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David Smith, Jr.
NCRA Press
(405) 740-4769
[email protected]
Johnson Kicks Off NCRA Sport Mod Campaign with Victory!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Park City, Kansas - April 7, 2012 - The fourth season for the Bob Howard PDC and Mopar National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Precise Racing Products kicked off this past Saturday night at 81 Speedway in Park City and in the end it was a familiar face once again in victory lane.
Travis Johnson of Enid, Oklahoma picked up his division leading seventh career series victory after passing two-time and defending series champion Chad McNamara with six laps to go and then cruised to victory.
Robert Elliott and Brandon Smith started on the front row for the thirty lap feature with Elliott setting the pace in the Rauschenberg owned southern sport mod.
Third starting McNamara, Todd Decker and Smith gave chase to the leader as Elliott was able to keep a ten car length lead over the rest of the field as the early portions of the event stayed green. Elliott approached lapped traffic on lap thirteen but a blown motor in Kip Hughes #60 machine brought out the night's first caution to slow the pace.
Elliott kept the rest of the field at bay on the restart while McNamara and Decker battled side by side for the runner up position with McNamara able to hold position.
After a lap seventeen caution for George Ramey's spin in turns three and four, Elliott again jumped out front. However, two laps later his engine expired allowing McNamara to take the lead.
While McNamara set the pace, behind him eyes were on eleventh starting Johnson as he worked his way up through the field, passed Decker for the runner up position and set his sights on the leader.
After the final caution fell on lap twenty-three when rookie contender Kyle Choate lost power in turns three and four, McNamara would have his hands full on the restart. He, Johnson and Decker would make it three wide entering turns one and two and on lap twenty-four, Johnson would take the lead exiting turn two.
It looked as though Johnson would go the final six laps unchallenged as he built a six car length lead. McNamara would close the gap to one car length with two laps to go but Johnson would hold on to pick up the series opening victory.
"We just got this motor in Thursday night and last night we were in Muskogee racing our modified so it has been a long couple of days," he said in victory lane. "I could race with McNamara all day long as he is one of the cleanest drivers out here but will race you hard."
Decker and his Bob Howard PDC and Mopar would claim the third position while eighth starting Ross McCartney came home fourth. Thirteenth starting Craig Ridgway would work his way up through the field and come home with a top five finish.
The four, ten lap heat race winners for the 34 car field were McNamara, Smith, Decker and Elliott while Jim Pearcy would take home the fifteen lap "B" feature.
The next event for the Bob Howard PDC and Mopar NCRA southern sport modified division will be the much anticipated return to the Garfield County Fairgrounds and Enid Speedway in Enid, Oklahoma on Sunday evening, April 22nd.
NCRA Sport Mods
4/7/2012
1st Heat: 1) 327 Chad McNamara (Pond Creek, Ok), 2) 56 Darin Busch (Enid, Ok), 3) 15 Craig Ridgway (Jet, Ok), 4) 3 Logan Macy (Hennessey, Ok), 5) 48p Jim Pearcy (Augusta, Ks), 6) 76 George Ramey (Wichita, Ks), 7) 3d Dustin McNamara (Blackwell, Ok), 8) 27 Ray Fiest (Junction City, Ks), 9) 442 Milt David (Enid, Ok)
2nd Heat: 1) 69 Brandon Smith (Amarillo, Tx), 2) 99 Caleb Edwards (South Coffeyville, Ok), 3) 42r Ross McCartney (Lahoma, Ok), 4) 74 Kevin Snow (Enid, Ok), 5) 80 Frank Graven (Cushing, Ok), 6) 24 Jim Strome, 7) 14 Ryan Bohnstedt (Hennessey, Ok) 8) 62 Joe Bohnstedt (Hennessey, Ok), 9) 57 Bobby Fiest (White City, Ks),
3rd Heat: 1) 42 Todd Decker (Edmond, Ok), 2) k6 Joe Adams (Enid, Ok), 3) 60 Kip Hughes (Enid, Ok), 4) mc20. Bobby McGehee (Drummond, Ok), 5) 06 Andrew Wallace (Wichita, Ks), 6) 19 Kevin Dickson (Mannford, Ok), 7) 14l Chris Lyons (Ponca City, Ok), 8) 42c Courtney McCartney (Lahoma, Ok)
4th Heat: 1) 21 Robert Elliott (Clinton, Ok), 2) 86j Travis Johnson (Enid, Ok), 3) 33k Kyle Choate, 4) 35 Mark Harrison, 5) Randy Bohnstedt (Hennessey, Ok), 6) 47 Landon Maddox (Fairview, Ok), 7) 7c J.D Choate (Ponca City, Ok), 8) 211 Thomas Andsager
B Feature: 1) Jim Pearcy (Augusta, Ks), 2) Bobby McGehee (Drummond, Ok), 3) Kevin Dickson (Mannford, Ok), 4) Andrew Wallace (Wichita, Ks), 5) Joe Bohnstedt (Hennessey, Ok), 6) George Ramey (Wichita, Ks), 7) Chris Lyons (Ponca City, Ok), 8) Bobby Fiest (White City, Ks), 9) Ray Fiest (Junction City, Ks), 10) Milt David (Enid, Ok), 11) Jim Strome, 12) Courtney McCartney (Lahoma, Ok) 13) Ryan Bohnstedt (Hennessey, Ok), 14) J.D Choate (Ponca City, Ok), 15) Landon Maddox (Fairview, Ok), 16) Dustin McNamara (Blackwell, Ok), 17) Randy Bohnstedt (Hennessey, Ok), 18) Logan Macy (Hennessey, Ok), 19) Frank Graven (Cushing, Ok), 20) Thomas Andsager
A Feature: 1) Travis Johnson (Enid, Ok), 2) Chad McNamara (Pond Creek, Ok), 3) Todd Decker (Edmond, Ok), 4) Ross McCartney (Lahoma, Ok), 5) Craig Ridgway (Jet, Ok), 6) Caleb Edwards, 7) Kevin Dickson (Mannford, Ok), 8) Bobby McGehee (Drummond, Ok), 9) Jim Pearcy (Augusta, Ks), 10) Andrew Wallace (Wichita, Ks), 11) Joe Bohnstedt (Hennessey, Ok), 12) George Ramey (Wichita, Ks), 13) Kevin Snow (Enid, Ok), 14) Kyle Choate (Ponca City, Ok), 15) Robert Elliott (Clinton, Ok), 16) Brandon Smith (Amarillo, Tx), 17) Kip Hughes (Enid, Ok), 18) Darin Busch (Enid, Ok), 19) Joe Adams (Enid, Ok), 20) Mark Harrison
David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com
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