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MILLER GRABS “LAS VEGAS DIRT CLASSIC” OPENER
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Las Vegas, NV…….”I have to admit I was surprised,” said Blake Miller after winning Thursday’s opening event of the “Las Vegas Dirt Classic” for USAC/CRA Sprint cars at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. The surprise, however, came more from being able to hold off series point leader Cory Kruseman and Casey Shuman in the frantic finish than making the pass for the lead with five laps to go in the 30-lap race.
“I went to the cushion in turn two and that move paid off,” continued the Yorba Linda, Calif. driver, who piloted the Roy Miller Freightlines/Gardner Pipe & Mechanical Sled/Shaver. His win left him fourth in the new point standings going into Friday’s event at the 1/2-mile dirt oval. Cole Whitt and Tyler Brown rounded out the “top-five” at the finish.
Jesse Hockett led the first nine laps from the pole, trailed Whitt for the next five, then returned to lead the next 10. On lap 25 Miller made his move and never looked back. If he had he’d have seen plenty of late-race challenges.
The race was extremely competitive and feature wholesale position changes among the leaders in the closing laps before a sizeable crowd who spent the last 10 laps on their feet.
Mike Spencer, who finished second in the 2007 standings, hopped a tire and hit the outside wall on lap 19, ending his bid for a top finish. Four drivers flipped during the program, with Jonas Reynolds transported to University Medical Center for treatment after flipping during a heat race.
Kruseman’s runner-up finish left him with a 38-point lead over Whitt going into the Friday races.
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This message was edited on
February 29, 2008 at
04:18:39 PM by raj
Okay. Asked and answered. Glad to hear it.
" Spencer set a new track record last night. And I cannot believe the track surface either. Being from Vegas I have ragged at the track operaters every time CRA comes here. I thought I was having an out of track experience. They finally listened to someone. "
Was Ray "lurking about" up there? Several people suggested he should have been.
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