HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Chad Boat became the youngest USAC National Sprint Car Series feature winner on dirt Saturday night, claiming the 30-lap Eastern tour finale at Hagerstown Speedway.
Boat, the son of Indianapolis 500 veteran Billy Boat, led the final 22 laps of the race in his R-S Service/Billy Boat Performance Exhaust Maxim/Chevy to beat Cole Whitt, Jerry Coons, Jr., Robert Ballou and Damion Gardner.
Whitt, who won Thursday at Big Diamond Raceway, also at the age of 16, is the new series point leader.
Boat started on the pole and led the first three laps, and after briefly losing the lead, fought back to lead the final 22 tours of the big half-mile oval.
“This Maxim Chevy car was awesome tonight,” Boat said. “I hate running the bottom. I hated Big Diamond the other night. I wanted to come to a place with a big cushion. We weren’t supposed to come here. We were supposed to go to Winchester (Ind.) tomorrow, but we decided to come here.”
Boat had to battle lapped traffic during the closing laps, but stretched his lead, keeping Whitt, who gained the point lead after Levi Jones had a difficult night and finished 19th, behind to the checkered flag.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Tracy Hines, Stewart 21, 18.190; 2. Dave Darland, Pace 44, 18.196; 3. Cole Whitt, Kunz 67k, 18.216; 4. Brady Short, Short 36, 18.297; 5. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 18.314; 6. Chad Boat, Boat 30, 18.328; 7. Jesse Hockett, VKCC 75, 18.360; 8. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 18.415; 9. Brad Sweet, Kahne 9, 18.449; 10. Damion Gardner, Leffler 71, 18.459; 11. Dustin Morgan, M & M 93, 18.479; 12. Jerry Coons, Jr., Dynamics 69, 18.509; 13. Robert Ballou, MPHG 81, 18.541; 14. Shane Golobic, Jones 2, 18.567; 15. Josh Spencer, Batcheldor 66, 18.560; 16. Bill Rose, Rose 6, 18.593; 17. Shane Cottle, Contos 4, 18.600; 18. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 18.676; 19. Chris Windom, Triple Crown 1w, 18.810; 20. Chris Bonneau, Buch 31, 18.834; 21. Brad Kuhn, 2B Racing 2b, 19.149; 22. Bret Mellenberndt, Mellenberndt 97x, 19.262; 23. Bob Ream, Jr., Buch 13, 19.301; 24. Richie Fitz, Fitz 1f, 19.514; 25. Daryl Stimeling, Bolger 18, 19.703; 26. Todd Zinn, Zinn 23, 20.603; 27. Chris Windom, Triple Crown 1h, no time.
First Heat (8 laps): Windom, Ballou, Gardner, Mellenberndt, Rose, Hines, Short, Stimeling, Hockett.
Second Heat (8 laps): Golobic, Hagen, Jones, Morgan, Darland, Cottle, Bonneau, Ream, Zinn.
Third Heat (8 laps): Coons, Whitt, Sweet, Kuhn, Bacon, Boat, Spencer, Fitz.
Semi (12 laps): Hines, Boat, Ream, Cottle, Bonneau, Fitz, Short, Stimeling, Spencer, Zinn.
Feature (30 laps): Boat, Whitt, Coons, Ballou, Gardner, Bacon, Hines, Short, Darland, Ream, Kuhn, Morgan, Cottle, Sweet, Windom, Rose, Fitz, Mellenberndt, Jones, Bonneau, Hagen, Golobic, Hockett.