A midweek decision paid off in a big way for NASCAR Super Late Models driver Dustin Ash.
The Las Vegas wheelman decided to get some seat time at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before resuming his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule and cruised to victory in the 50-lap Super Late Models feature on Military & Veterans Appreciation Night on Saturday. Ash finished 4.457 seconds ahead of 2017 Super Late Models track champion Justin Johnson for his 59th career win, breaking a tie for second place on the track's all-time wins list with Phil Goodwin.
Ash now trails only six-time track champion Scott Gafforini, who has 67 Bullring wins.
"It's pretty awesome," Ash said. "We worked on this thing so hard this week and lost the brakes at the end, but it was cool to come out and race with some of these guys I grew up racing with like Justin Johnson and Chris Clyne. This was kind of a fluke thing, and I wasn't even going to come race until about Wednesday or Thursday. Man, that was fun."
Ash's win snapped Clyne's five-race winning streak, with Clyne coming across the line in fifth place despite running on older tires. Tyler Fabozzi finished third, while Gafforini took fourth.
Jason Irwin pulled off a rare double on Saturday night, taking the checkered flag in the USLCI Legends 25-lap race and returning to the Winner's Circle after winning the nightcap in the NASCAR 602 Modifieds division. It was Irwin's ninth Legends victory in 11 races, but his first Modifieds triumph since 2015.
Irwin - who now has 47 career Bullring wins - was driving the Modified for Shawn Morga, who is trying to sell the car. Its price may have just gone up.
"We just try to come out here when we can, have fun with it and try to get wins, and so far it's been a pretty good season," said Irwin, who makes the long drive from Albuquerque, N.M., to race at The Bullring. "I've got to thank Shawn Morga for the opportunity to run his car, and it was a really good race. These cars are a blast to race, it's tight racing and I hope the class just keeps growing.
"It's a long trip, about eight-and-a-half hours, and we'll make the drive back tonight. I couldn't do it without my crew, especially Matt, who busts his butt getting all these cars ready."
Sam Jacks ran his winning streak to six and all-time Bullring wins total to 21 by taking the 25-lap NASCAR Super Stocks feature by .986 of a second over Ethan DeGuevara. Camden Larsen led the race early before relinquishing it to Jacks following a re-start around Lap 16, taking third place 1.675 seconds off the pace.
"I want to thank all the veterans and the military who are out here tonight," said Jacks, who joined Peyton Saxton and Jason Kiser as 21-time Bullring winners. "Camden really stepped it up this race and was doing really well, but it just seemed like his car was falling off a little bit more than mine was toward the yellow. I play iRacing with him during the week, and it was like video game racing we were doing.
"It was so much fun."
Reigning NASCAR Bombers track champion Vinny Raucci Jr. won a wreck-plagued feature by .860 of a second over Adam Simon. This season's points leader, Kyle Jacks, was running second when his engine blew to bring out the final caution, relegating him to 13th place and ending the race due to expiration of the time limit.
"I've got to thank everyone in the pits, and it's just awesome," said Raucci Jr., who now has 15 career Bullring wins. "I got a new tire compound, so I was trying to bottom in the high side to see which one goes better for the longer runs and wasn't really paying attention to the people behind me. I was out front, getting pushed from behind, and I was like, 'Oh no,' but it held together and here I am."
Landon Gresser held off points leader Chloe Lynch by just .217 of a second in the 12-lap USLCI Bandolero Outlaws feature to win for the second time in three races and the 14th time overall at The Bullring, while Hank Hall of Bakersfield, Calif., won for the second time in a row in the USLCI Bandolero Bandits division. Scott Stockwell made it two straight in the Skid Plate Cars division, taking the checkered flag by more than 12 seconds ahead of Dennis Dowell.
In addition, Chris Bosley stayed perfect on the season by winning the Thunder Cars feature on Friday night.
NEXT RACE: The third of three consecutive racing weekends at The Bullring takes place on Saturday, May 4, and will feature the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series and the SPEARS Modified Series in action. The Jr. Late Models, USLCI Legends and Bandoleros classes are also racing, and kids 12 and under get in free with a ticketed adult.
