Theriault Tames the Lady in Black with a Darlington Masterclass

Darlington, SC  —  The Red Light Racing Checkered Flag Auto Supply Scrambler Series returned to action on Monday night with a trip to one of stock car racing’s most unforgiving venues, Darlington Raceway, for Round 2 of Season 21. Coming off a NASCAR Truck Series opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the field faced a major adjustment as they transitioned into NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts cars for a grueling 90-lap showdown at the track famously known as “Too Tough to Tame.”

While opening-round winner Sean Single entered the night looking to go back-to-back, the evening quickly became a showcase for Maxime Theriault. Driving the No. 42, Theriault delivered what the broadcast team repeatedly called a perfect race, blending speed, patience, and strategy on Darlington’s abrasive surface.

Qualifying immediately set the tone for the event. With the heavier, more powerful cars proving tricky to handle, particularly on corner exit, track position was at a premium. Theriault rose to the occasion, securing the pole with a blistering 29.72-second lap, narrowly edging out Trent Potter’s 29.74. Zach Mitchell and Chris Hammett filled out the second row, while points leader Sean Single rolled off from fifth.

At the green flag, Theriault wasted no time asserting control, guiding the field into Turn 1 and settling into the preferred high line. The slick track and cold tires quickly strung the field into a single-file rhythm. Early on, Single lost ground as Conner Blasco and Luke Logan Allen moved forward, while deeper in the pack Jason Wells and James Skelton began methodically working their way toward the front. Skelton’s charge was particularly notable after a qualifying misstep left him starting near the back of the field.

With no cautions to reset the field and only five sets of tires available, pit strategy became the defining factor of the race. Teams were forced to commit fully to their plans, choosing between short-pitting for immediate speed or stretching runs to preserve track position. Trent Potter rolled the dice first among the leaders, pitting on laps 30 and 60. The move paid short-term dividends, briefly placing him at the head of the field while Theriault stayed out longer. When Theriault finally made his last stop on lap 64, he returned to the track behind both Potter and Hammett, seemingly with work to do.

What followed was a clinical display of pace and composure. Theriault steadily erased the gap, first tracking down Hammett and then closing on a fading Potter, whose early pit strategy began to take its toll on worn tires. With smooth, deliberate inputs and relentless consistency, Theriault reclaimed the lead and pulled away, while Hammett also slipped past Potter to secure second. As the broadcast aptly summarized, Potter may have had the early advantage, but Theriault had the speed to overcome it.

Behind the leaders, several drivers delivered noteworthy performances. James Skelton recovered impressively after missing pit road during a green-flag cycle, a mistake that cost him valuable time, to still fight back for a strong fifth-place finish. Bill Benedict, the night’s spotlight driver, was locked in a late-race battle with Kenny Allen and ultimately crossed the line ninth, beating his projected finish line of 9.5. Chris Hammett’s runner-up result was built on consistency and discipline, as he noted post-race that keeping the car out of the fence was the key to surviving Darlington’s demands.

At the checkered flag, Theriault completed a dominant evening, scoring maximum points by winning the race while also leading a lap and leading the most laps. In victory lane, he credited his pole-winning qualifying effort and careful tire management during long green-flag runs for keeping him out of dirty air and firmly in control. Theriault was followed home by Hammett, Potter, Conner Blasco, James Skelton, Ethan Troutman, Sean Single, Zach Mitchell, Bill Benedict, and Kenny Allen to complete the top ten.

With two rounds complete, the Scrambler Series now turns its attention to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the field will once again face a fresh challenge as they strap into NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen cars for Round 3 of Season 21.

Lowe Dominates Five Flags for Second Consecutive Victory Amid Tire Attrition

Pensacola, FL — The Bootleg Racing League Late Model Invitational Series returned to the Sunshine State for Season 33, Round 3, with Five Flags Speedway once again playing the role of unforgiving judge. Under the league’s rules, the 100-lap feature demanded that drivers survive the entire distance on their starting tires with no fast repairs available, all while navigating an inverted starting grid. What followed was not just a race against competitors, but a prolonged duel with tire wear itself, one that James Lowe mastered better than anyone else.

