ANDERSON – After 25 years of trying Michael Phipps was finally crowned the winner of the Pay Less National Crown at Anderson Speedway.
The 75th running of the National Crown for the Crown Vic Division Saturday turned out to be a race of survival with seven of the original 22 entries running at the finish.
Defending race winner Rickie Tharp II set fast time during qualifying, but it was Randy Owen taking the lead at the start.
Tharp took the lead on the sixth lap with a pass of Owen on the back straight when the first of seven caution flags waved for debris on the track.
On the restart Owen lost two positions and on lap 12 tangled with two other cars and was set to the tail of the field for the first of two times.
Phipps took the lead from Tharp II on the 18th lap as the five front runners tarted to pull away from the field.
Phipps was able to hold off Tharp II, Josh Tharp, Rickie Tharp and Randy Hoppes through five restarts.
Tharp II brought out the final caution period of lap 42 when a piece of debris got caught in the front of his car.
At the finish Phipps won by 2.9-seconds over Owen with Rickie Tharp II recovering to finish third followed by Josh Tharp and Timothy Perkins.
Phipps barely missed making contact in the crossover on the final lap.
“This is the race I’ve wanted to win,” Phipps said in the Riley & Son Victory Lane. “I’ve been trying to win this for 25 years. It was a very competitive bunch here tonight.”
Owen was pleased with his second place finish not wanting to comment on the incidents that sent him to the tail of the field twice.
“It is what it is,” he said in victory lane, “and I’m proud we finished second.”
Tharp said that caution at the finish hurt his chances to win the National Crown for a second consecutive year.
“I wish there would have been more room on the restarts because I kept getting pushed up toward the wall,” he said. ‘I’ll be back next year.”
In only his second start and first at Anderson Speedway JP Crabtree led all 40 laps to record the victory in Modified action.
Crabtree driving a car normally piloted by Nathan Greene was able to hold off Jacob Owens for the entire distance to win by three-tenths of a second with point leader Tyler DeHart coming home third.
Josh Ebbert Jr. set fast time during qualifying for the Marcum’s Welding Front Wheel Drive division and scored his second feature win of the year.
Nick Warner led the first lap giving way to Dylan Hoppes and Austin Pursley.
Ebbert started fourth for the feature event and took the lead from Pursley on the seventh circuit winning by a comfortable margin with Hoppes finishing third.
