Multi-time Anderson Speedway late model champion Jeff Marcum took advantage of the inversion to record his third win of 2023. Marcum started on the outside of the front row for the McGunegill Engine Performance Late Models as the fastest four qualifiers were inverted. The Morristown driver jumped into the lead at the start with Charlie Keevan moving into the second spot from the second row. Fast qualifier Jason Powers was running fifth after the first ten circuits before starting a run toward the front passing Kevin Gross with an outside move in turn three and then around Mike Sargent on lap 13 to move into the third spot. The caution flag waved on lap 18 when Gross experienced a mechanical problem and rolled to a stop in turn one. The caution flag erased a 3-second lead for Marcum and set up a crucial restart with Keevan, who has been knocking on the door for a feature win, on the outside of the front row. Marcum was able to maintain the point and pulled away for the victory with Keevan and Powers rounding out the top three.
“We didn’t unload very good,” Marcum said in the Peterman Brothers Victory Lane. “We had a few issues and weren’t showing much speed. The crew went to work on it and gave me a nice car.”
He wasn’t happy about the caution flag. “Absolutely didn’t want to see that,” Marcum said. “I knew that Charlie (Keevan) and Jason (Powers) were both fast and didn’t want to have to restart side by side with him.”
Ricky Craig scored his second feature win with the Noble Wine & Spirit ThunderCar division when early leader Mike Phipps lost a tire on the 11th circuit entering the third turn. Phipps took the lead at the start from the front row after the top six drivers in qualifying were inverted. He was challenged by Craig and fast qualifier David McConnell. With the leading cars running in a tight pack, Phipps car suddenly lost the left rear tire going down the back straight. Craig won by .447-seconds over McConnell with Ron Phipps finishing third.
Point leader Ronnie Rose scratched for the night after qualifying. JD Blankenship Jr. recorded his second feature win for the Marcum Welding Front Wheel Drive division leading the entire distance. Mechanical woes in practice and qualifying set several of the fast cars to the back of the field including Cody Riley and Josh Ebbertt Jr. Nick Warner a late arrival worked his way from the back of the field to run in the second spot on lap 18 with Chris Gray following outside of Riley on the back straight. Blankenship won by a half-second over Warner with Gray coming home in third.
John Robbins made it two consecutive wins in the Thunder Roadster feature over Doug Dugger and Brad Kindal in a spirited race which saw Kindal trying to use the high groove on a restart to pass Robbins.
