CANTON, ILL. (June 29, 2019) – Advancing from the 11th spot, inside of row six, Anthony Nicholson of Bartlett, Tenn. methodically marched his way through the field and into contention for the lead by halfway of Saturday’s 25-lap main event at Spoon River Speedway. Sneaking by Mario Clouser and Kory Schudy, Nicholson assumed the lead on lap 13 and held on for his second-career victory with the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League.
With a fleet of 27 entries on hand, another slate of four heats, a semi and a feature awaited the WAR Sprints at Spoon River. Mitchell Davis (Hinchman Racewear Heat 1), Kory Schudy (Bell Racing Heat 2), Riley Kreisel (Schure Built Suspension Heat 3), and Mario Clouser (Wilwood Heat 4) topped heat race action, while Mitch Wissmiller won the Hoosier Tire B-Main.
A four-car inversion pulled by LRB, Inc. High Point Man, Mitchell Davis, would line the feature field up with Mario Clouser of Auburn, Ill. and Joe B. Miller of Millersville, Mo. on the front row.
Clouser claimed the initial lead aboard his Yokahoma Tires No. 6, but his control was short-lived, as Kory Schudy of Springfield, Mo. made a wild four-wide move down the backstretch and slid underneath Clouser to take the lead on the second circuit. Schudy started to run away in command until a caution on lap 12 bunched the field up and changed the entire narrative.
On the ensuing restart, Clouser took a peep to the inside of Schudy into turn one, but slight contact created a bobble and Nicholson, who started 11th, took advantage by slipping into second. He didn’t stop there, however, as coming out of turn four Nicholson snuck inside of Schudy and drove by him down the frontstretch to assume the lead on lap 13.
Checking out as the laps wound down, Nicholson’s lead only grew until a lap 23 caution set up a nail-biting green-white-checkered restart to decide it all. Determined to break through for his first Spoon River triumph, Clouser showed his nose and dove into turn one looking to squeeze by Nicholson for the lead. However, as Clouser caught Nicholson’s left rear the No. 6 went spinning, he saved it with a quick 360 recovery, but faltered to the tail of the field in heartbreaking fashion.
Keeping the DHR Suspension, Razor Edge Graphics, Maxim Chassis No. 16 under control, Anthony Nicholson of Bartlett, Tenn. remained calm, cool and collected as he survived the final restart to pick up the Saturday night victory at Spoon River Speedway. Scoring his second-career POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League win, Nicholson made this one extra special with a marvelous 11th-to-1st charge.
Joe B. Miller of Millersville, Mo. brought the McGarry Motorsports No. 31B home with a second-place finish, while Riley Kreisel snuck his way on the podium with a sudden sixth-to-third burst on the final restart for the reigning WAR Sprints champion. Current points leader Kory Schudy finished in fourth-place and Logan Faucon of Elkhart, Ill. rounded out the top five.
Closing out the top ten at Spoon River was Wesley Smith in sixth, Korey Weyant in seventh, Don Droud Jr. in eighth, Jack Wagner in ninth and Trey Gropp in tenth.
Next weekend, the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League convenes upon the hollowed grounds of Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway to take part in the inaugural $20,000/Win, $2,000/Start Corn Belt Nationals. Stay glued to WAR and Knoxville social media all week long for the latest news as the anticipation continues to build for this newly-formed crown jewel event set for Friday and Saturday, July 5-6.
For more information on the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League, visit www.powri.com online, follow @WARSprints on Twitter, or like POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprints on Facebook.
Hinchman Racewear Heat One (8 Laps):
- 56-Mitchell Davis, Auburn, IL (6); 2. 4-Braydon Cromwell, Lone Jack, MO (1); 3. 54-Trey Gropp, Lincoln, NE (3); 4. 1M-Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (5); 5. 95-Tommy Rockwell, Towanda, IL (4); 6. 77K-Katlynn Leer, Moulton, IA (2); 7. 7-Bobby Logan, Rantoul, IL (7).
Bell Racing HQ Heat Two (8 Laps):
- 28-Kory Schudy, Springfield, MO (5); 2. 12-Wesley Smith, Nixa, MO (1); 3. 52F-Logan Faucon, Elkhart, IL (4); 4. N2-Nic Harris, Atlanta, IL (7); 5. 20-Steve Thomas, Rantoul, IL (6); 6. 51-Brent Burrows, Lewistown, IL (2); 7. 2-Jason Billups, Holt, MO (3).
Schure Built Suspension Heat Three (8 Laps):
- 90-Riley Kreisel, Warsaw, MO (1); 2. 31B-Joe B. Miller, Millersville, MO (5); 3. 99-Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL (3); 4. 6B-Andy Baugh, Mason City, IL (6); 5. 73-Samuel Wagner, Lone Jack, MO (2); 6. 1-Mitch Wissmiller, Saybrook, IL (4); 7. 71S-Doug Schenck, Cottage Grove, WI (7).
Wilwood Disc Brakes Heat Four (8 Laps):
- 6-Mario Clouser, Auburn, IL (2); 2. 77-Jack Wagner, Lone Jack, MO (1); 3. 16-Anthony Nicholson, Bartlett, TN (4); 4. 22S-Slater Helt, Harrisonville, MO (5); 5. 2A-Austin Archdale, Brimfield, IL (3); 6. 7S-Craig Campton, Pardeeville, WI (6);
Hoosier Tire B-Main (12 Laps / 4 Transfer):
- 29-Mitch Wissmiller (6); 2. 2A-Austin Archdale (3); 3. 20-Steve Thomas (1); 4. 7S-Craig Campton (5); 5. 77K-Katlynn Leer (7); 6. 51-Brent Burrows (8); 7. 95-Tommy Rockwell (2); 8. 2-Jason Billups (10); 9. 73-Samuel Wagner (4); 10. 7-Bobby Logan (11); 11. 71S-Doug Schenck (DNS).
POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League Main Event (25 Laps):
- 16-Anthony Nicholson (11); 2. 31B-Joe B. Miller (2); 3. 90-Riley Kreisel (5); 4. 28-Kory Schudy (3); 5. 52F-Logan Faucon (8); 6. 12-Wesley Smith (6); 7. 99-Korey Weyant (12); 8. 1M-Don Droud Jr. (15); 9. 77-Jack Wagner (9); 10. 54-Trey Gropp (13); 11. 6-Mario Clouser (1); 12. 2A-Austin Archdale (16); 13. 77K-Katlynn Leer (20); 14. 22S-Slater Helt (14); 15. 6B-Andy Baugh (10); 16. 4-Braydon Cromwell (7); 17. 7C-Craig Campton (18); 18. 20-Steve Thomas (19); 19. 56-Mitchell Davis (4); 20. 29-Mitch Wissmiller (17), 21. N2-Nic Harris (DNS).
Lap Leader(s): Clouser 1, Schudy 2-12, Nicholson 13-25.
Hard Charger(s): Nicholson +10.
Photo Credit - Brendon Bauman Photos