{"id":46139,"date":"2019-07-15T10:27:08","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T15:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=46139"},"modified":"2019-07-15T10:27:13","modified_gmt":"2019-07-15T15:27:13","slug":"colorado-driver-claims-top-prize-at-wheatshocker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=46139","title":{"rendered":"Colorado driver claims top prize at Wheatshocker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A night earlier, Jake Bubak needed a few more laps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday night, the sprint car driver from Colorado had\nplenty of laps to work with en route to winning his second Wheatshocker Nationals\ntitle at RPM Speedway in Hays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Rebel Sprint Series\u2019 original big-money feature\nrace is a two-day event that kicks off the annual Ellis County Fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Bubak was able to claim the top prize — $2,000 \u2013 and another\nnew Pit Boss Pellet Grill donated by Lance Pittman of S&W Supply in Hays that\nwent to the top pointer-earner from the two days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bubak became only the second multi-time winner of the event, taking the other crown in 2014. It was his second straight year winning the new grill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEspecially since Lance started donating that grill,\u201d Bubak said about the excitement of taking the win and another grill. \u201cWe\u2019ve won several nights of this and didn\u2019t win (the grill) until last year. To win it back-to-back is really cool. I think we\u2019re the only one other than C.J. (Johnson) to do it, and he\u2019s got the most main event wins in this series. That\u2019s really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bubak started eighth and didn\u2019t crack the top five until lap\n12. In the early going, it was pole-sitter Luke Cranston leading the first six\nlaps before Jed Werner got by him to hold down the top spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jed Werner competes in a heat race Sunday night at RPM Speedway.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was anticipating the bottom to be the place to go,\u201d said\nWerner, a 2018 KAMS graduate at Fort Hays State University. \u201cUp high was fast the\nfirst couple of laps, but then it started to go away and the bottom was where\nit was at. So I just dove in there and was able to get by him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a restart on lap 11, Quinter\u2019s Zach Blurton was able to get by Cranston to slip into second, and on lap 12, Bubak passed Ty Williams to move into fifth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lap later, Bubak slipped by Brian Herbert to sit fourth.\nMeanwhile, Werner had started to distance himself a bit from the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cranston started to fall in the wrong direction, and Bubak\neclipsed him for third on lap 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen they rework the track like that, it\u2019s kind of hard the\nfirst few laps because it\u2019s kind of one-lane,\u201d Bubak said. \u201cBut if they don\u2019t\nrework the track, then it just takes rubber and it\u2019s just follow the leader.\nThankfully they reworked the track and gave us an awesome track.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blurton tried to hold off the hard-charging Bubak, but the\ntwo were nearly even at the end of the 19th<\/sup> lap \u2013 and both were making\nground on Werner at the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two laps later, Bubak used the high line to be neck-and-neck\nwith Werner at the stripe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe did a good job, but the bottom kind of went away a\nlittle bit there and it slowed him down enough,\u201d Bubak said. \u201cLuckily, that\u2019s\nwhere we were.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew he was coming from the beginning,\u201d Werner said. \u201cI\nexpected to see that black-and-green car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, Bubak distanced himself from the field to claim\nthe win. A night earlier, Bubak started eighth as well but didn\u2019t get into\nsecond place behind eventual winner Jeremy Huish until there were only five\nlaps remaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He closed quickly Saturday night as the two were about to\nreach lap traffic, only to have the 25-lap feature end with Huish taking the\ncheckered flag by only a few car lengths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe ran him down really quick once we got to second,\u201d Bubak\nsaid about Saturday night\u2019s race. \u201cThe yellow with five or six to go really\nhurt us because he got in clean air. I was really hoping we would get to lap\ntraffic, but at that point, we couldn\u2019t. Even one more lap I would have liked\nto seen what we could have done. We were close, but he did a great job. They\u2019re\na great family, and it\u2019s really cool to see them get a win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday, though, Bubak reached second with 12 laps\nremaining in the 30-lap feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s real nice. This is the third time in the car and our second\nwin, so it\u2019s really cool,\u201d Bubak said. \u201cHe\u2019s a great car owner, great\nequipment, and it\u2019s just fun to be out here. Thankfully he lets me drive his car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Werner held on to finish second, and Cranston \u2013 who dropped\nto fifth at one point \u2013 rallied back to finish third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Luke Cranston takes the high line around turns one and two during a heat race Sunday night at RPM Speedway in Hays.