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by Ryan Neuharth
TUCSON, AZ (January 18) – If there were any doubts about whether or not Jimmy Owens and the Rowland Racing team would be a force to reckon with in 2015, those were firmly put to rest of the final two nights of the 2105 Keyser Manufacturing Wild West Shootout at USA Raceway in Tucson, AZ. After capturing the $3,000-to-win event on Saturday night, Owens returned his Widox Wax, Sunoco Race Fuels, FK Rod Ends, Red Line Oil, Pro Power, Club 29 to victory lane Sunday night in the $10,000-to-win Finale.
Owens would take the lead from Oxford, IA’s Chris Simpson on lap seventeen and lead the remaining 33-laps for the win. The ”Newport Nightmare” was followed across the line by Jimmy Mars, Simpson, Jason Papich and Tony Jackson, Jr. rounding out the top five. The win by Owens also gave the Black Diamond/Club 29 chassis a clean sweep of all six Late Model A-Mains.
Las Cruces, NM races Garrett Alberson would lead away from the pole as Chris Simpson quickly moved from his fifth starting spot to run second on the opening lap. In an effort to equalize the top and bottom grooves, track officials re-worked the inside lane of the 3/8th mile oval just before the running of the X-Mod main event which ran prior to the Late Models. That effort not only brought the low-line to life was instantly negated the top-line dominance that had been present most of the week.
With five quick ones in the books Alberson continued to lead over Simpson, Owens, RC Whitwell and Jimmy Mars, Jason Krohn, Jason Papich, Tony Jackson, Jr., Adam Hensel and Bumper Jones who started on the outside of row one and instantly moved in reverse.
As the field trucked around the now dominate low-line, no changes for position were occurring within the top ten as the field completed lap ten. Just as Alberson was about to flash under the flagstand to begin lap eleven, the engine in his number 43 let go and he pulled to the infield handing the lead to Simpson.
Just behind, Mars was beginning to make a move as he slipped past Whitwell as Papich also began to challenge when the first caution in 139 Late Model A-Main racing laps appeared on lap fourteen for Tyler Erb who lost and engine and coasted to a stop in turn four.
On the double-file restart, Owens chose seemingly lesser preferred outside lane and was the first to venture off the bottom in pursuit of the lead. That decision turned out to be a wise one as just three laps later Owens made the winning move around the outside of Simpson’s 32 machine and began to pull away.
The best battle of the racetrack was taking place between Whitwell and Billy Moyer who started in the twentieth position and was now challenging for eighth at the halfway point. Moyer would secure that position and bring along a surging AJ Diemel into the top ten.
With 25-in and 25-to go, Owens lead Simpson, Mars, Papich, Jackson, Sanders, Krohn, Moyer, Whitwell and Diemel.
Owens would continue to build his lead past lap 30 running the high line in turns one & two while entering low in turn three and letting his car drift to the cushion on the exit of turn four. Jimmy Mars had also moved to the high line around the speedway which prompted fellow MB Custom’s driver Jason Krohn to do the same, and when he did his 7k transformed into a rocket ship.
Blasting around the cushion, Krohn jumped from seventh to fifth and was challenging Papich for fourth as the two headed down the backstretch on lap 39. Papich pinched Krohn into the outside wall and he then contacted the wall near the pit opening and drew the races second caution.
On the restart, Mars got the better of Simpson, but with clean racetrack in from of him, Owens would run unchallenged over the final ten trips around USA Raceway to claim his second win in as many nights and the week’s top prize.
