Mullens Races His Way to Another URSS Win at DCRP

With the URSS Season winding down, the remaining races are becoming crucial for the Southern Region racers battling for those final points positions. Twenty-four teams checked in the pit gate Saturday night to do battle on the high banks and when the action was over, URSS “Young Gun” Tanner Mullens picked up the hard fought win.

Concordia Kansas’s Garrett Hood led the field to the green but it was Hugoton Kansas Barry Crane jumping out to the lead with Tanner Mullens, Ty Williams, Taylor Velasquez and Garrett Hood rounding out the top five at the end of lap one. On the move was Jason Martin who took the fourth spot from Hood on lap four bringing Keefe Hemel with him in fifth. Velasquez and Williams were locked in a duel for the third and fourth spot as the pair fought back and forth for several laps before Velasquez took the position on lap seven.

Mullens turned up the pressure on Crane as the pair approached slower traffic. Mullens used a slower car as a pick and took the point on lap nine. Jason Martin quickly raced his way teammate Williams bumper as the two battled their way past Velasquez on the ninth circuit. Southern Region Point leader Brian Herbert had made his way to the fifth spot as he passed Velasquez on lap eleven. Herbert immediately turned up the heat on Crane as he and Velasquez made the pass on Crane on lap thirteen.

Martin made his way to the runner up spot with Herbert, Velasquez and Crane in tow by lap fourteen. As the leaders started encountering lapped traffic the lines that they were used to running were being cut off, everyone was hunting for a line to get past traffic. Velasquez used a lapped car to take the third spot from Herbert. On lap nineteen. Martin tried to close the gap on the leader Mullens, coming close enough to make a challenge several times only to fall back in traffic. Herbert turned up the wick and caught Velasquez as they worked their way to the front. The pair made they way to Martin as the laps dwindled away.

URSS National Point Leader Ray Seemann had quietly made his way through the field to the sixth position and was gaining ground on fifth running Crane. Seemann had used the low line to his advantage and Crane was running up top most of the race. Seemann’s bid to crack into to the top five came up short as the checkers fell with Mullens taking the win with Martin, Velasquez, Herbert and Crane rounding out the top five.

The Weld Racing Wheels “Hard Charger Award” was won by Jason Martin who came from his tenth staring spot to claim the second position.

Heat Race Winners were Tanner Mullens, Keefe Hemel and Ty Williams.

A Main; 1-Tanner Mullens (02), 2-Jason Martin (1J), 3-Taylor Velasquez (21), 4-Brian Herbert (97), 5-Barry Crane (30C), 6- Ray Seemann (72), 7-Keefe Hemel (11), 8-Ty Williams (1), 9-Garrett Hood (74), 10- Taylor Milton (91X), 11-Steven Richardson (72S), 12-John Colbert (79C), 13-Darren Berry (12), 14-Justin Chaffin (69), 15-Brian May (8), 17-Shea Ricke (71), 18-Jeff Crook (52), 19-Jerry Caldwell (80)

Smokey Fairbank DNS, Kris Moore DNS, Lance Davis DNS, Van Kuhn DNS, Dusty Rexmore DNS