HOWARD FLIES TO USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS GLORY AT I-35

By: Ray Cunningham

Winston, Missouri (July 24, 2022)………On Saturday night at I-35 Speedway, Overland Park, Kansas driver Luke Howard was a man on a mission, leading the 20-lap feature start to finish as the USAC Wholesale Batteries Midwest Wingless Racing Association invaded this Northwest Missouri speed plant for the eighth time since 2020.

Howard scored the victory over Gladstone, Missouri’s  Chris Parkinson, Topeka, Kansas’ Wyatt Burks, Spring Hill, Kansas’ Chad Goff and Oak Grove, Missouri’ Brian Beebe.

Though “Cool Hand” Luke led throughout the main event, his performance in driving the Trevor Howard Racing number 2H, wrenched by Rick Smith, was nothing short of spectacular as he navigated an excellently-prepared I-35 track after a sweltering hot day in the Heartland.

Howard ripped the lip as he sprinted to his second career MWRA victory after winning last year at the Northwest Missouri Fairgrounds in Bethany, Missouri.

As Howard held off a top-flight group of contenders for the win, chaos ensued behind him as drivers fought tooth and nail throughout the pack with Parkinson emerging in the runner-up spot for his best result so far in 2022, coming from inside the third row.

Also making the podium was Wyatt Burks who raced from the last row to finish third to win the JD Lawson Media Hard Charger Award.  That came about after the Topeka racer was unable to run the first heat due to a motor issue which caused the Rumsey number 11w crew, led by father Jeff Burks to change the motor before the start of the feature.

Meanwhile, Goff rebounded after going off the track during the feature between turns three and four to finish fourth after running as high as second earlier in the main event.  Beebe came back to fifth after stopping on the track and restarting in last place during his wild run to the front.

The second half of the top-10, on what turned out to be a beautiful night for racing in the Show Me State, was led by sixth-place Warren Johnson of Overland Park who drove from 16th in the Rick and Deb Maycock-Smith number 90 for his best finish this season.

Rookie of the Year candidate Chad Winfrey of Gladstone came home seventh in the Chris Parkinson Racing 65w.  Dakota Earls ran eighth after earning his first ever pole position.  Ottumwa, Iowa’s Doug Sylvester finished ninth.  Wichita Falls, Texas racer Buddy Parker earned his first ever top-10 with the series by taking home tenth spot.

Earlier in the evening, Howard won heat number one with Parkinson taking the second heat and Beebe winning the third.  Earls was the high point driver for the evening after coming from fifth to second in the first heat.  Ottumwa, Iowa racer Lance Silvers won the Sportsman of the Night award along with Chris Parkinson Racing’s Trey Biggs.  Iowan Sylvester took home the Long Hauler Award.

USAC MWRA will next be in action on Friday night, August 5 at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. for the Weld Memorial, and then it’s onto Missouri’s Nevada, Speedway the following night on August 6.

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USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: July 23, 2022 – I-35 Speedway – Winston, Missouri

FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. 2H-Luke Howard (2), 2. 15E-Dakota Earls (6), 3. 2G-A.J. Gilbert (5), 4. 2-Kyle Lewis (4), 5. 47X-Lance Silvers (3). NT

SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. 65-Chris Parkinson (1), 2. 9-Chad Goff (6), 3. 03-Tyler Burton (2), 4. 93-Buddy Parker (5), 5. 90-Warren Johnson (3). NT

THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. 37-Brian Beebe (1), 2. 69-Zach Sanders (5), 3. 7m-Heath Murry(3), 4. 65w-Chad Winfrey(6), 5. 33L-Mark Lane (2), 6. 12-Doug Sylvester (4). NT

ALSO AT THE TRACK: 88-Chad Tye

FEATURE: (20 laps) 1. Luke Howard (4), 2. Chris Parkinson (5), 3. 11w-Wyatt Burks (17), 4. Chad Goff (2), 5. Brian Beebe (6), 6. Warren Johnson (16), 7. Chad Winfrey (8), 8. Dakota Earls (1), 9. Doug Sylvester (15), 10. Buddy Parker (11), 11. A.J. Gilbert (7), 12. Mark Lane (14), 13. Zach Sanders (3), 14. Lance Silvers (13), 15. Heath Murry (9), 16. Kyle Lewis (12), 17. Tyler Burton (10). NT

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-20 Luke Howard.

USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Wyatt Burks-785, 2-Chris Parkinson-690, 3-Dakota Earls-645, 4-Chad Winfrey-630, 5-A.J. Gilbert-585, 6-Brian Beebe-555, 7-Cody Baker-540, 8-Xavier Doney-505, 9-Chad Goff-495, 10-Zach Clark-485.

NEXT USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR RACE: August 5, 2022 – Lakeside Speedway – Kansas City, Kansas