Night number two of the first annual Sunflower Showdown at Lakeside Speedway near Kansas City saw an overflowing pit area and plenty of action on a warm and breezy night. Nearly an inch of rain during the morning hours was partly to blame for having to find new spaces for cars to park, but it was the overall car count that caused the welcomed problem.
With the top six drivers in points from Wednesday's opener already locked in for Saturday night's $10,000-to-win finale there were forty-two USMTS/USRA Modifieds in action tonight with six more drivers slated to make the big show based upon overall points for the evening. Terry Phillips and Ryan Gustin would bring the twenty-eight car field to green for tonight's twenty-lap main event with Phillips racing away to the lead. As the field worked through turns three and four on the opening lap though, the fourth-place car of Darron Fuqua spun sideways off the cushion and down the race track where he was first hit by Johnny Scott and then a split second later when Logan Martin joined the fray Fuqua's car went up and over one and a half times. The melee eliminated four cars overall and after the clean up that included the burn off of spilled fuel, the field went back to green.
This time it was Gustin who would take the point as former teammates Terry Phillips and Jeremy Payne raced for second and when the caution waved for debris on lap for those two would line up side-by-side behind the leader for the restart. As the green flag returned Payne drove deep into turn one, slid up the track to shut the door on Gustin and take the lead while Phillips soon followed him into second. The chase was on from there and nobody was going to catch the Arizona native who now calls Springfield, Missouri, home as Jeremy Payne cruised the rest of the 20-lap distance to take the preliminary night victory. Phillips would come home second, Jason Hughes made a big run to third after starting fourteenth, Gustin would hold down fourth and newly crowned USMTS Champion Rodney Sanders finished where he started in fifth.
Tonight was the main event for the three other divisions in action with the USRA B-Modifieds racing for a $2,000 top prize while both the Factory Stocks and the Grand Nationals were aiming at a $1,200 winner's check. The Grand Nationals were up first as 2013 Lakeside track champion Gary Donaldson assumed the early lead, Austin Johnson was cruising on the cushion though and drove to the lead on lap three. A caution on lap eight brought the field back together and on the restart Johnson bobbled in turn two allowing Donaldson to regain the lead. Bud Wilson gradually worked his way up to second and was within striking distance with four laps remaining when a soon to be lapped car spun in front of Donaldson on the exit of turn two causing the leaders to take evasive action. The caution bunched the field one last time and Wilson again went to work on Donaldson over the final four laps. As they raced into turns three and four for the final time using the low line Wilson was able to pull even with the leader, but the momentum off of the top side carried Donaldson to the victory by just less than a car-length. Don Marrs would finish in the third spot, Darren Kling moved from tenth to fourth and Austin Johnson competed the top five.
Wednesday night's winner Yancy Shepard would bring the B-Mod field to the green, but it was his fellow font row starter Brad Smith who vault to the race lead. Mike Higley would soon pick up the chase in second before the caution waved as contact between J.C. Morton and Mason Daughters left both cars stalled on the track. Smith continued to lead following the restart as Higley stalked him and with ten laps remaining Higley made a bid to the inside of turn three. Smith repelled the challenge as Higley regrouped and two laps later Higley again made a bid to the inside of Smith in turn three and the challenger pushed it just a bit too hard as he spun the car and brought out the caution with eight laps to go. Aaron Marrant was now in second and on the restart he tried to pull off the mother of all sliders in turn three sliding all the way up the racetrack and smacking the wall flush with the right side of the car. Somehow Marrant was able to continue although Smith drove back by him to the lead and eventually the win. Tim Karrick was able to move past Marrant over the final laps to take second, northeast Iowa driver Troy Hovey made a late charge to finish fourth after starting in row nine but Jake Richards was the true hard charger coming from the twelfth and final row to finish fifth.
The 20-lap Factory Stock headliner was marred by two multi-car accidents on the back straightaway and while there was a bunch of damage to the race cars thankfully all the drivers involved escaped injury. The first crash happened on the second lap and involved eight cars and then following a mid-race restart a wild accident at the pit entrance saw Mark Carter's car for a wild series of flips while Joe Smith Jr.'s car wound up on his roof outside of the turn three wall wedged up against the Christy's Tasty Queen sign. Under green flag conditions this year's track champion Brett Heeter was able to fight off challenges from Jerry Schmidt to take the win. Tyler Seifert finished in the third spot while Lucas Conley was fourth.
Eleven MLRA Late Models hot lapped during the evening as that division will join the Modifieds both tonight, Friday, and again on Saturday as the Sunflower Showdown continues at Lakeside.
A big thank you to Todd Staley and his entire staff for their hospitality and for putting on an efficient show around the long delays that were required by the multi-car accidents. If you are in the KC area this weekend, make sure you are at Lakeside for more fantastic dirt track action!
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