Midsummer action is heating up at Dominion Raceway

The midsummer action is heating up at Dominion Raceway. On a blistering day to end June, it

was a Triple Twin Day for the America Racers, Dominion Stocks and UCars that provided red

hot fun.

Pre-race bike races on the front stretch set the tone for the oval action to follow, as the first race on track was the first of two 30 lap contests for the Dominion Stocks. Richard Powers won the pole on a hot track in the afternoon, but Mike Lowe led the field to green in the evening. Cooler track temps created an opportunity for Mike Lowe, as Powers could only gain one spot to finish second. Lowe led every lap to win the first event of the night: his third of the year.

“The car was hooking and booking,” said Lowe. “We were able to keep it out front the whole

race; Powers was there the whole race, and he kept us on our toes.”

The second race was the first of two 50 lappers for the Truckin’ Thunder America Racer Late

Models. Chase Johnson entered the race on a five race win streak that has put him atop the

NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I National Championship. The young

man was able to qualify on the pole with a time of 16.593, but he started sixth due to the invert.

JD Eversole led the first part of the race, and Dan Rogers was in second. Rogers spun in Turn 1

vying for the lead. Johnson would later seize the lead from Eversole from the outside on a

restart. Johnson would lead the rest of the race to get his sixth in a row and ninth win on the

year.

The first of 25 lap UCAR races would follow and start with a lap 1 wreck involving Wendi Kelly,

Ryan Pritt, and Karl Staskywicz. Another caution would come out on lap 5 when Kason Howe

stalled on the backstretch. Trevor Stinson had led the race to this point and would continue to

lead until 7 to-go. A lap car created an opportunity for James Garrett to pass on the inside.

Stinson would not quit and would crossover Garrett. The pink UCAR of Garrett would wash up

the race track and Stinson would regain the lead with three laps remaining. Garrett would make contact with Stinson several times, but Stinson would survive to take the checkered flag.

“I tell you that was a heck of a race between James and me,” said Stinson. “We respect each

other and we beat the heck out of each other, but we didn’t wreck each other. He probably had a faster car than me, but I wanted it more.”

In the fourth race, Joe Riley would win his second straight Mini Stocks race in his Dinoco blue

hotrod. The fifth race saw Eric Fowlkes win his fourth Virginia Modifieds race in four attempts

this season.

“I had to work for that one,” said Fowlkes. “The #44 was really fast and the #51 was fast, but his

is a rookie; he will get there.”

In the second Dominion Stocks race, Richard Powers would start seventh and Mike Lowe would start eighth. Tommy Smith would lead the field early and Todd Ruggles would make a move for the lead before blowing a motor, ending his night.

With 22 to-go, Powers would get his first lead of the night, and Lowe was in pursuit, looking for a sweep. Lowe provided pressure on the #57, but Powers was able to hold on.

“I didn’t think I was gonna hold him off,” said Powers. “I just kept hanging on and just kept

digging.”

For the second ARLM race, Dan Rogers got the lead early after starting fifth. He rebounded

from an earlier self-induced spin. He put a several second lead on the field, while race 1 winner,

Chase Johnson, carved through it. Johnson started twelfth and was up to sixth early. By lap 11,

he was up to fourth. With 16 to-go Johnson ripped second place away from Mike Ganoe, and

the hunt for the lead was on. Johnson was 2.7 seconds behind Rogers, and with 3 to-go, that

differential was down to 0.8.

Johnson couldn’t make up that fraction of a second, as Rogers would see his third checkered

flag of the season, while Johnson would see his win streak end.

“I knew he was coming, but I knew I had it,” said Rogers. “The handling was good even though I

got into the wall in the first race.”

In the finale, the Kelly Heating & Cooling UCars saw James Garrett pass Ryan Pritt for the lead

on lap 8. Garrett knew he had a fast car, and used clean air to run away from the field. A caution

would come out with 12 to-go for an incident involving Kason Howe and Chris Potter, but Garrett survived to win.

“We knew we had something special tonight,” said Garrett.

It was a statement win for Garrett, who was disqualified a week prior. The win served as an

affirmation of their speed and hopes to contend for a championship.

“If she [the car] keeps running like that, we’ve got something for ‘em,” said Garrett in Bugsy Auto Repair Victory Lane.

Dominion Raceway oval racing has a week off for the Independence Day holiday, but the action

resumes on July 12 for Jeep Night at the Races. The schedule will include twin America Racer

Late Models, Dominion Stocks, Mini Stocks, Legends, and a regional qualifier for the Bandos.

Tickets https://www.dominionraceway.com/event-details/saturday-night-nascar-racing-8