5/24/2016
Cornell Triumphs With Career-First 360 Victory At Hometown Track
(Photo by High Fly’n Photos)
CALIFORNIA, Mo. – Another successful May weekend is in the books for Jonathan Cornell. After taking the checkered at his hometown track, Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Mo. Friday night, the driver of the Kiowa Line Builders No. 28 completed the weekend with a runner-up finish at Double-X Speedway on Sunday.
The Historic Half-Mile in Sedalia hosted both wing and nonwing sprint cars on Friday, with the wing portion being sanctioned by the ASCS Warrior Region. Cornell made the quick ten-minute tow across town to compete against 19 other winged sprints for the $2,500 winner’s check. In the second of three heat races, Cornell drove from fifth to finish in third place.
The top-eight redraw was in Cornell’s favor on this night, as he pulled the “1” and thus would line up for the 25-lap feature in grid position one. He’d use this to his advantage, quickly pulling away to nearly a straightaway advantage early on. A red flag soon after would bring the race to a lengthy halt. Once the track was clear and ready to go back green, Cornell led over Marion, Ark. driver Derek Hagar, who had just completed the nonwing main event in the third position minutes earlier. The duo outshined the rest of the field on the restart; Hagar would stay within striking distance until they reached the tail of the field. Cornell briefly lost the lead, but a slip from Hagar in traffic was all he needed to regain the top spot and open a considerable gap. Unrelenting, Hagar charged back to the rear bumper of Cornell’s Ostrich-powered Maxim with two laps remaining. Racing side-by-side in exciting fashion, the race would come down to the wire. Speeding off turn four for the final time, Cornell held off Hagar to score his first 360ci sprint win at the speedway, which had eluded him for nearly a decade.
From the largest sprint car venue in Missouri to the smallest for Sunday night, Cornell was in action among 12 winged sprints at Double-X in California, Mo. In the second and final heat, Cornell started fourth but led all eight laps to win by a huge margin.
Starting outside the front row for the A-Main, Cornell took the lead without challenge when the green flag waved. With six laps in the books, he had already built a straightaway lead, but saw it slip from his grasps in a very uncharacteristic miscue. Spinning his No. 28 around in turn two, Cornell was able to keep the engine fired but the caution lights had already flickered on. Charged with the yellow, he was relegated to the tail of the field to try again. Restarting tenth, he would soon get some practice for next Sunday night’s “Take It To The Tail” Challenge in memory of Jesse Hockett, should he be the driver to accept the challenge. Cornell remained poised in the cockpit and within two laps, he had already charged back into the top five. Another yellow helped close the gap between he the front half of the field; after taking fourth into turn one, Cornell passed for third and then second in consecutive corners in exciting fashion. Leader Randy Martin possessed a lead in excess of seven seconds, but Cornell was cutting into that margin. When Martin reached traffic, Cornell knocked the advantage down further to just half a straightaway before a yellow flag closed the rest of the gap. Two additional yellows and a red gave Cornell four shots at the renowned Martin, going low, high, and everywhere in between on the restarts, but Cornell was forced to settle for second in the end.
Jonathan Cornell Racing would like to thank Starline Brass, Kiowa Line Builders, Yeager's Cycle, Champion Brands, Ostrich Racing Engines, Peak Sport and Spine, Sparks Electric Co., Angler’s Port Marine, CNJ Signs and Wraps, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Diversified Machine Inc, Weld Racing, Hoosier Racing Tire, Maxim Chassis, Rod End Supply, KSE Racing Products, ButlerBuilt, Factory Kahne Midwest, Duinkerken Farms, Steve Watt Enterprises, Santomauro Racing Products, Don's Truck Towing & Truck Wash, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions LLC, Outlaw Wings, SureCoat, Xtreme Fuel Stick, and Steve and Charlie Smith, as well as all of his fans , family, and crew for their continued support.
Cornell’s schedule for the upcoming weekend is dynamic depending on weather conditions; the team may travel to Salina (Kan.) Speedway and 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan. to compete with the NCRA/NSL Region on May 27 and May 28, or instead switch to a 410ci engine to compete at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. with the Midwest Open Wheel Association on May 28. Following that, Cornell is next scheduled to compete on May 29 at Double-X Speedway in California, Mo. for the ASCS Warrior Region “Tribute to Jesse Hockett” in the No. 28 360ci winged sprint entry.
Quick Results
May 20 – Sedalia, MO – 360ci Winged Sprint – Heat: 3rd (5); Feature: 1st (1)
May 22 – California, MO – 360ci Winged Sprint – Heat: 1st (4); Feature: 2nd (2)
2016 Stats
12 races, 12 features, 3 wins, 6 podiums, 9 top-fives, 10 top-tens, 1 DNF
Social Media
Twitter: http://twitter.com/teamtwentyeight
Article Credit: Redbeard Promotions
