---

Nethers Dominates ALLSTAR Performance Challenge Series Presented By Auto House Feature at TCMS

07/08/2022 ALLSTAR Performance Factory Stock Challenge Series Presented By Auto House
Feature Winners:
Mini Wedge Restricted: #69 Cason Murphy
Mini Wedge Unrestricted: #28 Kyron DeShano
Auto Value Pro Stocks: J3 Tim Murphy
Rowleys Tires & Automotive Services - Bay City and Great Lakes MotorSports and IMCA Modified: #50 Chad Bennett
Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort Late Models: #19 Derrick Hilliker
Auto House Factory Stocks: #41 Ryan Nethers
XLT Engineering 4-6 Cylinders: #1 Bradley Williams

07/08/2022 (Auburn MI) Over 125 cars made the tow to the Tri-City Motor Speedway in hopes of racing their way into victory lane. With just eight weeks remaining in the race season, the pressure to win is starting to mount for those teams who had championship hopes back in April. For those that have had success this season, it is about making sure they can keep out of trouble on the track and have strong finishes. The top billing of the night was with the Auto House Factory Stocks who had an ALLSTAR Performance Challenge Series event paying $1000 to the winner.
A stacked field of 31 Auto House Factory Stock drivers was on hand to compete for the twenty spots available in the 25-lap feature. It took four qualifying heat races and a last-chance qualifier race to narrow down the field to those who would run the A-main feature. Those preliminary qualifying races were won by previous Allstar Performance Challenge Series feature winner Mike Vandermark Jr., Ryan Nethers, Rick Beauchamp, Justin Miller, and Kaake III. Nethers and Michael Vandecar drew the front row start for the big money final event. Nethers immediately jumped out to a big lead once the green flag was dropped. Despite a few cautions, which bunched up the field, Nethers was able to keep the field behind him for all 25 laps to cruise to his first win of 2022 and his first-ever Challenge Series win. Nick Putman held on for a runner-up finish ahead of Vandecar, Vandermark Jr., and Miller.
The Soaring Eagle Late Models also had a feature winner who dominated to lead all the laps in their 30-lap race. Joe Pomeroy and 2019 Champion Derrick Hilliker brought the field of 22 to the start of the feature. Hilliker immediately took to the top groove and rocketed away from the field. It didn’t take long for Hilliker to reach the tail of the field. With the track conditions changing rapidly, Hilliker had to be very careful moving through the slower traffic. This need to be careful allowed some of the competitors to reel in leader Hilliker. Chad Finley was the driver that had the best chance to catch Hilliker but fell just a few laps short. Hilliker barely edged out Finley at the finish for his second feature of 2022 and extended his points lead. Behind Hilliker and Finley were Eric Spangler, Logan Nickerson, and Derrick’s father David Hilliker. Heat races were won by Spangler, Finley, and Nickerson. Finley was the fastest in qualifying earlier in the day clocking in with a lap time of 12.371 seconds.
The Rowley’s Tire and Michigan Motorsports IMCA Modifieds main event was an exciting 20-lap affair with four lead changes over the course of the event. Will Small lead the opening pair of laps from his pole starting position. Fifth-place started Chad Bennett mastered the low groove to take over the lead from Small on lap three. He would be in control for the following three circuits before multi-time Champion Nate Jones found himself at the front on lap seven. However, that lead would be short-lived with Bennett wrestling the lead back two laps later. The two would battle for the lead for a number of laps in the second half of the event. Bennett committed to the bottom groove with Jones trying to keep up on the high groove. Bennett would prevail as he held on for the win ahead of Jones, Kody Johnson, Jake Thompson, and Don Sautter. Kendall Morrison and Aaron Raby took home heat race gold.
The Auto Value Pro Stock feature was also one of those races in which anyone in the field could have won. Defending Champion Andrew Steele drew the pole to start the feature race and made good with it by leading the initial five laps of the race. Top runners Nate Murphy and last week’s winner Brendan Powell left the race after colliding to avoid a spun car on lap five which bunched up the field for a restart. Once the race restarted, Danielle Robinson maneuvered around Steele to take charge of the race. She led the field to the white flag with the remainder of the field on her back bumper. On the last lap, Tim Murphy sailed around the top side to steal the lead from Robinson and capture his first TCMS feature win of 2022. Issues in tech would unfortunately knock Robinson out of her second-place finish moving Jack Emmons to the runner-up finish. Jared Rizer, Brad Wassmann, and John Staszak rounded out the top five. Staszak and Robinson were the heat race winners.
Twenty-nine XLT Engineering 4-6 cylinder cars ran preliminary heat races to determine which twenty drivers would start their 15-lap main event. Both Nick and Brian Bullock along with Nicholas Thurston and Logan Tompkins were winners of those heat races. Jay Bradsher needed to win the second chance qualifier in order to start the feature. Tompkins looked good early but while leading, mechanical issues forced him to exit the race. Thurston took over the lead with Tompkins dropping out. He had his hands full trying to keep the competition behind him. Eventually, last week’s winner Bradley Williams overtook Thurston with a low-line pass and was the first one to the checkered flag. Thurston had to settle with second ahead of Nick Bullock, Wassmann, and 17th place starter Bradsher.
The ALLSTAR Performance Restricted Motor Mini Wedges saw Cason Murphy pick up his fifth feature of 2022 by leading all ten laps. Brantley Reil, who won the heat race, finished with a strong second-place finish ahead of Lincoln Hughey, Lucas Lanphierd, and Bowen Jaynes. The unrestricted motor division was once again a battle with the three DeShano’s. Kyron swept both the heat and feature races ahead of Pierson and Brennan.
Next Friday the ALLSTAR Performance Challenge Series will be for the Auto Value Pro-Stocks at TCMS. All of our divisions will also be in action for a night of racing you will not want to miss! Pit gates open at 3:30 with general admission grandstands opening at 4:30 pm. The first green flag will wave at 7:00 pm. Mark your calendars for the annual UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour taking place on Friday, July 22nd. The best Late Model drivers in the country will be on hand for a $10,000 top prize for the feature winner. Along with the Late Models, the DIRTcar UMP Modified drivers will be on hand, too, for their Summer Nationals event. Visit our Facebook page for updates as well as our website tricityracetrack.com. Of course, you also check out instant results and point standings all season long by downloading the MyRacePass app on your smartphone or other devices.
Photo Credit: Randy Ellen

---

Article Media

Back to News