Joe Segalla led the field to green from the pole alongside Todd Liston, but it quickly became apparent that Five Flags was going to reward patience over ambition. The preferred inside lane formed into a tight freight train almost immediately, punishing anyone caught on the outside. Drivers such as Kurt Smith and Lowell Jewell found themselves losing ground rapidly as they searched for grip where very little existed. Smith, in particular, tried to muscle the high side in an early bid for the lead, but the effort came at a cost. Extended time outside chewed through his right-front tire, a mistake that would haunt him later in the run.

While others fought the track, James Lowe and rookie standout Chris Worrell quietly went to work. Starting 11th, Lowe wasted no laps forcing passes, instead threading the needle along the bottom groove and letting opportunities come to him. Worrell followed a similar script, and by the middle portion of the race, both had worked their way into the heart of the top ten without unnecessary drama.

The turning point came with a mid-race caution involving Adam Schoen and points leader Brennan Myers. Myers was caught squarely in the chaos and sustained heavy damage, with Jeffrey Harden also collected in the incident. Despite the battered machine, Myers elected to stay on track, knowing that surrendering track position at Five Flags often comes with no guarantee of recovery. The restart reshuffled the deck, and it was there that the true contenders emerged.

By lap 38, Lowe had taken control of the race. Once in clean air, his advantage became less about outright speed and more about discipline. Worrell attempted to keep pace but gradually fell back as the long green-flag run exposed the limits of his tires. Behind them, attrition began to define the story. The relentless surface claimed right-front tires one by one, ending strong runs for Ruben Altice, Jeffery Harden, and Tom Hilbert. Even Kurt Smith, who had hovered near the front earlier, was reduced to nursing a wounded car around the closing laps.

As others fell away, Tre Blohm and Ed Foster emerged as the final challengers. Blohm, starting 14th, showcased remarkable restraint early on and was rewarded late, charging up to second place as fresher tires elsewhere simply didn’t exist. Foster mirrored that approach, climbing steadily from eighth and overtaking a fading Myers in the closing laps to secure third.

Out front, however, there was no denying James Lowe. Leading the final 62 laps, he never overstepped the narrow margin Five Flags allows. His line was clean, his exits straight, and his pace just quick enough to keep the field at arm’s length without abusing the tires beneath him. When the checkered flag waved, Lowe had secured his second consecutive victory of the season, once again proving that at Five Flags, finesse beats force every time.

Blohm and Foster completed the podium, followed by a resilient Brennan Myers in fourth and Kyle Feimster rounding out the top five after starting deep in the field. With momentum firmly on his side, Lowe now turns his attention to Round 4, where the inverted grid will again place Joe Segalla on the pole and give the rest of the field another chance to crack the code before the tire attrition claims them too.

James Lowe Makes History at Five Flags with Third Straight Super Late Model Victory

Pensacola, FL — The Bootleg Racing League SteelCraft Structures Super Late Model Series arrived at Five Flags Speedway for Round 3, and by the time the Florida night cooled, James Lowe had turned the historic half-mile into familiar territory. With a measured, tire-conscious drive, Lowe captured his third consecutive victory of the season, extending an early stranglehold on the championship and further cementing his reputation as the field’s most disciplined closer.

Five Flags, built in 1953 and banked at a daunting 15 degrees, wasted no time reminding drivers why it carries a reputation for devouring tires. With no fast repairs available, every lap demanded restraint. As the green flag waved for the 100-lap contest, the warning was clear: aggression without patience would end the night early, or at least sideways.

Tom Hilbert took full advantage of the pole position, jumping out front and setting the early pace. For the first 20 laps, Hilbert looked comfortable, carving clean lines while the pack behind him churned into a tightly wound hornet’s nest. Kenny Allen, Tre Blohm, and Jeff Sharp all traded paint and momentum in the opening stages, while the racing groove slowly came to life.

