May 26, 2014 – It was an emotional night at Tri-State Speedway as Jeff Bland Jr. captured the second King of Indiana Sprint Series victory of his career. But that fact was minor in comparison to the weight that Bland and his team carried into the southwestern Indiana race track.
Sunday’s feature race win came exactly one year after 22-year old Josh Burton had died from injuries suffered in a racing accident. Now Bland was driving for the Burton family, in the #04 Jerry Burton Masonry DRC. He understood the importance of his accomplishment, explaining after the race, “It was definitely big. Josh passed away on this day. It’s a big deal, especially for them that we won tonight. It kind of helps them through it.”
Starting outside the front row, Bland charged into the lead as the field raced into the first turn, with pole starter C.J. Leary taking second, followed by Robert Ballou, Chase Stockon and Kyle Cummins. For the next 30 laps, Bland held command of the race, quickly establishing a half-straightaway lead. At times his advantage grew to the length of the straightaway, but working slower traffic allowed Leary to close the deficit to several car lengths before Bland opened it up again.
The caution flew on lap 25, when Mark Smith got caught up with another car in turn one and spun, and Cummins got into the wall trying to avoid hitting Smith. Four laps later, Jon Stanbrough made contact with Carson Short, putting the six-time KISS champion out of the race.
Bland accelerated away on each restart. His only challenge came on the last turn of the final lap, when Leary charged hard across the bottom of the turn and made wheel-to-wheel contact. Both cars turned sideways briefly, but while Bland accelerated to the checkered flag, Leary was passed by Ballou before he recovered.
“I was looking to my left every corner, for somebody to blow by me,” Bland allowed later, relaxing in the Burton’s hauler. “Leary got inside me there at the end and about wrecked us both. It was a good race, it was fun, I’m happy that I won. Things have been going great with this crew. I can’t thank (the Burtons) enough for putting up with me and putting me in the car and giving me a good race car every week.”
With a run from ninth to finish sixth, Shane Cottle maintains a 16-point lead, although defending KISS champion Brady Short reduced his deficit with a fifth place finish. They are the only drivers to compete all four KISS races. The Terre Haute Action Track has advised KISS officials that they will not reschedule their rained-out event.
With the KISS point battle coming more into focus, the final KISS event of the season is currently scheduled for Paragon Speedway, on May 31. Stanbrough has won four of the last five KISS feature races at Paragon, with Short collecting the win in the fifth event.
King of Indiana Sprint Series, Round 4
Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, IN
May 25, 2014
(31 cars)
Heat 1: 1. Chase Stockon 2x (2), 2. Robert Ballou 12 (1), 3. Shane Cottle 2e (3), 4. Bradley Sterrett 90 (4), 5. Seth Parker 38p (6), 6. Jon Stanbrough 37rw (5), 7. Brandon Mattox 28 (8), 8. Daylon Chambers 4c (7)
Heat 2: 1. Dakota Jackson 3 (4), 2. Carson Short 21 (3), 3. Mark Smith 1m (2), 4. Jarett Andretti 18 (1), 5. Chet Williams 38w (5), 6. Aric Gentry 10 (8), 7. Kent Schmidt 5k (6), 8. Ethan Barrow 15 (7)
Heat 3: 1. Brady Short 11p (2), 2. Jeff Bland Jr. 04 (5), 3. Donny Brackett 4b (1), 4. Chris Babcock 35 (3), 5. James Lyerla 11 (4), 6. Kevin Chambers 18 (7), 7. Matt Humphrey 79 (6), 8. Ethan Fleetwood 7f (8)
Heat 4: 1. Kyle Cummins 3c (4), 2. C.J. Leary 30 (2), 3. Daron Clayton 3r (5), 4. Casey Shuman 21k (1), 5. Hunter Schuerenberg 12h (6), 6. Aaron Farney 15f (7), 7. Bret Mellenberndt 97 (3)
