By Gary Daughtrey

Special to the News-Herald

 

Cody Carlton assumed the lead on lap 29 and rolled to his second win of the season in Friday evening’s 50-lap Top Dog feature as Arena Racing USA launched a weekend doubleheader at the Richmond Coliseum.

Tommy Jackson Jr. drew the pole for the start, sharing the front row with Dylan Loving. Adam Florian and Carlton lined up in Row 2, while Travis Wall and Matt Midgett were in Row 3.

The original start didn’t meet with the officials’ approval and the yellow flag made an early appearance. The field was brought back under control and bunched for a second try.

Finally under way, Jackson nosed ahead of Loving to pace the opening circuit. On lap 2, Loving battled back and grabbed the lead at the line. After another lap of door-to-door action, Loving gained the upper hand on lap 4. Carlton tagged along with Loving and moved into second. While Jackson struggled on the inside, Mike Weddell and Scott Prillaman used the top side to take over third and fourth.

By lap 13, Loving and Carlton had pulled away from Weddell and Prillaman by a straightaway. Behind the front four, the field stacked up in double-file formation.

Things at the head of the procession were fairly calm until lap 27, when the leaders began their first foray into slower traffic. Scrambling to stay ahead of Carlton, Loving’s night soured on lap 29 when he locked horns with Jackson in Turn 4, bringing out the last of the race’s two caution flags.

As Loving retreated to the rear of the field, Carlton moved atop the leaderboard. Weddell pulled alongside Carlton for the double-file restart, while Prillaman and Jordan Wood lined up in Row 2.

Back under green, Carlton made short work of Weddell, pulling ahead of him as they reached Turn 1. As Carlton motored away, Prillaman rushed to fill the void to the inside of Weddell, snagging the runner-up spot. Wall tried to follow Prillaman’s cue, driving underneath Weddell. Weddell rebuffed the advance, though, and hung onto third.

Heading into the final 10 circuits, Carlton held a two-length advantage over Prillaman. Little by little, Carlton was able to pad his lead.

On lap 47, the leaders encountered lapped traffic again. Prillaman wasn’t close enough to take advantage, though, as Carlton sailed on to the win.

At the finish, Carlton was the winner by three lengths over Prillaman. Weddell was third to the checkers, followed by Wall and Wood. Adam Florian headed the second five, in sixth. Loving, Daniel Thomas, Jason Manes and Jackson rounded out the top 10. Midgett and Tyler Hughes were 11th and 12th, respectively. Scott Allen and Nathan Thomas qualified for the Top Dog feature, but were unable to start.

A-Main

Backing up his pole-winning qualifying performance, Scott Prillaman led all the way to bag his first victory of the season in a caution-free 50-lap A Main.

Prillaman broke into the clear on lap 28 and began to widen his margin. Weddell dispensed with the slower machines on lap 30, but found himself nearly a full straightaway behind the leader.

To catch back up, Weddell needed a friendly yellow flag. The event remained clean and green, however, as Prillaman strolled to the checkers. Weddell was second, followed by Wall, Wood and Carlton. Tyler Hughes, Dylan Loving and Scott Allen completed the rundown.

B-Main

After starting at the tail of the eight-car field, Adam Florian moved out front on lap 23 and sailed to his first win of the year in the 50-lap B Main.

At the finish, Florian was the runaway winner, crossing the stripe nearly a straightaway ahead of Thomas. Jackson was third, followed by Midgett and Manes. Those five, along with sixth-place finisher Nathan Thomas, moved on to the evening’s Top Dog feature.

Youth Series

In a 30-lapper for the Youth Series, Savannah Cook started on the pole and wired the field for her second victory of the campaign. Cook got an assist from three-time race winner Macy Causey, who kept the pressure on second-place Tripp Thurston throughout the contest, allowing the leader to build a comfortable cushion. At the finish, Cook was the winner by four lengths over Thurston. Causey was third, followed by Jordan Valdes and Gummy Cook. Marshall Cook and Devon Courtney completed the rundown.