L.A. Raceway
Moyer Jr. capture MLRA victory at LA Raceway
Billy Moyer Jr. heads for victory. (Mike Musslin)
LaMONTE, Mo. (June 2) — Billy Moyer Jr. led all 40 laps Saturday at L.A. Raceway for a $3,000 victory, the third of his career on the Lucas Oil Midwest Late Model Racing Association.
Tommy Weder Jr. of Woodward, Okla., finished second with rookie Mark Dotson of Cameron, Mo., in third for his best career finish in the division. Ninth-starting Eric Turner of Springfield, Mo., and 14th-starting Justin Wells of Aurora, Mo., rounded out the top five finishers in the track’s first sanctioned Late Model event since 2006. | Slideshow
The race’s key moment came early in the race as Moyer and second-running John Anderson of Omaha, Neb., negotiated lapped traffic. When Tommy Cordray got loose in turn four, it triggered a chain reaction of slowing cars with Moyer the first to check up. Anderson, MLRA’s points leader and reigning champion, tried to avoid a slowing Chris Hawkins, but he spun after making slight contact.
"When all that happened I know I got on the brakes hard,” said the 24-year-old Moyer, whose two previous MLRA victories came last October at Heartland Park Topeka. "I seen the caution come out. I knew John was right there. You hate to see that. It was probably going to be a good race between me and him.”
While Anderson dropped to the tail and rallied back to finish eighth, Moyer stayed in control the rest of the way, keeping Weder in check as the frontrunners battled lapped traffic.
"I'm just happy to run second,” Weder said. "We've been struggling all year with this car. We do quite a bit of stuff different than Billy and them do. Maybe we're getting somewhere with it.”
Notes: Moyer’s Victory Circle Chassis is sponsored by Henderson Motorsports, Crop Production Services, Banner Valley Hauling and Car City. ... Justin Wells earned KRC Hard Charger honors for his 14th-to-fifth run. ... Bill Leighton Jr. of Omaha, Neb., was running third when his engine expired. ... Among drivers failing to make the feature lineup: Chris Morelock, Brett Wood, Joe Walkenhorst, Bob King, Dustin Walker, Don Cloyd and Randy Reynolds. ... Friday’s $3,000-to-win MLRA event at Humbolt (Kan.) Speedway was rained out and rescheduled for July 27. ... Next up for MLRA competitors is a June 15-16 weekend at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo., and Thunder Hill Speedway in Mayetta, Kan.
MLRA @ LA Raceway: (1) Billy Moyer Jr., (2) Tommy Weder Jr., (3) Mark Dotson, (4) Eric Turner, (5) Justin Wells, (6) Matt Johnson, (7) David Turner, (8) John Anderson, (9) Brandon McCormick, (10) Kevin Sather, (11) Jason Bodenhamer, (12) Bryon Allison, (13) Scott Lewis, (14) Kevin Coyne, (15) Reid Millard, (16) Tommy Cordray, (17) Bill Leighton Jr., (18) Jason Russell, (19) Randy McGraw, (20) Chris Hawkins, (21) Brandon Imhoff. Heat race winners (among 35 cars): Moyer, Anderson, Leighton, Dotson. Consolation winners: Lewis, McGraw.
