By Ken de la Bastide

(August 12, 2013) - Paul Phipps led the entire distance to win his first feature win since the opening night of the season in the Front Wheel Drive Oval Division.

Although Phipps led all 20 laps the two drivers to watch were Jerry Dane
and Elliott McKinney. Both Dane and McKinney were relegated to the back of the field for the feature.

Dane experienced a mechanical problem following his heat race and went to a back-up car and McKinney, missed his heat race.

The tandem of McKinney and Dane moved into the fifth and sixth position after three laps with a pass of Brian Slavey in turn three, gained a spot on the back straight a lap later by passing Jesse Thomas.

On lap five Dane slipped inside of McKinney entering turn three and then
passed Marshall Clark Jr. and Kamden Creek to move into the second spot with three laps remaining.

But there was no denying Phipps who went on to win by three-seconds over Dane with Creek, McKinney and Clark rounding out the top five.
With the victory Phipps took the point lead over McKinney by eight points
in the championship battle.

“I didn’t know if we would win another one,” Phipps said of the feature
win.Clark recorded his second heat victory of the year in the first of the two preliminary races with Phipps slipping inside of Creek at the halfway
point to claim second with an inside pass on the front straight.

Dane and fast qualifier Nick Warner both passed Creek in the final four
laps. But Creek got around Warner on the final lap.
Dane came home in third with Creek and Warner rounding out the top five.

Jesse Thomas and Dylan Hoppes swapped the early lead several times in the opening laps of the second heat race, that battle would end when Hoppes spun on the front straight.

From there Thomas went on to record his fifth heat win of the year. He was followed to the finish by Slavey, Hoppes, Austin McKinney and Jarred Keller.