4/30/2023
Lucas Oil MLRA
Chad Simpson Bags $7,000 "Battle At The Beach" Finale
Eldon, MO (April 29, 2023) – Chad Simpson stayed true to the low line on Saturday night at the Lake Ozark Speedway and made the right moves late in the going to capture the final night of the 3rd Annual “Battle At The Beach” at the Lake Ozark Speedway.
Jake Timm started off the night to perfection by locking up the MyRacePass Fast Time Award and followed that up with a convincing heat race win. Timm, still in search of his first career MLRA victory, took the lead at the drop of the green from fellow front row starter and series point leader Chad Simpson.
Timm used a low line approach around turns one and two on the 1/3 mile facility while he was fully committed to running the extreme top side on the opposite end of the speedway. Timm and Chad Simpson would put on a great dual for the top spot lap after lap off the exit of turn four, with Timm continuing to show the way each time by for the first twenty laps.
A total of seven cautions slowed the pace of the 40 lap race include a multiple car incident at the halfway point involving Tony Jackson Jr., Trevor Gundaker, and Justin Duty, which kept the leaders from having to navigate lapped traffic. A number of cautions plagued the next handful of laps with Timm continuing to lead the way over Chad Simpson.
On the events 27th lap, Simpson exited turn four and looked to clear Timm and take away his top line. The duo made contact, with Simpson driving away with the lead while Timm dropped back to fourth just as the nights next caution waved and slowed the pace of the event. On the restart Chris Simpson would get his first opportunity of the night to chase down his brother along with Garrett Alberson who made his way to the top three for the first time on the night.
The nights final caution waved on lap 30 as Payton Looney lost a driveshaft and came to a stop. Chad Simpson would go on to capture the $7,000 top prize, while also claiming the Swift Springs Move of the Race in the process. The win allowed Simpson to extend his point lead over brother Chris Simpson who finished in second with Alberson in third. Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader Tyler Stevens finished in fourth, his second consecutive top five, while Timm claimed the fifth spot at the line.
“We come out tonight with something a little different,” noted Chad Simpson of his winning Longhorn Chassis. “We knew we weren’t good enough last night, so we come up with something a little bit different. We called Eric (Wells) and talked to him a little bit today and he kind of pointed us in the right direction to go and it was definitely a lot better.”
Simpson commented in Cedar Creek Beef Jerky Victory Lane of his battle with Timm by saying, “I just kept gaining ground and gaining ground and then he would slow me up in three and four, he kind of checked up all the time, which he was doing what he had to do to keep me behind him, but I just knew we were getting close to the end of the race and I had to get aggressive there. I knew I had him cleared and I was just hoping he would turn and probably cross me over and it would be a little dicey there for a bit, but he got into the back of me there. I don’t mean to do that by any means but we're here to win races.”
Chris Simpson garnered his fourth consecutive top five finished with the MLRA on Saturday. “I would have liked to of been one more spot better. The track was good but it just didn’t race near as good. I wish they could have left them tires a little loose so we could have played around a little more around the bottom, but it is what it is and we’ll take it.”
“I thought I was going to have a chance get the win there when Jake was leaving me a lane of the restart, and I got into second there and thought I was going to be able to slide up by him. Track position was just so important,” he concluded.
The biggest event of the season is up next for the Lucas Oil MLRA, as the series drivers prepare for the 31st Annual Show Me 100 at the Lucas Oil Speedway over Memorial Weekend. Action begins on Thursday night May 25th with the 10th Annual Cowboy Classic followed by the Tribute to Don & Billie Gibson on Friday night May 26th. The weekend wraps up on Saturday night when drivers take to the track for a shot at the $50,000 top prize.
Lake Ozark Speedway Contingencies 4/29/23
Lap Leaders – Jake Timm (1 - 26), Chad Simpson (27 - 40)
?Cautions – 7
MyRacePass “Overall Fast Time Award" – Jake Timm (13.726 sec.)