The race’s lone major caution came when Chris Haizlip looped his car in a self-spin, briefly tempting race control to let things play out under green. Once the yellow finally flew, the field regrouped, and the complexion of the night began to shift.

James Lowe, meanwhile, had started 11th due to the points inversion and spent the early laps doing exactly what Five Flags demands: surviving. By lap 23, Joe Segalla had wrestled the lead away from Hilbert, but Lowe was already slicing forward with quiet efficiency. Running near Chris Worrell, Lowe avoided unnecessary battles and waited for opportunities rather than forcing them.

That patience paid off when Lowe closed in on Segalla. The two engaged in a tense exchange, Segalla hugging the bottom to protect his tires while Lowe tested the limits of the outside lane. One small slip was all it took. Lowe pounced, rolling the high side to perfection and taking control of the race.

From there, the event settled into a long, uninterrupted green-flag run that showcased the difference between raw speed and race management. Kyle Feimster surged from 12th into podium contention, but despite flashes of pace, he could not reel in the leader. Feimster later noted struggles with left-front bite and lingering effects from early contact that cost him precious time. Behind them, Worrell managed his equipment carefully, hoping for a late caution that never arrived.

As the laps wound down, Lowe’s advantage stabilized at just over two seconds. There were no dramatics, no late chaos, just clean exits and consistent lap times. When the checkered flag finally fell, Lowe had completed a hat trick, with Feimster and Worrell following him home. Ken Allen and Tre Blohm rounded out the top five, while Segalla, Jeffrey Harden, Todd Liston, Jeff Sharp, and Lowell Jewell completed the top ten, Harden earning hard-charger honors after climbing ten spots.

Three races into the season, the conversation around the paddock has already shifted toward the idea of a perfect year. Lowe brushed aside that talk in victory lane, crediting a bit of early-race luck and, more importantly, his ability to “mind the gap” once he reached clean air.

Next up, the series heads to Myrtle Beach Speedway, where new challenges await and Kurt Smith is slated to lead the field to green. If the opening stretch is any indication, stopping James Lowe will require more than speed alone; it will take patience equal to his own.

Williamson Triumphs at Langley as Patience Prevails in Skitter Creek Chaos

Hampton, VA — The second round of the Skitter Creek Modified Series Season 15 delivered a grinding, caution-heavy showdown at Langley Speedway, where discipline mattered as much as speed. On the flat 4/10-mile Old Dominion oval, four-time champion Dalton Williamson outlasted the field and executed when it mattered most, capturing victory after 150 laps defined by restarts, attrition, and short-track survival.

Qualifying set the early tone. AJ Hamel secured the pole with a brisk 15.00-second lap, lining up alongside Williamson on the front row. Points leader and defending champion Eric “Teapot” Stout endured a rare stumble, qualifying 14th after fighting a loose-handling car on cold tires in practice. With only six degrees of banking and a notoriously slick center groove, Langley demanded precision, and early on, the SK Modifieds looked like they were skating across ice rather than asphalt.

The opening laps emphasized how valuable clean air and track position would be. Drivers searched for rhythm while avoiding trouble, but the race barely had time to settle before its first major moment when Rex Hoyle spun into the infield on lap one. Though he later benefited from a lucky dog to regain the lead lap, the incident foreshadowed the night’s lack of forgiveness.

Mid-race momentum swung toward one of the series’ youngest competitors. Twelve-year-old Luke Logan Allen, aptly nicknamed “Kid Lemon Lime,” impressed with a calm, methodical charge through the field. Allen dispatched veterans, including Hamel and Williamson, and led his first laps of the season, momentarily becoming the focal point of the race. That run came to a heartbreaking end on lap 80 when Ricardo Cano spun directly ahead of the leaders. With limited visibility inside the cockpit and nowhere to go, Allen collided with the stopped car, abruptly ending what had been a breakout performance.

