Danny Lasoski won Saturday night's season opening Speedway Motors ASCS Warrior main event at LA Raceway in La Monte, MO. (Ken Simon photo)
Lonnie Wheatley, LA MONTE, Mo. (April 9, 2011) – Danny Lasoski left little room for doubt by wiring the field to win Saturday night’s inaugural Warrior feature event under the ASCS banner atop the 3/8-mile LA Raceway clay oval.
After a convincing heat race win, “The Dude” pulled the one pill in the redraw. That was all the help he needed, as he gunned into the lead at the outset and paced all 25 circuits to secure the season-opening Speedway Motors ASCS Warrior Region win on his son’s birthday less than an hour from his Higginsville, MO, home.
“It’s pretty cool to be here on my son’s 13th birthday and to be able to spend it with him is priceless to me,” Lasoski explained. “And winning the race with my father, it’s really special.”
Outgunning Tyler Blank for the point at the drop of the green, Lasoski kept the Kistler-powered Creason Pipeline Service/Michael Ross Foundation No. 33 Eagle out front throughout despite several cautions that interrupted the pace.
Third-starter Mark Shirshekan took second away from Blank on the opening circuit and tried to keep pace, however was unable to mount a serious challenge as Lasoski put some lapped cars in between them by the time a caution flew after twelve laps for Jeffrey Newell, who slipped off the top of turn three.
Shirshekan ultimately settled for a career-best ASCS finish of second, while midget ace Brad Loyet earned a podium finish by claiming third in his ASCS debut. Running fifth at the midway point, Loyet disposed of Blank for fourth by the time Bryan Grimes slipped off the track in turn four with 14 laps in the books and then snared third in the final circuits when third-runner Randy Martin pulled pitside with engine woes.
Blank settled for fourth, with Dustin Barks rounding out the top five. Austin Alumbaugh was sixth, with Rusty Potter, Evan Martin, Matt Covington and 19th-starter Josh Stephens completing the top ten.
The race’s first caution flew after two laps for Josh Fisher’s turn two spin after starting fourth. Following the yellow flags for Newell and Grimes, the yellow lights flickered again after 15 laps when 15th-starter Covington spun in turn two after contact while battling for eighth and collected Fisher. Fisher was done while Covington rejoined the chase. Jonathan Cornell’s top wing suffered heavy damage in the incident and shredded on the restart to bring out a final caution.
Alumbaugh, Potter, Blank, Lasoski and Shirshekan topped heat race action for the 41-car field, with Stephens and Kyle Bellm wining the “B” Mains.
Cody Baker entered the record books as the first flip victim in ASCS Warrior Region action when he got upside down entering turn one in the night’s fifth and final heat race. Baker returned for “B” Main action but was unable to make the transfer.
Speedway Motors ASCS Warrior Results from LA Raceway:
