HammerDownUSA.com
Lasoski wins NST
finale at River Cities
By Craig Murphy
Danny Lasoski was
just fast enough to win July 8.
Lasoski took home
the $12,000 top prize by winning Saturday’s 40-lap National Sprint Tour main
event at River Cities Speedway in
First Lasoski had to
hold off repeated challenges from local favorite Mark Dobmeier. Then Lasoski
had to hold off a banzai last-lap charge from Tim Kaeding, who won here Friday
night.
As soon as Lasoski
pulled into winner’s circle – nearly getting hit by an ambulance in the process
– heavy rains came down and turned the ¼-mile dirt track into a mud pit.
“Leading was
probably the wrong thing to do tonight,” Lasoski said. “I was picking the wrong
way to go in traffic. But tonight was our night. Tim was real tough, like he
has been.”
While Lasoski led
from flag-to-flag, it was no easy drive. Dobmeier kept trying to get by on the
low side without success. On lap 31, Kaeding got by Dobmeier and immediately
went after Lasoski.
Kaeding briefly got
by Lasoski before a yellow for Brian Paulus on lap 35 negated the pass.
On the final lap,
Lasoski was in heavy traffic entering turn 1. Kaeding saw a brief opening on
the bottom and went for it, but was unable to get by.
“I said, ‘This is
going to be a big wreck. I ain’t lifting,’” Lasoski said. “A lapped car spun in
front of me, and Tim went low.”
Kaeding, trying to sweep the weekend,
came up just short.
“It was hard,”
Kaeding said. “The lapped traffic, those guys were going every which way but
straight. I had (Lasoski) one time, and then the yellow came out.
“It was either going
to make it or go off the race track,” Kaeding added of his last lap move.
“Lapped cars slid up at the last second, so I just drove it straight across the
track. I’m not going to complain. We didn’t lose too many points.”
Behind the front two
at the end were Jason Solwold, Dobmeier and Shane Stewart.
“It was a good run,”
Dobmeier said. “I felt I was quicker, I just couldn’t get by (Lasoski). My car
was faster on the high groove, but you can’t always run there.
“It was great,”
Dobmeier added. “We know we can beat these guys. The car went away in the
middle. It came back at the end, but by then it was too late. It was definitely
satisfying, but also bittersweet. We knew we had a chance to beat them.”
Trophy dashes were
won by Lasoski and Dean Jacobs, who also won his dash Friday night. Lasoski
chose to start the main from inside pole.
Heat races were won
by Solwold, Steve Kinser, Dave Sobczak and Dobmeier. Solwold was the fastest of
36 qualifiers, with a time of 10.018 seconds, his series-leading fourth fast
time of the year. The 12-lap B-main was won by Tim Mulvaney.
The National Sprint
Tour travels to Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. for a July 10 race
before visiting