Meseraull Threads His Way Through Lapped Traffic
To Win Gas City I-69 Sprint Car Feature

GAS CITY, Ind., April 28 - Using a thrilling move in heavy lapped traffic, Thomas Meseraull was exhausted but victorious after the 25-lap, non-stop, non-wing sprint car feature Friday night at Gas City I-69 Speedway.

“T-Mez,” a California native now living in Waveland, Ind., started fourth in the Don Whitney Racing No. 00, which is a Hawk chassis with a Stensland-prepped engine sponsored by Physical Medicine Consultants and Infinity Shocks. The 2010 Gas City champion took third from Landon Simon of Tipp City, Ohio on lap two with a move to the inside in Turn 2, and then dipped under Brandon Mattox of Terre Haute, Ind. for second in the same spot on lap 10. Shane Cottle, the polesitter and last week’s winner, led from the green until Meseraull got around him on the outside in Turn 4 on lap 19 for the top spot and the eventual victory.

Cottle, of Kansas, Ill., finished second in the No. 71P DRC with a Foxco engine that is sponsored by Half Moon Restaurant and Brewery, Frank and Jill Daigh, and Penngrade 1 motor oil. Mattox placed third in his DRC/SPEC sponsored by Gene Nigg Construction, Airsource One HVAC and Pure Max Racing Oil. Clinton Boyles of Greenwood, Mo. finished fourth in Paul Hazen’s DRC/Kercher Racing Engines No. 57 sponsored by Physical Medicine Consultants, Kercher Engines and KECO Coatings. Simon, who drives a DRC with a J&D Performance engine that is sponsored by Mt. Baker Vapor, rounded out the top five.

Zeke McKenzie won the 20-lap UMP modified feature with his Miller Farms No. 24. He started fourth and took the lead from polesitter Darek Snyder following a restart with two laps down after Garrett Jameson and Matt Chambers crashed in Turn 2.

Another restart with 15 laps down also tightened up the field. That one was necessary after Jamie Lomax hit the frontstretch wall, went airborne for a bit, and then stopped in Turn 1. McKenzie was up to the challenge, however, and took the victory by 3.59 seconds over Dillon Nusbaum, who started second. Last week’s winner, Randy Lines, finished third followed by Snyder and Lynn Johns.

Lines dominated the non-stop, 18-lap super street feature in the Thompson Trucking No. 14. The best battle in that race was for second, which went to polesitter Josh Robertson over Tony Homan, who started third. Joe Wiggins and Mike Fincher rounded out the top five.

Polesitter D.J. Holt led all 15 laps of the thunder car feature in the Holt Auto Body No. 36. Bryce Krider lost his right-rear tire and stopped on the frontstretch to bring out a yellow with 11 laps down and give Mike Reitz another crack at passing Holt, but Holt was up to the challenge and had a 3.46-seconds margin of victory over Reitz. Braxton Strait, Stevie Clark and Krider rounded out the top five.

The intermission featured a game of “Throw the Helmet,” where three contestants tried to pitch a helmet through the window of Braxton Strait’s thunder car at various distances. The entire racing and entertaining program was completed by 9:45 p.m. on a chilly evening.

Next Friday, May 4, a large field of non-wing sprint cars are expected as part of the track’s “Friday Night Fury” program featuring the Midwest Sprint Car Series, thunder cars, FWD compacts and mod lites. Admission prices are family friendly, and all high school and college students can attend for only $10 each with their school ID cards.

For more information, see the track’s Web site at GasCityI69Speedway.com and follow it on Facebook at @GasCitySpeedwayOnTheGas and on Twitter at @GasCitySpeedway.

The results:

Sprint Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Shane Cottle, 2. Clinton Boyles, 3. Matt Cooley, 4. Tyler Hewitt, 5. Ty Tilton, 6. Rob Caho Jr., 7. Parker Fredrickson.

Sprint Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Brandon Mattox, 2. Brandon Morin, 3. Garrett Abrams, 4. Dallas Hewitt, 5. Adam Wilfong, 6. Luke Harbison, 7. Bryar Schroeter.

Sprint Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. Landon Simon, 2. Thomas Meseraull, 3. Ted Hines, 4. Matt Westfall, 5. Matt Goodnight, 6. Cole Ketcham, 7. Dave Gross (DNS).

Sprint Feature (25 laps): 1. Thomas Meseraull, 2. Shane Cottle, 3. Brandon Mattox, 4. Clinton Boyles, 5. Landon Simon, 6. Tyler Hewitt, 7. Matt Westfall, 8. Garrett Abrams, 9. Dallas Hewitt, 10. Matt Cooley, 11. Ty Tilton, 12. Matt Goodnight, 13. Ted Hines, 14. Cole Ketcham, 15. Rob Caho Jr., 16. Adam Wilfong, 17. Luke Harbison, 18. Parker Fredrickson, 19. Brandon Morin, 20. Bryar Schroeter, 21. Dave Gross (DNS).

UMP Modified Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Jamie Lomax, 2. Dillon Nusbaum, 3. Corey Bevard, 4. Jessica Sroufe, 5. Andy Bishop, 6. Brent Davis, 7. Cole Sink, 8. Jesse Strange.

UMP Modified Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Randy Lines, 2. Zeke McKenzie, 3. Bradley Jameson, 4. Phil Hamand, 5. Matt Chambers, 6. Pete Wormcastle, 7. Tyler Morehouse (DNS).

UMP Modified Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. Darek Snyder, 2. Bub Roberts, 3. Lynn Johns, 4. Shaun Patrick, 5. Jerry Bland Jr., 6. Garrett Jameson, 7. Lance Krider.

UMP Modified Feature (20 laps): 1. Zeke McKenzie, 2. Dillon Nusbaum, 3. Randy Lines, 4. Darek Snyder, 5. Lynn Johns, 6. Corey Bevard, 7. Bub Roberts, 8. Bradley Jameson, 9. Andy Bishop, 10. Pete Wormcastle, 11. Phil Hamand, 12. Cole Sink, 13. Shaun Patrick, 14. Jesse Strange, 15. Lance Krider, 16. Garrett Jameson, 17. Jamie Lomax, 18. Matt Chambers, 19. Jerry Bland Jr., 20. Jessica Sroufe, 21. Brent Davis, 22. Tyler Morehouse (DNS).

Super Street Heat (8 laps): 1. Josh Robertson, 2. James Headley, 3. Tony Homan, 4. Joe Wiggins, 5. Jeff Beggs, 6. Mike Fincher, 7. Randy Lines, 8. Jarrett Rennaker.

Super Street Feature (18 laps): 1. Randy Lines, 2. Josh Robertson, 3. Tony Homan, 4. Joe Wiggins, 5. Mike Fincher, 6. Jarrett Rennaker, 7. Jeff Beggs, 8. James Headley.

Thunder Car Heat (8 laps): 1. D.J. Holt, 2. Mike Reitz, 3. Braxton Strait, 4. Bryce Krider, 5. Stevie Clark, 6. Shane Richardson.

Thunder Car Feature (15 laps): 1. D.J. Holt, 2. Mike Reitz, 3. Braxton Strait, 4. Stevie Clark, 5. Bryce Krider, 6. Shane Richardson (DNS).