Monday, July 17, 2017

Gannon Avoids Last Lap Tangle To Win



Ukiah, CA (July 16, 2017) – The Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series made its only visit to Ukiah Speedway this weekend. The series presented by Anderson Logging, Danielson Construction, Mid-City Motor World, North Coast Lighting and Electric ran its fifth of six races with its only stop in Ukiah. The Super 6 racers provided what proved to be a memorable night on the 1/3-mile paved oval.

Brandon White set the mark for the 14-car field in qualifying with a 12.709. As always, the heat race results determined who would start where in the 75-lap feature. Dustin Walters made his first start in the series for the year and won the first heat garnering him the ninth starting position. Marty Walsh earned pole position in the second heat race with a victory.

Walsh took the lead at the start of the feature and led the opening 14 laps. An early caution due to a spin by Ryan Walters bunched the field on the restart. White used the restart to his advantage as he quickly moved from third to first.

White dominated the event and looked to have the race well in hand. The huge turning point of the event came on lap 41 when White made contact with Myles Anderson sending Anderson spinning. Due to his initiating the contact, White was sent to the rear giving the lead to Luke Hall. The ensuing restart set the stage for a thrilling but controversial finish.

Lap 56 saw a spin by Ryun Leazer which brought out the caution. In the meantime, White had quickly knifed his way through the field into the third position. On the restart, White moved past Eric Gannon for second and slowly closed in on the leader Hall as the laps clicked off in a hurry. White closed the distance by lap 73 and on the final lap who would win was up in the air. Contact was made between the two cars sending Hall and White out of the top two positions. At the finish, Gannon took the win over Marty Walsh. David Henderson placed a strong third while Hall was able to recover with a fourth place effort. Dustin Walters rounded out the top 5 with an impressive run.

The Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series has its final race of the season at Redwood Acres Raceway. The championship race will likely be decided among three drivers, Mic Moulton, Eric Gannon and Marty Walsh. It will be a can’t-miss event at the Acres.