GAS CITY, Ind. — Daron Clayton made the most of an opportunity to wheel Richard and Rob Hoffman’s sprint car as the USAC Lucas Oil National Sprint Car Series moved to Gas City I-69 Speedway for the third round of Indiana Sprint Week Friday. 
Clayton led all but the first two circuits in the 30-lap race on the quarter-mile dirt track. Levi Jones, Darren Hagen, Scotty Weir and Brady Bacon filled the top five.
“I feel like somebody needs to pinch me. I’m at a loss for words. These guys took a big gamble hiring me tonight,” Clayton admitted. While the Hoffmans’s regular driver, Jerry Coons, Jr., was racing in another division on Friday, Clayton started from the pole.
Scotty Weir raced into the lead at the start, with Clayton, Jones, Hagen, Jon Stanbrough and Shane Cottle on his tail. On the second circuit, A.J. Anderson brought out a red flag when he flipped. 
On the restart, Chad Boespflug got sideways and collected Chad Whitt, who rolled twice before stopping on the frontstretch. Behind them, Brady Short climbed the tail of Dave Darland’s machine and the two were hung up until assisted by a wrecker.
That was about all of the patience that Clayton had, as a lap after the restart he charged around Weir and into the lead. Two laps later, Clayton’s Kroger/Tide Mopar-powered F-5 was a half-straightaway ahead and pulling away. 
With a four-second disadvantage at halfway, a huge brawl had broken out for second, as Jones, Weir, Hagen, Stanbrough, Cory Kruseman, Cottle and Bacon each had a stake.  But a flat left-rear tire on Stanbrough’s machine brought out a caution. 
While Clayton raced ahead on the clear track after the restart, Jones worked past several lapped cars but was still two seconds behind when Clayton cashed the winner’s check. 
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Jon Stanbrough, Fox 53, 12.566; 2. Shane Cottle, Edison 10e, 12.643; 3. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 12.740; 4. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 12.744; 5. Scotty Weir, Crossno 38, 12.756; 6. Daron Clayton, Dynamics 69, 12.795; 7. Brad Sweet, Yeley 2j, 12.810; 8. Cory Kruseman, Kruseman 21k, 12.835; 9. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 12.837; 10. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Stewart 21, 12.873; 11. Chris Windom, Windom 17, 12.920; 12. Neil Shepherd, Shepherd 4n, 12.948; 13. Kevin Swindell, Kahne 9, 12.980; 14. Hunter Schuerenberg, R & B 10t, 13.016. 15. Steve Ott, Ott 10t, 13.026; 16. Shane Hollingsworth, R & B 10, 13.048; 17. Chad Boespflug, Gatten 90, 13.054; 18. Cole Whitt, CW 29x, 13.070; 19. Dustin Morgan, Walker/Guiducci 11, 13.071; 20. Critter Malone, Baldwin 5, 13.118; 21. Sammy Imel, Imel 35, 13.185; 22. Brett Burdette, Burdette 17b, 13.206; 23. A.J. Anderson, Hazen 57, 13.271; 24. Brandon Petty, Pearce 26, 13.309; 25. Robert Ballou, MPHG 81, 13.314; 26. Damion Gardner, Leffler 71, 13.318; 27. Bret Mellenberndt, Mellenberndt 97, 13.324; 28. Jesse Hockett, VKCC 75, 13.362; 29. Josh Spencer, Spencer 66j, 13.369; 30. Josh Ford, Reid 2, 13.389; 31. Jimmy Light, Light 23, 13.396; 32. Matt Westfall, Westfall 54, 13.429; 33. Brady Short, 2B Racing 2b, 13.447; 34. John Memmer, Memmer 4m, 13.452; 35. Michael Trimble, Kruseman 21t, 13.500; 36. Russ Gamester, Gamester 46, 13.549; 37. Mike Spencer, Kunz 67k, 13.622; 38. Ted Hines, Hines 12, 13.641; 39. Dave Darland, Pace 44, 13.657; 40. Kyle Robbins, Robbins 17r, 13.810; 41. Jeff Bland, Bland 21x, no time.
Non-Qualifiers Race (10 laps): Short, Trimble, Darland, Memmer, Hines, M. Spencer, Gamester, Robbins.
First Heat (10 laps): Stanbrough, J. Spencer, Boespflug, Ballou, Weir, Swindell, Bacon, Imel, Short.
Second Heat (10 laps): Ford, Gardner, Schuerenberg, Whitt, Burdette, Cottle, Clayton, Trimble, Stenhouse.
Third Heat (10 laps): Mellenberndt, Anderson, Darland, Jones, Light, Morgan, Ott, Windom, Sweet.
Fourth Heat (10 laps): Westfall, Hollingsworth, Kruseman, Hockett, Shepherd, Memmer, Hagen, Petty, Malone.
Semi (12 laps): Cottle, Clayton, Hagen, Bacon, Weir, Stenhouse, Sweet, Windom, Shepherd, Malone, Morgan, Swindell, Burdette, Short, Imel, Trimble, Light, Memmer, Petty, Ott.
Feature (30 laps): Clayton, Jones, Hagen, Weir, Bacon, Cottle, Kruseman, Stenhouse, Darland, Stanbrough, Hollingsworth, Gardner, Ballou, Schuerenberg, Hockett, Short, Ford, Swindell, Boespflug, J. Spencer, Westfall, Mellenberndt, Anderson, Whitt.