The high caution count fractured the field’s strategy. Some leaders chose to protect track position by staying out, while others gambled on fresh tires late. Fred “Always There” LeClair and Brian Bianke were among those who opted for new rubber, hoping grip would outweigh lost positions. After the Allen incident, Jeff Aho inherited the lead and appeared poised to capitalize as the race entered its final phase.

Williamson, however, never drifted far from contention. Staying out on older tires and trusting his long-run balance, he stalked Aaho through the closing laps. With fewer than ten laps remaining, Williamson made the defining move of the night, applying a textbook short-track bump-and-run to move Aho aside and take control. Despite pressure from the fresh-tired LeClair, Williamson held firm through the final sprint and sealed the victory.

Williamson’s win marked a decisive statement in his return to the series. LeClair finished second, admitting the outside lane made him uneasy on late restarts but satisfied with a podium result. Bianke completed the top three after a resilient drive that included recovering from earlier setbacks. Chad Alcares earned big mover honors by charging from 22nd to fourth, while Stout salvaged a seventh-place finish after a night filled with spins and recovery drives.

At Langley, speed alone wasn’t enough. Williamson’s victory was built on restraint, timing, and knowing exactly when to strike, a reminder that on short tracks like this, the race often comes down to who still has something left when everyone else is simply trying to hang on.

Taylor Triumphs at Gateway as Patience Meets Pace in ISRA Round 3

MADISON, IL — After two rounds defined by speed without reward, Matt Taylor finally cashed in Wednesday night at World Wide Technology Raceway. In Round 3 of the ISRA Sim Gaming Expo Open Wheel Series, Taylor converted pole position into a commanding victory, leading 96 of 150 laps in the Dallara IR18s and securing his first win of the Season 3 campaign.

Taylor entered Gateway with a stat line that told a frustrating story. He had led more laps than anyone through the opening two rounds, yet sat mired ninth in the standings due to untimely cautions and strategic misfortune. From the drop of the green, it was clear this race would be different. Starting alongside Garry Lovern on the front row, Taylor immediately established control, while Lovern faded early, tumbling through the order as Matt Wagner and Richie Hearn settled in as Taylor’s closest pursuers.

Gateway’s 1.25-mile oval once again lived up to its reputation as a thinking driver’s track. Tire wear, fuel strategy, and clean exits off the corners mattered as much as outright speed. Defending champion Kyle Klendworth provided the early charge of the night, slicing his way from 12th into the top seven as the opening run stretched on.

The first caution at lap 46 reshaped the race. Brian Greenlee spun in front of Chris Ragan, interrupting a fuel window many teams hoped to extend past lap 50. From there, strategy took center stage. On the restart, Taylor briefly relinquished the lead to Wagner, choosing to ride in the draft and save fuel rather than fight unnecessarily. As Taylor lurked patiently, the middle of the pack erupted into a multi-lap chess match between Chris Stofer, Logan Spath, and Richie Hearn, each trading positions while trying to protect their tires for the long haul.

The second pit cycle around lap 100 created the most significant shuffle. Logan Spath executed a clean stop and leapfrogged both Wagner and Taylor, aided by Wagner having to avoid a spinning Chris Ragan on pit entry. Before the field could fully settle, a second caution at lap 111, triggered by another spin from Gary Lovern, erased the gaps and set the stage for a sprint to the finish.

Taylor wasted no time on the restart, muscling back past Spath to retake the lead. A final caution involving Mason Mitchum, who went airborne after contact with DJ Clark, threatened to add one more twist. Instead, it only delayed the inevitable. Taylor controlled the restart, absorbed late pressure from Spath and Craig Forsythe, and drove away to a long-overdue victory.

Spath capped off his strongest run of the season with a second-place finish, acknowledging post-race that Taylor simply had the field covered. Forsythe completed the podium in third, a result that vaulted him into the championship points lead over Klendworth. Wagner and Hearn rounded out the top five, while Klendworth recovered to sixth after pit road issues derailed his night.