B Main: 1. Parker (1), 2. Stanbrough (5), 3. Williams (2), 4. Schuerenberg (4), 5.Farney (8), 6. Mattox (9), 7. Mellenberndt (12), 8. Lyerla (3), 9. Barrow (14), 10. K. Chambers (7), 11. D. Chambers (13), 12. Humphrey (11), Gentry (DNS), Schmidt (DNS), Fleetwood (DNS)
Feature (30 laps): 1. Jeff Bland Jr. (2), 2. Robert Ballou (3), 3. C.J. Leary (1), 4. Chase Stockon (7), 5. Brady Short (4), 6. Shane Cottle (9) 7. Dakota Jackson (5), 8. Kyle Cummins (8), 9. Carson Short (16), 10. Bradley Sterrett (13), 11. Seth Parker (17), 12. Jarett Andretti (14), 13. Daron Clayton (12), 14. Jon Stanbrough (18), 15. Casey Shuman (6), 16. Mark Smith (10), 17. Hunter Schuerenberg (20), 18. Donny Brackett (11), 19. Chris Babcock (15), 20. Chet Williams (19)
KISS Points: 1. Shane Cottle 681, 2. Brady Short 665, 3. Jerry Coons Jr. 496, 4. Robert Ballou 479, 5. CJ Leary 474, 6. Kevin Thomas Jr. 473, 7. Jon Stanbrough 439, 8. Daron Clayton 416, 9. Jeff Bland Jr. 349, 10. Aaron Farney 341
2014 KISS SCHEDULE
April 27 Terre Haute Action Track - Rain
May 2 Bloomington Speedway - Shane Cottle
May 4 Kokomo Speedway – Shane Cottle
May 9 Gas City I-69 Speedway - Rain
May 17 Lawrenceburg Speedway – Jon Stanbrough
May 25 Tri-State Speedway – Jeff Bland Jr.
May 31 Paragon Speedway
KING OF INDIANA SPRINT SERIES
Public Relations Contact: Mike O’Leary Phone: 812-400-0021
Email: lugnut86@comcast.net
Website: www.KissRacing.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/King-of-Indiana-Sprint-Series/211462445730306
Sunday’s feature race win came exactly one year after 22-year old Josh Burton had died from injuries suffered in a racing accident. Now Bland was driving for the Burton family, in the #04 Jerry Burton Masonry DRC. He understood the importance of his accomplishment, explaining after the race, “It was definitely big. Josh passed away on this day. It’s a big deal, especially for them that we won tonight. It kind of helps them through it.”
Starting outside the front row, Bland charged into the lead as the field raced into the first turn, with pole starter C.J. Leary taking second, followed by Robert Ballou, Chase Stockon and Kyle Cummins. For the next 30 laps, Bland held command of the race, quickly establishing a half-straightaway lead. At times his advantage grew to the length of the straightaway, but working slower traffic allowed Leary to close the deficit to several car lengths before Bland opened it up again.
The caution flew on lap 25, when Mark Smith got caught up with another car in turn one and spun, and Cummins got into the wall trying to avoid hitting Smith. Four laps later, Jon Stanbrough made contact with Carson Short, putting the six-time KISS champion out of the race.
Bland accelerated away on each restart. His only challenge came on the last turn of the final lap, when Leary charged hard across the bottom of the turn and made wheel-to-wheel contact. Both cars turned sideways briefly, but while Bland accelerated to the checkered flag, Leary was passed by Ballou before he recovered.
“I was looking to my left every corner, for somebody to blow by me,” Bland allowed later, relaxing in the Burton’s hauler. “Leary got inside me there at the end and about wrecked us both. It was a good race, it was fun, I’m happy that I won. Things have been going great with this crew. I can’t thank (the Burtons) enough for putting up with me and putting me in the car and giving me a good race car every week.”
With a run from ninth to finish sixth, Shane Cottle maintains a 16-point lead, although defending KISS champion Brady Short reduced his deficit with a fifth place finish. They are the only drivers to compete all four KISS races. The Terre Haute Action Track has advised KISS officials that they will not reschedule their rained-out event.