Performance Bodies "Performer of the Race" – Chad Simpson
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race – Waylon Schultz
MD3 "Hard Charger of the Race" – Tyler Stevens (+10)
Swift Springs “Move of the Race” – Chad Simpson
Sunoco Race Fuel “Rookie of the Race” – Tyler Stevens
Hooker Harness "11th Place Finisher" – Logan Martin
PEM Racing "4th Place Finisher" – Tyler Stevens
Sunoco "Engine Builders Challenge" – Pro Power
Midwest Sheet Metal "Points Leader Spoiler Challenge" – Chad Simpson
MSD Performance Holley: “1st B-Main NON-Qualifier” – Jarret Stuckey
Lucas Oil MLRA 36Entries
A Feature Cedar Creek Beef Jky 40 Laps | 00:42:17.986
- 25-Chad Simpson[2]; 2. 32S-Chris Simpson[4]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[8]; 4. 2-Tyler Stevens[14]; 5. 49T-Jake Timm[1]; 6. 1ST-Justin Reed[5]; 7. 14B-Morgan Bagley[11]; 8. 8-Dillon McCowan[6]; 9. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[18]; 10. 45-Cole Wells[9]; 11. 36-Logan Martin[13]; 12. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[20]; 13. 15-Justin Duty[10]; 14. 7D-Dusty Leonard[21]; 15. 11H-Jeff Herzog[19]; 16. 22H-Dustin Hodges[12]; 17. 78S-Steve Stultz[22]; 18. 19-Jamie Burford[15]; 19. (DNF) 15L-Payton Looney[3]; 20. (DNF) 93-Mason Oberkramer[17]; 21. (DNF) 29D-Spencer Diercks[7]; 22. (DNF) 3W-Brennon Willard[24]; 23. (DNF) 42-Johnathan Huston[23]; 24. (DNF) 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[16]
B Feature 1 FOX Shocks 10 Laps | 00:13:00.000
- 93-Mason Oberkramer[1]; 2. 11H-Jeff Herzog[2]; 3. 7D-Dusty Leonard[3]; 4. 17-Jarret Stuckey[4]; 5. 42-Johnathan Huston[8]; 6. 14W-Dustin Walker[7]; 7. 31C-Cole Henson[6]; 8. 14M-Reid Millard[10]; 9. 50-Kayden Clatt[5]; 10. 96-Dalton Imhoff[9]
B Feature 2 Sunoco 10 Laps | 00:04:17.000
- 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[1]; 2. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[5]; 3. 78S-Steve Stultz[3]; 4. 7B-Mark Burgtorf[4]; 5. 1X-Aaron Marrant[2]; 6. 3W-Brennon Willard[7]; 7. 42L-Lane Ehlert[6]; 8. 23-Chad Walter[9]; 9. (DNF) 3K-Richard Kimberling[10]; 10. (DNF) 65-Jon Binning[8]
Heat 1 Xceldyne 8 Laps | 00:03:04.000
- 49T-Jake Timm[1]; 2. 1ST-Justin Reed[2]; 3. 45-Cole Wells[4]; 4. 36-Logan Martin[3]; 5. 93-Mason Oberkramer[5]; 6. 7D-Dusty Leonard[7]; 7. 50-Kayden Clatt[6]; 8. 14W-Dustin Walker[9]; 9. (DNS) 96-Dalton Imhoff
Heat 2 Outerwears 8 Laps | 00:04:06.000
- 15L-Payton Looney[1]; 2. 29D-Spencer Diercks[2]; 3. 14B-Morgan Bagley[3]; 4. 19-Jamie Burford[8]; 5. 11H-Jeff Herzog[4]; 6. 17-Jarret Stuckey[5]; 7. 31C-Cole Henson[6]; 8. 42-Johnathan Huston[7]; 9. 14M-Reid Millard[9]
Heat 3 MSD 8 Laps | 00:03:04.000
- 25-Chad Simpson[2]; 2. 8-Dillon McCowan[1]; 3. 15-Justin Duty[3]; 4. 2-Tyler Stevens[4]; 5. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[6]; 6. 78S-Steve Stultz[7]; 7. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[9]; 8. 3W-Brennon Willard[5]; 9. 23-Chad Walter[8]
Heat 4 Behrent's 8 Laps | 00:03:17.000
- 32S-Chris Simpson[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[3]; 3. 22H-Dustin Hodges[2]; 4. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[6]; 5. 1X-Aaron Marrant[4]; 6. 7B-Mark Burgtorf[5]; 7. 42L-Lane Ehlert[7]; 8. (DNS) 65-Jon Binning; 9. (DNS) 3K-Richard Kimberling
Article Credit: Billy Rock
Submitted By: Billy Rock
