ANDERSON – Defending USA Tires Modified champion Josh Poore led only three laps Saturday at Anderson Speedway, but it brought him a feature win on opening night.
Poore was able to pass RJ Norton III with an inside move on the back straight on lap 38. On the final lap Norton was passed by second place finishing Dalton Conner and Joe Beaver.
For much of the race the leader was JP Crabtree, who took the lead from Norton on the fifth circuit.
Crabtree survived five restarts and on the final restart on lap 34 mixed it up with fast qualifier Tyler DeHart entering turn one.
DeHart came to a stop on the turn two wall and Crabtree was sent to the tail of the field for being involved in the caution. Crabtree retired from the event.
Poore ran in the top three for much of the race after starting sixth in the 20-car field.
“Me and RJ (Norton) are pretty good buddies,” Poore said in Hoosier Lottery victory lane. “It was clean, good racing.”
Poore said he was running the high line early in the race but had to make the inside pass of Norton for the win.
Dalton Conner passed Xavier King with three laps remaining to win the season opening event for the Beaver Contracting Legends Division.
The early lead was claimed by Jordan Hahn who was passed on a early restart by Cory Adams.
Hahn and defending champion John Robbins both spun on the fifth circuit and had to make their way back to the front from the tail of the field.
Conner took the lead for the first time on lap five and was passed by King on lap eight.
King maintained the lead through four restarts before Conner made the race winning move. King finished second followed by Lincoln Cain, a visiting driver from Wisconsin, with Robbins and Hahn rounding out the top five.
Ronnie Phipps battled with Colin Grissom and Nick Warner to win the Knapp Supply Ford Division feature.
Phipps led almost the entire distance with Grissom, Warner, Trent Gossar and Noah Allison all battling for position.
Warner came home in second followed by Gossar, Grissom and Allison.
