 LITTLE
ROCK, AR (September 15-16) -- Travis Senter, Jr. won the inaugural 600
Nationals presented by Hoosier Tire Saturday night at I-30 Speedway. The win
earned the Osceola, AR driver a whopping $10,000 for the top finish in the
600cc Micro division. Senter started fourth and rocketed into the lead on the
very first lap en route to winning the 30-lap feature. The record payout attracted
126 drivers from across the country--each one vying for one of the 24 coveted
starting positions in the $10,000-to-win event. Indiana's own Nate Lauderbaugh
also made the nearly 700-mile trip to Arkansas for the event. Lauderbaugh did
extremely well finishing in second place among the 126 participants. All the
drivers raced on Hoosier tires manufactured in Indiana.
A series of heat and last chance races were contested with "passing
points" used in part to set the 24-car field for Saturday's finale. The
top six drivers from Friday's feature battled it out in a 6-lap Dash-for-Cash
race to set the first three rows for the $10,000-to-win feature.
The nine (10-lap) heat race winners included; Cody Gardner, Donnie Ray
Crawford, Rusty Pipes, Stan Yockey, Austin Laskey, Montie Frey, Jr., Matt
Covington, Kara King and Kevin Bayer.
In the 6-lap Dash for Cash which set the first three rows for the finale,
Nate Lauderbaugh was the winner followed by Ben Murphy, Chris Lloyd, Travis
Senter, Jr., Scott Sawyer and Eric Wright.
Winners in the five (12-lap) Qualifiers which set the final 18 starting
spots included; Taryn Laskey, Scott Smith, Matt Covington, Travis Unglert and
Tim Dietz.
In the 30-lap feature, Travis Senter, Jr., starting fourth, wasted no time
taking the lead on the very first lap. Despite several challenges and caution
periods, Senter led flag-to-flag en route to the $10,000 win. Nate Lauderbaugh
settled for second place followed by sixth starting Eric Wright from Tennessee.
Ben Murphy finished in fourth place followed by Kevin Bayer, Austin Laskey,
Jerrod Wilson, Tim Dietz, Brian Roseman and Ryan Greth in fifth through tenth,
respectively. Wilson earned an additional $500 for winning the Hard Charger
award given to the driver who advanced the most positions. Wilson started 23rd
en route to his seventh place finish.
All the competitors raced on Hoosier racing tires. Hoosier Tire South-Dirt
Oval was the Hoosier distributor that provided tires for the two-day event.
Trackside sales and service was provided by their dealer--Mid-State Golf Cars.
James and Karen Goodson and their three kids J.T., Aston and Leah serviced the
event from Mid-States Golf Cars.
Hoosier Product Manager Neil Cowman has been able to apply the same
compounds and technology to the micro sprint tire line that have been used in
the World of Outlaws Series which has seen the Hoosier brand go undefeated in
61 races this year. Hoosier is seeking its seventh consecutive championship in
the series and has compiled a phenomenal 417-12 record in the World of Outlaws
Series over the past 5 seasons.
By all accounts, the 600 Nationals were a resounding success and
congratulations go out to all those who helped make the inaugural event a
memorable one.
For more information about the event, you can visit www.600nationals.com.
|
