Top Races in 2018 from Track Writer Ken de la Bastide
By Ken de la Bastide
For the past month, I have been thinking about the best race I witnessed in person during 2018 at Anderson Speedway, and it was not an easy decision to make.
At the top of my list is the two biggest single events on the historic quarter-mile oval.
Topping my list was the 70th running of the Pay Less Little 500 presented by UAW-GM at Anderson Speedway, which featured a classic battle between eventual race winner Kody Swanson and Jacob Wilson.
With Shane Hollingsworth leading and his tires fading, Swanson and Wilson raced side-by-side for the second spot with the driver emerging from the fray certain to pass Hollingsworth.
Swanson passed Wilson on Lap 470 and then roared past Hollingsworth eight laps later to record his second Little 500 victory and first for car owner Gene Nolen.
The Parallax Power Supply Redbud 400 provided plenty of excellent competition and there was a lot of big strategies among the contenders for the victory.
Raphael Lessard passed John VanDoorn with 32 laps remaining to take the lead in the Redbud 400, but the action was far from finished.
Lessard held off Steve Nasse on a restart with five laps remaining, and on the final lap Nasse and Josh Brock tangled in Turn 4, allowing VanDoorn to finish second.
With Anderson Speedway bringing back additional non-wing sprint car action to Indiana, the annual running of the Glen Niebel Classic claimed the third spot.
Swanson scored the victory with a last-lap pass of Jerry Coons Jr. Coons led most of the event but on the final circuit got caught up behind a lapped car, which allowed Swanson to make an inside move for the win.
The Tony Elliott Classic saw Swanson leading the early stages of the race but his night ended against the turn two wall after tangling with slower traffic.
That allowed Tyler Roahrig to claim the victory.
The CRA Street Stock 200, which went caution free at Anderson Speedway continuing to bring exciting action to the track.
There was one red flag that took out the contending car of Brent Hudson.
Local driver Josh Poore held off Danny Adams on the last lap for the victory.
