Joe Mersdorf's death and a campfire mishap send shockwaves around Martinsville Speedway. Both Geer-5 entries are adorned with Mersdorf's logo, and the inferno has dissipated to ash. It's time to go racing! Tony Pizzaro earns his first pole of the year, with points contenders Zakk Miller and Ken Pettit starting outside the top-15.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

A field of 43 rampaged across the start-finish line! Drivers Jonathan Skrabacz, Geno Sphere, Chauncey Redmond Jr., Rob Scarberry, Michael Henson and Jimmie Stevens look for a top-25 finish to keep their full-time status in line. Up front, Pizzaro holds off Bink Lucas, Matt Raboin and miracle-man Rod Weston, earning his first career top-3 starting spot.

Bink Lucas took the lead away from Pizzaro on lap-92, ensuring his status as top-dog at Lifesaver Racing. Teammate Jimmie Stevens plowed his way from 35th to 18th, hoping for both drivers to earn a top-10 result. Just 25 laps into Bink's domination, his engine shattered, sending flash-waves of engine debris onto the racetrack. He would finish 42nd on the day, with Dalton Lucas suffering the same fate just 36 laps in.

Among the casualties included William Perry, Dan Johnston and Dave Miller, all suffering from the engine bug. Perry would end his streak of top-10 finishes, with Johnston's inverted Bret Saberhagen impression (top-20's in even-numbered races; bad finishes in odd-numbered races) still in tact. Miller dropped from 5th to 8th in the standings with his 39th place effort. Pizzaro continued to lead throughout, with a consistent top-5 of Matt Raboin, Alex Crapser, Jeremy Hebel and John Tharp.

A flat tire dropped Pizzaro to the back after a Rick Jackson and Mark Heron crash brought out the caution. Matt Raboin led the field to the green, failing to clear the two lapped Solomon-Tark entries with rookie Jeremy Hebel and Alex Crapser ready to pounce. Hebel took the advantage on lap 204 prior to a plethora of accidents.

A crash between good friends David Butterworth and Donald Stewart began the constellation of carnage. The halfway-point blues saw five accidents; three involving three-time Champion Timothy McDonnell. He would manage to finish 32nd despite the devastation, finishing the race in a tin lizzie. Drivers who failed to survive were early-race dominator Tony Pizzaro, Mark Heron and Logan Sheets.

The lead shuffled between Hebel, Molemar Diggs, Jimmie Stevens and Dakota Wilkins during the carousel of caution flags. Zach Michael came out the victor, inheriting the top-spot before the next green-flag stint. Stevens managed to lead the halfway bacon bonus, leaving Donald Stewart, Logan Sheets, Rob Scarberry, Geno Sphere, Jonathan Skrabacz, Rod Weston and Ziggy Moonglow as the only drivers without a lap led on the season.

Zach Michael pulled to a 1.5-second advantage over Jimmie Stevens before lapped-traffic clogged the passageway to victory. Rookie's Jeremy Hebel and Molemar Diggs passed the #2 "Ampio" entry and caught Michael with 150 laps-to-go. Hebel made the pass, with Michael and Diggs battling maniacally for second place before green flag pit stops.

The Coca-Cola pit crew put Zach Michael back on top, with Jimmie Stevens passing both rookies en route for his second stint at the lead. Both he and Hebel would pass Michael just before a Jonathan Skrabacz spin brought out the caution. Nobody could make in it on fuel from here, leaving crew chiefs to strategize the timing of their final stop.

Zach Michael pulverized underneath Stevens and Hebel within 10-laps of the restart, inheriting his best set of tires and taking the lead with 90 laps-to-go. Hebel and Matt Raboin kept within two-seconds of the #20, with a short-pit strategy from Stevens pulling him just a few car-lengths behind. The final stops finally cycled through. Michael would pull away from the pack as the field stayed green, earning the victory in Burger King Whopper style!

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