BOW-man Back in Victory Lane

Mike Wilson - Hays, Kansas (September 1, 2012) Sprint Car Mania at RPM Speedway kick started a huge three day swing for Rick Salem's United Rebel Sprint series over the Labor day weekend. Friday night's main event saw Kinsley, Kansas shoe Darren Bowman, negotiate a tricky oval in Hays Kansas and battle back to the winner's circle after a two year dry spell with the URSS.

Ken Lutters and Shawn Radcliffe made up the front row of the 25 lap feature at RPM speedway with Lutters jumping out to the early lead. Radcliffe, Mike Spear, Lance Davis, and Cody Caldwell settling into the top five.

Lutters would continue to hold serve as the action heating up on his tail tank. Lap two would see Doug Roth move into the top five and Caldwell dropping from the front. Laps would continue to be scored as the Rebels would jockey for position.

With Lutters at the front, Shawn Radcliffe, Davis and Roth, ninth starting Jeff Radcliffe would crack the top five on the fifth circuit. Radcliffe's surge would show the way for Bowman and the scramble was on. The Kinsley driver would blast into the top five on the seventh lap edging Jeff by a nose. Radcliffe would mount a charge getting back around Bowman on lap nine.

Back at the front, Lutters was still in control but Bowman and Jeff Radcliffe would steal the show battling for fourth and fifth. Using every inch of RPM Speedway, Bowman would battle back around the 21R on the next lap squeezing the Hill City driver over the top of the back chute.

Lap eleven saw the frontrunners stall. Third running Davis would clip a tire on the bottom of turn four. Lutters would still lead but off the Davis miscue, second running Shawn Radcliffe would have his hands full with Bowman and Jeff. Bowman would blast around Shawn and dive underneath Lutters, taking the top spot putting Jeff into second, but before Bowman could push the advantage the yellow would fly for Tom Belsky who spun in turn four.

Back underway Brian Herbert would blast into third on the restart but Bowman and Radcliffe would dice it up lap after lap battling for the lead. As the top two hit the back markers, Bowman slipped though traffic and battle to victory lane for the first time since 2010.

"It wasn't Hutch," said and an ecstatic Bowman after unstrapping from the 9B. "If I could come right off the bottom I was mad fast but I had to hit it just right. It was good hard racing and that's what it is about going hard or going home," Bowman said about the battle with Radcliffe. Jeff would be the runner up with Herbert third. After starting fourteenth Keefe Hemel would climb out of a huge hole for fourth with Bernbeck closing out the top five.

Car Count: 18

Lap Leaders: Ken Lutters (1-13) Darren Bowman (14-25)

Keizer Aluminum Wheels Hard Charger Award: Keefe Hemel +10

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1.Darren Berry 2. Cody Caldwell 3. Darren Bowman 4. Steve Dalton 5. Keefe Hemel 6. Jerry Caldwell

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. Ken Lutters 2. Doug Roth 3. Shawn Radcliffe 4. DNF Brian Herbert 5. DNF Kris Miller 6. DNF Jared Kern

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. Jeff Radcliffe 2. Lance Davis 3. Reed Bernbeck 4. Mike Spear 5. Tom Belsky 6. Koby Walters

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. Darren Bowman 2. Jeff Radcliffe 3. Brian Herbert 4. Keefe Hemel 5. Reed Bernbeck 6. Shawn Radcliffe 7. Jared Kern 8. Darren Berry 9. Cody Caldwell 10. Doug Roth 11. Mike Spear 12. Jerry Caldwell 13. DNF Kenny Lutters 14. DNF Kobey Walters 15. DNF Tom Belsky 16. DNF Lance Davis 17. DNF Steve Dalton 18. DNF Kris Miller

2012 Feature Winners: Luke Cranston-5: Pat Bourke-4: Jason Martin-3: Ty Williams-3: Jake Bubak-3: Brian Hardman-3: Brian Herbert-2: Jeff Radcliffe-2: Zach Blurton-1: Bob Schaeffer-1: Mike Peters-1 Darren Bowman-1

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