Belcher’s Third Gives Him Triple Crown
Dan Johnson scrambled his way though the Sport Trucks field for 23 laps before he could ease David Lougee out of the lead he had held since lap five. The race might have ended a lap-and-a-half later, but this was the final stop in the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown for them and it went on another ten laps with double points attached.
Lougee staunchly played on until lap 30, when Chase Belcher and Rob Murphy settled a dispute they’d been having over third and launched an all-out assault on Lougee’s tailgate. Belcher looked outside and Murphy played his favorite hand trying to work in underneath. But the caution flag interevened as Lenny Guy spun in turn four.
They lined back up for a green-white-checker lap 33 restart, with Johnson and Belcher in front and Murphy and Lougee making up row two. Johnson spun them a little coming out of the box, but held position. As Belcher fell back a half-car, Murphy went underneath and Josh Hedges got under Lougee. They brawled under the white flag into the final lap with Johnson ahead, Murphy edging Belcher and hedges edging past Lougee. Mike Duarte followed, leading Rob Rainville and Mike Cavallaro.
Midway down the backstretch, Lougee’s nose pointed down and he slewed toward the infield. At midtrack, however, Mike Lopes entered the picture with nowhere to go and his foot firmly planted on the brake pedal resulting in a grinding crash.
At the front, the field was coming down to the checkers with Johnson in the lead and Murphy emptying his entire bag of tricks on Johnson’s tailgate. But Dan held resolute and led him over the line. Belcher was on Murph’s outside and snagged third, just ahead of Hedges and Duarte. The top four all finished in increments of the same second on the lapcounters.
Johnson had nailed his second win of the season and Belcher had earned possession of the Triple Crown for 2016.
Lopes jumped off the pole at the outset, while Lougee skipped past rainville into second and gave Mike a tough battle, but got high coming through turn four and slipped back a bit. Rainville nosed in and Guy was coming up fast and followed. Lougee looked to nose under Lopes at the stripe and nosed out on lap four, as John Robidoux got around into the infield, but climbed back onto the track and there was no caution.
Lopes continued to pursue Lougee with Rainville, Hedges, Johnson and Murphy behind them.
Lap nine saw Eddy Perry spin out of turn two onto the backstretch, bringing caution. He pitted and returned. Lougee and Lopes lined up to lead the field. Lougee grabbed the front and Lopes dropped in, just millimeters ahead of Rainville’s nose. Hedges, Johnson, Murphy and Guy followed. Two laps later, Lougee was nursing a six-car advantage on Lopes. Behind them, Murphy, Cavallaro and Rainville were enjoying a three-wide down the backstretch.
Belcher got under Hedges with Guy and Murphy following. The racing settled in to aerial combat until Guy came loose and took a trip through the infield, parallel to the track. He was able to regain the handle, and steered back onto the surface with halting the race. Lougee now led by half the backstretch.
Perry, having problems with his truck, realized Lougee’s nightmare with a backstretch spin, collapsing the field for a restart. He retired for the evening. Lougee and Johnson lined up and went door-to-door with Belcher on their bumpers. Another lap and still they battled and a third. Johnson was clocked at .001 second in the lead on the third time through the traps. One more lap, however, and Johnson manufactured a little extra speed and took the lead coming out of turn two. But disaster struck on turn one in lap 26.
Peter Gloddy was passing Cole Jackson on the frontstretch when he suddenly went straight up turn one into the barrier. The vehicle bounced off the concrete and turned 180 degrees showing its damage to everybody in a highly destructive wreck. Gloddy was quick to signal that he was OK in the cab and emergency crews vectored in. The truck had to be taken off the track in a two-wrecker hammock and the crowd could see from the frontstretch seats that the left front wheel had been twisted all the way to the firewall. Guy pitted for repairs and Sean DeMello retired for the night. (Perhaps DeMello’s last race for now, as he has been selling the team prior to returning to college.)
Johnson grabbed the lead again, with nine laps remaining, and continued to the checkers.
Rainville crossed in sixth, followed by Guy, Cavallaro, Dutch, Jackson, Lougee and Lopes.
SPORT TRUCKS
JOHNSON HOLDS OFF LOUGEE, BELCHER AND THEN MURPHY FOR TRUCKS WIN