Jun 24, 2017 at 12:16 am | Print View

WEST LIBERTY Shane Stewarts race could have been won or lost in the first turn of the first lap of Friday nights World of Outlaws Sprint Cars main event at West Liberty Raceway.

Of course, races arent actually decided on the first lap, but with the way the racing surface took rubber and who he was racing meant the way the race got started had a ton of sway over the outcome.

On the initial start, Stewart, starting on the pole, didnt get going as well as outside pole sitter Jason Johnson, nor third place starter Brad Sweet. Both got by him through Turns 1 and 2, and he was scrambling. Fortunately for him, the racing gods were smiling on the No. 2 car.

A caution before the first lap was complete reset the field. With a second shot at it, Stewart didnt let it get away. The Larson-Marks Racing driver led flag-to-flag in the first World of Outlaws race at West Liberty and grabbed a much-needed win.

That was my race, honestly, Stewart said. I wouldve never passed those guys back if that caution hadnt come out. I honestly dont know what the heck happened. I just spun my tires really bad. I took off the exact same way the second time.

Sometimes these races work out that way. We were able to put ourselves in this position to take advantage of that restart.

Stewart won ahead of Sweet, Johnson, Daryn Pittman and Donny Schatz.

Sweet, who won one of the two races at Knoxville Raceway earlier in June, actually was able to chase Stewart down in lapped traffic and even got alongside him at one point on what ended up a rubbered down racing surface.

In lapped traffic, Stewart had to change his line and so too changed the handling of his car. But again, he was the beneficiary of a caution that put Sweet back in line and gave Stewart a clear track again. From there, with seven to go, it was smooth sailing.

The problem here when it gets rubbered down, when you get behind lapped traffic your car acts different, the track gets really dirty and you lose traction, Stewart said. Once the caution flew and the track was clean, my car was fast again. Its a huge win for us.

Sweet wasnt too frustrated with the circumstances after the race, even if he agreed with Stewart that the Turn 1 reset on the initial start essentially decided the race.

His win at Knoxville on June 9 was in similar fashion to Stewarts on Friday, where the track took rubber and circumstances fell in his favor. That give and take is just racing, Sweet said.

Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it doesnt. It worked for Stewart on Friday.

I was pretty mad because I knew that was probably the race, and Im a little disappointed but sometimes these are the track conditions youre dealt with, Sweet said. Once we all got in line, there wasnt much we could do and Shane hit his marks. We had a chance there in lapped traffic, but he held me off there. Were happy with second. Weve had a lot of good runs lately.

Stewarts third win this season came in the first with a new crew chief, Lee Stauffer, after Stewarts previous crew chief left the team Friday morning.

The Oklahoma native lamented the fact that hes not really in the points chase this season and that his equipment is better than hed been running. Friday nights win, though, is one he hopes is the start of a better second half to 2017 which still has the Knoxville Nationals and Kings Royal left to run.

He also said he enjoyed West Liberty Raceway, but that everyone wouldve enjoyed it more if the track hadnt rubbered down.

We deserve to be here, we work hard to be here and Justin (Marks) and Kyle (Larson) give us the resources to be here, Stewart said. Hopefully we can keep this ball rolling and win as many big races as we can.

I think this is a unique place. I wish theyd had a few more pieces of equipment to make the track a little better. If we had the little disc thing (behind a tractor) to tear the track up and some water I think the race wouldve been really, really good.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com

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