SOD Merritt Speedway results

"Downtown" Davey Brown from Eaton Rapids, MI took his second Sprints On Dirt feature victory of the year at Merritt Speedway. "Gregg (Dalman) seemed to have us covered there, but having problems is a part of racing as well." Stated Brown in victory lane. "It is great to be here in the winners circle at Merritt Speedway. This is not very far from where I grew up, and this place has always been one of my favorites. I need to thank Engine Machine Service, and Max's Race shop, along with my crew, Tiny, Dad and Corey."

Brown would start the feature on the pole position next to SOD rookie contender Tom Miller. At the drop of the green, Brown would get the jump and lead the field in to turn one. Miller would tuck in behind to hold on to second, with Gregg Dalman and Bill Johnson close behind. The first caution came out on lap three for the stopped sprinter of Wayne Morrison. A rear end that kept jumping out of gear would end his evening. The restart, Brown would again set the pace, but Dalman would take the second position away from Miller one lap later and set sail after Brown.

On lap eight, the leaders would encounter lapped traffic, which would allow Dalman to close in on Brown. One lap later, Dalman would get a nose under Brown in turn two, and then would take the point in turn three. As Dalman took the top position away, Fred Bliss began to work his way forward, and would pass Miller for the third position on lap 10. As the top three continued to work lapped traffic, SOD points leader Dustin Daggett and Jason Blonde began to move forward from their mid pack starting positions. By lap 20, Daggett had moved past Miller to claim fourth, while Blonde would take fifth on the 22nd lap.

The battle for the top position was beginning to take shape as the Brown and Bliss began to close in on Dalman. Then disaster would strike Dalman on lap 25, as he would roll to a stop in turn one. Dalman would take his sprinter pit side ending his evening. The lap 25 restart would have Brown up front with Bliss and Daggett close behind. Then one lapped car would separate Blonde, Johnson and Miller from the top three. The final laps would show Brown's strength in the open track, as he would slowly pull away from Bliss to take his second win of the season. Bliss would come home second. "I thought we might have a shot at him in lapped traffic." Bliss would claim in front of a Merritt Speedway capacity crowd. "The yellows seemed to fall for Davey (Brown) perfect. But he crossed the line first, and we will be happy with second."

Daggett would come home third and increase his points lead. Blonde and Johnson would round out the top five. Ronnie Beale, Joe Bares, Brian Carrick, John Gall, and Miller would be the top ten. In heat race action, Bliss would grab the B&B Oval Track Supply heat, while Bill Johnson took the Kear's Speed Shop heat. The Goodyear Racing Tire heat would have the 62 of Jon Nichoson making contact with another sprinter that sent Nichoson flipping in the fourth turn. A borrowed wing for the Daggett Racing Team would allow Nichoson to continue. Houghton Lake driver Mark Carrick would win the third heat. The final heat race would start off similar to the last, as Ken Quimby would drive over the left rear of Jim Wohlfiel sending Quimby flipping off of the third turn. Quimby would walk away uninjured, but his car would be retired for the evening. John Gall would win the Brodix Cylinder Heads heat race.

Up next for the SOD sprinters will be a trip to Owendale Speedway in Owendale, MI on Saturday August 23. Gates open at 3:00, hot laps at 6:00, and racing at 7:30. For more information, log on to the official SOD web site at http://www.sprintsondirt.com

Summary

24 Cars

B&B Oval Track Supply Heat Race, 8 Laps, Top 4 to A-main: (No Time) 1) 15 Fed Bliss 2) 3b Ronnie Beale 3) 2x Mike Galajda 4) 96m Brian Carrick 5) 9h Gary Hayward 6) p46 Frank Taylor

Kear's Speed Shop Heat Race: (1:52.082) 1) 13 Davey Brown 2) 33 Bill Johnson 3) 18 Mark Irwin 4) 19 Joe Bares 5) 99 Wayne Morrison 6) 54 Dain Naida

Goodyear Racing Tire Heat Race: (No Time) 1) 69 Mark Carrick 2) 85 Dustin Daggett 3) 49t Gregg Dalman 4) 56 Jason Curlis 5) 5k Eric Curry 6) 62 John Nichoson

Brodix Cylinder Heads Heat Race: (1:56.909) 1) 81 John Gall 2) 10 Jason Blonde 3) t10 Tom Miller 4) 3w Jim Wohlfiel 5) 4e Jay Edwards 6) 9q Ken Quimby

Michigan Engine Pro B-Main, 8 Laps, Top 4 to A-main: (1:55.653) 1) 99 Wayne Morrison 2) 9h Gary Hayward 3) p46 Frank Taylor 4) 5k Eric Curry 5) 62 Jon Nichoson 6) 54 Dain Naida 7) 4e Jay Edwards 8) 9q Ken Quimby (dns)

Sprints On Dirt A-Main, 30 Laps: (No Time) 1) 13 Davey Brown 2) 15 Fred Bliss 3) 85 Dustin Daggett 4) 10 Jason Blonde 5) 33 Bill Johnson 6) 3b Ronnie Beale 7) 19 Joe Bares 8) 96m Brian Carrick 9) 81 John Gall 10) t10 Tom Miller 11) 3w Jim Wohlfiel 12) 69 Mark Carrick 13) 9h Gary Hayward 14) 2x Mike Galajda 15) 5k Eric Curry 16) p46 Frank Taylor 17) 49t Gregg Dalman 18) 18 Mark Irwin 19) 56 Jason Curlis 20) 99 Wayne Morrison

Lap Leaders: Davey Brown 1-9, 26-30, Gregg Dalman 10-25
B&B Oval Track Supply Award Winner: Jon Nichoson
Kear's Speed Shop Hard Luck Award: Ken Quimby
Rose City Motors Front Row Challenge Winner: ($875) Not Accepted
Frankland Racing Supply Award Winner: Jason Curlis
High Vista Video Hard Charger: Jason Blonde +8
All Pro Cylinder Heads Rookie of the Race: Tom Miller

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