USA Raceway
January 18th, 2015
Feature
1 3 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN 10,000
2 4 28 Jimmy Mars Menomonie, WI 5,000
3 5 32 Chris Simpson Oxford, IA 2,500
4 6 91P Jason Papich Arroyo Grande, CA 1,500
5 13 56 Tony Jackson Jr Lebanon, MO 1,200
6 8 20S Rodney Sanders Happy, TX 1,000
7 20 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR 900
8 12 58 A.J. Diemel Elk Mound, WI 800
9 22 2s Stormy Scott Las Cruces, NM 750
10 11 33x Adam Hensel Barron, WI 700
11 16 75 Terry Phillips Springfield, MO 700
12 7 5 RC Whitwell Tucson, AZ 700
13 15 86 Kyle Beard Trumann, AR 700
14 24 7 Ricky Weiss Headingley, MB 700
15 23 91T Tony Toste Pismo Beach, CA 700
16 17 21jr Billy Moyer Jr Batesville, AR 700
17 2 g17 Bumper Jones Las Cruces, NM 700
18 9 7K Jason Krohn Slayton, MN 700
19 19 11 Pat Doar New Richmond, WI 700
20 21 18 Ronny L Hollingsworth Northport, AL 700
21 18 18c Chase Junghans Manhattan, KS 700
22 14 19r Ryan Gustin Marshalltown, IA 700
23 10 91 Tyler Erb Magnolia, TX 700
24 1 43 Garrett Alberson Las Cruces, NM 700
B-Main #1
1 21jr Billy Moyer Jr Batesville, AR
2 11 Pat Doar New Richmond, WI
3 18 Ronny L Hollingsworth Northport, AL
4 91T Tony Toste Pismo Beach, CA
5 1 Anthony Burroughs Muscle Shoals, AL
6 33d Brian Diveley Springfield, IL
7 06 Dave Smith Edmonton, AB
8 0 Jake O’Neil Tucson, AZ
9 17 Larry Childress Bakersfield, CA
10 27 Nick Bartels El Segundo, CA
11 27R Jake Redetzke Eau Claire, WI
12 10tt Tyson Turnbull Estevan, SK
13 5m Jon Mitchell Texarkana, TX
14 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA
15 3d Dave Deetz Las Cruces, NM
16 23 Brad Williams Tucson, AZ
17 42 Don Shaw Ham Lake, MN
B-Main #2
1 18c Chase Junghans Manhattan, KS
2 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR
3 2s Stormy Scott Las Cruces, NM
4 7 Ricky Weiss Headingley, MB
5 11K Jeremy Keller Mandan, ND
6 15s Donny Schatz Fargo, ND
7 R5 Hunter Rasdon Jonesboro, AR
8 51F Matt Furman Columbus, OH
9 32b Clay Daly Watsonville, CA
10 2T Trevor Glaser Tangent, OR
11 56m Raymond Merrill Salisaw, OK
12 89 James Laing Tucson, AZ
13 14 Sean Bray Tucson, AZ
14 28c John Cornell Tucson, AZ
15 12K Matt Micheli Live Oak, CA
16 22g Paul Guglielmoni Vacaville, CA
17 51 Joey Moriarty Phoenix, AZ
Heat #1
1 4 28 Jimmy Mars Menomonie, WI
2 8 91P Jason Papich Arroyo Grande, CA
3 11 18c Chase Junghans Manhattan, KS
4 7 58 A.J. Diemel Elk Mound, WI
5 1 27R Jake Redetzke Eau Claire, WI
6 9 11K Jeremy Keller Mandan, ND
7 5 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA
8 10 27 Nick Bartels El Segundo, CA
9 6 89 James Laing Tucson, AZ
10 3 12K Matt Micheli Live Oak, CA
Heat #2
1 1 20S Rodney Sanders Happy, TX
2 2 19r Ryan Gustin Marshalltown, IA
3 3 75 Terry Phillips Springfield, MO
4 8 33x Adam Hensel Barron, WI
5 6 2s Stormy Scott Las Cruces, NM
6 7 33d Brian Diveley Springfield, IL
7 4 28 John Cornell Tucson, AZ
8 9 10tt Tyson Turnbull Estevan, SK
9 10 14 Sean Bray Tucson, AZ
10 5 23 Brad Williams Tucson, AZ
Heat #3
1 2 g17 Bumper Jones Las Cruces, NM
2 1 86 Kyle Beard Trumann, AR
3 8 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN
4 5 1 Anthony Burroughs Muscle Shoals, AL
5 3 7 Ricky Weiss Headingley, MB
6 10 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR
7 7 2T Trevor Glaser Tangent, OR
8 9 56m Raymond Merrill Salisaw, OK
9 4 32b Clay Daly Watsonville, CA
10 6 3d Dave Deetz Las Cruces, NM
Heat #4
1 1 7K Jason Krohn Slayton, MN
2 4 43 Garrett Alberson Las Cruces, NM
3 3 18 Ronny L Hollingsworth Northport, AL
4 2 91T Tony Toste Pismo Beach, CA
5 5 5m Jon Mitchell Texarkana, TX
6 9 11 Pat Doar New Richmond, WI
7 10 51F Matt Furman Columbus, OH
8 7 0 Jake O’Neil Tucson, AZ
9 6 42 Don Shaw Ham Lake, MN
10 8 22g Paul Guglielmoni Vacaville, CA
Heat #5
1 1 91 Tyler Erb Magnolia, TX
2 4 5 RC Whitwell Tucson, AZ
3 9 32 Chris Simpson Oxford, IA
4 7 56 Tony Jackson Jr Lebanon, MO
5 5 R5 Hunter Rasdon Jonesboro, AR
6 10 21jr Billy Moyer Jr Batesville, AR
7 8 15s Donny Schatz Fargo, ND
8 2 06 Dave Smith Edmonton, AB
9 3 17 Larry Childress Bakersfield, CA
10 6 51 Joey Moriarty Phoenix, AZ