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| May 07, 2010 News |
| Race Report: Heartland Sprint Series - Round Two |
| Article by: BP Motorsports Group |
 | TaG action at the Heartland Sprint Series
(Photo: BP Motorsports Group) |
Increased participation shows signs that the popularity of the Heartland Sprint Series presented by BP Motorsports Group is growing. The second round, which took place May 1-2, experienced an increase in the number of participants from outside the Kansas City area. Roughly a half-dozen racers from the St. Louis area made the trip to see what the growing series was all about.
Like all HSS races, Saturday was a full day of practice allowing each racer seven 10-minute sessions to acquaint themselves with the track and achieve the perfect setup for Sunday. Clear skies for Saturday and most of Sunday lead to some very high quality racing conditions. The only weather related problem was a pause in Sunday’s program due to a short lightning-producing storm. However, once the storm had passed, the track dried quickly and the racing action resumed.
The Queen of Hearts race course produced some close racing and fast lap times. The more technical sections made the course a real driver’s course. Fast times were achieved by racers who could keep up their momentum by driving smoothly through the tight corners.
The three TaG divisions, S2 shifter class, and the Clone class provided extremely close racing Sunday. The final for the Clone class provided the closest finish of any class. Andrew Pennington showed good speed by qualifying on the pole with a time of 40.773, nearly half a second faster than the next closest qualifier. Andrew Pennington kept up the pressure by edging out a pre-final win by about two tenths of a second over John Pennington. Andrew’s luck didn’t run out for the final as he was able to cross the line in first place, again by about two tenth of a second, in front of Aaron Baker. John Pennington and Jimmy Kent rounded out the field.
 | Kid Karts receive the checkered flag
(Photo: BP Motorsports Group) |
The S2 class saw St. Louis-area driver Derek Crockett take the win. He was able to beat out Chris Thomasson and Rick Freund. Crockett had qualified on the pole, but was unable to make the call for the pre-final, which put Kaylee Granberg on the pole with a 34.32. Freund bested Granberg on the start of the pre-final and never looked back taking the win. Granberg held onto second place, staying on the front row for the start of the final. Thomasson was able to get the best jump off the start, getting into first place by the end of the first lap. He held that first spot until the last two laps when he was passed by Crockett. Thomasson finished in second with Freund in third. Kyle Gnau finished the race while Granberg and Kyle Donahue were forced to retire with mechanical issues.
The $2000 purse in the TaG Senior class is still very much in play. Eight-time national champion and head man at Russell Karting, Jim Russell, Jr., came out to be a part of the racing action. Russell set fast laps in every session on Sunday but ran into mechanical problems in the pre-final. This forced him to start the final from the back of the nine kart field. Russell’s experience allowed him to work his way through the field, again setting the fastest lap of the session. Round one winner Kaylee Granberg finished the day in second with Chris Berg finishing third. Chris Koster, Adam Zaladin, Eric Wahley, David Piel, Matt Brooks, C.J. Beard finished in that order. Kurtis Kriedman was unable to make the final.
The $50 Leadfoot Award for the fastest qualifier in the TaG Junior class was won by Richy Yates, but Gregory Gerst was able to come away with the win on Sunday. The win placed him as the clear leader in the championship standings. Gerst also had to win the hard way, making his way through the whole field after running into mechanical issues in the pre-final. Noah Hutson finished second and Collin Willies ended up in third. Cole Hannah finished fourth after fighting back from a lap-one incident. Mason Daughters, Charlie Williams, Charlie Peter, and Wyatt Maness rounded out the field. Richy Yates did not register a time in the final.
TaG Cadet had another large field boasting 11 karts. Austin Mayton came out on top sweeping all three sessions on Sunday. The final came down to the close, two-kart race between Mayton and James Yates. A half second was all that separated the two drivers at the line. Jacob Winslow got onto the podium, finishing third. Caden Boltz, Ryan Joehl, Kyle Potts, Shelby Winslow, Morgan Carlson, Alex Medely, Michael Koch and Garret Daughters rounded out the field.
The Kid Kart class was won by Luke Howard. Faith Yates and Henry Williams all had podium finishes. The S5 junior shifter class was taken by Colton Brooks. Joe Reed finished second and Natalie Fenorolie came in third place. Chandler Collins scored a win in the Yamaha Sportsman class with Troy Walsh coming in second.
The next race, scheduled for June 5-6, will use the King of Hearts track layout. The long straights will put a premium on engine performance. Gutsy out-braking maneuvers will be the order of the day heading into the tight corners off the long straits. The track layout should result in some of the fastest speeds recorded at the track. Entry fees for all HSS races this year will be $45, which includes a full day of practice on Saturday and racing on Sunday. Additional information on the series can be found at bpmotorsportsgroup.com. Come out and see why the Heartland Sprint Series is developing such a following. |
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