TOP 5 AT HUTCH!

STARTED: 8TH

FINISHED: 5TH

John started 2nd row outside in the fourth heat race of the night. He finished 2nd behind #25 Scott Green who started right in front of us. That finish put him 8th in passing points for the A. The top 5 in passing points will start on the inside row for Saturday night's finale. So John will have to re-qualify and hope to start on the outside pole. In the A the track was one lane on the bottom and John quickly dove to the bottom and got in line running 6th. On the white flag lap the the leader #13 Brent Burkhart got into a lapped car and was unable to continue. Scott took the lead and John moved up to finish 5th.

Green Tops Hutchinson Nationals NCRA Modified Opener

By David Smith, Jr.

Hutchinson, Kansas (July 25, 2009) - Scott Green of Wichita, Kansas used lapped traffic to his advantage late in the race to take the victory in the opening night of the 23rd annual Hutchinson Grand Nationals, atop the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas Friday night.

Brent Burkhart of Hutchinson, who won the Nationals back in 2003, started on the pole for the fifteen lap Hard Rock Hotel-Casino feature and quickly built a ten car length lead. Third starting Green, current series points leader Dan Daniel's and Jarrod Reimer gave chase early on, only to see the leader stretch out to a half stretch lead on the big half mile oval by lap five.

The complexion of the race began to change on lap ten when the leader began to work lapped traffic. This allowed Green, aboard the Mullins Race Engines powered, Hughes Race Cars to start reeling in the leader with just five laps to go. Lap thirteen saw Burkhart experience trouble with lapped traffic allowing Green to pull up to his rear bumper while Daniel's began to make it a three car battle. Entering turn four, the leader slowed for a lapped car causing Green and his momentum to run into the back of Burkhart, causing him to spin out. Damage was sufficient enough to end the former champions night early.

On the final restart it was all Green and his Gressel Racing/Midwest Hearing Aids, Inc./B&B Hydraulics sponsored Hughes Race Car chassis as he held on the final two laps to take his second career series victory. "The lapped car checked up and he (Burkhart) slowed and I just got into the back of him," explained Green afterwards. "I hate it that it happened and I really feel bad about it. I was kinda taking my time until the last lap as I thought I would roll around him on the outside."

All was not lost for Burkhart, however, as he will start on the pole position for Saturday nights Hutchinson Grand Nationals championship finale.

Daniels would add to his points lead and finish second with Reimer coming home third. Former Nationals champion Greg Stephen's finished fourth while former three time series champion John Allen rounded out the top five.

The five Smiley's Race Products of Wichita heat racers were won by Casey McClaskey, defending series champion Marc Hurd, Daniel's, Green and Burkhart. Brian Casey took home the eight lap "C" feature honors while Jeremy Massey conquered the ten lap "B" feature.

Kansas State Fairgrounds
Hutchinson, Kansas
July 24, 2009

HEAT 1 - 1, Casey McClaskey. 2, Cody Gearhart. 3, Jim Graves. 4, Brian Franz. 5, Mike Jarvis. 6, Nic Baalman. 7, Shawn Langhover. 8, Mike Miller.

HEAT 2 - 1, Marc Hurd. 2, Ken Sweet. 3, Greg Stephens. 4, Brian Casey. 5, Don Renfro. 6, Travis Govern. 7, Mark Schafman. 8, Rodney Dodd.

HEAT 3 - 1, Dan Daniels. 2, Jerrod Reimer. 3, Jason Schneipp. 4, Jordan Whitehead. 5, Ross Shipman. 6, Frank McGehee. 7, Bobby Bills. 8, Jim Armstrong.

HEAT 4 -1, Scott Green. 2, John Allen. 3, Jeremy Massey. 4, Brad Johnston. 5, Marlin Farr. 6, Josh Loffland. 7, Jim Pearcy. 8, Gary Whitmore.

HEAT 5 - 1, Brent Burkhart. 2, Cam Case. 3, Brian Powers. 4, Ryan McAninch. 5, Jim Johnson. 6, Shawn Langhover, Jr. 7, Mark Crough.

C FEATURE - 1, Brian Casey. 2, Mike Jarvis. 3, Brad Johnston. 4, Don Renfro. 5, Jim Johnson. 6, Nic Baalman. 7, Josh Loffland. 8, Bobby Bills. 9, Frank McGehee. 10, Travis Govern. 11, Mike Miller. 12, Mark Schafman. 13, Shawn Langhover, Jr. 14, Jim Pearcy. 15, Shawn Langhover. 16, Jim Armstrong. 17, Mark Crough. 18, Rodney Dodd. 19, Gary Whitmore.

B FEATURE - 1, Jeremy Massey. 2, Cody Gearhart. 3, Brian Powers. 4, Brian Franz. 5, Ryan McAninch. 6, Jordan Whitehead. 7, Mark Schafman. 8, Brian Casey. 9, Ross Shipman. 10, Marlin Farr. 11, Don Renfro. 12, Brad Johnston. 13, Jim Johnson. 14, Mike Jarvis. 15, Nic Baalman. 16, Josh Loffland. 17, Bobby Bills. 18, Cam Case. 19, Travis Govern. 20, Frank McGehee.

A FEATURE - 1, Scott Green. 2, Dan Daniels. 3, Jerrod Reimer. 4, Greg Stephens. 5, John Allen. 6, Marc Hurd. 7, Ken Sweet. 8, Casey McClaskey. 9, Brian Powers. 10, Jeremy Massey. 11, Jason Schneipp. 12, Jordan Whitehead. 13, Brian Franz. 14, Brian Casey. 15, Marlin Farr. 16, Mark Schafman. 17, Don Renfro. 18, Mike Jarvis. 19, Jim Johnson. 20, Brent Burkhart. 21, Ross Shipman. 22, Brad Johnston. 23, Ryan

McAninch. 24, Cody Gearhart.

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