Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
He may not have taken the lead till the late stages, but he had it when it mattered as Matt Bentley won the Super Stock feature on Friday night at Sunset Speedway. It marks his third feature victory of the year and fifth straight podium finish.
Justin Holmes won the first heat ahead of Jordan Howse, Stan Coe, Nic Troback, Anthony DiBello, Herb Walters, Kendra Adams and Nick Tooley as William Hughes pulled off mid-race with an issue.
The second heat didn’t start cleanly, as three-wide between Kent Constable, Ken Semkin and Paul Allard proved messy – resulting in Constable pushing Allard up into the wall, with Allard spinning back across the track on Lap 3.
Bentley picked up the win ahead of Dan Archibald, Miles Tyson, Treyten Lapcevich, Brandon McFerran, Allard, Constable, Fedele DiBello and Semkin.
Ryan Semple won the final heat ahead of Jade Franklin, Coltin Everingham, Johnny Morrison, Frank Davey, Mike Weeda, Stefan Semeraro and Ric Watson.
Brandon McFerranw on the b-main ahead of Walters, Davey, Anthony DiBello, Weeda, Semeraro, Allard, Adams, Constable, Semkin, Tooley, Fedele DiBello and Ric Watson.
Come feature time, it’d be Jade Franklin starting pole ahead of Stan Coe, Nic Troback, Johnny Morrison, Matt Bentley, Mike Weeda, Frank Davey, Ryan Semple, Coltin Everingham, Herb Walters, Brandon McFerran, Treyten Lapcevich, Anthony DiBello, Dan Archibald, Justin Holmes, Frank Davey, Stefan Semeraro, Jordan Howse, Paul Allard, Kendra Adams, Ethan Constable, Nick Tooley, Ken Semkin, Fedele DiBello, William Hughes and Ric Watson.
Franklin put his No. 31 Nitro Industrial Sales, Destination RV, Duivenvoorden Haulage Ltd, Adco Tires and Sales Incorporated, Stefco Racing Engines, King, North River Motorsports and Discovery Dream Homes Super Stock out front on the drop of the green flag ahead of Coe, Troback, Bentley and Semple as Morrison battled Weeda for sixth.
Weeda got the spot on Lap 3 ahead of Morrison with Tyson in eighth behind them. Tyson then got alongside Morrison on Lap 4, completing the pass a lap later to take seventh as Lapcevich and Walters battled for ninth behind them.
Closer to the front of the field, Bentley tracked down Troback, getting alongside him for third at Lap 7 and completing the pass a lap later, bringing Semple through with him. Behind them, Weeda continued to run sixth while Tyson and Morrison battled for seventh. Tyson got the spot, getting alongside Weeda for sixth but was unable to complete the pass.
Morrison now ran eighth at Lap 11 ahead of Lapcevich, while Archibald and Walters battled for 10th. Archibald got the spot on Lap 13, bringing Howse through with him. Walters now ran 12th ahead of McFerran, Holmes, Everingham, Anthony DiBello, Davey and Semeraro. DiBello then got by Everingham for 15th at Lap 19, with Semeraro attempting to follow him through but unable to.
Closer to the front of the field, Bentley continued to track down the front runners, getting by Coe to move into second at Lap 21. Semple tried to follow him through for third, but was unable to. There was also battles mid-pack, with Howse getting by Archibald to take the 10th spot at Lap 24.
The first caution of the race flew with three laps to go for Constable spinning in turn four. With four laps to go, Franklin led Bentley, Coe, Semple, Troback, Weeda, Tyson, Morrison, Lapcevich, Howse and Archbald.
Bentley got a good restart to put the No. 21 GL Manufacturing, ThringCo., Streamline Race Products, Creative Edge and Bentley Motorsports Super Stock out front ahead of Franklin, Semple, Coe, Troback and Tyson. The caution then flew a lap later for a wreck on the frontstretch involving Allard, Semkin, Semeraro and Fedele DiBello.
The restart saw Franklin use the high side to pull out ahead of Bentley, but the caution flew for the third time for a big wreck in turn two involving Weeda, Anthony DiBello, Davey, Constable and Adams. The wreck started with contact on the frontstretch, including Howse up underneath the back of Weeda’s car.
Bentley would choose the top for the restart and it proved to be the right decision as he pulled out ahead and won the feature.
“I think I have the long haul set-up in it and everybody ends up slowing down, falling off and I end up gaining on them,” Bentley said.
He added he knew Franklin would be tough to beat at the end in having the caution periods and red flag to cool down the tires, therefore getting more bite off the corners.
“He was using it up a bit at the end of the race – that’s why I was able to run him down, but he got by me on the outside on that second restart,” Bentley added. “I knew I was going to have to take the outside to get by him again.”
It’s why Bentley says the decision to take the outside on the final restart is what put him in victory lane on Friday night.
Ryan Semple got by Jade Franklin on the last lap to take second, while Stan Coe and Nic Troback rounded out the top-five. Miles Tyson finished sixth, followed by Treyten Lapcevich, Jordan Howse, Justin Holmes, Brandon McFerran, Johnny Morrison, Coltin Everingham, Dan Archibald, Herb Walters, Kendra Adams, Ken Semkin, Nick Tooley, William Hughes, Ric Watson and Ethan Constable.
