Moyer Jr. Scores Opening Night Wild West Shootout Win

jdearing

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Wild West Day Two on Sunday

Ryan Neuharth Tucson, Ariz (January 8, 2011) Capitalizing on momentum from his first appearance at USA Raceway's Wild West Shootout in 2010, Billy Moyer, Jr. used his patented line around the 3/8ths mile desert oval to steal the lead from Jeremy Payne on a late race restart and take his first career Wild West Shootout win. "It's awesome to win out west like this, especially with all the Victory Circle people and Henderson Motorsports people here" Moyer, Jr. said from victory lane.

Payne would hold a comfortable lead for 20 of the main events 30-laps as Moyer Jr., Frank Heckenast, Jr., Brad Looney, Bub McCool, Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jimmy Mars all diced for position. McCool and Moyer Jr. would race side by side for several early laps while Mars and Hollingsworth made it two row of two from fourth on back. Hollingsworth was making the most noise early jumping from his eleventh starting spot to run seventh on lap five and fourth two circuits later.

The early race storm was tempered when Dick Barton brought out the races first caution on lap 12, sapping Hollingsworth momentum and trapping the Northport, AL driver on the outside line during the restart. "Right Foot" Ronnie dropped back to eighth while Looney was also stumbling, losing power temporarily and falling to the tail before he could get back up to race pace.

Looney's power-failure bunched several drivers behind his slowing Victory Circle machine, leaving Heckenast, Jr. with no place to go as Moyer, Jr, Mars and McCool would all advance two places closer to the front. Heckenast's misfortune turned into Moyer, Jr's golden opportunity as he pulled to the outside of Payne on lap seventeen just as Rob Mayea would pull-up in turn one with a flat right rear, bringing out the yellow and setting the stage for a dramatic late race pass for the win.

With Payne out front for the Delaware restart, Moyer, Jr. lined-up on the inside of row two. When Payne slide across the racetrack in turn one on the restart, it opened the door for Moyer Jr. to grab the top spot and set sail towards the checkered. "I went to the top a little too early" Moyer, Jr. said after the win. "That last restart fell just right, we lined up on the bottom and when (Payne) went high to try and block we drove right past." Quickly extend his lead to a full straightway, Moyer, Jr. left Payne to fend off a hard charging Mars, McCool and a rebounding Hollingsworth.

And what was maybe a hint at things to come, and unlike 2010, the second generation driver will happily be racing in all six Wild West Shootout events in 2011. "I graduated and will be here all week."

The rest of the field is officially on notice.

A-Main
Billy Moyer, Jr., Jeremy Payne, Jimmy Mars, Bub McCool, Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth, Billy Moyer, Frank Heckenast, Jr., John Lobb, John Kaanta, Chris Wall, Jesse Stovall, Ray Moore, Rob Sanders, John Lowry, Mike Balcean, Joey Moriarty, Nick Bartels, Pat Doar, Rob Mayea, Brad Looney, Jack Sullivan, Mike Johnson, Dick Barton, Matt Aukland

Heat 1

Billy Moyer, Jr, John Lowry, John Kaanta, Mike Balcean, Eric Mass, Dylan Smith, Lonnie Parker, Jr, Trevor Glaser, Terry Phillips

Heat 2

Jeremy Payne, Dick Barton, John Lobb, Karl Tipton, John Carroll, Russ Sell, Dave Deetz, James Chavez, Jr

Heat 3

Brad Looney, Jesse Stovall, Clay Daly, Matt Aukland, Rob Sanders, Dan Henrikson, David Vennard, Garrett Alberson

Heat 4

Nick Bartels, Bub McCool, Chris Wall, Jack Sullivan, Tony Toste, Brent Kehrer, Jason Papich, RC Whitwell

Heat 5

Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth, Ray Moore, Jimmy Mars, Mike McCaughan, Bill Bartels, Morgan Bagley, Brad Williams, Joey Moriarty

Heat 6

Billy Moyer, Frank Heckenast, Jr, Pat Doar, Mike Johnson, Rob Mayea, Darryn Waldo, Jeff Sires, Greg Jelvik

B-Main 1

John Lowry, Mike Balcaen, Rob Mayea, Matt Aukland, Morgan Bagley, Karl Tipton, Trevor Glaser, Darryn Waldo, Tony Toste, James Chavez, Jr, David Vennard, Clay Daly - DNS, Garret Alberson - DNS

B-Main 2

Jesse Stovall, John Kaanta, Mike Johnson, Joey Moriarty, RC Whitwell, Lonnie Parker, Jr, Brad Williams, Mark Carroll, Mike McCaughan, Eric Mass - DNS, Dan Henrikson, DNS, Brent Kehrer - DNS

B-Main 3

Ray Moore, Jack Sullivan, Pat Doar, Rob Sanders, Russ Sell, Dylan Smith, Terry Phillips, Bill Bartels, Jason Papich, Dave Deetz, Greg Jelvik, Jeff Sires

Modified Event Results:

A-Main: Whitwell, J. O'neal, Jones, N. O'neal, Grimes, Skytland, Strand, Alvarez, Scott, S. Ward, Ayers, Richardson, Belcher Jr., C. Arneson, Williamson, T. Ward, A. Arneson, Johnson, Turnbull, Adams, Mann, Engelstad, Thomas, Simmons

Heat 1: RC Whitwell, Scott Ward, Robert Adams, Cody Skytland, Shane Edginton, Cale Arneson, Dustin Dittman, Bud Walberg, Tim Thomas

Heat 2: Austin Arneson, Chad Ayers, Jason Strand, Darryn Waldo, Wade Simmons, Mercedes Harris, Rick Wood, Jimmy Ray, Billy Byholm

Heat 3: Cody Alvarez, Stormy Scott, Bumper Jones, Jay Richardson, Jason Grimes, Dennis Haven, Terry Haven, Brian Clark, Don Shaw

Heat 4: Tim Ward, Jake O'Neal, Terry Belcher Jr., Ed Turnbull, Alex Engelstad, Lance Mari, Jesse Williamson, Jake Bitker

Heat 5: Corky Thomas, Mitch Johnson, Nick O'neal, Ritchie Mann, Ron Schreiner, Daniel Hutto, Mike Brandon, Brian McCaughan

B-Main 1: Adams, Johnson, Belcher Jr., Turnbull, Grimes, C. Arneson, Hutton, Byholm, Mari, Clark, Waldo, Wood, D. Haven, T. Haven, Brandon, Ray

B-Main 2: S. Ward, Richardson, Simmons, Mann, Engelstad, Williamson, Edginton, Harris, T. Thomas, Schreiner, McCaughan, Dittman, Walberg, Bitker, Shaw

Super Stock Event Results:

A-Main: Joe Sarginger, Chris McCurdy Jr., Terry Hill, Dana Boatwright, Daniel Stricker, Larry Frederickson, Bryan Ledbetter Jr., Marty Hussak, Mike Brigner, Doug Paxson

Heat 1: Hill, Stricker, Hussak, Frederickson, Ledbetter Jr.

Heat 2: McCurdy Jr., Boatwright, Sarginger, Brigner, Paxson
 




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