I won the Turnpike
Weekend of turn ups at Turnpike Challenge Port City
Jason McDougal wins the Turnpike Challenge
There was no way teams heading to Port City Speedway would have ever thought that the locals would get over the powerful Keith Kunz Motorsports outfit even given its renewed youthful team.
It was Matt Sherrell on night one and the final 40 lap feature appeared to be a Thorson win for the Kunz team until the hometown youngster Jason McDougal had the crowd up from their seat cheering when after searching the bottom looking for a slight advantage over Thorson it opened up and he took the race lead.
Stung into replying Thorson regained the race lead on lap 35 and for a short time most would have put the glasses away. The Port City Track is demanding but Jason McDougal knows every inch of the 1/8 track and was single minded as he worked over the USAC star and charged back into the lead, a lead that he would hold until the Turnpike Challenge was his.!
For the Kunz Toyota Team to go winless over two successive shows is rare but over the two nights the young team lead by Thorson made some gains. Two top 6 finishes for Spencer Bayston and a semi win., heat win and a top 10 finish for Holly Shelton did not go unnoticed.
Kunz Motorsports line up
Pic-Chuck Gurney
McDougal took on massive challenge starting inside row 5 with 2016 Chili Bowl 3r placed Zach Daum , seasoned USAC racers Tyler Thomas and Andrew Felker all starting close in the 40 lap final..
To win in front of your home crowd and to beat the best coming from behind was indeed very special. Jason McDougal you owned it at Port City in the final of the Turnpike Challenge .
Post race interviews “That took everything I had to hold him off,” said first place finisher Jason McDougal. “I’m speechless. I’d been struggling coming off three and four, so I knew I couldn’t fully commit, but I knew I was going to throw it. This is amazing, doing it in my hometown and to have everyone here supporting us to do this.”
“That was one hell of a racetrack,” Tanner Thorson said. “This promoter puts on an awesome race. Congratulations to Jason McDougal. I tried my hardest to get by him and it didn’t work. This is his track. He deserves this.”
“We had a good car,” explained Andrew Felker. “Early we were picking them off in a hurry and then Jason drove by us like we were stupid. He had the car of the field. He was flying down on the bottom early. I knew the slider was going to be interesting on the last lap, but I just wasn’t close enough to capitalize on it. Standing on the podium is not a bad way to end the night.”
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series Feature Results (40 laps): 1. 73 – Jason McDougal 2. 67 – Tanner Thorson 3. 11A – Andrew Felker 4. 5X – Justin Peck 5. 5D – Zach Daum 6. 97 – Spencer Bayston 7. 17E – Blake Edwards 8. 8X – Austin Shores 9. 11H – Chase Hill 10. 8J – Jonathan Beason 11. 17 – Logan Seavey 12. 67K – Holly Shelton 13. 71K – Carson Macedo 14. 14B – Kevin Bayer 15. 71 – Ryan Robinson 16. 1K – Brayton Lynch 17. 98 – Clinton Boyles 18. 93 – Dustin Morgan 19. 7 – Austin Brown 20. 4M – Michelle Decker 21. 8 – Alex Sewell 22. 27 – Tucker Klaasmeyer 23. 17W – Harli White 24. 3N – Jake Neuman
The next POWRi Lucas Oils National Midget Series event will be at Jacksonville Speedway April 22nd .
