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NICKLES WINS 3rd ON PERFECT NIGHT

Mount Pleasant, MI – On a beautiful summer evening in Central Michigan, Ohio native, Jac Nickles takes the checkered flag for his 3rd Great Lakes Super Sprints presented by Maxima Racing Oils win of the season. Nickles ran the table for a perfect tri-fecta tonight, setting fast time, winning his heat and winning the feature.

Twenty cars checked in for our second visit to Mount Pleasant Speedway this season. With a pill draw at registration, the drivers order for qualifying was set. The cars lined up and qualified in groups of 3. When the dust settled, Nickles sat on top of all qualifiers with a quick time of 15.232 seconds or an average speed of 88.68 mph on sun baked slick track. Setting second quick was Reed City, MI native, Ricky Droke on his first night out in the car after a 5 year absence from racing!!! Bill Dunham of Bellevue, MI took 3rd quick in his newly assembled “old” car after totaling his new car last time out at Merritt Speedway. Matt Cogley (Findlay, OH) and Brendon Cascadden (Traverse City, MI) rounded out the top five qualifiers.

In the Engler Machine & Tool Heat 1, Nickles got around 3 cars to take home the checkered flag. Johnny Roberts (Wheeler, MI) had a solid run and took home 2nd and putting him in the redraw, a much better finish then his last trip. Matt Cogley, Lindsey Erickson (South Boardman, MI) and Chuck Erickson (South Boardman, MI) rounded out the top five finishers.

As Mack Erickson and Thomas Parker (Wayland, MI) brought the field around to the front of the grand stands, the green flag flew. Mack got out front in the Cheney Creek Construction heat 2 and was determined to stay there. Thomas Parker (Wayland, MI) ran a smart race and did well to keep Mack reeled in and to finish second and locked into a redraw spot. Paul King (Kalkaska, MI), Rick Bookheimer (Kalava, MI) and Cascadden rounded out the top 5.

In the Beacon & Bridge Markets Heat 3, the “Got Dirt?” 84 car driven by Bill Dunham made short work of getting out front of the pack into clean air and letting the car go! Alex Cogley who seemed to be dialed in, tried the best he could to follow Dunham up front and it paid off with a 2nd place finish and securing the last redraw spot. Bud Schrader (Benzonia, MI), Shelby Yeaples (Coldwater, MI) and Richard Clay, Sr (Fife Lake, MI) rounded out he top 5 finishers.

With more moisture in the track and looking better then it had all night, the cars rolled out for the Maxima Racing Oils A-Main. Drawing a one in the redraw, Johnny Roberts sat on the pole next to Thomas Parker and the two of them brought the field around the track for the start. With the green flag flying and the cars engines coming to life, these lightning sprints flew through the first 10 laps in less then 2 ½ minutes. With cars moving at will around the track and lapped cars passing lapped cars and the leaders passing all of them, the corners were getting pretty exciting to watch as cars were passing 3 and 4 wide at the 10 lap mark.

As Alex Cogley and Johnny Roberts came into turn 3, the cars ahead of them were already 3 wide and something had to give. As Roberts went low and Cogley went high to split a lapped car, Cogley went over a right rear tire, which launched him out of the top of turn 4 where he spun around and went into the trees and brush backwards. Throwing the red and bringing the field to a stop, since the tower lost visual on Cogley and everyone had thought he flipped. Fortunately, Cogley had only backed it in to the bushes and after a wrecker pulled him out and to the track, the cheers of the crowd could be heard as Cogley fired and drove away and went to the tail for the restart. In the ten remaining laps, Cogley put on his own little show within the show, passing 12 cars to finish in 6th place.

After a clean restart, it looked like the drivers would quickly put the last 10 laps away, but as the white flag flew for the leaders, Roberts motor blew sending him high in turn two and rolling to a stop just off the back of the back stretch, but in harms way, bringing out a 2nd caution. Getting the lineup set, the caution lights went out and the field was shown the green and white flag simultaneously and 14 seconds later, Jac Nickles, Mack Erickson and Bill Dunham took the checkered flag…ending tonights racing.

Next up for Great Lakes Lighting Sprints presented by Maxima Racing Oils is our first ever visit to Thunderbird Raceway near Muskegon, MI. For current events and pictures, follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@GLSprints). For a complete schedule, results and points, go to our website at www.greatlakessprints.com and click on the Lightning Sprints.

Thank you to our sponsors that allow us to do the thing we love, Maxima Racing Oils, Engler Machine & Tool, Cheney Creek Construction, Beacon and Bridge Markets, Specialty Fuels & Logistics, Perfit Corporation and Hoosier Racing Tires.

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