State Fair Speedway race report 2001-08-14

All Star Sprint Results - State Fair Speedway - Tue. 8/14/01

SEDALIA, MO - It looked as though Kenny Jacobs would settle for a runner-up finish, but the two time and defending All Star series champion saw lapped cars come to his aid on the final lap of the feature as he won his second consecutive Thunder Through the Plains event as the O'Reilly National Championship Racing Association and the All Star Circuit of Champions sprint cars competed at State Fair Motor Speedway Tuesday night.

Current All Star points leader Chad Kemenah and Billy Wilburn started on the front row for the 30-lap feature with Kemenah taking the lead as the green flag fell. Wilburn fell into second with Jacobs third, Wayne Johnson fourth and Gary Wright fifth after the first lap was completed. Jacobs quickly moved into the runner-up position one lap later and set his sights on Kemenah, who had quickly built up a 15 car length advantage. Third starting All Star rookie contender Travis Rilat, who fell back to sixth at the start of the race, moved back up to fourth on lap five and moved past Wilburn for third one lap later. The leaders began entering lapped traffic for the first time on lap six, allowing Jacobs to close to within four car lengths. But Kemenah worked through the lapped cars with ease and at the midway point held a six car length advantage. Rilat continued in third position, holding off W. Johnson and Wright. W. Johnson and his strong top five run would come to an end two laps later when he brought Fred and Jo Threatt's F&J Construction sprinter to a stop at the top of turn four with a flat right rear tire. He would restart at the tail of the field but would not be a factor the rest of the night.

On the restart, Kemenah used a lapped car between him and Jacobs to quickly open a 15 car length lead. The race stayed that way for the next four laps before the leaders began approaching lapped traffic once again, this time on lap 22. But the final caution would give him the clear track he needed as Calvin Landis came to a stop on the backstretch.

The final restart saw Jacobs on the leaders' rear bumper but Kemenah powered his way back up to a 10 car length advantage before entering lapped traffic on lap 27. The allowed Jacobs to quickly close the gap to five car lengths as both drivers drove the top of the track to work around the back markers. Kemenah looked to have the feature in control with two laps to go but Jacobs, who came into the night second in All Star points, got a run on the leader in turns three and four and out dragged Kemenah down the front stretch and powered his way underneath to take the lead with one lap to go. Kemenah tried one last attempt to retake the lead in traffic on the back straightaway but it was all for not as Jacobs held on for the five car length victory.

"The only thing I could hope for was lapped traffic," said Jacobs, standing beside the Jacobs/Honecker Racing Maxim in victory lane. "He (Kemenah) got just a little bit high in turn four and I got by him."

Rilat held on for third with eight time and defending NCRA champion Wright coming home fourth. Twelfth starting Danny Smith worked his way up through the field and challenged Wright for fourth the final six laps but settled with a fifth place finish.

With a 36 car field on hand, The K-T Equipment Rental heat went to Jason Johnson, the JB Enterprises heat to Zach Chappell, Kerry Madsen won the Crown Battery heat and Landis won the Engler Tool and Machine heat. Brooke Tatnell and his Court Grandstaff owned Trop Artic 66 sprinter passed Wilburn with one lap to go to win the 12-lap B feature. Wright finished third with Christi Passmore rounding out the top four. It was a pretty hairy moment for Barry Ruble in the B main when his left rear tire shredded on the frontstretch, spinning him around in front of traffic. He kept it off the wall and upright, and everyone avoided him.