Cranston takes third straight at High Banks

BELLEVILLE — He keeps referring back to luck. But Luke Cranston perhaps is making his own luck at the Belleville High Banks.

Cranston won his third straight United Rebel Sprint Series race on the historic half-mile track Friday night, besting a field of 16 competitors.

“I don't know what the deal is,” Cranston said. “We've got something going on up there. We had a lot of luck again, drew the front row of our heat race.”

Cranston went on to win the heat race, but only after being forced to change motors after blowing his first one after hot laps, thanks to the help of his crew, including Kirk Reinert and Lonnie Hornung.

Cranston started sixth in the feature, right in front of Brian Herbert. By the end of the first lap around the big track, Cranston already was in front.

But Herbert was closing in fast. After a caution, Herbert challenged Cranston for the lead but never could get by him.

“Herbert was right behind us,” said Cranston, who notched his seventh career URSS victory. “He might have had a better car than us. He ran right up on us.”

Cranston would pull away a bit from Herbert at the end to win again in north-central Kansas.

“All we do is get the car set up to keep it straight around there,” he said. “You just have to get up to the cushion and not turn the wheel as much as you can.”

Herbert finished second, followed by Lance Davis in third and Keefe Hemel in fourth. J.D. Johnson rounded out the top five in his first URSS race.

Tom Belsky started on the pole for the feature.

Heat race winners were Herbert and Cranston.

The Keizer Aluminum Racing Wheels Hard-Charger Award went to Herbert, who started eighth and finished second.

Feature results

1. Luke Cranston, 2. Brian Herbert, 3. Lance Davis, 4. Keefe Hemel, 5. J.D. Johnson, 6. Jeff Radcliffe, 7. Raymond Seemann, 8. Zach Blurton, 9. Tommy Williams, 10. Mike Spear, 11. Mike Saathoff, 12. John Webster, 13. Tom Belsky, 14. Howard Van Dyke, 15. Reed Bernbeck, 16. Kirby Hagans (DNS).

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