Then-points leader Chris Harley took the lead away from polesitter Noah Kim on lap 1 and maintained it until pit stops. However, it appeared that Harley's car had fuel pickup issues, and it was not an isolated incident. Multiple teams across all manufacturers were making multiple stops and running out of gas on the track.
As cars ran out, Kyle Law took his #23 to the point with no apparent issues. However, as he tried to avoid Harley stopped against a wall, he came up on Kenny Knox and came to a near-stop as he tried to pass him. Part-timer Jesse Makana, the runner-up in the NFRN Truck Series race at Mayville Lakeside Park, saw the open door to the outside and made the pass on Law and Jacob Rose. He led four laps en route to his first career NFRN victory. "It's just absolutely wild," Makana said post-race. "We had a great run at Mayville, but I didn't expect to fly across the country and one-up myself." The #23 team was gutted not to achieve the three-peat, but they are still in good contention for the playoffs. "We just need to hold our heads up," crew chief Troy Denis said. "We're talking about three first-round points and maybe a mark in the record book. I know they say every point matters but I'm still looking at us with three top-two finishes in a row. That sounds like momentum to me." Kim was among those with an unexpected fuel pickup problem. "I don't even know what happened, our car just stopped, we had a good race going, our team put together a great #38 Chevrolet Camaro, and I think we could have had a great points day if we didn't have some issue with our car," Kim said. The NFRN couldn't immediately explain why so many cars had fuel pickup problems, but they expect to run tests before the series' next race at Peoria Motor Speedway. "We're taking a couple of the bent up cars to R&D to see if we can determine what caused these cars to not get their fuel intake," NFRN Director of Competition Kris Neuert said. "I'm aware of the sandstorm that caused a minor delay for the race, but I can't immediately judge if that was a part of the problem." Now with two part-timers winning in the NACS in addition to the two 2-time winners and no births at risk, a record four spots are guaranteed open for the playoffs on points. Conor Mays currently sits well above that cut line in good shape, while Knox, Robert Harrison, and Kim have plenty of competition behind them. "After all the chaos happened, I think that's an advantage for us," said Hierjel Arvin Alonso, who finished 23rd and is 3 points behind the last open playoff spot. "We were not involved in any incidents, and I am happy that I stayed in the playoff picture."
Also getting into the top-10 is Kenny Knox, the winner of the NFRN Elite Cup Series race at the complex's sister track, Mirage Short Roval.
Here's the top drivers in the desert today: 1) Colin Lindsay - 1:02.441 (48 laps) 2) TJ Smith - 1:02.552 (49) 3) Joey Radcliffe - 1:02.569 (50) 4) Kenny Knox - 1:02.571 (49) 5) Eric Van Arsdale - 1:02.575 (49) T6) Dwayne Callaway - 1:02.584 (51) T6) TJ Ball - 1:02.584 (51) 8) Ryan Kendall - 1:02.587 (51) 9) Chris Harley - 1:02.596 (48) 10) Jay Jefferson - 1:02.600 (46)
The twice-recent NACS winner Kyle Law did not make his way into the single digits.
Here's the top drivers in the desert today: 1) Shane Borlan - 1:02.520 (72 laps) 2) Eric Van Arsdale - 1:02.527 (74) 3) Griffin Lynn - 1:02.552 (75) 4) Jay Jefferson - 1:02.568 (77) 5) Robert Harrison - 1:02.571 (72) 6) Ryan Kendall - 1:02.577 (75) 7) Dwayne Callaway - 1:02.584 (76) 8) AJ Jones - 1:02.596 (72) 9) Hierjel Arvin Alonso - 1:02.601 (71) 10) Justin Rodeback - 1:02.612 (76) |
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February 2023
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