GAS CITY, Ind. — Tyler Hewitt showed everyone he was the boss Friday night at Gas City I-69 Speedway.
Hewitt used the low groove to win the 25-lap Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series non-winged 410 sprint car feature by .313 of a second over a high-groove-flying Thomas Meseraull. The victory is Hewitt’s first in a sprint car.
Matt Westfall used the low groove like Hewitt did and was .026 behind Meseraull at the checkered.
Meseraull started on the pole and led the first six laps before Hewitt slipped under him in turn two for the lead. Despite a yellow on lap 11 and a red on lap 14, Hewitt continued to lead with Meseraull in hot pursuit a few yards higher up the track.
Westfall passed Cole Ketcham on a restart with 14 laps down to move into third, and then got under Meseraull for second coming out of turn four working lap 16. The trio duked it out the rest of the way, and on lap 22 they were three abreast with Hewitt leading, Westfall second and Meseraull third.
The following lap Meserall passed both Hewitt and Westfall in turn four to lead lap 23, but Hewitt passed him back in turn two on the white-flag lap. The two low- groove yellow cars of Hewitt and Westfall took the checkered with Meserall between them in the high lane. Ketcham finished fourth and Garrett Abrams placed fifth in the 20-car field.
Defending champion Matt Hederick started second and led all 20 laps of the United Midget Racing Ass’n three-quarter midget feature despite five caution flags that tightened up the field. Tate Martz placed second. Matt Lux passed Johnny Kringas in turn two on the last lap to nail down third. Kringas was fourth and Brandon Gray finished fifth.
Another new winner at the quarter-mile clay oval was Clayton Bryant, who won the 20-lap UMP modified feature in the Kingsland Motor Company No. 114. He started on the pole and led the whole way despite five yellows that let his rivals draw near. Zeke McKenzie started sixth but passed Dillon Nusbaum on lap 12 to nail down the runner-up honors. Nusbaum, the defending track champion, finished third followed by Jim Mallery. Last week’s winner, Scott Orr, started 16th in the 20-car field but finished fifth.
The bounty on the Headley family in the hornet division remained unclaimed, as James Headley was victorious in that 15-lap feature. He led the first eight laps until his son, James Headley Jr., passed him on the outside in turn four working lap nine. Headley Jr. slowed on the frontstretch on lap 13 with mechanical difficulties, however, and Gage Allen ended up taking the runner-up honors. Jacob Beard finished third, Alyssa Clark placed fourth and Joey Eastes finished fifth.
Andy Bishop powered by polesitter J.J. Nordman on the outside in turn tow working lap three and then dominated the rest of the 12-lap street stock feature with the Thompson Trucking No. 14 for his sixth victory of the year. Nordman finished second followed by Mike Fincher. The winner’s son, Dalton Bishop, competed in his first stock car race and placed fourth. Larry Persinger was fifth.