Bluegrass Speedway
Jewell snaps skid, earns $3,000 at Bluegrass
By Michael Despain
Bluegrass SpeedwayBARDSTOWN, Ky (May 28) — Mike Jewell of Scottsburg, Ind., took the lead for good on the seventh lap Saturday at Bluegrass Speedway and raced to his first sanctioned touring victory in nearly two years. Jewell earned $3,000 in the National All Star Racing Association's Spring Sizzler at the half-mile oval.
Former track champ Dustin Neat of Dunnville, Ky., jumped out to the lead at the outset, but Jewell pulled up to challenge as the frontrunners traded slide jobs on the fifth lap. After battling side-by-side on the sixth lap, Jewell edged ahead for good, fending off late challenges from Lee Devasier of Midway, Ky.
Steve Barnett of Franklin, Ind., was third while Joey Daniel of Liberty, Ky., rallied from his 13th starting spot to finish fourth int he 22-car field. Joe Janowski of Columbus, Ind., improved six positions to round out the top five. Neat had a flat tire on the 11th lap and came back from his pit stop to finish sixth.
The event was hampered by eight caution periods, one of which turned into a red flag when the track was blocked.
Notes: Jewell's MasterSbilt Race Car has a Cornett Race Engine and sponsorship from Southern Indiana Rock Drilling, MPC Motorsports, S&L Electric, Morgan Foods, Scott County Tire and Jewell TV Service. ... Jewell's last sanctioned touring victory came at Bluegrass on June 20, 2009, on the now-defunct Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series. ... Among drivers failing to make the feature lineup: Danny Hatcher and Johnny Wheeler. ... NASRA, with just five races scheduled in 2011, returns to Bluegrass Speedway for a $3,000-to-win event on July 2.
Spring Sizzler: (1) Mike Jewell, (2) Lee Devasier, (3) Steve Barnett, (4) Joey Daniel, (5) Joe Janowski, (6) Dustin Neat, (7) Rohn Moon, (8) David Webb, (9) Tim Rivers, (10) Chris Streeval, (10) Arnie Fields, (11) Wesley Brummett, (12) Jarryd Holshouser, (13) Bobby Wolter Jr., (14) Tim Tungate, (15) Chad Stapleton, (16) Wayne Chinn, (17) Jeff Watson, (18) Justin Rattliff, (19) Kevin Claycomb, (20) Stephen Breeding, (21) Mike Cawood, (22) Jarrod Breeding. Fast qualifier (among 28 cars): Jewell, 15.240 seconds. Heat race winners: Moon, Tungate, Jewell, Neat. Consolation winner: Watson. Provisional starters: Fields, Brummett, Holshouser.
