David Smith, Jr.
NCRA Public Relations
(405) 740-4769
[email protected]
Sharpensteen Sharp in NCRA Modified Victory in Amarillo!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Amarillo, Texas – August 17, 2013 - Alan Sharpensteen started on the pole and never looked back as he brought one home for the hometown crowd in winning the National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Precise Racing Products modified feature Saturday night as the Kansas based tour made the long tow to Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas.
While Sharpensteen started on the pole for the thirty lap feature, the victory was not easy as outside front row started Dee Gossett pressured him for the lead the entire event.
Two consecutive caution flags for debris on lap four slowed the pace early and once racing action resumed; the rest of the event went caution free.
Sharpensteen worked the bottom portion of the three-eighths mile oval while Gossett kept working the middle and top. Gossett pulled even several times and looked poised to pass for the lead but the leaders momentum kept him out front.
At the races midway point, Sharpensteen picked up an extra $100 sponsored by “In Memory of G.W. Elkins,” courtesy of Pete Elkins. G. W. was one of the founding fathers of the NCRA when the series was born back in 1971 and was the track owner/promoter of the former Amarillo facility west of town.
Gossett had one last chance on the final lap as the leaders entered lapped traffic down the backstretch but Sharpensteen would hold on to take the $1100 victory and first ever with the series.
Matt Newkirk ran third for over half of the event but fifth starting Josh Lanterman battled for the position the whole way, finally taking that spot with ten laps to go. However Lanterman would lose that spot on the last lap as tour regular Jason McGehee passed him on the backstretch to take home third. Lanterman settled for fourth while thirteenth starting Dustin Belcher got hooked up during the mid portion of the event and would move into fifth with three laps to go and hold on to round out the top five.
Two provisional starters put on a passing performance in the feature finale and both picked up an extra $100 for the races “hard charger,” courtesy of Barry Weaver and AAA Windshield. Superior, Nebraska driver Jon Thompson started 21st and came home sixth while local Dustin Austin started 24th and would finish twelfth, both passing the same amount of cars.
In all thirteen tour regulars made the tow to Amarillo, where it was announced by track owner Bill Worthon the tour would be back once again in 2014.
The four, ten lap heat races for the thirty-two car field were won by Sharpensteen, Gossett, Newkirk and Lanterman while Don Hodge and Brochu both took home the two, twelve lap “B” features.
The unofficial point standings after this event saw current point leader Marc Hurd’s point lead cut into half as he finished a disappointing eighteenth in the feature finale. Heading into Labor Day weekends double header at 81 Speedway in Park City and the Belleville High Banks Speedway only fifty points separate the top five in the standings.
NCRA Modifieds
Route 66 Motor Speedway/Amarillo, Texas
08/17/13
32 Cars
1st Heat: 1) Alan Sharpensteen, 2) Chad Austin, 3) Dan Powers, 4) Kyler Calkin, 5) JR Sandlion, 6) Marc Hurd, 7) Neil Debord, 8) Jon Thompson
2nd Heat: 1) Dee Gossett, 2) S Shane Sprinkle, 3) Joe Adams, 4) Derek Scott, 5) Mike Stroud, 6) Jimmy Brozek, 7) Braden Woods
3rd Heat: 1) Matt Newkirk, 2) Phillip Houston, 3) Don Hodge, 4) Dustin Austin, 5) Dustin Belcher, 6) Justin Moler, 7) Gene Weaver, 8) Monte Bolton
4) Josh Lanterman, 2) Jason McGehee 3) Mark Myers, 4) A.J. Brochu, 5) Logan Cabbell, 6) Jeremy Gossett, 7) Ryan Dalrgrympl, 8) Gary Silacci, Sr.
1st B Feature: 1) Don Hodge, 2) Dustin Belcher, 3) Kyler Calkin, 4) Monte Bolton, 5) Marc Hurd, 6) Logan Cabbell, 7) Dustin Austin, 8) Jon Thompson, 9) Justin Moler, 10) JR Sandlion, 11) Neil Debord, DNS: Gene Weaver
2nd B Feature: 1) A.J. Brochu, 2) Jeremy Gossett, 3) Mike Stroud, 4) Mark Myers, 5) Braden White, 6) Ryan Dalrymple, 7) Gary Silacci, Sr., 8) Jimmy Brozek, 9) Deaton O’Dell, 10) Derek Scott
A Feature: 1) Alan Sharpensteen, 2) Dee Gossett, 3) Jason McGehee, 4) Josh Lanterman, 5) Dustin Belcher, 6) Jon Thompson, 7) A.J. Brochu, 8) Matt Newkirk, 9) Phillip Houston, 10) Dan Powers, 11) Don Hodge, 12) Dustin Austin, 13) Braden Woods, 14) Kyler Calkin, 15) Logan Cabbell, 16) Justin Moler, 17) Ryan Dalrymple, 18) Marc Hurd, 19) Joe Adams, 20) Mike Bolton, 21) Jeremy Gossett, 22) Mike Stroud, 23) Chad Austin, 24) Mark Myers
