By Lonnie Wheatley
DODGE CITY, Kan. (June 13) – The opening leg of the third annual Lubbock Wrecker Service DCRP 305 Sprint Car Nationals picked up right where the 2018 edition left off, with a pair of Jakes slugging it out for the Thursday night feature win atop the 3/8-mile Dodge City Raceway Park clay oval.
This time, Jake Bubak turned the tables on defending race winner Jake Martens, battling into the lead on the 17th round and racing on to the stripe ahead of Jason Martin and Martens.
“I feel like we got one taken away from us last year. We’re here to win the whole thing this time,” Bubak commented after putting himself atop the point charts and in prime position to secure a lock-in position to Saturday’s $3,000-to-win finale.
Bubak snared IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car honors over a field of 42 entries.
With Bubak pulling the eight in the redraw to start the 25-lap feature outside the fourth row, Martens and Tanner Conn led the way to the green flag.
Martens gunned into the early lead ahead of Conn with Steven Richardson working past Jed Werner for third in the opening handful of laps. Richardson moved in to challenge Conn for second, only to have the right rear wheel come off getting into turn three on the 11th round. Richardson took a tumble that drew the night’s lone red flag but was able to walk away.
Conn went to work on Martens for the lead on the restart and used the high side to take command exiting turn two on the 13th circuit, only to have the move negated by Andy Shouse’s turn four caution.
Conn stumbled on the ensuing restart, losing several positions with Bubak taking over second. Bubak went to work on Martens in short order with the duo swapping the point on the 16th round before Bubak took over for keeps one lap later.
“I was able to find the top early and got going,” Bubak said. “Jake (Martens) was working the bottom really well, I couldn’t make it stick down there so I just used the top.”
After starting 13th, Martin battled past Martens for second on the 21st round with Martens surviving a tap with the turn two wall to hold off Mustang, Oklahoma’s Steven Shebester for third. Shebester was fourth with Jed Werner rounding out the top five.
In the 15-lap IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature, two-time and defending track champion Reagan Sellard raced into the lead on the second round then held off Tathan Burkhart over the final half of the race to take the win by a carlength.
The Lubbock Wrecker Service DCRP 305 Sprint Car Nationals resumes with a second night of preliminary action on Friday, leading the way into Saturday’s championship finale.
Feature Results
RaceSaver Sprint Cars – 1. Jake Bubak; 2. Jason Martin; 3. Jake Martens; 4. Steven Shebester; 5. Jed Werner; 6. Taylor Velasquez; 7. Luke Cranston; 8. Zach Blurton; 9. Tony Bruce Jr.; 10. Tanner Conn; 11. David Luckie; 12. Brian Herbert; 13. Ty Williams; 14. Brandon Anderson; 15. Koby Walters; 16. Ray Seemann; 17. Tracey Hill; 18. Kyler Johnson; 19. Aric Sooter; 20. Bob Schaeffer; 21. Andy Shouse; 22. Steven Richardson.
Hobby Stocks – 1. Reagan Sellard; 2. Tathan Burkhart; 3. Dion Priddy; 4. Matt O’Hair; 5. Duane Wahrman; 6. Danny Schulte; 7. Brett Copeland; 8. Skeets Salazar; 9. Tom Reed; 10. 1Brooke Russell; 11. Brian Thomas; 12. Sheri Berger; 13. Derrick Sprott.