Lonnie Wheatley, LAS CRUCES, N.M. (November 12, 2010) – “Dancin’” Jack Dover logged into the record books as the winner of the 600th feature event in Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National history by wiring the field in Friday night’s 25-lap preliminary feature atop the high-banked, 5/16-mile Southern New Mexico Speedway clay oval.
The 20-year-old from Springfield, NE, served early notice in the first series event in the state of New Mexico since 2004 and first at Las Cruces in more than 13 years by outgunning fellow front row starter and NASCAR ace Tony Stewart to win the fifth of the night’s six heat races for the stacked 50-car field.
A perfectly-executed opening lap move in the feature event to dispose of front row starters Tim Crawley and Johnny Herrera from the third starting position then proved more than enough to get the job done for his second late season Lucas Oil ASCS National triumph aboard the Shaver-powered 3D Auto Transport/Home Pride No. 53 Eagle.
Dover locked himself into Saturday’s $6,000-to-win Southern New Mexico Speedway finale along with Herrera, Steve Kinser and Wayne Johnson.
After gunning past both Crawley, the 1994 series winner at Las Cruces, and home-stater Herrera at the outset, Dover’s only truly close call came when he was forced to loop it to avoid the stalled car of Trey Starks, who spun in turns one and two on the eleventh lap.
“I wasn’t looking as far ahead then as I should have been and I about got into him,” Dover explained. “I knew if I could keep it going it would be okay, but it was real close to dying out on me. That would have been really frustrating!”
Dover kept it under power though to retain the lead and survived another couple of cautions to secure his fourth career ASCS National victory in just his 67th career series feature start. Even with a green-white-checkered run after Kyle Larson’s second spin, Dover took the checkered flag with a half straightaway edge over Herrera’s JHR No. 45x Maxim.
Making his Lucas Oil ASCS debut, “King of the Outlaws” Steve Kinser worked forward from the eighth starting position and was among the top five in the opening handful of laps. Kinser took fourth from Wayne Johnson by the tenth round and then slipped past Crawley on the 20th circuit to claim the show position aboard the TSR Bass Pro Shops No. 11 Maxim.
Johnson shuffled Crawley out of the fourth and final lock-in position in the final rounds aboard the Ohsweken Speedway No. 77x.
Crawley settled for fifth in Mike Ward’s Boater Sports No. 88 Maxim, with 19-year-old Brodix Rookie contender Channin Tankersley next across the stripe in sixth just ahead of 21-year-old fellow rookie shoe Matt Covington.
ASCS Southwest title contender Calvin Landis posted an eighth-place finish in his first career Lucas Oil ASCS National feature start, with defending series champion Shane Stewart and Zach Chappell completing the top ten.
While Kinser and Landis both posted top-ten runs in first career Lucas Oil ASCS feature appearances, Tony Stewart rebounded for a 14th-place finish in his first National start after looping it on the 12th circuit and collecting current Lucas Oil ASCS points leader Jason Johnson. Johnson was forced pitside with front end damage after using his first provisional of the year just to start the main event. Even with a 22nd-place finish, point damage proved minimal with closest challenger Brady Bacon just 15th and then Shane Stewart in ninth.
Also making his first career Lucas Oil ASCS feature event, Bill Mitchell flipped in turn two on a lap 11 restart when sixth-running Kyle Sager looped it.
Before setting up the green-white-checkered run, Larson had rallied from 13th to sixth before spinning in turn two for the first time on the 17th lap.
Chappell, Crawley, Kinser, Covington, Dover and Larson topped the night’s heat race action. Bacon beat Logan Forler to the stripe in the first “B” Main. Tony Stewart topped the second “B” Main, while 14-year-old Trey Starks fended off Brian Brown for the second and final transfer position. Danny Wood won the third “B” Main, with El Paso’s John Carney II taking quick advantage of Sammy Swindell’s brief slip off the top of turn two to take the second position.
The Lucas Oil ASCS presented by K&N Filters National series return to the Land of Enchantment concludes with Saturday night’s $6,000-to-win card, which gets under way at 7:45 p.m.