Further back, Hugo Galaz continued one of the season’s strangest trends by finishing ninth for the third consecutive race. Mike Rigney completed the top ten after a late stop for fresh tires failed to produce the expected late-race charge.

With Round 3 complete, the series now enters an off-week before heading to Road America, the aptly named “National Park of Speed.” Forsythe leaves Gateway as the points leader but has already indicated he expects to miss the next round, opening the door for both Klendworth and Taylor to capitalize. After Gateway, Taylor has firmly reinserted himself into that conversation.

Single Stakes His Claim with Dominant Season-Opening Win at Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV — The Red Light Racing League opened its 21st season Monday night with a statement race under the lights of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Round 1 of the inaugural Checkered Flag Auto Supply Scrambler Series delivered a fast-paced, strategy-heavy showdown in NASCAR Trucks, where adaptability was immediately put to the test. When the dust settled, Sean Single emerged from the chaos with a commanding victory, establishing himself as an early championship threat.

Qualifying set the tone for a competitive night, with Adam Matz claiming the pole and multiple-time champion Max Theriault lining up alongside him. From the green flag, the pair traded momentum in a side-by-side duel, the outside lane proving to be the preferred path early. Luke Logan Allen stayed tucked in behind, showing maturity well beyond his years as the front of the field fought for control. That rhythm was quickly interrupted by the race’s first caution when Geoffrey Souza was turned, triggering an accordion-style incident that collected several trucks and left spotlighted driver James Skelton with heavy aerodynamic damage under the league’s no-fast-repair rules.

As the race settled into longer runs, Connor Blasco became the story of the middle portion. Starting deep in the field, Blasco carved his way forward with authority, eventually taking control of the race by lap 59. With fuel capacity limited to 50 percent, pit strategy became the defining variable, forcing drivers to balance aggression with survival while managing multiple tire sets. A mistimed caution during a split green-flag pit cycle reshuffled the order, catching early leaders Matz and Theriault on the wrong side of the strategy and opening the door for Trent Potter and Sean Single to move to the front.

The pivotal moment came during the final green-flag pit stops. Blasco, who appeared to have the race in hand, stretched his fuel run just a lap too far. His truck sputtered on the backstretch, forcing a slow crawl to pit road and dropping him two laps down in a heartbreaking reversal. With the favorite eliminated, the race transformed into a high-stakes gamble. Zach Mitchell and Geoffrey Souza stayed out with a two-tire call to gain track position, while Single committed to four fresh tires, betting that grip would matter more than clean air in the closing laps.

A late caution set the stage for a short shootout, and on the restart Mitchell tried to defend the lead on worn rubber. The difference was immediate. Single powered underneath, Single cleared the field within a lap, and opened a decisive gap. Behind him, Potter and Theriault battled through turbulent air and shifting momentum, but neither could mount a serious charge. Single stayed composed to the checkered flag, claiming the season-opening win and an early playoff berth.

Potter crossed the line second after a strong, consistent night, while Theriault completed the podium following an impressive recovery from mid-race adversity. Jason Wells and Geoffrey Souza rounded out the top five, with Matz salvaging sixth after leading early.

In victory lane, Single admitted the final laps were anything but calm, noting that the closing gap had his nerves on edge. Still, the result spoke loudly. With Las Vegas in the books, the Scrambler Series now shifts gears to the high-speed unpredictability of Talladega, where adaptability will once again decide who rises and who gets swept away in the draft.

Lowe Goes Flag-to-Flag at Martinsville in Statement Victory

Ridgeway, VA — James Lowe left no doubt at Martinsville Speedway, delivering a commanding wire-to-wire performance to win Round 2 of the Bootleg Racing League Late Model Invitational Series. The two-time defending champion led all 100 laps on the Virginia paperclip, turning a frustrating season opener into a definitive redemption drive during the January 24 broadcast on the Virtual Grip Network.