Military & Veterans Appreciation Night at The Bullring
Complete results
USLCI Bandolero Outlaws 12-lap feature
- Landon Gresser; 2. Chloe Lynch (-.217 of a second); 3. Haylee Morris (-.706); 4. Katie Crouch (-3.559); 5. Owen Romzek (-1 lap); 6. Brendan Tracy (-12 laps).
USLCI Bandolero Bandits 12-lap feature
- Hank Hall; 2. Sabastian Lafia (-3.133 seconds); 3. Ashton Leonard (-3.392); 4. Tuscan Nuccitelli (-4.267); 5. A.J. Blackwill (-10.033); 6. Max Romzek (-12.440); 7. Alexis Bjork (-14.890); 8. Logan Gresser (-20.882).
NASCAR Super Stocks 25-lap feature
- Sam Jacks; 2. Ethan DeGuevara (-.986 of a second); 3. Camden Larsen (-1.675); 4. Jim Merlino (-3.770); 5. Noah Morris (-1 lap); 6. Eric Martin (-11 laps).
Skid Plate Cars 15-lap feature
- Scott Stockwell; 2. Dennis Dowell (-12.360 seconds); 3. Cindy Clark (-20.168); 4. John Petsco (-31.797); 5. Robert Leany (-1 lap); 6. Ben Williams (-1 lap); 7. Larry Dowell (-1 lap); 8. Tyler Christensen (-4 laps); 9. T.J. Cotter (-6 laps).
NASCAR Super Late Models 50-lap feature
- Dustin Ash; 2. Justin Johnson (-4.457 seconds); 3. Tyler Fabozzi (-5.841); 4. Scott Gafforini (-11.728); 5. Chris Clyne (-14.800); 6. Warren Knipper (-1 lap); 7. Johnny Spilotro (-1 lap); 8. David Anderson (-1 lap); 9. Kayli Barker (-2 laps); 10. Charlie Pike (-3 laps); 11. Dee Cable (-42 laps).
USLCI Legends 25-lap feature
- Jason Irwin; 2. Jaron Giannini (-2.272 seconds); 3. John Hans (-3.187); 4. Dezel West (-3.474); 5. Jordan Holloway (-5.028); 6. Andy Hulcy (-5.727); 7. Brian Williams (-5.956); 8. Enzo Lalama (-6.910); 9. Amilleo Thomson (-7.754); 10. Jeff Regier (-10.258); 11. Gary Wegener (-11.610); 12. Cody Brown (-13 laps); 13. Bruce Silver (-13 laps); 14. Dylan Fabozzi (DQ).
NASCAR Bombers 25-lap feature
- Vinny Raucci Jr.; 2. Adam Simon (-.860 of a second); 3. Jacob Quartaro (-1.746); 4. Michael Miller (-3.136); 5. Pete Meyer (-4.592); 6. Michael Durbin (-5.534); 7. Justin Griffiths (-6.407); 8. Carl Duryee (-7.274); 9. Tim Maserang (-8.728); 10. Tom Vanderploeg (-10.020); 11. Matthew Cunningham (-10.718); 12. Steve Durbin (-16.885); 13. Kyle Jacks (-1 lap); 14. Steve Dewey (-1 lap); 15. Anthony Mann (-6 laps); 16. Kirk Hance (-6 laps); 17. Tia Guy (-6 laps).
NASCAR 602 Modifieds 35-lap feature
- Jason Irwin; 2. Ron Reed (-2.736 seconds); 3. Brian Reed (-4.208); 4. Doug Hamm (-8.220); 5. Zachery Nicholls (-9.370); 6. Pat Petrie (-10.728); 7. Kyle Keller (-11.071); 8. Jason Kiser (-11.622); 9. Jimmy Petrie (-1 lap); 10. Tom Pfundstein (-1 lap); 11. Mason Sargent (-1 lap); 12. Dan Root Jr. (-3 laps); 13. Court Connell (-30 laps).
Thunder Cars (Friday)
- Chris Bosley; 2. Doug Germano (-2.311 seconds).