By Gary Daughtrey

Special to the News-Herald

RICHMOND—Starting from the pole, Travis Wall led flag-to-flag to win the 50-lap Top Dog race, the featured event of Friday’s Snap-on Tools Night program for Arena Racing USA at the Richmond Coliseum. Wall also won the A Main race for his fourth victory overall on the season.

Wall grabbed the lead on the opening lap, pulling ahead of Buzz Moore as the front-row starters raced off in Turn 2. Adam Florian came along with Wall and took over the second spot. Scott Prillaman, who launched from the seventh position, was a big mover in the early going, motoring into third. He faced a steep climb, though, as Wall and Florian had pulled off by a straightaway.

The first caution flag appeared on lap 27, when Daniel Thomas spun off Turn 4.

On the double-file restart, Wall and Florian remained side-by-side until lap 29 when Florian’s machine broke loose in Turn 4, dropping him to fourth in the running order.

The second yellow flag waved on lap 31 for debris on the frontstretch and in Turn 1. Lining up for the ensuing restart, Wall and Prillaman occupied the front row.

Back under green, Wall quickly cleared Prillaman, who found Jordan Wood to his inside. Wood took over the second spot.

A caution flew on lap 45 when Wood and Prillaman locked horns on the backstretch. Wood and Prillaman were both relegated to the rear of the field, handing second place to Florian.

The last of the race’s four caution flags appeared on lap 48 when Florian and Mike Weddell tangled along the frontstretch.

Gathering for the final restart, a “green-white-checkered” sprint, Wall and Tyler Hughes made up Row 1, followed by Prillaman and Moore in Row 2.

Wall rocketed ahead of Hughes, bringing Prillaman along with him, to second. After falling two lengths behind on the takeoff, Prillaman tried to rally over the closing laps, but came up a car-length short at the line.

Wall was the winner by 0.353-second over Prillaman. Wood was third, while Hughes and Moore completed the top five.

 

Travis Wall assumed the lead on the 27th circuit and showed the way to the finish for his second straight win in the A Main.

Fast qualifier Scott Prillaman started on the outside of the front row and grabbed the lead from pole-sitter Buzz Moore as the event got under way. Prillaman paced the first 21 circuits.

On the restart following the second caution flag, Adam Florian moved to the outside lane and nosed ahead of Prillaman to take over the top spot.

Florian and Prillaman, one-time teammates, continued their door-to-door battle until lap 27 when they tangled on the frontstretch. Both drivers earned a trip to the rear of the field as Wall took command.

Wall survived two more restarts on the way to a two-car-length victory. Jordan Wood was the runner-up, followed by Mike Weddell.

 

Charlotte driver Pete Hunt picked up the top spot on a restart at lap 32 and paced the field to the checkers, posting his first victory of the season in the 50-lap B Main.

Macy Causey started on the pole and overwhelmed the field en route to her third victory in the 30-lap Youth Series feature. Savannah Cook moved up to second on lap 2 and tailed Causey to the finish. She was nearly a full straightaway in arrears when the checkers fell. Tripp Thurston was third to the line, followed by Jordan Valdes and Devon Courtney.