High-horsepower madness envelops the Michigan faithful. A close points race for the top-10 adds to the excitement, with most of the top-20 starting up towards the front. Points leaders Ryan Heuser and Timothy McDonnell grid second and third, with Marlboro man Dave Miller clinching his Bud-Shootout birth with the pole.
Race Results
Points Standings
Race Recap
The green flag waved in sheer euphoria as the 46-car field flew under the stand and across the starting line. Dave Miller dominated the entire run, with only a charge from Ryan Heuser and Alex Crapser but to no avail. Drivers were attempting to hog the dominant middle-lane in both corners, making it easy to lose multiple spots if stuck on the bottom.
Logan Sheets entered Michigan 61 points ahead of the chase cutoff. A blown left-front tire on lap 22 sent his car down the racetrack off of turn-2, clipping the Dan Johnston car and into the outside wall. Jonathan Skrabacz slammed into his left-front, sending both into a spin in front of the back-third of the field. Michael Henson slammed into the #48 while the rest of the pack made it through unscathed. Henson would finish 36th, with Skrabacz and Sheets limping to 32nd and 34th. Sheets would drop to 10th in the standings, only 43 points ahead of 11th place Ken Pettit.
It was more of the same at the front of the pack. Bids for the lead between Matthew Dominique and Alex Crapser were unsuccessful, with the #90 keeping the pace up front. This green flag stint would only continue for a few laps.
A monster crash starting with contact between Randy Dobbins and Steven Spears brought out the caution on lap 30. Dobbins bounced off the wall, clipping Markell Murphy after the impact. The Red Bull machine was tagged by Ben Geer and Joe Polson before Dalton Lucas pulverized his passenger-side, devouring the #88's front end while Markell flew miraculously in the air. He would spin 11 times overall, stopping on the frontstretch apron. Both drivers were okay despite the devastation. Markell would drop from 48-points behind the chase cutoff to 117, 17th in the standings.
Six drivers stayed out on old tires, with Alex Crapser taking the green at the helm. He would remain there through lap 40, before Matt Raboin took the top-spot. Both drivers come in within 70 points of 10th in the standings, each earning their five bonus points early. Before long, Dave Miller was back up front.
Lap 57 saw Rick Jackson attempt to take the lead away. He failed, with the outside grip too strong and giving the second-place advantage to Matthew Dominique. Two lap later, the #25 took the top-spot away, staying there for seven circuits before losing the lead to Zach Michael.
Michael started the event in 46th place, only needing 65 laps to make his way to the front. Lap 77 saw Dave Miller take the lead back for the third time, easily the most dominating car of the race while his two teammates barely nip at the top-10. All six drivers who stayed out on the previous caution came in to pit, only for a debris caution to trap them a lap down. Alex Crapser, William Perry, Matt Raboin, Mark Heron, Aaron Cummings and Jonatnan Skrabacz all go down a lap in the process.
Miller, Johnny Reed Foley, Zach Michael, Cristian Torres and Bink Lucas all take turns at the helm before a devastating crash on lap 140. Tony Pizzaro was in fourth position when his engine annihilated spinning in his own oil directly in the racing line. Dan Johnston slammed the rear of the #12, causing he and Jimmie Stevens to pile up against the outside turn-3 wall. Scott Drake pulverized the left-front of Pizzaro's car, spinning into Philip Parker and Johnny Reed Foley. Miraculously, none of these drivers were seriously hurt in the accident.
Bink Lucas has pulled off another masterful performance during the mid-summer stretch, leading most of the laps between lap 100 through lap 150. It his his fifth race led in his last six events after starting the season with only four total. He lost the top-spot to Zach Michael on lap 149 as he, John Battista and the Jackson cousins made their attempt at the victory.
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