Humston Thumps ASCS Midwest on Thursday at I-80 Speedway

(click on images for larger pics)

Lonnie Wheatley, GREENWOOD, Neb. (May 21, 2009) – Chad Humston of Giltner, NE, kicked off the Memorial Day weekend of racing festivities for the American Sprint Car Series by racing from six rows deep to top Thursday night's 25-lap ASCS Midwest Region main event at Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway.

Charging from eleventh, the 22-year-old raced into the lead on the 12th round aboard the Mark Burch Motorsports Engler Tool & Machine No. 1m Wolfweld and never looked back en route to his first career ASCS triumph.

While Humston began his drive from mid-pack, it was pole starter Ryan Anderson gunning into the lead at the drop of the green flag. The Charter Oak, IA, shoe paced the field for the initial handful of circuits before Brian Brown slid into the lead on a lap six restart.

Brown soon had company for the point when Don Droud, Jr., battled past Anderson for second and then slid by Brown for the lead to complete the eleventh lap. But it was short-lived, as Humston hooked up on the topside of the 4/10-mile oval on the lap six restart and blitzed from ninth all the way into the lead by the 12th round.

Humston waded through a pair of cautions over the final seven laps, fending off sliders on the restarts and then checking out to secure the win over the final five lap charge to the stripe.

Behind him, Droud and Brown slid back and forth for position in virtually every corner with Droud getting the nod for runner-up honors at the stripe. Brown settled for the show position, with two-time ASCS Northern Plains champion Lee Grosz and Missouri's Jonathan Cornell rounding out the top five.

Tenth-row starters Stuart Snyder and Mike Chadd raced to sixth and seventh, respectively, with Johnn Cressman, Bobby Becker and Jason Danley completing the top ten.

After advancing from "B" Main competition, current Lucas Oil ASCS National points leader Shane Stewart had charged from 18th to fourth when he looped it in turn four on the 21st lap after slight contact with Brian Brown. Stewart's night was done when he was clipped by Cornell, who then wrestled his way to the checkered flag minus a nose wing over the final five laps.

Droud, Tige Jensen, Cornell and Danley topped heat race action for the 33-car field, with Austin McCarl winning the 12-lap "B" Main.

ASCS Midwest Results from I-80 Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 2-Don Droud, Jr., 2. 4J-Lee Grosz, 3. 22-Billy Alley, 4. 1m-Chad Humston, 5. 51-Mike Boston, 6. 17b-Ryan Bickett, 7. 2d-Jeff Lowery, 8. 9w-Adrian Wagner, 9. 47-Brandt Obanion.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 57x-Tige Jensen, 2. 21-Brian Brown, 3. 27-Patrick Bourke, 4. 18-Ryan Roberts, 5. 57-Shane Stewart, 6. 5-Eric Lutz, 7. 6g-Bryan Gossel, 8. 4-Mike Chadd.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 28-Jonathan Cornell, 2. 71r-Ryan Anderson, 3. 15-Johnn Cressman, 4. 14-Jeff Heffner, 5. 8b-Bobby Becker, 6. 19s-Steven Cross, 7. 93-Bob Schaeffer, 8. 35-Trevor Grossenbacher.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 82-Jason Danley, 2. 24a-Jack Dover, 3. 29-Russ Hall, 4. 17a-Austin McCarl, 5. 71-Stuart Snyder, 6. 17-Gage Dorr, 7. 7-Roger Sundquist, 8. 19-Joe McCarthy.

"B" Feature (12 Laps): 1. 17a-Austin McCarl, 2. 57-Shane Stewart, 3. 71-Stuart Snyder, 4. 4-Mike Chadd, 5. 17b-Ryan Bickett, 6. 19s-Steven Cross, 7. 6g-Bryan Gossel, 8. 2d-Jeff Lowery, 9. 19-Joe McCarthy, 10. 93-Bob Schaeffer, 11. 17-Gage Dorr, 12. 7-Roger Sundquist, 13. 5-Eric Lutz, 14. 14-Jeff Heffner, 15. 9w-Adrian Wagner. DNS: 35-Trevor Grossenbacher, 47-Brandt Obanion.

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 1m-Chad Humston, 2. 2-Don Droud, Jr., 3. 21-Brian Brown, 4. 4J-Lee Grosz, 5. 28-Jonathan Cornell, 6. 71-Stuart Snyder, 7. 4-Mike Chadd, 8. 15-Johnn Cressman, 9. 8b-Bobby Becker, 10. 82-Jason Danley, 11. 51-Mike Boston, 12. 71r-Ryan Anderson, 13. 22-Billy Alley, 14. 57-Shane Stewart, 15. 27-Patrick Bourke, 16. 24a-Jack Dover, 17. 18-Ryan Roberts, 18. 29-Russ Hall, 19. 17a-Austin McCarl, 20. 57x-Tige Jensen.

ASCS Midwest Region Points (Top Ten): 1. (tie) Brian Brown and Jonathan Cornell 428, 3. Billy Alley 414, 4. Don Droud, Jr. 410, 5. Mike Chadd 390, 6. Chad Humston 386, 7. Jason Danley 384, 8. Ryan Roberts 366, 9. Lee Grosz 361, 10. Mike Boston 339.