For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
E-mail: LKMRestart@gmail.com
Cell: (317) 201-0729

 

Nolen Racing’s Two Drivers Experience
Rough Trips in Little 500 Sprint Car Race
At Anderson Speedway Saturday Night

ANDERSON, Ind., May 27 — The 77th annual Unified Group Services Little 500 Presented by UAW didn’t go as well as Nolen Racing hoped Saturday night at Anderson Speedway, but the Greenwood, Ind.-based team’s two drivers weren’t the only ones who were disappointed by the hand fate played for them during the largest pavement sprint car race in the world.

Emerson Axsom of Franklin, Ind., started sixth in the team’s yellow No. 4, missed a huge wreck on the initial start, and had made his way up to fourth by lap nine. He stayed in that position for many laps, patiently biding his time and saving his tires and his car, which is sponsored by KECO Coatings, Saldana Racing Products, and Advanced Racing Suspensions.

Jackson Macenko, who started ninth, passed him on lap 158 to relegate him to fifth, and Kyle Hamilton, who started eighth, got around him on lap 162 to push him to sixth. Still, 500 laps on the quarter-mile paved track makes for a long race, and Axsom was in the hunt and patiently recording laps until trouble struck on lap 170 while he was in sixth place.

At that point Derek Bischak, who was 12th and being lapped, and Hamilton, who was fifth, made slight contact. While jockeying for position room ran out and Hamilton and Axsom also made contact. They collided into the Turn 2 outside wall and were out of the race prematurely. Hamilton ended up 21st and Axsom, who hit the wall hard with the back of his car, finished 22nd. Neither were hurt. Bischak escaped and went on to finish 10th.

Shane Hollingsworth of Lafayette, Ind., also suffered misfortune with the yellow Nolen Racing No. 20, which is also sponsored by KECO Coatings, Saldana Racing Products, and Advanced Racing Suspensions. Both cars are powered by Tranter-prepared Chevy V6 engines.

Hollingsworth started tenth, or inside of Row 4 in the field of 33 that started three abreast.

Unfortunately there was a multi-car accident on the initial start, and Hollingsworth’s car ended up in the middle of a five-car accordion crash to the inside of the frontstretch. Two other cars crashed into the outside frontstretch wall, while others wrecked further into Turn 1, causing a red flag. Luckily no one was hurt.

Hollingsworth’s car crumpled the tail tank of the car in front of him, which was being driven by his former teammate, Kody Swanson. Swanson’s car ended up tilted into the side of Kyle O’Gara’s car. And two other cars driven by Brian Vaughn and Tim Creech slid into Hollingsworth’s car before it was over.

After pitting to inspect the car, Hollingsworth returned for the next start, but now he was back in 26th position. He moved up two places but then retired with 28 laps complete because his car was overheating, as its radiator had been damaged in the initial crash.

Initially he was credited with a 28th-place finish, but he ended up 27th after the driver who took the checkered flag first, Dakoda Armstrong, was disqualified after his car failed the post-race inspection.

The race was streamed live by DirtVision.

For more information follow the team on Facebook and Twitter @NolenRacing.

Linda Mansfield/Restart Communications
E-mail: LKMRestart@gmail.com
Cell: (317) 201-0729