SPRING VALLEY, MN (March 4, 2012) - Mired in his worst start to a VLR season since early 2007, VLR_18 knew it was high-time to get his season turned around after two disappointing finishes while he searches for a seventh consecutive VLR championship.
After dominating the Gopher 50 Sunday in VLR's first ever visit to the Deer Creek Speedway, it appears the #18 team is back on track to make a run at the title.
"We needed this one for sure," VLR_18 said after roaring off the pole position to lead from start-to-finish at the 3/8 mile oval. "I knew I had to start winning and one more bad finish would've made it almost impossible to have a shot at the championship with the competition we got now.
"I was sitting 15 points out of the lead after two races and with the points format and competition level I had to start winning beginning this week at Deer Creek."
Stuck in sixth in the VLR point standings after two races, VLR_18, 17, of Brookfield, Wisconsin, needed a boost for his race team and the young driver got it at Deer Creek in front of a sold out grandstand. VLR_18 lead flag to flag and already had a three car length lead by lap two before checking out on the field. 18 was able to hold off BLS_BW43 of Sparta, Michigan, who tied his career best VLR finish, and West Point, Mississippi driver VLR_JW for his 48th career win at VLR.
BLS_BW43 started and finished second in his STP sponsored #43 after settling behind leader VLR_18 at the start. The Michigan driver secured his best finish at VLR since a second place in March 2011 at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. He finished 4.13 seconds behind VLR_18.
The 1-2 drivers in the point standings, VLR_JW and VLR_Shock, battled cleanly for much of the race to decide who would come home third. VLR_JW passed VLR_Shock on lap 30, but the Crossville, Tennessee native fought back and began using the high line in turn four and swooping down on the exit to keep close with JW before coming up just short at the line. VLR_JW still holds a slim lead over Shock in the point standings as the lead sits at three points after three races. Last weeks winner JFR_Jim, of Jim Falls, Alaska, rounded out the top five after starting in the back of the a main.
VLR_18, who immediately put his name back in contention for the championship, never came close to relinquishing his lead on the field despite some hairy moments in lap traffic. Still, the rest of the field was no match for 18 as he picked up his first win of the season at VLR, and believe it or not, his first top five.
Running a different line than most of the other drivers, 18 seemed to be the only car that could get through turn four without ever snapping loose and this extra speed boost enabled him to pull away lap after lap.
"Just a really fun track, and really good when you can come out and dominate like this," said VLR_18 in victory lane. "If I win every race here on out there's no way anyone can beat me so I have to keep doing this.
"Maybe everyone's on notice now that I'm not gonna give up on winning the title until I'm mathematically eliminated. I hope people are still counting me out though because I love proving them wrong."
BLS_BW43, who is still winless at VLR, was hoping to finally get a break through win in the first annual Gopher 50, but the NOS Energy machine driven by VLR_18 was just too powerful from start to finish.
"I'd love to have got my first VLR win here," said 43, who won a support late model race at Deer Creek on Friday night. "I thought I could at least keep up with 18 for a while but as soon as the green flag waved he was gone.
"I can't complain, though. Finishing second over this caliber of drivers is good any day of the week. We're sitting pretty in points right now and hopefully we can get finishes like this every week and stay up there.
Points leader VLR_JW crossed the line in third after fending off some strong challenges from VLR_Shock in the closing laps. JW is looking to win his first ever points title at VLR after finishing second in the standings the last two seasons.
"Me and Shock had a hell of a race there," JW said describing the frantic battle. "We raced each other about as clean as you could and I just beat him to the finish. You can't ask for much better than that. I seen the 18 got the win though so I'll have my work cut out for me and I got to try to beat him every race.
"It's gonna be tough but we can do it."
Finishing in positions 6-10 was WFO_T of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, who made his first VLR a main since getting his United States Visa back; IFRT_8x of Cumberland, Maryland, who made his first VLR a main since last season's opener at Lucas Oil; VLR_911 of Batesville, Arkansas, in his return to VLR action; WFO_Starnes of Houston, Texas, who did not drive backwards any during the 50 lap race; and JFR*Woods of Ocean Springs, Mississippi rounded out the top ten after spinning early in the feature.
A field of 37 cars signed in for the late model action including some high profile drivers like BLS_ICE, Karl, BLS_34, WFO_Stealth, XCR_Opeth, BLS_Kevin, Jon, WFO_Blz, IFRT_OCF, JFR_17, JFR_LP, and more top drivers who did not make the exclusive ten car A Main field.
VLR_18 was the fastest in the time trials for his first pole of season 18 at VLR, as he blistered the track record with a 12.754 lap time to earn the top spot.
The VLR series will now head south to Iowa for the race at the Knoxville Raceway (2k11) on March 11th for what is always one of the best races of the year for the Knoxville Nationals as VLR_18 looks to continue his success while thirty-plus drivers will look to nip his winning ways in the bud.
Full Rundown:
Pos Driver
1 VLR_18
2 BLS_BW43
3 VLR_JW
4 VLR_Shock
5 JFR_Jim
6 WFO_T
7 IFRT_8x
8 VLR_911
9 WFO_Starnes
10 JFR*Woods
11 BLS_34
12 JFR_lastplace
13 JFR_17
14 IFRT_OCF
15 XCR_Evan
16 WFO_Blaze
17 jon
18 WFO_Stealth
19 BLS_ICE
20 XCR_T92
21 Karl
22 DS5
23 XCR_Opeth
24 J-MAC
25 Lazy3
26 BLS_Kevin42
27 Geisler
28 BMS
29 McFly34
30 Squirrel
31 smok3y69
32 hOoTs
33 BLS Jsn!
34 IFRT_Rac
35 XCR_b58
36 VLR*v21
37 WFO Rainman
- JFR*A2D
- S&S_22
- VLR_McGee