Martinsville’s starting grid, set by an invert of the top 13 finishers from the opener, placed Lowe on the pole after his 13th-place result the week prior. What initially felt like a cruel twist of fate became an opportunity, and Lowe made full use of clean air from the drop of the green flag. Sharing the front row with Jeffery Hardin, Low immediately established control, settling into a rhythm that proved untouchable under the league’s tire-conservation rules, which required drivers to finish on their starting rubber without fast repairs.

While Lowe checked out early, the battle behind him was anything but calm. Martinsville’s narrow corners and shifting pavement-to-concrete transitions made the preferred bottom lane fiercely contested. Early incidents stacked the field up, including a multi-car tangle involving Mark Hertzog, Chris Haizlip, and Chris Davis, while Steve Hilbert endured a rough night after repeated contact with the outside wall gradually sent him sliding down the order. Through it all, Lowe remained insulated from the chaos, clicking off consistent laps and maintaining a steady gap.

The primary threat emerged from rookie Chris Worrell, who rebounded from his heartbreaking near-win in the opener with another impressive charge. Worrell moved forward with patience, slipping past Ed Foster and eventually into second place by the middle portion of the race. For a time, it appeared he was saving his equipment for a late push, but a brush with the wall around lap 80 damaged his right front and took the edge off his car. From there, Worrell shifted into survival mode, focusing on holding position rather than chasing the leader.

That opened the door for Hardin, whose bright, unmistakable car steadily closed in during the final run. Hardin’s tire management paid dividends late, as he reeled in Worrell over the closing laps, but the clock ran out before he could complete the pass. Up front, Lowe never broke stride, calmly managing the gap and cruising to the checkered flag without ever being seriously challenged.

Behind the podium finishers, the race told several quieter stories. Ed Foster brought his car home fourth, followed by Brennan Myers in fifth. Davis rebounded from early trouble to post one of the strongest recovery drives of the night, while Adam Schoen and Rubin Altice stayed clean to secure solid top-ten results. Lowell Jewell overcame early adversity to finish inside the top ten as well, and defending champion Kurt Smith quietly climbed forward from a deep starting spot to limit the damage in the standings.

Despite leading every lap, Lowe did not leave Martinsville atop the points due to his difficult opener, keeping the championship picture tight as the series heads next to Five Flags Speedway. With Joe Segalla set to inherit the pole via the invert, Martinsville served as a reminder that while strategy and circumstances matter, outright control still wins races—and on this night, James Lowe had all of it.

Lowe Weathers Martinsville Storm to Claim Back-to-Back Wins

Ridgeway, VA — The Bootleg Racing League pressed on with Season 26 of the SteelCraft Structures Super Late Model Series on the tight confines of Martinsville Speedway, where a bruising 100-lap feature tested patience, precision, and tire management. In a race shaped by constant restarts and late-race tension, James Lowe methodically carved his way forward from a mid-pack starting position to earn his second consecutive victory of the season.

With a 13-car invert from the North Wilkesboro opener, Chris Davis led the field to green from the pole alongside John Wilson. From the outset, it was clear Martinsville would be a very different challenge than the previous round, with the bottom lane quickly becoming the preferred groove and passing opportunities at a premium. The night began with early complications even before racing settled in, as Lowell Jewell and Kenny Allen dealt with equipment and technical issues that left both drivers playing catch-up from the opening laps. Further back, defending champion Kurt Smith and rookie Kyle Feimster were also hampered early, never fully able to settle into a rhythm.

Once underway, the race evolved into a chess match of restarts. Davis controlled the pace at the front, frequently manipulating the field on launches to keep challengers boxed in behind him. While effective, the tactic contributed to several congested moments deeper in the pack, as the tight entry into turn one left little margin for error. Cautions stacked up, and each restart reset the balance of power.

Starting 13th, Lowe remained patient through the chaos. Rather than forcing the issue, he picked off positions methodically, keeping his car intact while others struggled with overheating tires and worn brakes. By the midpoint of the race, Lowe had reached the front group and began pressuring Davis, the two veterans trading precision shots at the same narrow strip of pavement. Eventually, Lowe capitalized on a small opening on the inside, completing the pass and taking control of the race as the laps wound down.

