LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. — Jeff Bland, Jr. started on the pole and drove to victory lane on the opening night of USAC Indiana Sprint Week at Lawrenceburg Speedway July 9.
But his drive to his first USAC National Sprint Car Series triumph was far from easy.
Bland led the first seven laps, but gave up the point to Robert Ballou on lap eight. Ballou had the field covered on the quarter-mile oval until the left-rear tire on his No. 81 went flat during a yellow flag on lap 24 after Jon Stanbrough stopped on the track with a flat right-rear tire.
Bland inherited the lead for the restart and paced the remainder of 30-lap event, keeping point-leader Levi Jones, who was also the fast qualifier, at bay during the closing laps.
Damion Gardner finished third, with Shane Cottle, who started 18th, and Dave Darland rounding out the top five.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 12.926; 2. Tracy Hines, Stewart 21, 13.222; 3. Cory Kruseman, Kruseman 21k, 13.246; 4. Neil Shepherd, Shepherd 4n, 13.314; 5. Robert Ballou, MPHG 81, 13.334; 6. Ted Hines, Hines 12, 13.343; 7. Damion Gardner, Leffler 71, 13.386; 8. Jeff Bland, Bland 21s, 13.390; 9. Scotty Weir, Edison 10e, 13.399; 10. Chris Windom, Triple Crown 1h, 13.414; 11. Brad Sweet, Kahne 9, 13.442; 12. Cole Whitt, Kunz 67k, 13.455; 13. Jerry Coons, Jr., Dynamics 69, 13.485; 14. Dave Darland, 2B Racing 2b, 13.487; 15. Jesse Hockett, VKCC 75, 13.506; 16. Daron Clayton, R & B 10, 13.506; 17. Thomas Meseraull, R & B 10t, 13.537; 18. Chad Boat, Boat 30, 13.539; 19. Josh Spencer, Batcheldor 66, 13.546; 20. Jon Stanbrough, Fox 53, 13.557; 21. John Memmer, Memmer 4m, 13.616; 22. Hunter Schuerenberg, Walker/Guiducci 11, 13.645; 23. Shane Cottle, Contos 4, 13.650; 24. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 13.699; 25. Brett Burdette, Burdette 17b, 13.705; 26. Ryan Pace, Pace 44, 13.705; 27. Brady Short, Short 36, 13.710; 28. Bret Mellenberndt, Mellenberndt 97, 13.727; 29. Jimmy Light, Light 23, 13.778; 30. Zach Martini, Rose 6, 13.799; 31. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 13.800; 32. Blake Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick 10f, 13.816; 33. Brad Kuhn, Riggs 37,13.847; 34. Cole Carter, Carter 7, 13.897; 35. Matt Goodnight, Goodnight 39, 14.013; 36. Kyle Robbins, Robbins 17r, 14.052; 37. Mat Neely, Ellis 73, 14.053; 38. Mike Weber, Weber 22w, 14.071; 39. Derek Franks, Law 77, 14.089; 40. Kevin Studley, Studley 57, 14.117; 41. Sammy Imel, Imel 35, 14.154; 42. Kyle Wissmiller, Price 0, 14.166; 43. Dustin Morgan, M & M 93, 14.221; 44. Chad Boespflug, Gatten 98, 14.265; 45. Shain Mathews, Mathews 1m, 14.494; 46. Henry Clarke, Kruseman 41k, 14.641; 47. Austin Mero, Kruseman 71k, 14.659; 48. Kevin Thomas, Jr., Thomas 9k, 14.697.
First Qualifying Race (8 laps): Kuhn, Imel, Mero, Mathews, Goodnight, Neely, Franks, Morgan.
Second Qualifying Race (8 laps): Robbins, Boespflug, Carter, Wissmiller, Thomas, Weber, Studley, Clarke.
First Heat (10 laps): Coons, Meseraull, Weir, Ballou, Jones, Kuhn, Memmer, Burdette, Mero, Light.
Second Heat (10 laps): Darland, Schuerenberg, Pace, Windom, Boat,  Tr. Hines, Mathews, Te. Hines, Imel, Martini.
Third Heat (10 laps): Short, Hagen, Cottle, Gardner, Hockett, Sweet, Robbins, Spencer, Carter, Kruseman.
 Fourth Heat (10 laps): Bacon, Stanbrough, Whitt, Bland, Boespflug, Fitzpatrick, Clayton, Shepherd, Wissmiller, Mellenberndt.
 Semi (12 laps): Tr. Hines, Shepherd, Sweet, Jones, Hockett, Boat, Memmer, Spencer, Robbins, Kuhn, Imel, Boespflug, Fitzpatrick, Carter, Burdette, Te. Hines, Wissmiller, Mero, Mathews, Clayton, Mellenberndt, Martini.
 Feature (30 laps): Bland, Jones, Gardner, Cottle, Darland, Hines, Sweet, Bacon, Schuerenberg, Hagen, Coons, Windom, Weir, Hockett, Pace, Ballou, Meseraull, Boat, Clayton, Stanbrough, Whitt, Morgan, Shepherd, Short.