Cox recorded crossed the stripe in fourth over Eric Turner, of Lake Stevens, in fifth.
When all the dust had settled, and the points were tabulated up, Tanner Holmes was declared the overall ISCS Speedweek champion. The Jacksonville youngster won three out of six main events and never finished outside the top ten all week long. Holmes got in a tangle with a lapped car in the final night went to the pits but rallied to seventh place after restarting in seventeenth.
Group qualifying was split up into three groups. Earning fast time awards were Shane Forte, Covington’s Sean Johnson, and Ashleigh Johnson of Ferndale. Heat race victors were Tanner Holmes, Cory Swatizina from Sedro-Woolley, and Sutherlin, Oregon rookie Nickye Mendenhall.
On behalf of the staff of the Interstate Sprint Car Series, we want to send a special thanks to all of the drivers, teams, and fans that made this year’s Speedweek so enjoyable. Be sure and check out the official ISCS Series Facebook page for the latest updates for the rest of the races of the year as well as the 2020 ISCS “Week of Speed.”
Race Results:
ISCS Speedweek Race #6
Saturday, August 17th, 2019
Grays Harbor Raceway
Elma, Washington
Group Qualifying: Shane Forte (1), Sean Johnson (2), Ashleigh Johnson (3)
Heat Race Winners: Tanner Holmes (1), Cory Swatzina (2), Nickye Mendenhall (3)
A-Feature: 1. Kelsey Carpenter; 2. Shane Forte; 3. Tyler Driever; 4. Kinzer Cox; 5. Eric Turner; 6. Cory Swatzina; 7. Tanner Holmes; 8. Sean Johnson; 9. Enrique Jamie; 10. Tyler Thompson; 11. Emily Williams; 12. Steven Snawder; 13. Ashleigh Johnson; 14. Anthony Pope; 15. Michael Bollinger; 16. Bill Rude; 17. Brett McGhie; 18. Tyrell Mead; 19. Morgan Burks; 20. Nickye Mendenhall; 21. Raquel Ivie; DNS Tom Weiss
2019 ISCS Speedweek Schedule:
August 12th-Coos Bay Speedway-Coos Bay, OR (Tanner Holmes)
August 13th-Cottage Grove Speedway-Cottage Grove, OR (Jake Wheeler)
August 14th-Cottage Grove Speedway-Cottage Grove, OR (Tanner Holmes)
August 15th-Sunset Speedway Park-Banks, OR (Tanner Holmes)
August 16th-Grays Harbor Raceway-Elma, WA (Tyler Thompson)
August 17th-Grays Harbor Raceway-Elma, WA (Kelsey Carpenter)
- Ben Deatherage on Aug 18, 2019
- Article Date: 8/18/2019