Lady Luck smiled on Eddie VanMeter with 12 laps remaining allowing him to open the 2022 Champion Racing Association Super Series with a victory. It appeared VanMeter was going to settle for a third place finish at Anderson Speedway on Sunday in the 125-lap feature sponsored by Mitch Smith Automotive and Perfecto. Dalton Armstrong took the lead from Scotty Tomasik on lap 18 and was being challenged by fast qualifier Hunter Jack from lap 37. With Armstrong’s tires starting to fade, Jack was able to get inside coming off the fourth corner on lap 112 and the two front-runners made contact entering turn one. With both Armstrong and Jack being sent to the tail of the field, that put VanMeter on the point chased by Cody Coughlin and Albert Francis.
For the final 12 circuits, Coughlin kept trying to get underneath VanMeter for the lead to no avail coming up .152-seconds short at the finish. Francis, who was twice sent to the tail of the field early in the race after contact with Austin Thom, managed to come home third followed by JP Crabtree and Tomasik. “I’ll take luck anytime,” VanMeter said following his victory. “That was fun. I’m glad Cody (Coughlin) was behind me and not someone else. We would have had some torn-up race cars.” Coughlin said he did everything he could to pass VanMeter for the victory. “I tried to be as aggressive as I could and not turn him,” Coughlin said.
Dameron Taylor kicked off his quest for a third championship with the Kenyon Midget Series by winning the Dick Jordan Classic. Taylor took the lead at the start and was chased by Jack Macenko for much of the 30-lap feature. Macenko stayed glued to Taylor’s tail-tank until lap 26 when Macenko and Clayton Gaines tangled while battling for second. Both drivers were able to continue, but lost two positions in the process. Macenko was able to pass Trey Osborne for the runner-up position on lap 29 with Gaines recovering to finish fourth followed by Ryan Huggler. “After that first caution on lap 15, I don’t know what happened,” Taylor said in the Riley & Sons Victory Lane. “He (Macenko) either found another motor to put in his car; my tires didn’t want to turn and my motor didn’t want to go.”
In other racing: Fast qualifier James Kirby III won the Noble Wine & Spirits ThunderCar feature and Jared Keller captured the Vintage Wrench Ford Division race.