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was just trying to run the best line that I thought\nlooked good,\u201d Cranston said. \u201cOur car, we had so much fuel in it that it didn\u2019t\nstart working really good until about the last 10 laps. Then it really started working\nwell. But I was just trying to do what I could. I guess it wasn\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cranston said he wished there were a few more laps Sunday\nnight after his car started working well late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think if we would have had a yellow at the end we would\nhave been pretty good,\u201d Cranston said. \u201cI kind of found that the top was taking\na little bit of rubber through there, and I don\u2019t think those guys in front of\nme had found it yet. But we\u2019ve had a hard time getting this car to work on\nslick tracks, so we\u2019ll take third. That\u2019s not bad for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steven Richardson, who started 12th<\/sup> and blew up\nan engine the previous night in the feature, methodically worked his way\nthrough the field to claim fourth. Blurton rounded out the top five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve won quite a few races and been very successful with\nRick Salem\u2019s series and won some ASCS races also,\u201d said Bubak, who was second at\nlast year\u2019s Wheatshocker. \u201cI\u2019m surrounded by great people and have great car\nowners. That\u2019s a huge help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Eddie Belec competes in a modified heat race Sunday at RPM Speedway in Hays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Modifieds<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colorado\u2019s Eddie Belec led the majority of the laps in\nSunday night\u2019s modified feature. But the driver had to rally in the final few\nlaps to snag a victory from veteran racer David Murray Jr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belec grabbed the lead on the first lap and was pressured\nheavily by Murray and Daniel Gottschalk. Gottschalk appeared to take the lead\non an early restart, only to have the yellow flag fly before a lap was\ncomplete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That allowed Belec to reclaim the top spot. But on lap 10,\nMurray was battling Belec for the lead at the stripe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murray edged by him to take the top spot, while Belec held\nsteady in second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 But with three laps\nremaining, Belec used a strong run through turns three and four to sneak by\nMurray. He\u2019d lead the final three laps for the victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murray was second, followed by seventh-starting Tanner Black\nand Gottschalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kyle Pfeifer takes the inside line to get around a pair of drivers during a stock car heat race Sunday night at RPM Speedway in Hays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stocks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several drivers gave the RPM fans a treat in the stock car\nfeature Sunday night, with three different drivers holding the lead at one\npoint in the tight battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick Tubbs led the first four laps before his brother, Jeff\nTubbs, took the lead on lap five. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyle Pfeifer, who started 10th<\/sup>, moved by Nick\nTubbs on lap eight, only to be passed by Mike Petersilie a lap later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The top three battled for several laps before Pfeifer\neventually pulled even with Jeff Tubbs on lap 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lap later, Pfeifer fully had the lead and would hold off\nthe field the rest of the 20-lap feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeff Tubbs was second, followed by Petersilie and B.J. Wagoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jeremy Huish battles Taylor Velasquez for position during a URSS 305 sprint car heat race Saturday night at RPM Speedway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Saturday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

URSS 305 sprints<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ty Williams led for more than half of the race until Jeremy\nHuish got by him on lap 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A caution two laps later would bunch the field up again, but Huish was able to get the jump on the restart and win the first night of the Wheatshocker Nationals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jake Bubak rallied from eighth to take second and was\nclosing in quickly on Huish for the top spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams was third, followed by Koby Walters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Blaine Walt (14w) and Dakota Sproul battle in a Northern sport mod heat race Saturday night at RPM Speedway in Hays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Northern sport mods<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blaine Walt and Dakota Sproul battled for the final eight\nlaps Saturday night, with Walt coming out on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shay Simoneau led the first few laps before Shelby Frye pulled\nalongside him. Walt and Cory McGann would make it a four-way battle on lap four\nbefore Walt dove to the bottom entering turn three and took the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sproul worked his way to second on lap 13 and began\npressuring Walt. After a restart, Sproul slightly edged ahead of Walt at the\nstripe, but Walt came back strong to lead again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two exchanged several slide-jobs before Walt eventually closed\nout the win. Sproul was second, followed by Brett Berry and McGann.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Brady Bencken competes in a hobby stock heat race Saturday night at RPM Speedway in Hays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hobby stocks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took only a few laps for Brady Bencken to gain the lead\nSaturday night, getting by Tristan Grape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Bencken was pressured early for numerous laps by Tathan Burkhart, as the two drove side-by-side through lap 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Burkhart got too high in turn three and lost momentum,\ndropping to fourth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eighth-starting Garrett Hager made his way through the pack\nto move into second with three laps remaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grape was third, followed by Burkhart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Toby Schwien competes in a sport compact heat race Saturday night at RPM Speedway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sport compacts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toby Schwien and Monte Honas battled at the front of the\nfeature Saturday before Schwien claimed the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zach Cardwell was third, followed by Schutte Otto in fourth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Racing returns to RPM Speedway on Aug. 10 with the IMCA\nmodifieds, stocks, sport mods, hobby stocks, sport compacts and cruisers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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