Cook, Jr., Carmody, Farris, Burrows and Bollinger get wins on Mothers Day

(Peoria,IL) Kevin Weaver seemed to have round 3 of the “Budweiser UMP Super Late Model Series” at Peoria Speedway all wrapped up, but lapped traffic had something else to say on an absolutely perfect night of racing on Mothers Day night.

Weaver jumped to the lead from his outside front row starting position and looked to have the race in hand, encountering lapped traffic by the 4^th lap but working it masterfully until a lap 16 caution for Scott Schmitt slowed the race. On the re-start, Weaver again took off, leaving pole sitter Billy Drake to chase Weaver through lapped traffic again by lap 20.

With most cars hugging the bottom of the track, Weaver was slowed a few times by traffic and Drake closed up on his bumper in traffic on lap 26. Drake and Weaver made contact a couple of times in traffic, but Weaver had cleared traffic until the white flag flew. As the duo approached the lapped car of Bob Gardner entering turn 3, Weaver slowed to avoid contact and Drake saw an opening and pulled underneath Weaver coming out of turn 4. A drag race to the line resulted in Drake getting the win by a nose in a near photo finish. Weaver ended up 2^nd, with Jason Feger, Steve Lance, Jr., and Wes Steidinger completing the top 5.

“I feel sorry for Kevin there at the end”, said Drake. “It was one of those deals with lapped traffic where you have to make a decision on where to go. He left me a little opening and I jumped on it. It was real close there at the line. Thanks to all the guys who work on this car, I feel like we are getting it dialed in.”

Gary Cook, Jr. led flag-to-flag in the UMP Modified feature event, out-gunning pole sitter David Baldwin at the start and surviving caution flags on laps 8 and 18 for the win. Cook, Jr. was challenged by a hard-charging Butch Weisser on the last lap, but slammed the door shut coming into turn 3 for the win. Weisser ended up 2^nd, followed by Erik Bruce, Milo Veloz and Ray Bollinger.

“We had the car set up well”, said Cook. “I heard Butch back there at the end and I tried keeping my nose straight but when he made his move I just gassed it up. It feels good to get this win.”

Jim Carmody led flag-to-flag to win the Limited Late Model feature, followed by Evan Fink, Brian Crebo, Tommy Duncan and Chuck Barnes, Jr. “There’s one for the old guys there”, said Carmody. “We had this car set up well and starting up front sure didn’t hurt.”

In the UMP StreetStock division, fans were treated to another photo finish on a wild last-lap scramble which featured John Farris nipping race leader Mike Cusack by a nose. Cusack had led the entire distance, but Farris passed 2^nd place Travis Johnson on the white flag lap, and then dove inside Cusack coming out of turn 4 as Johnson tried the middle. Farris won the race to the line, with Cusack, Johnson, Bob Simpson and Greg Osman rounding out the top 5.

“Wow! That was a heckuva race there!” an elated Farris told the crowd in victory lane. “I saw Mike slip a bit going into 3 and I knew I had to make my move so I dove underneath him and the race to the checkered was on.”

Brent Burrows led flag-to-flag in the Speedway Motors Illinois Lightning Sprint division, working lapped traffic masterfully in holding off defending series champ Austin Archdale and Billy Brickley. “I knew I had to step it up withAustinback there”, said Burrows. “We really had the car set up well and I had good luck with lapped traffic there.”

Zack Bollinger dueled Shane Kelly over the first half of the UMP Hornet feature before taking the lead on lap 5 and fending off Kelly, Jeremy Kingsley, Kenny Butterfield and Tyler Benson for the victory. “It was a lot of fun racing with Shane there”, said Bollinger. “I wanted to make sure we ran him clean because he is a really good driver. It feels good to be here in victory lane”.

Action continues at Peoria Speedway this week with 2 special events- NASCAR Night featuring Kenny Wallace, Kenny Schrader and Justin Allgaier on Wednesday, May 16 and the Lucas Oil National POWRi Midget Series on Saturday, May 19.

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