Behind them, two notable recoveries unfolded. Luke Logan Allen quietly delivered one of the drives of the night, starting deep in the field and avoiding trouble to climb steadily forward. Jewell, despite a late start coming off pit road and falling half a lap down, used well-timed cautions and wave-arounds to claw his way back into contention, turning what looked like a lost night into a strong finish.

The closing laps brought everything to a head with a green-white-checker finish. Davis attempted to out-time Lowe on the restart, but Lowe launched cleanly and never relinquished control, surviving the final sprint to the line. He crossed the stripe ahead of Davis, while Allen completed a breakthrough podium run in third.

Lowe’s victory makes it two wins from two starts as the series heads next to Five Flags Speedway, a venue where he has traditionally been strong. With momentum firmly on his side, the rest of the field now faces an early-season challenge: finding a way to disrupt Lowe’s rhythm before the championship picture starts to stretch out.

Teapot Holds the Throne in a Tense Iowa Season Opener

Newton, IA — Red Light Racing opened Season 15 of the Skitter Creek Modified Series with a tightly contested 70-lap feature at Iowa Speedway, where the focus quickly narrowed to a familiar championship battle. Defending three-time champion Eric “Teapot” Stout entered the opener with a target on his back, while four-time champion Dalton Williamson returned to competition after a lengthy absence, eager to reestablish himself among the frontrunners. By the end of the night, Iowa delivered a race defined by discipline, strategy, and a final restart that decided everything.

Stout wasted no time asserting control from the pole, immediately absorbing pressure from Bill Benedict on the outside. While Iowa’s 7/8-mile tri-oval offers multiple lanes, the bottom groove proved decisive early, especially with the notorious bump in turns one and two threatening to shove cars up the track if mistimed. Stout planted his car on the preferred line and began doing what champions do best, managing the race rather than forcing it. Behind him, Andy Lewis emerged as the early aggressor, repeatedly peeking underneath in search of a way past. Though Lewis showed flashes of speed, Stout countered with patience, leaving the door open down low while preserving his tires on the higher arc.

The race’s strategic fork arrived under caution following contact between rookie Hayden Austin and AJ Hamel. While Stout and Williamson elected to stay out and protect track position, Lewis and Jeff Aho rolled the dice, surrendering top-five spots in exchange for fresh rubber. Stout later admitted the decision was not made lightly, recalling past races where pitting late offered speed but no opportunity. That gamble grew riskier as chaos followed, including a multi-car incident in turn one and a confusing restart where Williamson was briefly scored as the leader when the yellow flew mid-pack shuffle.

With the laps dwindling, the opener came down to a Green-White-Checker finish, the kind Iowa seems to summon on command. League rules preventing the leader from jumping the restart influenced Stout’s lane choice, as he hugged the inside to shorten the run into turn one. When the green dropped, Stout and Williamson charged forward side by side, the returning champion testing every inch of asphalt available. Ethan “The Mountain” Troutman loomed just behind, ready to capitalize on any mistake.

But no mistake came. Stout stretched his line wide through the final corners, shutting down Williamson’s last assault and securing a wire-to-wire victory that spoke less of dominance and more of control. Williamson crossed the line second in an impressive return, having carefully managed his right-front tire all night. Troutman completed the podium, continuing the consistency that marked his previous season.

Behind them, Bradley Stefane and Fred LeClair rounded out the top five, while Lewis salvaged eighth after his late pit gamble. Benedict’s night ended just outside the top ten in 11th, narrowly clearing his spotlighted over/under despite late-race contact.

As the series heads next to Langley Speedway, a venue Williamson openly calls a favorite, the opening chapter has set the tone. The king has not stepped aside, the challenger has not lost his edge, and Season 15 is already shaping up to be less about nostalgia and more about survival.