Tri-State Speedway
Wells wins at Tri-State for weekend sweep
By Trenton Berry
Show-Me Racin' SeriesPOCOLA, Okla. (Sept. 3) – Advancing from the 10th starting position, series points leader Justin Wells of Aurora, Mo., moved to the lead on the fifth lap of Saturday night’s Race Brothers Show-Me Racin’ Series event at Tri-State Speedway and led the remaining distance to score a $1,000 victory.
The triumph completed a weekend sweep of Show-Me Series events for Wells, the three-time defending series champion who now has four victories on the season.
“It kind of feels like last year really,” Wells said of his recent hot streak. “It feels good to get back to where we was.”
Three cautions for minor incidents on laps 17, 20 and 21 slowed the pace of the race, giving competitrs chances to challenge Wells on restarts. But Wells remained steady, pulling ahead each time.
“We had such a long green run and I had my rhythm so good and I was clicking off lap cars,” Wells said. Later “it seemed like we’d go caution green, caution green. It’s just hard to keep your rhythm, and I committed myself to the outside the whole race. I was afraid the track was changing, but we held on so it worked.”
Leslie Essary of Crane, Mo., stared ninth and finished second. He had Wells in his crosshairs for much of the race, but couldn’t muster a pass. Polesitter Jay Rierson of Booneville, Ark., finished third for his best series finish of the season. Brandon Cheek of Hackett, Ark., was fourth with Jarrod Hilton of Crane, Mo., rounding out the top five.
The victory marked Wells’s ninth of his career in Show-Me Series events at Tri-State Speedway and 35th on the tour overall.
The series has two more events on its 2011 schedule. A Sept. 10 event at Centerville (Ark.) Speedway is up next before an Oct. 22 return to Tri-State closes out the season.
Show-Me Series @ Tri-State: (1) Justin Wells, (2) Leslie Essary, (3) Jay Rierson, (4) Brandon Cheek, (5) Jarrod Hilton, (6) Dylan Davlin, (7) Chris Morelock, (8) Rob Powell, (9) Chris Deaton, (10) Eric Tinderholt, (11) Ray Peacock, (12) Willie Gammill, (13) Randy Zimmerman, (14) Brandon Hunter, (15) Kyle Ledford, (16) Robert McMurtrie, (17) Randy Russell, (18) Gene Davlin, (19) Rick Lebow, (20) Ken Essary, (21) Brandon Mitchell, (22) Larry Campbell. Heat race winners: Rierson, K. Essary, Wells and L. Essary.
