After waging a battle for the entire McGunegill Engine Performance Late Model feature, Jeff Marcum claimed the victory with a last lap pass. Qualifications Saturday at Anderson Speedway showed seven drivers with one second of each other. Marcum established a new track record with a lap of 12.554-seconds, but it was quickly eclipsed by Jason Powers who turned a lap at 12.417-seconds. With the inversion, Cassten Everidge and Charlie Keeven, hungry for a first win, started on the front row.
Keeven took the lead at the start with Marcum moving into the second spot on the second lap and Powers getting underneath Everidge coming off the fourth corner. Through the middle stages of the 40-lap feature the front running pack ran bumper to bumper. Several times Marcum looked to get inside of Keeven for the lead, but the path was blocked with the two drivers exchanging paint. Powers lost some ground on lap 28 when his car got loose coming off the fourth corner, but quickly closed on the two leaders. On the final lap Marcum used the high line coming off the fourth corner to get alongside Keeven and made the pass entering turn one. At the checkers it was Marcum winning for the second time this season by .110-seconds over Keeven with Powers 1.1-seconds behind the leader.
“I ran behind him for a good long while,” Marcum said of racing with Keeven in the Peterman Brothers Victory Lane. “It was good racing. These cars just keep getting faster and faster and have to keep working on our equipment. “I kept getting inside the 55 (Keeven) and he kept chopping my nose off,” he said. “It was a great race and a great finish.”
Three different drivers took turns at the point of the Marcum’s Welding Front Wheel Drive feature before Cody Riley emerged with his second feature win. The top eight cars were inverted for the start with Levi Moreland taking the early lead with Devin Lane and Nick Warner in pursuit. Riley started eighth in the field and was running third when the only caution flag waved on lap 4. Warner took the lead on the restart with Riley moving into the second spot and Josh Ebbert Jr. moving up to the third spot. With the leaders in traffic, Riley made the decisive pass on lap 21 with an inside move in turn one. Riley scored the win followed by Ebbert and Caleb Southerland.
Rickie Tharp II set a new track record during qualifying for the Amateur Division of the Vintage Wrench Ford Division with a lap of 15.551. But mechanical issues forced him out of the feature race after five laps. Colson Gray led the entire distance to record his first ever feature win holding off Colt Gray and Caleb Southerland.
After suffering a mechanical issue two weeks ago, John Robbins led wire to wire to win the Thunder Roadster feature over Doug Dugger and Brad Kindal.
