Under bright, crisp skies, 16 drivers rolled into Elko Speedway, battling both a chilly track and each other. Early practice sessions looked like a chess match, with teams scrambling to unlock the perfect setup on the tricky surface. While track-record whispers filled the pits, qualifying proved it was anyone’s game. Joe Kuehn laid down a blistering 16.249-second lap to claim the top spot, but Mark Dewey was breathing down his neck. Rounding out the top five were Phil Malouf, Tim Anderson, and Josh Willhite.
Heat Races: Bell and Anderson Set the Tone
- Heat 1: Ashley Bell put on a clinic, driving away from the field to secure a dominant victory. Pete Doxey and Shawn Grabinger crossed the line right behind her, leading a hungry pack that included Halvorson, Digger, Furbur, Hahn, and Pirog.
- Heat 2: This was an absolute heavyweight slugfest. Tim Anderson outlasted the heavy hitters to take the checkered flag, narrowly edging out Mark Dewey, Anna Malouf, Phil Malouf, top-qualifier Joe Kuehn, Willhite, and Vines.
Feature: A Chaotic, Bumper-to-Bumper Thriller!
The main event was pure adrenaline from the drop of the green flag. Front-row starters Ashley Bell and Shawn Grabinger set a furious pace, leading a tight, roaring pack into Turn 1. Grabinger made a bold early surge, but the predators were circling. Dewey began slicing through the field with Anderson glued to Bell’s back bumper.
As the leaders pushed their equipment to the absolute limit, the handling began to fade for the early pace-setters. Anderson, Phil Malouf, and Dewey capitalized, blitzing past the leaders. Just as the field began to string out, CAUTION ON THE TRACK!
The yellow flag erased all gaps and set up a heart-stopping restart.
The Dash to the Checkered
As the green flag waved, it was an all-out drag race into Turn 3. Anderson and Phil Malouf went door-to-door, banging wheels for the lead. Right behind them, Dewey and “Snappy” Joe Kuehn locked into an aggressive war for third.
When the checkered flag finally flew, Phil Malouf parked it in victory lane, securing a spectacular back-to-back series win! Tim Anderson settled for a hard-fought second, with Snappy Joe Kuehn grabbing the final step on the podium.
Official Feature Results:
- Phil Malouf
- Tim Anderson
- “Snappy” Joe Kuehn
- Mark Dewey
- Josh Willhite
- Anna Malouf
- Pete Doxey
- Dirk Digger
- Zach Furbur
- Julia Pirog
- Brandon Vines
- Ashley Bell
- Shawn Grabinger
- Jeager Hahn
- Joseph Halvorson
What a day, what a race, and what an unbelievable show by the Midwest Dash Series! The fans loved it.
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