5/8/2017
NSTA Top Speed Modified Tour
Poole Wins Second Straight with South Bend Dominance
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A great crowd of fans greeted the teams of the NSTA Top Speed Modified Tour as stop number three of the 2017 Kickin’ Asphalt Tour landed at South Bend Motor Speedway for the running of the Silver Hawk 60. It was to be the second consecutive high-banked quarter mile, but South Bend would present a whole series of unique challenges to the drivers.
One driver who seemed to adapt quickest to the high-banked oval was former Series Champion Chad Poole. While the race would see plenty of action throughout the field, Poole, who started on the pole by virtue of the inversion draw, would put on a clinic at the front of the field. Poole utilized his veteran knowledge and adaptability from all his touring experience to put in a clean sweep, leading wire-to-wire, in the feature event.
This was Poole’s second consecutive victory. After dominating two of the smallest tracks on the schedule, and with three more races at similar sized tracks still remaining, Poole’s ability to keep his nose clean and be there at the finish has put his name to the top of the championship discussion.
Mark Timmerman had an eventful evening. Timmerman would come home second after setting fast time, and establishing the track record earlier in the day. On the original start Timmerman faded early hung out in the outside groove, but was able to tenaciously fight his way back up for another top three finish after coming home third at Anderson in April. Jamie Sites had a quiet race as he came home the top rookie of the event. Sites started second overall and was able to consistently hang at the front of the field, a major rebound after unexpectedly missing the race at Anderson and experiencing mechanical trouble earlier in the day.
Buddy Gray ran a career race, earning his best finish in NSTA Top Speed Modified Tour competition. The young driver making the four and a half hour haul from Petoskey, Michigan certainly made it count. The final top five position was claimed by scrappy veteran Damon Breedlove, who marched his way from a 10th place start to lay claim to a top five finish. It was an impressive run after two straight bad luck results for the Greenfield, Indiana pilot.
The next event on the 2017 Kickin’ Asphalt Tour is the one everyone has been talking about: The US National of Short Track Racing at the legendary Bristol Motor Speedway on May 20. Cars from all over the nation are entered for this event and pay-per-view is available through Speed51.
Article Credit: NSTA Racing Staff
Submitted By: John Robbins