HUTCHINSON FAIRGROUNDS

FINISHED 8TH

 

Boston, Franz, McNamara win NCRA Hutch Nationals

Hutchinson, KS - July 17, 2011
By: David Smith Jr.

PHOTO: An elated Franz finally captures his first career Summer Time Classic at the Hutchinson Grand Nationals Saturday night.--CREDIT: Dusty Wiegert/midwestdirt.com

 

 

 

Lucky Franz Finally Captures Elusive Hutch Nationals Championship!

 

Hutchinson, KS -- Former five-time series champion Brian Franz finally shook the monkey off his back. For nearly twenty-five years the Halstad, Kansas veteran has tried but could never quite pull off the victory of the annual “Summer Time Classic” and for a while it looked as though he would be thwarted from victory lane once again.

But luck would be on his side on this night as the career series victory leader for the National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Smiley’s Racing Products modified tour finally reached victory to claim the 55th annual Hutchinson Grand Nationals championship at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas on Saturday night.

Starting alongside pole sitter Dusty Robbins, Franz, aboard his familiar #86 Pro Motor Sports/Alternative Pest Management sponsored Billsbuilt chassis, quickly jumped into the early lead and paced the field before the caution would slow the action on lap three for a couple of cars that tangled in turn two.

On the restart Franz would have his hands full with third starting Ross Shipman and former two-time series champion John Allen as both drivers swarmed the series veteran before the caution would wave one lap later for debris in turn four.

The double file restart would see Franz inch out front while Shipman and Allen battled for the runner up position. The side by side battle became unfortunate for Allen as both cars made contact entering turn four causing Allen to spin and bring out the caution.

This double file restart proved to be Franz’s undoing as Shipman out ran Franz entering turn one and would take the lead.

Shipman, who picked up his first career series victory a couple months ago, would open as much as a six car length lead as Franz continued to try to keep pace.

At the races midway point it was Shipman, followed by Franz, fifth starting Jim Johnson and Robbins with Shipman comfortably out front. The final caution would come out with three laps to go when Robbins spun exiting turn two. At this same point, Marc Hurd, who came into the night trailing points leader Bill Siemers by just five points, would exit the event with a flat tire while running sixth.

Franz could do nothing with Shipman on the restart as the leader would pull away and open up a six car length lead. It appeared Franz’s bid for his first Nationals victory would again fail when Shipman entered turns three and four on the last lap.

However, a shreaded tire entering turn four would cause Shipman to spin out of control giving Franz a clear shot to victory and finally get the monkey off his back.

“I would rather be lucky than good any day,” said an elated Franz in victory lane. “My car worked the best it has ever done here and I knew if I could get into the lead at the start of the race we would be okay but those restarts would just kill me.

He (Shipman) was a lot faster than me and got by me there on that restart so I just settled in there and was watching him lap after lap. There towards the end I could tell he was getting looser and looser as he was about to lose his tire. Luckily his tire shreaded there at the end. This really feels nice after all these years.”

Tyler Davis came from his eleventh starting position to finish a strong second while Johnson held on for a third place finish. Siemers started tenth and finished fourth while Richard Wilson rounded out the top five.

The eight lap heat races for the 44 car field were won by Franz, Shipman, Wilson, Johnson, Allen and Robbins. Jason McGehee took home the eight lap “D” feature while Adam Schragg claimed the eight lap “C” feature. Davis made it too his starting position in the feature finale by virtue of his victory in the ten lap “B” feature.

Complete results can be found on the official NCRA website www.racencra.com sometime Monday afternoon.

 

NCRA MODIFIED FEATURE RESULTS

A Feature: 1) 86 Brian Franz 2) 65 Tyler Davis 3) 96 Jim Johnson 4) 11b Bill Siemers 5) 2w Richard Wilson 6) 52 Ryan McAninch 7) 3k Kirk Coleman 8) 98 John Allen 9) 18 Austen Allen 10) Chad Lyle 11) 75 Jerrod Riemer 12) 0 David Brach 13) 311 Adam Schragg 14) 4a Josh Lanterman 15) 22k Kevin Newall 16) 22 A.J. Brochu 17) 4 Dan Powers 18) 91 Ross Shipman 19) 10 Marc Hurd 20) 8 Dusty Robbins 21) D8Don Hodge 22) 63 Ryan Whitworth 23) 88 Jase Wedell 24) 44x Andrew Glasse

 

-------------------------------------------------------