Hot Track, High Temps Heat Things Up For CRST Night at the Races
CRST Night at the Races welcomed fans with warm weather and a hot race track on Friday, June 21st. Hawkeye Downs Speedway hosted those who braved the heat, including NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing classes, plus the HD Dawgs breakout class, to the track for Friday night racing in Cedar Rapids.
In the Legends.Direct Legends class, Tristan Swanson from Minnesota came to town and rocketed his way to victory. After starting 6th, Swanson used the outside groove to make his way to the front. Jeremiah Davis and Austin Slabaugh were battling behind Swanson when the two made contact, which ended the evening for Slabaugh. Swanson held off Danny Lehmkuhl to head to Green State Credit Union Victory Lane.
Photo by Ed Siems / EDs Photography
“It was a blast,” shared Swanson. “it was the first time I’ve been here with the track changes. There’s a lot of tight racing here, but everyone raced with respect.”
Corey Crispin took the lead early in the Sunline Hornets. A late-race restart brought Chad Vozenilek to the party but would not be deterred. The two went around Jeremy Cassill, who ended up finishing third after dealing with mechanical issues throughout the season so far. It was Crispin's second win of the season.
In the Anderson Automotive Hobby Stocks, tensions boiled between several drivers throughout the race. Reggie Mitchell led the first half of the feature, but a yellow flag came out when Korey Lana got into Adam Petrzelka, sending Lana off the track. Petrzelka worked his way back to the front on the restart to claim his sixth win in the 2024 racing season.
Fans were treated to a photo finish in the All Seasons Automotive Sportsman class, with Brian Gibson taking the battle to Todd Ness. In the final couple of laps, Gibson caught Ness and crossed the finish line just 0.08 seconds behind. Ness earned his fourth win of the season. Brandon Herb, Greg Hentrich, and Dave Ballstaedt finished out of the top five.
Photo by Ed Siems / EDs Photography
Dave Ballstaedt made it to Victory Lane on the 1/2 mile in the HD Dawgs. After having a motor expire on the previous night of racing, Ballstaedt held off a hard-charging Devin Coghlan to score the win and get to Green State Credit Union Victory Lane.
“Got the kinks worked out on the new motor,” Ballstaedt said. “The plan is to race the Mid-Am Series next Friday.”
The Cassill Motors Sport Mods had an early caution, with Tallan Chandler slowing with a flat tire after contact. Patrick Flannagan quickly made his way to the front but had to keep pace in front of Bryan Baxter to pull off the win. Baxter had enough pace to get to Flannagan but did not have enough to battle. Dalton Delay enjoyed a good run, coming home in third.
Next Race: Friday, June 28th with Mid-Am Racing Series, Sprint Enduro Series, and Late Models
The 2024 Hawkeye Downs racing season continues this Friday, June 28th, for Sunline Night at the Races! We’ll host our NASCAR Weekly Racing Series without our Sportsman and Legends racers. We will be joined by the Mid-Am Racing Series, Performance Concepts Late Models, and Sprint Enduro Series to get geared up for our Enduro Road Course on Sunday, June 30th.
Gates open to the public at 5:30pm with opening ceremonies at 7:05pm. Tickets are available at the gate.