With the KISS point battle coming more into focus, the final KISS event of the season is currently scheduled for Paragon Speedway, on May 31. Stanbrough has won four of the last five KISS feature races at Paragon, with Short collecting the win in the fifth event.
King of Indiana Sprint Series, Round 4
Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, IN
May 25, 2014
(31 cars)
Heat 1: 1. Chase Stockon 2x (2), 2. Robert Ballou 12 (1), 3. Shane Cottle 2e (3), 4. Bradley Sterrett 90 (4), 5. Seth Parker 38p (6), 6. Jon Stanbrough 37rw (5), 7. Brandon Mattox 28 (8), 8. Daylon Chambers 4c (7)
Heat 2: 1. Dakota Jackson 3 (4), 2. Carson Short 21 (3), 3. Mark Smith 1m (2), 4. Jarett Andretti 18 (1), 5. Chet Williams 38w (5), 6. Aric Gentry 10 (8), 7. Kent Schmidt 5k (6), 8. Ethan Barrow 15 (7)
Heat 3: 1. Brady Short 11p (2), 2. Jeff Bland Jr. 04 (5), 3. Donny Brackett 4b (1), 4. Chris Babcock 35 (3), 5. James Lyerla 11 (4), 6. Kevin Chambers 18 (7), 7. Matt Humphrey 79 (6), 8. Ethan Fleetwood 7f (8)
Heat 4: 1. Kyle Cummins 3c (4), 2. C.J. Leary 30 (2), 3. Daron Clayton 3r (5), 4. Casey Shuman 21k (1), 5. Hunter Schuerenberg 12h (6), 6. Aaron Farney 15f (7), 7. Bret Mellenberndt 97 (3)
B Main: 1. Parker (1), 2. Stanbrough (5), 3. Williams (2), 4. Schuerenberg (4), 5.Farney (8), 6. Mattox (9), 7. Mellenberndt (12), 8. Lyerla (3), 9. Barrow (14), 10. K. Chambers (7), 11. D. Chambers (13), 12. Humphrey (11), Gentry (DNS), Schmidt (DNS), Fleetwood (DNS)
Feature (30 laps): 1. Jeff Bland Jr. (2), 2. Robert Ballou (3), 3. C.J. Leary (1), 4. Chase Stockon (7), 5. Brady Short (4), 6. Shane Cottle (9) 7. Dakota Jackson (5), 8. Kyle Cummins (8), 9. Carson Short (16), 10. Bradley Sterrett (13), 11. Seth Parker (17), 12. Jarett Andretti (14), 13. Daron Clayton (12), 14. Jon Stanbrough (18), 15. Casey Shuman (6), 16. Mark Smith (10), 17. Hunter Schuerenberg (20), 18. Donny Brackett (11), 19. Chris Babcock (15), 20. Chet Williams (19)
KISS Points: 1. Shane Cottle 681, 2. Brady Short 665, 3. Jerry Coons Jr. 496, 4. Robert Ballou 479, 5. CJ Leary 474, 6. Kevin Thomas Jr. 473, 7. Jon Stanbrough 439, 8. Daron Clayton 416, 9. Jeff Bland Jr. 349, 10. Aaron Farney 341
2014 KISS SCHEDULE
April 27 Terre Haute Action Track - Rain
May 2 Bloomington Speedway - Shane Cottle
May 4 Kokomo Speedway – Shane Cottle
May 9 Gas City I-69 Speedway - Rain
May 17 Lawrenceburg Speedway – Jon Stanbrough
May 25 Tri-State Speedway – Jeff Bland Jr.
May 31 Paragon Speedway
KING OF INDIANA SPRINT SERIES
Public Relations Contact: Mike O’Leary Phone: 812-400-0021
Email: lugnut86@comcast.net
Website: www.KissRacing.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/King-of-Indiana-Sprint-Series/211462445730306
