Racing Veterans Korsmo, Hentrich Conquer Slick Track
As the temperatures heat up, race car drivers can find a slick asphalt track. With temperatures hovering between 85 and 90 degrees on Friday, May 17th, this was the case for NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series competitors. This feeling on the track appeared to give an advantage to some of the more experienced drivers in the field. Each of the races went smoothly with few incidents – a stark contrast from the previous week in Cedar Rapids.
In the Legends.Direct Legends Series, Nick Slabaugh powered around John Ferden at the start to take the lead. He would hold the lead for the majority of the race, keeping Kevin Korsmo at bat until lap 15, when Slabaugh pushed up the track just enough for Korsmo to slip through. Slabaugh would fall back to 5th while Korsmo brought home the win.
“We need those kinds of weeks,” said Korsmo. “The older you get, they don’t come quite as often as they used to. The competition is so close, you have to be in the right spot. Nick ran a great race, but it’s so much easier being the chaser than being chased.”
The Sunline Hornets saw another close showdown, this time between Chad Vozenilek and Brad Chandler. Chandler came from near the rear of the field and Vozenilek from 4th while Corey Crispin struggled in traffic. Crispin would get to 3rd at the end of the race behind Chandler, while Vozenilek held off for his second win of the season. Crispin would move to 2nd after the race when Chandler rolled across the scales too light and was disqualified.
It was a bit more of a fight for Adam Petrzelka this week in the Anderson Automotive Hobby Stocks class. Ultimately, he was able to continue his win streak on the season. Scott Siems led until lap six when Petrzelka overtook him for the top spot. Siems would slip back to 3rd briefly but would hold strong for the runner-up position. After a DQ the previous week, Jeremy Peterson came back with another good run to finish 3rd.
The field was tight in the All Seasons Automotive Sportsman class. Greg Hentrich and Dave Ballstaedt started on the front row, with Hentrich holding his own while Ballstaedt, Cory Houdek, Todd Ness, and Brandon Herb were jockeying for position. Houdek would finally get free but couldn’t get close enough to make a move on Hentrich, who won for the first time since July 2022.
“The car was real good, it did some work this week, and I think we found something,” Hentrich said. “We had tires that were a couple of weeks old, so I think we have something with some new tires.”
After two weeks of dominance, Patrick Flannagan was only able to climb up to 2nd, which was a three-spot increase from where he started. Tallan Chandler also gained three spots, but it was enough to pick up the feature win in the Cassill Motors Sport Mods. Chandler had enough pace to keep Flannagan at bay, earning his first win since championship night in August.
In the HD Dawgs, Drew Nickell cut it close in the breakout game but played it just right to win for the 2nd time of the year. Nickell broke out twice in the heat, giving the win to Devin Coghlan. In the feature, Nickell used his one breakout allowed to get away from the field on a restart and held pace for the win.
Next Race: Friday, May 24th
NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts Weekly Racing continues this Friday, May 24th with our weekly racing classes and the late models back on the ½ mile. We’ll also welcome the Sprint Enduro Series to the track! Gates open for racing fans at 6pm. Racing begins at 7:05pm to kick off Memorial Day weekend in Cedar Rapids. Let’s go racing, Cedar Rapids!
