April 30th results

ORRVILLE – Danny Sams III had the equivalent of a perfect game in baseball, 300 game in bowling, triple-double in hoops, and an ace in golf all rolled into one Saturday night at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Wayne County Speedway.

The North Port, Florida driver has now established a new benchmark in sprint car racing, too.

Sams swept the evening’s festivities by leading every lap of the headlining Great Lakes Super Sprint car series and the speedway’s Pine Tree Towing and Recovery 410 25-lap features at the 3-8-mile oval near Orrville.

Sams completed the feat in dominating fashion by leading from start to finish in his 360 heat race, and for good measure sat quick time in the GLSS portion of the event before stopping the clocks with a fourth-best lap during 410 qualifying. Sams collected a pair of $2,000 checks for his night’s efforts.

Mansfield’s Kyle Moore returned to victory lane by winning the 20-lap Elite Ammunition modified main event with Just Cranmore capturing the thrilling 12-lap JoyRide mini stock feature.

Saturday night, however, belonged to Sams in his Roofing Pro, Owens-Corning roofing materials-backed 24D entries.

Sams started the Michigan-based GLSS main from inside row two, and quickly built a commanding lead by the fifth circuit with series regulars Brad Lamberson, Tyler Rankin, Max Stambaugh, and Greg Dalman in tow.

Disaster struck both Lamberson and Rankin on lap 14, though, with mechanical issues sending both pitside, with Stambaugh inheriting second on lap 17 with Dalman, Phil Gressman, and Dustin Daggett now in the top five. Stambaugh closed to within striking distance at the stripe, but ran out of laps at the finish, giving the Floridian his first GLSS victory in a year.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been to victory lane, but our car was great all night long and the track was perfect,” said Sams. “We fly up here every weekend to race, and l can’t thank my mom and dad and all the great people enough who make this all possible.”

The modifieds hit the ultra-fast “Orrville’s Historic Oval” next, with Scott Peltz and and multi-time WCS winner Moore pacing the field. Although Moore built a comfortable lead early, Colton Shaw, last week’s winner, and Nick Young dicing it up for second and third with Peltz, Ron Miller, Ryan Robey, and Garrett Rons following.

Shaw’s night came to a halt on lap 10 with mechanical woes, as Moore stretched his advantage at the stripe to straightaway in his Larry Reed Motorsports, Ports Petroleum-backed R88 ahead of Young, Peltz, Miller, and WCS super stock ace Jimmy Humphrey.

“(Larry) called me on Sunday and asked if l wanted to run his car tonight, and here we are,” Moore said. “I’m not sure what are plans are for the rest of the season, but hopefully it will be more of this (victory lane).”

The 410 sprints were up next, and you guessed it, with Sams occupying the pole and Tyler Street alongside. Sams jumped to the top spot, as WCS regular Henry Malcuit moved into second on lap four and Andrew Palker joining the fray to third a circuit later.

Although Malcuit brought his No. 70 machine to within 10 car lengths at the stripe, it was Sams picking up his second win of the night followed by Palker in the McClure No. 9, with Street, Chris Myers, Stambaugh in sixth for his second top-10 of the evening, Jordan Ryan, Danny Mumaw, GLSS regular Rankin, and Zach Ames completing the top 10.

“I try to stay in shape during the week when we are in Florida, and it paid off tonight,” said Sams. “Again, l can’t thank all the great people involved with our team, and especially Rocky Anderson from Michigan who makes this all happen.”

For the second time in as many weeks, the mini stocks closed the night with another fantastic finish. Cranmore and Billy Parsons brought the field to the green, with Cranmore holding the top spot with last week’s winner Doug Hensel grabiing second on lap five as Kyle Petit, Jordan James, and Travis Hutton rode in the top five.

Cranmore and Hensel waged a torrid battle through lapped traffic with James moving to third by lap nine. A caution with two to go again bunched the field, with Cranmore hanging on to the top spot at the stripe followed by James, Hensel, Hutton and Petit.

Wayne County Speedway returns to action next Saturday night with its regular five-division show with the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association (OVSCA) joining the 410 sprints.

GLSS sprints (18 cars)
Fast qualifier- Sams
Heat 1 – Sams 24D, Stambaugh 5M, Gressman 7C, Frank Neill 88, Eli Lakin 70, Caleb Harmon 11H
Heat 2 – Daggett 85, Lamberson 27, Ryan Ruhl 25M, Jay Steinebach 10S, Matt Cogley 55, Shane Simmons 07
Heat 3 – Rankin 16C, Dalman 49, Keith Sheffer Jr., 86, Logan Easterday 87, RJ Payne 33, Brayton Phillips 0
Feature (25 laps) – Sams III, Stambaugh, Dalman, Gressman, Daggett, Neill, Lakin, Sheffer Jr., Easterday, Steinebach, Cogley, Payne, Lamberson, Rankin, Harmon, Phillips, Ruhl, Simmons

410 sprints (21 cars)
Fast qualifier – Rankin
Heat 1 – Rankin 16C, Sams 24D, Ryan 25, Nick Patterson 23, Wyatt Zimmerman 14Z, Aaron Middaugh 91, Jason Dolick D12
Heat 2 – Street 4*, Chris Myers 38K, Malcuit 70, Jamie Myers 1, Leyton Wagner 38, Dylan Kingan 7, Joe Adorjan 2
Heat 3- Stambaugh 5M, Palker 9, Mumaw 16, Ames 8, Danial Burkhart 20, Broc Martin 83, Jonah Aumend 6
Feature (25 laps) – Sams III, Malcuit, Palker, Street, C. Myers, Stambaugh, Ryan, Mumaw, Rankin, Ames, Patterson, J. Myers, Middaugh, Kingan, Adorjan, Wagner, Martin, Dolick, Aumend, Burkhart, Zimmerman

Modifieds (12 cars)
Fast qualifier – (Moore)
Heat 1 – Moore R88, Shaw 01, Rons 9, Robey 69, Humphrey 60, Mark Gardiner 99
Heat 2 – Young 42, Peltz 15, Miller 185, Richard Grogg 78, Andrew Myers 59M, Robbie ledger 33
Feature (20 laps) – Moore, Young, Miller, Peltz, Humphrey, Robey, Grogg, Rons, Shaw, Myers, Gardiner, Ledger

Mini stocks (23 cars)
Fast qualifier – Johnny Bruce Sr.
Heat 1 – Bruce Sr., 311, Petit 23, Dustin Bedlion 18X, James 83, Ryan Carder 3C, Kevin Markey 420, Chris Mullinex 81, Kelsey Coburn 18C, Cody Musselman 7C, Matt Short 11, Darrell Taylor 092, Anthony Collins 71
Heat 2- Cranmore 2, Hensel 18, Parsons 3, Hutton 89, Mitch Reichard 29, Kenny Long 711, David Dawson 98, Daniel Spayde 36, JR Graser 12, Clayton Evans 54, David Potter 100
Feature (12 laps) – Cranmore, James, Hensel, Hutton, petit, Parsons, Carder, Bedlion, Long, Reichard, Collins, Dawson, Mullinex, Musselman, Coburn, Graser, Short, Potter, Markey, Bruce Sr., Taylor, Evans, Spayde

Written by: Randy Worrell