LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Oklahoma racer Nick Smith broke into O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National victory lane for the first time this season by emerging atop a classic I-30 Speedway duel on Saturday night.
Smith and Kenneth Walker traded the lead several times over the first half of the 30-lapper atop the quarter-mile clay oval before Smith took command for keeps on the 16th circuit, ultimately beating 10th-starter Tim Crawley and eighth-starter Gary Taylor to the checkered flag in Kip Smith’s Wesmar-powered Sooner Network Solutions No. 15s J&J.
But, until the race’s only caution flag waved after 26 laps, Smith rarely held an advantage of more than a couple of car lengths over a host of pursuers that included Wayne Johnson, Crawley, Kenneth Walker, Taylor and Garry Lee Maier.
After drawing the pole, Walker outgunned Joe Young for the point at the drop of the green flag and led the opening circuit. Fourth-starter Smith was on the move on the top side of the track though, charging past Walker for the lead upon the completion of the second lap.
With Walker, third-starter Wayne Johnson and Maier in tow, Smith soon reached lapped traffic. When he slipped off the backstretch exiting turn two on the 10th lap, Walker charged into the lead.
“We were in traffic and I kept telling myself to hit my marks, hit my marks,” Smith recalled afterward. “Then that lap I just slipped up a little too high and dropped right off the track.”
Dicing through heavy traffic, Smith closed in and slid back around Walker for the lead on the 16th lap with Wayne Johnson working past Walker for second, three laps later.
Crawley passed Walker for third and set his sights on the Smith and Johnson.
With Smith holding a slim lead, Crawley pulled to Johnson’s inside as the duo charged down the backstretch on the 27th lap. Johnson tried to close the door through turns three and four, spinning to a halt in turn four after the resulting contact, collecting fourth-runner Walker and Kathryne Minter in the mix.
Smith held off Crawley, with Taylor, Maier and Zach Chappell filling the top five.
The finish:
Nick Smith, Tim Crawley, Gary Taylor, Garry Lee Maier, Zach Chappell, Gary Wright, Jason Johnson, Travis Rilat, Jason Sides, Brad Bowden, Don Droud, Jr., Lewis Jenkins, Jr., Marshall Skinner, Wayne Johnson, Justin Sturch, Joe Young, Derek Hagar, Eric Baldaccini, Cody Gardner, Kathryne Minter, Matt Covington, Kenneth Walker, Zach Pringle, Tommy Snellgrove.