SMITH WINS BORDER WAR SHOWDOWN AT 81

By: Ray Cunningham

Park City, Kansas (June 26, 2021)………From the “agony of defeat” just one week ago to “the thrill of victory” Saturday night at 81 Speedway, Billings, Missouri’s Wesley Smith was back to where he has been most of the 2021 season, celebrating a victory in the 2nd annual Border Showdown featuring the USAC Wholesale Batteries Midwest Wingless Racing Association vs. USAC Wingless Sprints Oklahoma.

Smith bested Overland Park, Kansas driver Luke Howard, Odessa, Missouri’s Xavier Doney, Coweta, Oklahoma’s Brett Wilson, and Battlefield, Missouri racer Kory Schudy.

For Smith, driving the John Helm/WSR Racing #12, this was sweet redemption after losing the lead following a green, white, checker finish at Central Missouri Speedway last Saturday in a race he dominated for 24 of the 25 laps.

Saturday night at South Central Kansas’s premier dirt track, Smith was the hunter, chasing teenage gunner Howard, who was having a great run driving the Howard Racing No. 2H wrenched by three-time WAR champ Rick Smith. Smith caught the ever-improving Howard with 10 laps to go after a slight bobble by the Jayhawker on the cushion.

From there, the racing continued to be heart-stopping as Howard chased leader Smith thru lapped traffic along with contenders Doney, Wilson, and the winner of the last two MWRA main events, Schudy, in a race that went 25 laps without a yellow flag.

As the leaders came around for double checkered flags, Smith lost power just before the finish line but was able to withstand the onslaught of “Cool Hand Luke,” and the “X-Man” Doney to win his second Midwest Wingless Sprint feature of 2021, and his fifth overall this season.

Earlier in the evening, on a beautiful night for racing in the Sunflower State, Wesley Smith won his heat race as did WSO point leader and two-time champ Brett Wilson, and Gladstone, Missouri’s Chris Parkinson.

After a weekend off, USAC MWRA will head to Iowa to race on July 10 in the 3rd annual Corn Belt Clash at the famed half-mile oval of Knoxville Raceway, in a non-points special event

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USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION & USAC WINGLESS SPRINTS OKLAHOMA RACE RESULTS: June 26, 2021 – 81 Speedway – Park City, Kansas

FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. 12-Wesley Smith [2], 2. 11w-Wyatt Burks [1], 3. 74-Xavier Doney [6], 4. 28-Kory Schudy [8], 5. 24c-Craig Carroll [7], 6. 21-Harlan Hulsey [4], 7. 31m-Eric Matthews [3]. NT

SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. 53-Brett Wilson [1], 2. 41-Brad Wyatt [2], 3. 26-Zach Clark [3], 4. 7m-Heath Murry [5], 5. 6s-Spencer Martinez [4], 6. 9-Chad Goff [7], 7. 35-J.C. Wilson [6], 8. 24H-Ty Hulsey [9], 9. 7D-David Baxter [8]. NT

THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. 65-Chris Parkinson [1], 2. 2H-Luke Howard [6], 3. 2-Kyle Lewis [4], 4. 20G-Noah Gass [5], 5. 79-Tim Kent [2], 6. 7x-Lance Silvers [7], 7. 15E-Dakota Earls [3]. NT

ALSO AT THE TRACK: 58-T.J. Cain

FEATURE: (25 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. Wesley Smith [2], 2. Luke Howard [1], 3. Xavier Doney [3], 4. Brett Wilson [4], 5. Kory Schudy [6], 6. Chris Parkinson [5], 7. Wyatt Burks [8], 8. Chad Goff [14], 9. Craig Carroll [12], 10. Kyle Lewis [9], 11. J.C. Wilson [18], 12. Tim Kent [16], 13. Heath Murry [11], 14. Zach Clark [10], 15. Ty Hulsey [19], 16. Harlan Hulsey [17], 17. Dakota Earls [20], 18. Spencer Martinez [13], 19. Lance Silvers [15]. NT

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-15 Luke Howard, Laps 16-25 Wesley Smith.

USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Wesley Smith-1275, 2-Kory Schudy-1260, 3-Chris Parkinson-1060, 4-Wyatt Burks-1050, 5-Chad Goff-975, 6-Zach Clark-945, 7-Xavier Doney-875, 8-Dakota Earls-770, 9-Zach Sanders-765, 10-Luke Howard-740.

USAC WINGLESS SPRINTS OKLAHOMA POINTS: 1-Brett Wilson-422, 2-Ty Hulsey-365, 3-Craig Carroll-363, 4-Harlan Hulsey-333, 5-J.C. Wilson-310, 6-Wyatt Burks-269, 7-David Baxter-258, 8-Spencer Martinez-202, 9-Wesley Smith-150, 10-Luke Howard-142.

NEXT USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR RACE: July 10, 2021 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, Iowa – Brandt Corn Belt Clash (Non-Points Special Event)

NEXT USAC WINGLESS SPRINTS OKLAHOMA RACE: July 16, 2021 – Kansas State Fairgrounds – Hutchinson, Kansas