It was a back-and-forth battle, but Danny Bohn got the best of Brandon Ward on Saturday.
Bohn won Saturday’s Ortega 100, the final 100-lap race of the season in the Brad’s Golf Car’s Modified Series. The race was extended due to caution, and Bohn defeated runner-up Brandon Ward, third-place Tim Brown, Jonathan Brown, and Junior Snow.
“Well, 100-lappers give you a chance to race,” Bohn said. “And obviously it’s a draw. Thank God because I qualified like crap tonight. I knew Brandon’s got a really good car, and then we drew the pole, and I was, ‘Heck, it’s my race to lose.’
“I almost lost it, but it was just one of them nights, man. It was just, we raced hard, and I’m glad to finally get back into Victory Lane.”
The top four qualifiers were Burt Myers, Jason Myers, Lee Jeffreys, and Tim Brown. It was a full-field redraw, but each of those four drivers had the option of taking the Fans’ Challenge and going to the back of the field. If they chose to start in the rear and battled back to a top-four finish, they would win the $12,000 prize pool.
Burt Myers, Jason Myers, and Lee Jeffreys all elected to start in the rear for a chance at the $12,000.
After the redraw, Bohn sat on the pole, followed by Luke Fleming, Kyle Southern, and Brandon Ward.
“It was a really, really good car early on,” Ward said. “Early in the race, it was spot-on. I couldn’t have asked for anything any better. Really after six or seven laps on those restarts it would just set sail. It just took me five or six laps (to sit down). The back of the car was sitting on top of the race track, just sliding across the middle and up off for under throttle in the restarts and for about five or six laps.”
On one of the final restarts after Kyle Southern and Daniel Beeson slid into the barrier in the corner around turn 4, Bohn and Ward were side-by-side. Ward went past him and led until the next restart on lap 94.
“Over here, you don’t get a lot of green-flag runs,” Ward said. “And we know that. So, we’ve got a little bit of work to do.”
During the restart on what was supposed to be six laps remaining, Bohn fired past Ward and led from there.
“I had to take offense and get up on the wheel and get that back,” Bohn said. “If I would’ve given that race up I never would’ve heard the end of it. I’m glad finally everything worked out.”
“Restarts are key here and I let him get me the one time. I wasn’t going to let him get me another time,” Bohn said. “So, just learned from it and adjusted my restart a little bit, and it worked out.”
Of course a great deal of attention was on the three contenders for the Fans’ Challenge prize pool. Burt Myers moved to sixth just before the end of the race. He was trying to slide by points leader Chris Fleming around turn one, but the two cars bumped and Burt Myers hit the fence. Burt Myers took offense and made is displeasure known to Fleming during the caution.
Burt Myers finished ended up finishing 19th. Jason Myers, Burt’s younger brother, finished sixth, and Jeffreys finished eighth, which meant that no driver would claim the prize pool.
Also, Fleming started the night 13 points ahead of Tim Brown for first place in the points race. Tim Brown finished third and Chris Fleming finished seventh, which meant the gap is now trimmed to five points.
The first 20-lap race in the McDowell Heating & Air Sportsman race was a duel between Michael Adams and Riley Neal.
Michael Adams used the lapped car of Chris Massie on the final lap to fend off Neal for this fifth win of the season and his 28thof his career.
“I’ve got to thank all my guys, man,” Adams said. “This car — it wasn’t very good in practice. They changed everything on my car. It was 100% better.”
Nate Gregg finished third, Justin Taylor was fourth, and Chase Robertson was fifth.
“I want to thank Riley Neal. Riley’s the real deal,” Adams said. “He’s good and he runs me clean. I’ll run him the same way next time.”
Zack Ore finished 10thin the first 20-lap Sportsman race, but he won the second 20-lap race.
Ore held off runner-up Billy Gregg, followed by Amber Lynn, and Sterling Plemmons.
“I can’t thank my crew enough,” Ore said. “I messed up a clutch in practice. We didn’t know if we were going to get back over here tonight…All my crew, we worked hard to put this car back together. I tore it all to pieces in the first race. That was totally my fault. But we came back and we showed we’ve still got speed in this car.”
Things can’t be any tighter in the points race in the Law Offices of John Barrow Street Stock Series. Before Saturday’s race, there was a three-way tie for first place with Christian Joyce, Austin Jones, and Brad Lewis.
Christian Joyce won Saturday’s race, his third win of the season, followed by runner-up Jones and third-place Brad Lewis. Donnie Martin finished fourth and Bryan Sykes Jr. was fifth.
Joyce started second, but he took the lead on lap 10 after he passed Craig Hartless.
Joyce’s win gives him a two-point lead over Jones with two weeks left, and a four-point over Lewis.
In the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series “A” race, Brandon Brendle dominated for his fourth win of the season.
Chuck Wall was second, followed by Isaac Harris and Brandon Crotts.
“I’d like to get two more of these checkered flags, honestly,” Brendle said with two weeks remaining in the season. “I think we’re on to something. We’ve got a hot rod. I want some more.”
Billy Cameron Jr. won the Stadium Stock “B” race after a green-white checkered finish.
Cameron defeated runner-up Ricky Wall and third-place Zac Cameron.
“I’ve been giving everybody else opportunities the last year or two. I gave Isaac (Harris) a chance this year. He’s running,” Billy Cameron Jr. said. “And this is another car I’ve got for sale. That’s the way I had to drive tonight.”
Next week is the penultimate week of the season. Racing is highlighted by the Colors Edge Sportsman 100 in the McDowell Heating & Air Series, which was rained out last week.
Qualifying results from last week will stand and they’ll use a double-file restart with the cone.
In addition, there will be twin 25-lap races in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series. After the first race there will be the “Madhouse Scramble” where they will invert the field after the winning driver in the first race pulls out either 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16. There will also be a 20-lap race in the Law Offices of John Barrow Street Stock Series, and there will be either one or two 15-lap races in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series.
The night will also include the Classic Modifieds and the Midway Mobile Storage Skid Race.
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