ASA/NSRA Sp‏rintcar Tour Diamond Cup 6-4 and 6-5

By BZ ZELLER

 

   Justin Mack recorded a 40-Lap Main win Friday night, a second-place 50-Lap Main finish Saturday night at Meridian, Idaho Speedway and garnered enough points to take the 2010 Diamond Cup Ring home to Benton City, Wash.

   The Northwest Sprintcar Racing Association tour driver piloted his white with green No. 17 at the front of the field all weekend and also capitalized on some fortunate track positions. Mack started both features on the outside of the front row and darted to the lead on both initial green flags.

   “I might be the luckiest guy on earth,” Mack said following the announcement prior to the second day’s feature. “This track (Meridian) is such a bull ring. You’re passing chances are pretty much nil to none.”

   Mack led Friday’s feature wire-to-wire and returned to the speedway Saturday to lead the first 45 circuits before yielding the lead to victor Mike Murgoitio. After beginning the Main from inside the third row, the former United States Auto Club racer moved past pole sitter Randy Dubois on Lap 31. Murgoitio, No. 80, who finished eighth Friday night, found an opening inside of Mack as he powered through Turn 4.

   “I knew I was faster and I had just been biding my time and being patient,” Murgoitio said. “When he went wide, I didn’t hesitate. His car was smoking and for me that was like blood for a shark.”

   Mack conceded that the extra ten laps on Saturday didn’t bode well for his car.

   “I was losing handling in the car, I knew we were smoking in the turns and I got in a ‘lil hot (Lap 45, Turn 4). (Murgoitio) capitalized and there wasn’t much I could do about it.”

   Two-time defending NSRA champ Matt Hein earned consecutive third place finishes. The Roseburg, Ore., white No. 98 racer started sixth on Friday and eighth Saturday and completed the weekend events second to Mack in tour points.

   NSRA’s 2007 champion, Andy Alberding finished the weekend Mains in tenth and fifth respectively. Although the No. 76 Dar-Dan Racing Team didn’t have a top finish, the Winston, Ore., driver did make his Meridian mark by setting the track record with a time of 11.157 seconds. Alberding was the fast qualifier both days, which coupled with his bad luck of drawing invert cards (10 of spades both times) forced him to start near the rear of the quarter-mile oval.

   Jeff Montgomery, Victoria, British Columbia, won A Dashes on consecutive nights and Matt Mansell, Victoria, British Columbia, and Chris Adams, Idaho, each received a B Dash trophy.

   NSRA teenage sensation Sierra Jackson, Middleton, Idaho, recorded a fourth place finish Saturday after her fifth placing on Friday. Chris Ratteree, Nampa, Idaho, had his best showing Friday night, placing second. Jeff Bird, B.C., was fourth on Friday.

   There were 21 entrants on Friday and 20 on Saturday. Brad Weiss, Enumclaw, Wash., suffered heavy damage to his No. 6 car during the first lap of Friday’s feature and was not able to compete Saturday. Boise’s Dave Perry did not reenter his No. 26 on Saturday. Adams only raced on Day 2.

   Murgoitio announced after his win that he will be donating his winnings to the Travis Ruts Foundation. The Langley, B.C, dirt-track sprint car driver was seriously injured last September when he crashed while racing in Indiana.

 

June 4th Results
QUAL			A Dash	B Dash		MAIN
76	11.410		33j	14		17
25z	11.57		7	56		18
7	11.61		25z	44		98h
33j	11.61		76	4		92
25j	11.62					25j
98h	11.64		Heat 1	Heat 2		14j
92	11.65		80	23v		99
99	11.66		4	26		80
18	11.69		98h	14m		25z
17	11.81		18	25j		76
44	11.9		7	99		14m
4	11.94		77	25z		56
56	11.97		11	44DNF		77
14m	12					44
77	12.02		Heat 3			11
14J	12.02		14j			23v
26	12.12		17			4
80	12.17		33j			33j
6	12.22		56			7
23v	12.34		6			26
11	12.88		92			6DNF
			76

 

June 5th Results
QUAL			A Dash	B Dash		Main
76	11.157		33j	4a		80
14m	11.283		98h	7		17
33j	11.304		14m	17		98h
98h	11.315		76	4m		25j
80	11.357					76
92	11.360		Heat 1	Heat 2		25z
14j	11.412		99	17		18
77	11.449		44	18		99
25z	11.484		33j	80		33j
4m	11.535		7	56		92
17	11.535		25z	77DNF		44
7	11.608		92	14DNF		4m
4a	11.627			11DNF		14j
18	11.645					56
44	11.704		Heat 3			7
25j	11.726		25j			4a
56	11.742		4a			23v
99	11.783		14j			11
23v	11.866		76
11	12.280		4m
			98h
			23v